Student Style Profile
- Clay Standridge
- May 4, 2022
- 5 min read
How students around UT are dressing and what their personal style journey has done for them.
By Clay Standridge
April 20, 2022 – In the 1950’s, style was the ultimate definer of personality. Wealth, rebellion, ethnicity, music taste and so many other parts of what someone was were made available to anyone who saw them.
As time has gone on, the idiosyncrasies that style expressed aesthetically has been made very literal. Endless collaborations between movie franchises and sneaker brands, aisles of tee shirts with corporate logos branded on the tags prove this.
Thankfully, I’ve been getting the feeling recently that expression through style is becoming less and less literal. I’ve been seeing more and more people finding clothing that they like rather than brands that they like. Social media has been pivotal in this, helping spread not only the message of having your own personal style, but also showing ways to express yourself with a bit more nuance.
Since I’ve been going through my personal style journey for a few years, I wanted to talk to well-dressed students around The University of Texas at Austin to ask them about their personal style. My personal style development has helped me feel more comfortable as myself, and I wanted to see if others went or are going through the same thing.
Tony Vega
Clay Standridge : When did you become aware of your personal style developing?
Tony Vega: Honestly, it started when I got to college but it really settled like a year ago. It kind of developed into two kinds of styles, either really simple, like this [outfit], like solid colors, earth tones stuff like that or cool designer stuff. My big thing has been styling pieces together, putting different pieces together that might look cool and might go really well together. That’s kind of how I developed my style and it’s taken me a few years.
CS: As your personal style has developed, has it helped you feel more comfortable in your own skin?
TV: Yeah, for sure. Honestly, before I was comfortable and confident in my style, I would hate wearing different stuff. But as I got more comfortable and started wearing what I wanted to wear, I felt more confident. People start to notice that and they start to compliment you more, and it becomes your everyday.
Caroline Gamble
Clay Standridge: Would you consider yourself into fashion?
Caroline Gamble: Yes! Very much.
CS: What inspires your style? Anything in particular?
CG: Most of the time I just buy what I like and make outfits based on what I feel like expresses myself the most. I try to do things that make me feel like I’m in my own skin and these clothes reflect me.
CS: When did you realize personal style was a way to be more comfortable as yourself?
CG: Probably around like Junior year of high school, because until then I would just wear basically what everyone else was wearing. I started to find my own style which also came with expression of my sexuality and things like that and the things I felt most comfortable in, not just from a fitting in stance, but just overall feeling like myself. Even if no one else was wearing that or if people would make fun of me for what I wore, I still felt comfortable and confident.
Ethan Tran
Clay Standridge: Walk me through the fit.
Ethan Tran: The shirt is Jelani Aryeh. He’s an indie artist and I got an email from Spotify saying I was in his top 1% of listeners and it sent a link to buy this shirt. He made all these graphics too. I always have my camera as an accessory. I just got this Rice hat from the 70s, these LA Apparel garment dyed sweatpants, and these Salehe Bembury Crocs, which I’ve been wanting for a while. Then the camera bag and that’s it.
CS: When do you think you started developing your own personal style?
ET: I got into fashion when I was a senior in high school, but I didn’t develop a sense of personal style until like this year. Before I was just wearing hoodies and sweatpants, kind of what I’m wearing right now to be honest (laughs). I’m in the process of experimenting more right now.
CS: Do you think having a sense of personal style has helped you feel more like yourself?
ET: I think recently yeah, it makes me feel like, if I saw someone with a similar style to me that I could relate to them on a personal level with random things. Clothing seems to work with culture like that.
CS: What are your favorite brands right now?
ET: I like LA Apparel for the blanks because I just like basics and it’s really heavyweight, boxy hoodies. And I’ve been into wearing hats every day, so I’ve been into these trucker hats. Hats that look bigger on your head. And then New Balance, with the Aime Leon Dore collabs, those are really good.
Gabby Veliz
Clay Standridge: So what’s the fit today?
Gabby Veliz: The fit today consists of black platform Doc Martens sandals that I wear every day, that if I didn’t have, I wouldn’t be myself (laughs). And then, just a plain black dress because it’s hot as fuck outside and I cant wear anything else. Also, the rings, of course. Apple watch because I’m a nerd. Nose piercing. Six earrings and the toe ring.
CS: How would you describe your style?
GV: All over the place. I don’t feel like I have a certain style, which might be kind of cliché, but I feel like I try out a lot of different things. Like, I like to wear athleisure sometimes and I like to wear all black other times (a lot) and I like to be boho sometimes too. It’s all over the place.
CS: Do you think you have a sense of personal style?
GV: I think I recently developed it. I never really knew what it was before. I knew the things I liked but I never really put them together or understood them. I felt very chaotic all the time. But, I feel like now I have kind of focused in.
CS: Do you think having a sense of personal style helps you feel more like yourself?
GV: Yea, I mean, it’s how you express yourself, it really is. I think it really contributes to how you want to show yourself and be perceived by the world.
John Henry Hayes
Clay Standridge: What inspires your personal style?
John Henry Hayes: I guess personal influences.
CS: Like who?
JH: Bob Dylan is one. I don’t know, I guess people I look up to. I used to have a boss who always wore white shirts and I thought he looked cool, so I started wearing white shirts to try and emulate him. I guess another thing is that I just don’t like looking like other people (chuckles).
CS: When do you think you developed a personal style?
JH: Probably like early high school days. I think personality-wise I developed my own interests and found people who inspired me in terms of style. I used to love Vampire Weekend so Ezra Koenig was definitely one of those early influences for me.
CS: Do you think having developed your personal style helps you to feel more comfortable being yourself?
JH: Yea for sure. There’s the whole cliche of dressing to express yourself. It’s not like, ‘I wear red when I’m mad,’ I don’t do stuff like that. I feel like in certain social settings with what I wear you can kind of judge a book by its cover and get a sense of what I’m like.
CS: One word to describe your style, go.
JH: I’d like to think it’s just simple. I don’t want to say it’s to the point because I’m not trying to prove a point, but it just gets the job done, it’s comfortable.
ME: Do you care how it looks?
JH: Yea, I do. Not that much, but I don’t really care about brands. I mean, I do, but not really. I guess everyone does (laughs).
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