Tag: Elverum

You may have noticed senior Reid Hildebrand’s signature, pared-down style, or wondered if his oversized glasses frames could actually be real. (His prescription is -9.75, so they absolutely are.) The film major and Charlottesville, Va. native has drawn fashion inspiration from the aesthetics in New York City and Kyoto, Japan, where he studied abroad, and says he is careful with his Instagram feed to find larger inspiration in art and architecture.

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

Reid Hildebrand: I consider myself interested in fashion from a much more third-person perspective. Like I follow what goes on with the labels, and seasons, and releases, and things like this, but as far as it applies to myself, it’s more just like a hobbyist interest that I enjoy other people doing. Because especially now, as like a 21-year-old, I don’t have very much money, and fashion is a very investment-oriented hobby, you know? So to be able to buy things, like new things all the time, you definitely need to be able to have cash turnover. And I don’t have a job. So I find it much easier to wear like, white t-shirts and black jeans everyday, and pay attention to what people are doing elsewhere.

A: How long would you say you’ve been interested in fashion?

RH: In some capacity, probably like four or five years. When I was younger, in high school, I made this short film, and it got accepted to the Los Angeles Film Festival, and my dad and I decided to go out there to the festival, to do the festival things. And before we went, my dad was like, “Alright, Reid. Here’s the deal. If you want to go rub elbows with people that make movies, you need to look the part.” So we went to the Urban Outfitters that had just opened up in my town, and bought some t-shirts, bought some jeans, and that was really it.

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

RH: Some people would for sure call it boring. But minimal, clean. I think restrained is a big one.

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

RH: Honestly, that there is some. Like a lot of college campuses have no semblance of style, and at Wesleyan, there seems to be sort of a status quo that the average M.O. is that you care about how you look. And so when you’re in an environment like that, it’s much more entertaining for someone like me, who enjoys seeing what other people wear. And also, if you’re into experimentation, you can go a little bit further than you could in a place like Charlottesville. When I was living in New York, when I was living in Japan, like, those are both places that have a very stylish way of going about things, and I find Wesleyan to be sort of like a microcosm of that.

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

RH: I know my jeans are tighter than they were when I got here. When I got here I wore contacts, because I had worn glasses for, like, sixteen of the first eighteen years of my life. I had a couple medical issues with the contacts, and at some point I decided I could do two birds with one stone, and I could get rid of contacts, stop having the medical issues, and also get glasses and use them as sort of an accessory.

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

RH: Honestly, coming back to the thing in which I am a college student and I don’t have much money to spend, I do a lot of second-hand, not like thrift shopping, but like eBay. I have online shops that I really like to browse, for stylistic inspiration, like Très Bien and Totokaelo, those are two of my favorites. So I’ll take what they have and go to eBay, and see if anyone’s selling similar things. Because I don’t really believe in compromising: I’m pretty particular, which is why I have like one thing that I stick with. And I have patience, so I’m not against, like, checking eBay every day until five months later, I still want it, and it finally shows up, that’s a victory.

A: How would you say the Internet influences your relationship with fashion?

RH: I think the Internet in general has made fashion a lot less trendy and cyclical [than] it used to be. There’s still definitely trends that come and go, and they catch on very strong and then they disappear. But people always say that fashion is cyclical, and I don’t think that’s true necessarily as much as it used to be, because on the Internet, you have all sorts of pockets of people who are interested in different types of styles. I think the Internet has done a really great job in proliferating a diversity of styles that all have their own communities and are all strong in their own way.

A: As a senior, how do you think your personal style will differ out in “the real world”? What will you miss about dressing for Wesleyan?

RH: I’ve actually given that some thought, because honestly I can’t wear black skinny jeans forever because at a certain point, just like a “too old for this shit” sort of thing. But it really depends on where I move. Like I’ve been talking with friends about moving to New York, or to like Austin, Texas, or to New Orleans, and like, all those places have very distinctive atmospheres.

From her marijuana-leaf-print dress to her platform moon boots, Karmenife Paulino ’16 has a knack for capturing attention and “radiating happiness,” as she puts it. Paulino has spent most of her life in Harlem, N.Y. but has also lived in Eugene, Ore. and experienced a range of environments before she finally chose Wesleyan as her home. This English major has been heavily involved in the Eclectic society throughout her days on campus and cites her fellow housemates as inspiration for her sense of style. She sat down with The Argus to discuss fashion as a means of empowerment.

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

Karmenife Paulino: I guess I’m very interested, because I’m pretty obsessive with the way that I dress. I use it as a form of self-expression. There’s a lot of freedom and confidence that I’ve gained just from dressing myself, and, I guess, just learning how to feel comfortable in my own skin has been the biggest gift from my sort-of fashion sense. And just learning not to be ashamed of my body because, as women, we’re told, you know, unless the female body is shown in a way that’s for male consumption or advertisement, it’s vulgar. Just learning how to do my own thing has really helped me break free in a lot of ways. But I would say I’m interested in fashion, but I’m not interested in the fashion industry, because the fashion industry is so fucked!

But yeah, fashion is a huge thing for me. It’s a way to put myself out there for the rest of the world. And if I’m okay with it, everything sort of [works]. It’s like I’m reclaiming my own body. Because people tell me, “Oh you shouldn’t show your boobs,” or, since my boobs are too big,  “You can’t wear that,” or, “You can’t wear mesh with no bra underneath.” Like, who the fuck are you to tell me what I can or cannot wear?

There’s always gonna be one person who’s upset, so let them stay mad, and do your own thing. And then you save so much time and energy just doing that.

A: How long would you say you’ve been interested in what you wear?

KP:  I guess [since] I came here, because I was a little bit restricted growing up. I grew up in a very strange household, and I wasn’t really able to be myself there. I went to a private Waldorf School in Manhattan. And although a lot of the teaching methods there are what got me here, at the end of the day, the education was very Eurocentric, and the environment was very homophobic. I didn’t really take that much interest in exactly what I was wearing because I just didn’t really feel like I mattered. And then when I came here, I came without any parental support of any kind; I was just all by myself. And while that was really scary, there was something really liberating in the fact that I could do whatever I wanted. And I just started playing around with different outfits.

I had run away from home the summer before I came to Wesleyan. And my best friend, she makes incredible clothes, and she was like, “You need something that’s gonna make you feel really good when you go to school,” and she made me this sequin bodysuit. It was incredible, and I think that was what propelled me to do it. Because when I wore that here, and I saw the way that people were looking at me, and I looked at myself in the mirror and [I] felt like I was just radiating. I was just radiating happiness. And I was like, “This is something I can do every day,” and I started doing that afterwards.

A: How would you describe your personal style in three to five words?

KP: I always try to go for like the unique, extraterrestrial dominatrix kind of look. Like I always want to appear very dominant and confident, and that can be mixed into basically anything.

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

KP: I feel like here, everyone appreciates when people do their own thing. I feel that when people look at me, and I feel the same way when I look at other people on this campus. And while there are some things that I necessarily wouldn’t wear, there’s just a certain feeling of pride when I see someone else wearing something and they’re really loving what they’re wearing. And I feel like that’s just a common thing on this campus. People come up to me and are like, “Well, I wouldn’t wear that, but you look great!” There’s just a mutual appreciation for each other.

A: What do you dislike about style at Wes?

KP: I’ve been seeing more Crocs around lately, and that’s really bothering me. I’ve seen three [pairs] and that’s been enough. They’re freaking me out!

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

KP: I love Etsy. I usually shop online; that’s why I never get anything done. Etsy’s one of those places where you have to sift through a lot of crap. But when you find the good shit, it’s so good. And, surprisingly, eBay! I got everything I’m wearing right now from eBay except my shoes and this jacket. I love thrift shopping: I love going to Goodwill, I love going to Buffalo Exchange. And some of my favorite pieces my best friend has actually made for me.

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

KP: I really look up to…people like Jimi Hendrix, FKA twigs, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj. And I actually am inspired a lot by living in Eclectic. Just because everyone there is so diverse, and there’s just a real celebration of that diversity. So when I want to try on new things, or experiment with certain things, I feel like I have a safe space to do that in.

A: Do you have an article of colder weather clothing that you can’t wait to wear?

KP: Yeah, I have this Bart Simpson sweater and this Bart Simpson matching skirt that I can’t wait to wear together… I’m excited to wear that, it’s always fun.