Brandon Eng ’15 transferred this year from State University of New York  [SUNY]at Geneseo. He is an art history major who laughs off his personal style as that of a “gallerina with no money,” injecting thrift and wit into his everyday looks. Hailing from Manhattan, Eng thinks that the Wesleyan campus is easier to dress for than the big city, but he was also interested in the unique looks and manifestation of normcore in student style on campus.

 

The Argus: To what extent do you consider yourself interested in fashion?

Brandon Eng: I like looking at it when I have time, or to procrastinate, but I’m more interested in, deciding what I like to wear than trying to figure out what’s cool. And I like seeing what’s new.

 

A: So how long have you cared about what you wore?

BE: Like [since] high school, because that was a time when no one really knows what your identity is, so it’s a pretty easy way to differentiate yourself. But now that I feel like I have a slightly better idea of who I am; I don’t need to be as committed to a certain look.

 

A: What do you like and dislike about fashion at Wesleyan?

BE: I like that anything goes, but I also don’t like that anything goes.

 

A: How does it compare to the style at SUNY [Geneseo]?

BE: I feel like people have a very funny idea about what it means to dress nicely, or get dressed to go out. But in general, I feel like people, in both places, people have a cool style. Very college-y.

 

A: How do your clothing choices differ on campus from in the city?

BE: I actually have to take comfort less into account here, because I’m not traveling places. At home, I have to take into account that I could be sitting on the subway, on the bus, standing for long periods of time outside, walking places. So here I’m actually more apt to wear things that might be less comfortable should I have to go distances.

 

A: Where are your favorite places to shop?

BE: I buy a lot of stuff from ASOS, because they always have stuff on sale, and thrift stores. Definitely thrift stores, and not any one that pretends to have a curated selection of anything.

 

A: Do you find it hard to shop while at Wesleyan?

BE: I actually try not to buy clothes when I’m at Wesleyan because I already have too much clothing, and buying clothing here means I need to move the clothing at some point. So I try to generally refrain from new purchases here.

 

A: Where do you draw style inspiration from on campus?

BE: Some of my professors are pretty stylish. I actually do like seeing how people are dressed up, generally at music things…everyone has their personal, other student style icons, that’s just like “ooh, what’s that person wearing today?” Even if you don’t know them.

 

A: Who are your style icons off campus?

BE: Her name’s Ursina Gysi, but she and her boyfriend [Dominic Haydn Rawle] are always on the Internet and they’re always going to fashion things…but I see pictures of them all the time, and I like looking at images of them because they have a couple’s style. They both dress cool, but they definitely coordinate their outfits in a very interesting way.

 

A: How do you deal with dressing for transitioning weather like we’ve been having?

BE: You have those days where you end up changing around dinnertime because you’re like, “w\Well this was appropriate to wear when the sun was out, and now, it’s 20 degrees colder, so….” So just changing, I guess? Layers.

 

A: Is there a current trend you love?

BE: A shout-out to the ’90s…Just like raver stuff. Obviously I like these platform things (points at boots)…. All the ’90s things came in at different times, like the grunge thing’s been current for a while, like five or six years maybe, but then ’90s hip-hop came in. Now I think people are revisiting Calvin Klein ’90s minimal. Now all three of these different ’90s things are coming together, so I think it’s an interesting moment. And of course this is always how it is with trends from the past. It’s never just like a straight rehashing…. I think this time, the way it’s come back is that it is this carnivalization of different social groups and status symbols that one person would never have worn at the same time, in that period.

 

A: Is there a current trend you hate?

BE: I actually do kind of hate the slogans. Like, which rapper’s been really into Hood by Air and all that really goofy stuff? It’s like really expensive street wear that only people who live in the suburbs can afford right now…. And, oh my god, bucket hats are something that I don’t like right now!