Tag: Elverum

Kafilah Muhammad ’18 has a “wear what you want” attitude that attracts the attention of fashion lovers and haters alike. Muhammad hails from Brooklyn and is interested in studying Computer Science and African American Studies. She sat down with The Argus to share her take on style and dressing to tap into her heritage. Heavily involved with The Ankh, Muhammad also wants to reach out to students of color who are interested in writing or drawing for the publication, hoping to provide a safe space for their creative expression.

The Argus: To what extent do you consider yourself interested in fashion?
Kafilah Muhammad: I just would say I like clothes, and I like putting things together. But I’m not super into fashion. I just like putting stuff together…and wearing things that I feel connected to, or that I can feel connected to my roots [through].

A: Could you tell me a little bit more about how you connect to your roots through your clothes?
KM: I just feel like I am able to appreciate some parts of my African-American heritage and culture through dress. I like to wear a lot of dashikis and African print clothing, especially from Ghana. My mom went to Ghana and she brought back a lot of different fabrics, so I like to incorporate them in my outfits and my head wraps, because I’m Muslim, so I wear a lot of head wraps, which are called Khimars.
I’m really into a lot of African products. I really love dashikis, because during the Black Power movement, dashikis were like a way to reclaim some type of heritage or ancestry. And I love color and I love fabrics; I love patterns.

A: How long have you been interested in the way you dress?
KM: I never really cared about it. I just like wearing clothes. And I wear what makes me feel happy. So I just dress how I feel; if I feel like wearing a lot of patterns and colors, I’ll put that on…. If I feel really empowered, I wear all black, because that’s how I’m feeling some days…. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you just feel like, “yeah, I really like this.” And it’s a good feeling.

A: Describe your personal style in three to five words.
KM: Eccentric, colorful, Afrocentric…. Just myself.

A: What do you like most about style at Wes?
KM: I like how everyone represents themselves however they want; they have the freedom to do that. And no one judges you based on how you’re dressed. It’s just, basically, you can express yourself through whatever you want, and there’s so many different types of looks. I’m really into the all-black aesthetic right now, but I just feel like there’s so many different people who wear so many crazy things…. I just really enjoy looking at all the beautiful people here. It’s like we get Tumblr, but in real life!

A: How does the fashion scene differ here from your high school?
KM: At my school, there were a lot of people who were really into fashion. There was even a fashion club called Scarlets. The people in there were sick. But it’s different in a way that here, people have certain styles or trends that they follow.

A: Where are your favorite places to get your clothes?
KM: In Harlem there are a lot of awesome vendors and stuff who sell really cool, colorful pants that I really like to wear in the wintertime…. They’re really billowy and really colorful. I really just like going to different vendors and different shops and stuff. I like to thrift sometimes, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I just really like vendors and going to different shops, especially in Harlem, where there’s like a lot of different guys who sell…different garments from all over.

A: Where do you draw style inspiration from?
KM: My mom! My mom is my biggest style inspiration. She wears a lot of patterns too, and a lot of fabric; she’s very into appreciating yourself, loving yourself, appreciating black culture, black people, so that’s like basically where I get most of my inspiration from.

I also really, really, really like Zoë Kravitz right now. She’s really beautiful…. I’m just really inspired by her.

A: Is there a story behind your [ankh] earrings?
KM: My ankhs? These are my favorite symbols! They’re a really old, Egyptian symbol that stands for eternal life. So when you die, your soul goes on, and it was one of my friend’s favorite symbols before they died. He really liked it a lot, so I kind of just wear it to remember him, but it’s also one of my favorite symbols.
[I got them] from an African street festival in Brooklyn. I also get a lot of my jewelry from African street festivals. In Brooklyn, in the summertime, they have like tons of them, and they’re great.

A: How do you deal with dressing for this freezing weather?
KM: Well I’m used to it in Brooklyn, so just lots of layers, lots of comfy sweaters. Sometimes I embrace the cold and still wear things that are like totally not ready for the cold. Like these pants are so thin, it’s ridiculous, but I still wear them anyway, because I like how they look. But it’s really like not efficient at all because I’m freezing when I go outside.

A: Is there anything else you want our readers to know?
KM: Just dress how you want to dress and be who you want to be; feel how you want to feel, don’t apologize for that.

Brooklyn native Eric Wilson ’15 is a senior at Wes with a love of international politics and, more recently, international fashion. A vital member of the Rap Assembly at Wesleyan, Wilson cites music as one of his personal passions but fashion as another that he can envision himself involved with professionally. Drawing inspiration from the pages of GQ and the never-ending cycle of looks on Tumblr, Wilson met with The Argus to discuss his take on style both at Wesleyan and across the globe.

The Argus: To what extent you consider yourself interested in fashion?
Eric Wilson: I read GQ Magazines here and there. I like going on Tumblr a lot because I feel like [with] Tumblr, you can see different looks, different styles, different pieces, and I guess just get new ideas…. Last year, a friend and I, Derrick Holman [’16], we had our own fashion line here. But we didn’t create anything here, we were just styling pieces, and I feel like…Tumblr and various other social media outlets create and foster these ideas.

A: Are you interested in working in fashion or fashion marketing?
EW: That would be dope, like brand marketing whether it’s like branding a person or political marketing. I mean, within fashion, I would say, like, being able to style or just be on the scene somewhere, somehow. I have to figure that out myself. I don’t actually want to be in the back room somewhere sewing or anything like that. But I haven’t really figured out my role yet.

A: How long have you been interested in fashion?
EW: I guess when I started making my own money in a sense, like my first job. I guess that’s how it started because I was actually buying the pieces that I wanted to, whenever I wanted. So I guess the beginning of college, more so sophomore year than freshman year.

A: Describe your personal style in three to five words.
EW: Minimal, versatile, modern, comfortable, and polished.

A: So how would you say your style has changed since you came to Wesleyan?
EW: I went to a private high school in which we had a dress code, so I always had to wear a collared shirt, slacks, and it was sort of constrained, I wasn’t able to wear exactly what I wanted to. So after I got my first couple [of] internships and have just been able to express myself at Wesleyan; that was kind of the time.

I actually feel like [my style] changed more from last year to now, from when I went to Copenhagen. Because there, they’re extremely stylish and trendy and they wear a lot of dark colors. My closet has a lot of black pieces in it now, nothing with too much design, just something that can be versatile to wear, whether it’s to a casual event or the movies or in the classroom.

A: And would you say your style is influenced at all by Brooklyn’s fashion scene?
EW: Oh definitely, because Brooklyn definitely has, I feel, dope streetwear, as well as I guess this trendy, hipster scene. Definitely there’s a lot going on within New York City fashion. And when I’m back home, I guess it’s the same effect, like in Copenhagen, you’re influenced by the people around; it definitely affects your style.

A: What do you like most about style at Wes?
EW: I like the fact…everyone has their own sense of style….For example, I have a couple of friends who go to southern schools, and everyone is sort of, in a sense, uniform with the collared shirts, the khakis, and the Sperry’s. I feel like at Wesleyan, people just dress and do what they want. I guess it’s also because we’re a melting pot and we come from all over the place and people just have a sense of independence.

A: Is there anything you dislike about style at Wesleyan?
EW: Not really, actually, because there’s just so many different kinds of styles… everyone just has their own place and their own way, in a sense.

A: Where are your favorite places to shop?
EW: Zara, H&M, Atrium…DNA Footwear’s also really nice, I appreciate them a lot. And I just have like random sneaker spots in Brooklyn that I just go to.

A: Where do you draw style inspiration from on and off campus?
EW: On campus, from a couple of my peers, actually. Just being influenced by the pieces that I see on them, it gives me ideas for things to add to my wardrobe. I actually have a good friend who I’m living with now, Kwami Ketosugbo [’15]. He’s extremely fashionable, and I definitely vibe some of my inspiration from him. And we would just discuss different fashion blogs and articles, conversations going on, watch documentaries, it’s pretty dope actually.

A: Do you have any favorite fashion blogs or websites that you look at?
EW: There’s this thing I’m following on Instagram called “the Locals.” It’s actually a fashion blog started in Copenhagen. And this one guy goes around to different cities and their fashion weeks, like Milan, Paris, New York, just documenting their styles. I really appreciate what Europe is doing, and just their whole take [on style]. Like even going to an H&M or Zara’s in Europe, it’s a really different feel than it is in America…. I feel like we’re getting their hand-me-downs, in a sense.

A: How do you envision your style changing once you graduate?
EW: I’ll probably be wearing a lot more dressier shoes and less sneakers…due to the environment that I think I’ll be working in, just the professional setting. Definitely I’ll be a little more conservative if that makes sense. But that’s not a bad thing at all because I feel like every year my style has changed, from freshman year, at Wesleyan, and high school.

Natasha Cucullo ’15 transferred to Wesleyan her junior year from UCLA, and her contrasting experiences with fashion in California and (the currently very cold) Connecticut give her quite the background. Cucullo is a champion clothing layerer and American Studies major, focusing in visual culture and media studies. She brought her trademark sass to The Argus to talk about what style means to her.

The Argus: Can you tell me a little bit about what first stemmed your interest in fashion, and how you define your interest in fashion?
Natasha Cucullo: I think I was a really oblivious child, but my mom, when I was really younger, would shop at like Daffy’s. I don’t think it exists anymore, but she’d get us all these crazy things. And then, in seventh grade, I obviously went through my Juicy and Abercrombie phase, and after a while, I realized that was not for me. So I think it was, 10th grade where I started to actually care about clothing and not care so much about what other people were wearing. I guess that’s also when I started looking at blogs. There was one, Miss Pandora; she’s from France, and I was like, “Oh my God! French people! Sooo cool!” Tthat’s when I figured out that clothing was a cool thing to do.

A: How have you been involved with the fashion industry in the past, and how do you envision yourself being involved in it in the future?
NC: When I was at UCLA, I was part of this group called “Fashion and Trends at UCLA,” and they would host a fashion show every year. And I was part of the editorial team, so I did a lot of photo shoots, and reaching out to designers and asking them if we could use their clothes. The real designers were more like, “Eh, I don’t know,” but a lot of the, not even up and coming, but just random boutiques in LA would give us clothes.

Then I’ve done some like brand research, and I interned at a magazine in California when I was there. Like, where I see myself going? I definitely want to be involved after school, but I have no idea what venue I want to go into.

A: How does the fashion scene at Wes differ from that of UCLA?
NC: Completely, actually. When I was at UCLA, the first year, I tried to wear, like, all of my clothes, but walking to class took like forty-five minutes on a good day, so when people complain about walking around here, I’m like, “oh you silly sillies”…. I think it’s really exciting to walk around campus here because everyone has a different look, and everyone pretty much owns what they’re wearing. Like, regardless of what category you may think you fit into, there are all kinds of people around, and I think it’s very inspiring to walk around here. But at UCLA it was not the same.

A: So what exactly do you like and dislike about style at Wesleyan?
NC: I like that people make an effort when they go to class, or don’t have to make an effort, it’s very optional; but it’s also great to see that people are experimenting with their clothing and their shoes and their whatever. What I don’t like… I think I wear a lot of impractical clothes, but I think it’s to an extent. When the snow’s 12,000 feet above my head, I’m not gonna wear my really nice shoes; I’m gonna wear my snow boots. That’s what annoys me. But maybe it’s just because the snow’s pissing me off.

A: What’s your key to dealing with dressing for the insane amounts of snow on campus?
NC: I’m really struggling, because I’m wearing only three types of shoes right now, and it’s hampering all of my clothing options, because I’m short and all of my pants are cuffed. They don’t fit into my rain boots or my snow boots. But I guess my M.O. these past couple weeks is do-not-give-a-shit, so wear sweatpants and stuff, and then counteract that with, like, actually wearing an outfit later in the day.

A: So how would you describe your personal style in three to five words?
NC: Quirky, for sure. I would say, like, acknowledging my shit; if I’m wearing something, I’m in it for the cause.

A: Who would design your dream wardrobe?
NC: I would say the Man Repeller, yeah, just her entire life.

A: Would you say fashion is something that should or shouldn’t be taken seriously?
NC: I think it should be taken seriously, but it should have humor infused into it, because if you can’t laugh at yourself then there’s no point in being a human.

A: Where do you draw style inspiration from, both on and off campus?
NC: On campus, in a lot of my classes, especially the classes we’re in this semester [the Sociology of Fashion]. And the Man Repeller, obviously…and just, random blogs, and music videos. Basically, if I like something, then I’ll try and find clothes in my closet that look similar to that and do my own thing. Rihanna for sure, she’s amazing. And I guess like, now I use Facebook more so as a place to like look at Style.com and all of those things, and Complex… if I see something interesting, then I will stalk it.

This interview was edited for length.

According to her blog (Marco + Kaitlin), Kaitlin Chan ’17 “likes clothes and takes photos.” She is a photographer and graphic designer, exploring her passions for studio art and East Asian Studies. Chan came to Wesleyan from Hong Kong, but her androgynous, tailored style is more reminiscent of the monochrome-loving New York models that she draws inspiration from. Chan was kind enough to speak candidly with The Argus about all that she likes in the fashion world as well as the fashion scene at Wes.

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

Kaitlin Chan: Pretty heavy extent! As a woman, growing up, I think that at a certain age, like around sixteen or seventeen, there was a little bit of societal pressure to feel bad if you cared about your looks…. But I don’t think it’s superficial to enjoy dressing yourself because it’s fun, and it can help people connect, and it’s helped me make new friends, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing, ever. It gives you a little boost, a little kick in the day.

A: How long have you been interested in the way you dress?

KC: When I look at pictures of myself from when I was seventeen/sixteen, I’m really disgusted. But I have to say that was honestly a big starting point. But then coming to Wesleyan was huge because people at Wesleyan really try! In Hong Kong, typical Cantonese fashion style would be a really big, oversize, white character T-shirt with a big Asian character on it, an anime character or a Hong Kong cartoon, and these sort of really creasy jeans with big neon sneakers. And that was so not my look…. For me, personally, even though there’s great pockets of style in Hong Kong, the overarching style, I didn’t feel like it spoke to me. And then I came to Wesleyan, and [there is] big diversity of style, and that was more exciting.

A: So do you think you’re more inspired by style at Wesleyan than you were in Hong Kong?

KC: I definitely think that there are aspects of Hong Kong that have informed me, though. Lots of women in Hong Kong have short hair, and it’s  not a big deal…. I guess a lot of people at Wesleyan do too, but…a lot of women in Hong Kong don’t care about the traditional womanliness of their outfits, and I like that a lot. My style is pretty, I guess. I’m not traditionally womanly, and I’m enjoying that, probably more because I grew up in Hong Kong than if I grew up anywhere else.

A: Describe your personal style in three to five words…

KC: It’s neat, it’s understated, and it’s dark.

A: What do you like most about style at Wesleyan?

KC: What I like is that a lot of people are kind of happy about it. And they’re sort of honest about it, and they won’t be like, “Oh yeah, I just threw this on, it’s whatever.” There’s not this huge, cynical disaffect. People are like, “Yeah! I just found this coat in my grandma’s attic, and I’m really excited about it!” or, “I put all these patches on my jacket by myself!” I love when people care about stuff. That degree of thought and effort is really sweet, and it makes me happy.

A: How has your style changed, if at all, since you came to Wesleyan?

KC: It’s fun being risky, and people aren’t as risky at home. Perhaps because your parents and guardians are around—relatives, societal pressure—especially somewhere like East Asia, where, if I can speak broadly, homogeneity is kind of important, especially in the workplace. But, yeah, [at] Wesleyan, I can wear dark lipstick, or just do big things, like wear a cape. [Here] it’s a nice thing, not a weird thing.

A: How would you say your relationship with photography informs your love of fashion?

KC: My love of photography kind of, like, sprung out of losing my dad at an early age, and feeling like his albums were the only way I could get to know him. Especially his fashion in the albums really spoke to me, because I think that if you’re looking at someone in a picture, one of the ways you can guess things about them, or learn more about them is through clothing. So I only really started taking photos a ton at Wesleyan, and it was always really casual, and it was always people hanging around me. And then I realized there were these really fleeting, beautiful things in the way people moved, and especially in the way they dressed. So I try and dress like every day’s a movie, and I’m not starring in my movie, but a sub-character in a movie. When I’m photographing, it’s like they’re production stills from that movie.

A: Would you ever be interested in pursuing fashion photography?

KC: I’ve totally dreamed about it or told people I’d do it at parties. But in this increasingly fearful economic state that America’s in, I don’t think that that’s what I’m most ready to do for myself. Have you heard of i-D magazine? They were just a hugely influential magazine for me. Because firstly, it was the first Western-language magazine I found which had actively used people of color as models…not even in a Toyko story set, or a Great Wall of China set. They’re actually being photographed because they’re like, “Oh yes, people of color can be stylish and interesting without having to contextualize their race all the time.” And it was very exciting for me; I love i-D.

A: Do you have any other major sources of style inspiration?

KC: There’s this young female blogger, Yan Yan Chan, and she just has an Instagram and keeps up a casual blog. She dresses really sweetly and excitedly, so there’s definitely a feminine edge to her clothing, but it’s also often distinctly monochrome and geometric, and I love that look about her. Chiharu Okunugi is another model I follow…. I know it’s really creepy, but I think there’s totally a bunch of us: people who look up models doing off-duty shoots.

Mimi Goldstein ’17 has two hometowns, Tokyo and New York City. This city girl takes fashion inspiration from both locations, but she also loves the unique style of the tiny Wesleyan bubble. Singing in the student band Chef and the a cappella club New Group, Goldstein comes from quite the creative family as well. She sat down with the Argus to get to the root of her personal style.

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

Mimi Goldstein: I’m very interested in fashion but I don’t follow trends or runway stuff. My mom’s an illustrator, so she would have all these old Vogue magazines, like stacks and stacks of Harper’s Bazaar and whatnot, and I would just look through them when I was little. So I do know some stuff about high fashion, but I definitely can’t afford stuff like that; I’m a big thrifter.

But I am interested in fashion and I do judge people based on fashion, which is a weird thing to say. But if you dress well I do want to talk to you—I don’t want to sound like that—but I appreciate people who take time out of their day to look good or look cool or look unique.

A: Describe your personal style in three to five words.

MG: Black. I do wear a lot of black. I would say I do incorporate a lot of weird Japanese things in my style, because I am from Japan. Like a lot of trendy things in Tokyo–whenever I go to Tokyo I buy these weird little things. I don’t know what word that would be. And just like comfortable but stylish, because I hate wearing things that are uncomfortable.

A: What do you like and dislike about style at Wes?

MG: What I dislike is definitely that a lot of people just wear the same clothes, shop at the same stores, and there is a certain Wesleyan trendy kind of thing, which I really like, but at a certain point you just lose your originality, and it’s really boring.

But what I do like is the people who actually are super cool and have their own really cool style, and aren’t afraid to show that. Like, in Japan, I feel like there are a lot of trendy people and really cool people but they are all following a trend in a way. But here, it’s just like, “I can do whatever the fuck I want, I can dress however the fuck I want.” And it doesn’t necessarily have to be following a style as long as—if I can see an outfit or something and be like, “Oh, that’s that person,” I think that’s the goal.

A: Where are your favorite places to get your clothes?

MG: I don’t have like, one place. But I do like thrifting a lot; in Japan I do that a lot. In New York, I live on the Lower East Side, which is a really cool place to shop. I do like a lot of expensive stuff, but I can’t afford it, so I only buy like one piece a year or something. I love Reformation. Their summer line is so nice, but it’s like a hundred dollars for a tank top. I like getting really basic stuff from really cheap places like Forever 21, H&M. It’s really easy. They’re around the corner, it’s easy, it’s cheap, you know? And I’m not trying to wear clothes that last forever. But mostly thrift stores. Like if I find a good thrift store, that’s cool.

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

MG: Yeah! I have a few friends that have cars and we sometimes go to the mall, but that doesn’t really fulfill my needs. I go to Savers a lot, which is great. I love Savers. I went to Goodwill the other day and it was really depressing; I didn’t enjoy it. I got like one thing.

I shop for shoes online but I cannot shop for clothes. Especially pants. I do like the guy, Tom, who comes [to Usdan] and sells his sweaters. I bought like five jackets from him last year!

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

MG: There’s certainly peers that have amazing styles and aesthetics. Just like, in my grade, some of my friends, upperclassmen, lowerclassmen, whoever looks good!

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

MG: My mom is actually incredibly stylish. She’s super quirky, avant-garde, kind of high fashion. I have a funny story, actually. [In Tokyo] we have opening ceremonies when we get into high school; it’s like graduation but for when we get into the school. So all these kids’ parents come, and all these mothers are dressed in pantsuits. But instead of a pantsuit, my mom wore this black tutu; it was like half-tutu, half-pant.

And all these students were like, “Who is that woman? This crazy woman with these crazy glasses and this crazy spunky hair and this tutu walking down the aisle?” And I was like, “Oh, that’s my mom. Yeah, she’s cool.” And she has a lot of weird stuff. I found this whole box of crazy earrings. She had huge chandelier earrings that I can’t wear because [they] hurt my ears. And she used to be a singer, so she had these huge sparkly ’80s dresses, with shoulder pads and stuff.

But celebrities? I like a lot of old French actresses, like Brigitte Bardot. Jean Seberg, even though she’s not French, but she was influenced by [French fashion], and she was in my favorite movie; it’s called “Breathless,” and that whole aesthetic is so nice. But contemporary people would be like Alexa Chung, I love her. Not a lot of contemporary people; I don’t really follow contemporary fashion.

A: What decade would you say most influences your style and why?

MG: Well a decade that I love that I would like to incorporate into my style would be like, ’60s. Or ’20s is really cool. Honestly, any time but now. The ’70s, also cool, but the ’80s, not too much.

Tessa Houstoun ’17, hailing from Washington, D.C., has a strong interest in design and is considering working in a creative field following her undergraduate years at Wesleyan. Houstoun spoke with The Argus about her appreciation for the students around her as a source of inspiration, from their beanies to their excessive piercings.

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

Tessa Houstoun: I consider myself interested in fashion not in the sense that I’m keeping up with the trends and current designers really, but in the sense that I actively care about my clothes and stores that I like…. I realize that I get stressed out trying to follow trends and stuff, and then I’m like, “Wait, I don’t actually want to.” If I [have bought] from a store recently then that will probably be buying into a trend, anyway. But I kind of just have my own sense of style…. I just buy things that I’m interested in. And also my mom is incredibly stylish and…I think I just have her taste.

A: How long have you been interested in fashion?

TH: This sounds so stupid and cheesy, but I guess for most of my life. Not even fashion, but just in terms of clothing and dressing myself, because my mom would dress me in great outfits as a child, and then it got to the point that I would choose my own outfits. I definitely liked to dress up and do things of that sort. But I guess [it was] not really until maybe middle school that I was actually trying to look at different stores and different types of clothing and go for a look.

A: Describe your personal style in three to five words.

TH: Normally, I look like a well-dressed peasant, I would think. I normally wear some type of sack dress with like a sweater and tights. I like funky outfits… but I wear a lot of neutral colors. Sorry, I’m not answering in three to five words! I’m normally wearing very neutral or earth-tone colors. That’s just also something that I don’t mean to do, but [something] someone pointed out to me…. They were like, “You wear denim and neutral colors.” And I was like, “That’s very accurate.”

A: What do you like most about style at Wes?

TH: I don’t know if I like this, but I think it’s funny that a lot of people look very similar. I just think it’s comical that it’s such that a lot of the people who are trying, who dress “alternatively,” or “urban,” or, I don’t know, whatever it may be, that there’s probably another person who’s wearing a similar outfit.

A: How has your style changed, if at all, since you came to Wesleyan?

TH: I guess it’s definitely been broadened, to more, I would say, more hip things. Because I feel like I skipped a part in my life where I should be dressing like… out there, and kind of hip and young, because I just love my mom’s clothes and I feel like I have always kind of dressed like a stylish, middle-aged woman…. So I think that I’ve actually been exposed to more— like, I wore a beanie today! I would never wear a beanie. And I was wearing high-tops yesterday…. My friend just bought them for me for my birthday. And I was like, this is funny, because I felt like a different person. I know what I look like, and that’s not how I normally dress, but it’s funny that I’m now acquiring tastes of hip [people].

A: Would you say you get inspiration from your friends and the people around you?

TH: Absolutely. Definitely. My roommate, Sally Rappaport [’17], has like, awesome taste. I’ve definitely taken either items or stores that she recommended. And all my friends here are very stylish.… At least I would say so. And I’ve definitely learned a lot from them…. And everyone obviously has their own look, but we’ve all learned from each other or taken advice.

A: So in addition to your mom, where do you draw style inspiration from off campus?

TH: It probably is my mom for the most part…. That sounds so lame, but if you saw how my mom dresses…. She has these pants [gestures to the pants she’s currently wearing]. So I would say for the most part my mom…. I’m going to say my friends, too. When I see what they’re wearing, then I’m always like, “Oh, that’s great.” I look at The Sartorialist a lot, the blog. That’s just fun.

A: Where are your favorite places to shop?

TH: There’s a store in South Carolina that I go to, called Worthwhile, that I’m obsessed with…. I recently got hooked on NeedSupply.com; it has great stuff. Creatures of Comfort…. I can’t afford most anything in the store, but I love it. Steven Alan. Once again, cannot afford it.

A: Who would design your dream wardrobe?

TH: Isabel Marant…. Probably anything from Creatures of Comfort, the store, but also they sell Isabel Marant. That’s also another thing: I grew up with my mom loving Isabel Marant, so I do, too.

A: Do you think fashion is something to be taken seriously? Why or why not?

TH: Yes, but I also think it gets so superficial so quickly…. I definitely feel that I’m presenting myself in a way based on what I’m wearing. I totally get that that’s not even a factor for people, or not something that people care about at all, which is totally valid as well. But I just happen to be a person who very much so thinks about what I’m wearing and how it represents me.

A: Is there a trend on campus you’ve noticed that you like?

TH: Honestly, I’ve been looking a lot at people’s piercings and tattoos. Digging people who could rock the septum thing. I would say that.

A: Is there anything else you want readers to know?

TH: I’m not as superficial as I sound. Hopefully.