ALYSSA BUMP
Editor in Chief
One of my favorite parts of attending a liberal arts school is walking around campus and getting a sense of how unique every individual is through their clothing choices.
Clothing is a form of self-expression. You can base your style off a specific aesthetic or switch things up depending on your mood.
Societal expectations can make it difficult for some people to dress the way they’d like, but college students have always been known to push boundaries.
MJ Derilus, a freshman political science major, defines their style as “punk and a little bit of goth.”
Derilus was walking near UC Commons in a blue striped dress, ripped tights, black platform boots and an array of silver jewelry.
To pair, they wore dark colored eye makeup as well as a necklace that encased a scorpion.
Derilus said their friends inspire their style. “They are really cool to me, and they help me become more confident in myself.”
My favorite aspect of Derilus’ style is their bright, red hair and their facial piercings.
Derilus feels as though their mood impacts their outfits. When they are feeling confident, they sometimes put on white face paint. Derilus said the look “sticks out on campus, but I don’t mind people looking at me.”
Another person’s outfit that stood out to me was Halle Cook, a senior English major.
She wore a pair of hand-embroidered overalls with a red undershirt. Her burlap backpack also fit an indie-hipster vibe, which had an image of a Grateful Dead album cover on the front pocket.
She defines her style as “fairy-esque and whimsical.”
Cook frequents thrift stores and Depop for her clothes, and often cuts and reshapes them into original pieces.
One of her style inspirations is Florence from Florence The Machine.
Cook said, “I love the way people dress on campus. Everyone walks to the beat of their own drum.”
Luke Varacek, a sophomore acting major, wore a seatbelt buckle belt with Birkenstock sandals, a camp t-shirt and grey shorts.
Varacek got the shirt from his job in Long Island where he worked with young actors. The theme happened to be “camp gateway,” which is written on the front of the shirt in wooden lettering.
“Most people don’t know what it [camp gateway] is. But that’s what I sort of like about it,” said Varacek.
The shirt also pictured a tent with several green pine trees and a bird flying over the sun.
Varacek said he likes to dress nice because “if I’m going to look nice, then I’m going to feel good.”
Looking across the campus walkway were dozens of other tasteful, trendsetting outfits. Floral dresses paired with corduroy jackets, cargo pants with headscarves, bucket hats, plaid-patterned pants and of course, the ever-present sweatpants and t-shirt combo.
But above all else, everyone has the freedom to wear what they please on this campus. Whether it be a comfy sweater kind-of-day to feeling confident enough to wear something a bit daring, our outfits are an outward extension of ourselves.