Walking around campus on a busy weekday usually means rushing through crowds of students wearing T-shirts, sweatpants or athleisure. It can be daunting to wear clothes that go against this norm. But for some people, dressing in unique outfits each day is an exciting chance to express themselves.
Riley Lawson, a textiles and apparel merchandising senior at LSU, had a love for fashion from a young age, but didn’t always dress up on a daily basis. Studying in Hawaii for a semester motivated Lawson to showcase her own personal style more around campus.
“Going to school there and seeing everyone’s personal style really stand out whenever they’re just going to class was a really big inspiration for me,” Lawson said.
Lawson wears a lot of vintage and thrifted clothing. She enjoys the fact that second-hand garments are not only more unique but also more sustainable for the fashion industry. She often constructs her outfits around one particular article of clothing that fits her mood that day. When she needs inspiration, Lawson turns to apps like Pinterest for creative help.
Similar to Lawson, Vanissi Fowler, a junior at LSU, thrifts many of his clothes and uses an app for styling ideas. Fowler uses one app called Whering to generate outfits based on pictures of his clothes. The app allows users to create a digital wardrobe and schedule outfits for upcoming days.
Fowler said that in his more elaborate outfits, he notices that he stands out from many other students on campus. However, his sense of style mostly gives him courage.
“It really depends on how I’m feeling, but with stuff that most people will agree looks good, I tend to feel a little bit more confident,” Fowler said. “The reason that I do choose my outfits is just to stand out in general.”
For some students, the way they dress is not just a form of self-expression but also a source of new opportunity. Jalayne Allison, an anthropology freshman, has gained new opportunities and friendships by wearing outfits that spark conversations.
“It makes my day fun,” Allison said. “I can just walk around knowing I dress outlandishly and that starts conversations with people. Most of the people that I’ve met that are my close friends now, they literally came up to me and were like, ‘Oh, I like what you have on.’”
Allison is the stylist for the Maison du Tigre, the fashion magazine at LSU, and is interested in making fashion sustainable. She not only thrifts a lot of clothes, but once she has a garment, she holds onto it for a long time.
“I have clothes literally from middle school that I still wear and try to match up with different things,” Allison said.
Fast fashion and micro trends make it difficult for the fashion industry to progress sustainably. To students like Angelina Hoskins, a psychology freshman, following trends also makes it difficult to truthfully express oneself through fashion.
“There has just been an influx of trends going on, especially through TikTok, and it’s just going quicker and quicker and quicker,” Hoskins said. “Everyone is trying to find themselves within these trends, and I think that’s just confusing people more and more.”
Hoskins is goth and enjoys wearing black poofy skirts, sheer tops and lots of layers. She also makes some of her own pieces like capelets, which can be hard to find in stores. Her hair, nails and makeup are also gothic in style. Although her clothes stand out distinctly among other students on campus, Hoskins is confident in herself and her unique style.
Dressing up around campus might not be for everyone, but for some, an everyday outfit is a chance to display their personality and the qualities that make them unique.
“I’m a firm believer in being able to express yourself and being true to who you are and what you like, and this has been my best medium,” Hoskins said. “I really like doing this stuff. It’s fun for me.”
