Iva is wearing an Avril Lavigne costume

Putting together the right outfit took just as long as rehearsing for Iva’s performance at the Erasmus Pavilion. Her daily outfits aren’t much different from the Avril Lavigne costume she’s wearing for the occasion.

Iva (22) is still buzzing with adrenaline from the performance she just gave. At the Open Stage Night in the Erasmus Pavilion, she sang Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne, accompanied live by three friends. She’s wearing heels with striped knee-high socks over fishnet tights, with nude tights underneath to stay warm. “I just wanted to throw everything together, because that’s what Avril does in the music video. Fishnets, stripes, pink”, Iva says in a high, excited voice.

As a child, she loved the song and Avril’s look. When she first heard it, she didn’t yet realise it was about a boy who already had a girlfriend. Now, she laughs about it. “She’s so energetic and such a girlboss, she just goes for whoever she wants. I’m not really like that, but it’s so much fun to play with.”

It took Iva an hour and a half to put the outfit together – the same amount of time as the rehearsal for her performance. Finding the right top was the biggest challenge. It had to be pink, but also have the right silhouette. “In the end, I tucked it in to make it shorter.” Fashion has been a hobby for Iva ever since she was a little girl in Bulgaria. “When I get dressed, it feels like I’ve done something for myself. That makes me happy”, she explains.

Her everyday outfits aren’t much different from her Avril Lavigne costume. She loves bright colours, short skirts, and eyeliner. “If I wear only black or white for too long, I get bored. I like to mix it up!”, she says. She’s always in the mood for bold fashion choices, whether she’s tackling statistics in her master’s in Clinical Psychology or singing along at a jam session with the music society. The best thing is when she meets others with the same colourful, extravagant energy. Her advice: “Life is short – wear all the beautiful clothes you have, no matter the occasion. Why wouldn’t you want to feel pretty?”