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Talking to the creative stylists at Dexter High School, and learning how they approach fashion.
By: Nate Borel
Among the many things students think about in their daily lives, clothing style proves to
be near the forefront. In fact, 87% of student’s voiced that they think about what they wear, whether it’s confidence, dissatisfaction, or a mix. It makes sense that most students are aware of fashion’s impact. Media and important cultural figures paint a picture everyday of what good style looks like. But as it turns out, DHS students don’t look most to celebrities for inspiration, but rather to each other. Statistically, 54% of DHS students’ said that their biggest style influence is their peers. This outright beats social media, actors and musicians, the other three options on our survey.
To find out who some of these students that inspire the school are, DHS was asked to name some particular peers with good and unique clothing styles. Among the submissions, Kennedy Lint was selected as someone who’s style sets her apart as a creative individual. Kennedy shared her thoughts and introspective views on how fashion affects us all. “So much
of how we’re perceived is based on what we wear these days,” she says. There’s “more pressure” to look good, and Kennedy thinks that’s why most people aren’t ready to say they’re
completely confident in their style. The student body may resonate with this, as 33% of surveyed students indicated that they are only partially confident in their style, and 5% said no flat-out. An outfit becomes “more than just clothes” with these added anxieties.
She admits that this pressure can influence us all, but this isn’t entirely negative in her eyes. Kennedy has found a way to embrace this while still maintaining an individual sense of style. Rather than being fearful of “dressing for others,” or dressing how you think they expect you to, Kennedy sometimes uses this method to find an outfit that will suit the occasion she is planning for. She doesn’t want to “think too much” when reaching in her closet, so she asks herself, “how do I want to appear to this group of people?” She holds the power with how she dresses, but still considers the outside perspective, because “there’s no way to exclude it from your thoughts completely. Even if you’re ignoring it, you’re still catering to it.” This style method could be beneficial to us all, as a way to empower the choices we make instead of living in fear of making the wrong choice.
Kennedy cares about having interesting, unique clothing items in her life without thinking about it too much. Every outfit she wears is full of color and texture, simply because she likes it. She doesn’t think she “has a motivation,” rather she just wants to look “cool.” According to her, “The best kind of art is the kind that looks interesting. So I just like to make things interesting.” This makes it “easier” for her to find her style. This most important part of picking clothes is choosing things that you feel a connection to. Kennedy describes these items as “whatever you feel at home in.”
Kennedy’s passion for her clothes also comes from a care for the environment. She is a firm advocate for “thrifting,” or buying secondhand clothes. Vintage clothing can last much longer than new clothes, sometimes decades. You could find a flannel you love at a thrift store, and wear it for 15 years. Most new clothing produced today lack this level of quality and durability, and won’t last nearly as long. “Well-made clothes are not as popular anymore,” and quickly-produced, lower quality items known as “fast fashion” are gaining popularity. Producing large quantities of disposable clothing is reckless for the environment in Kennedy’s eyes. There’s a surplus of second-hand clothing available, which by recycling and wearing them you avoid contributing to this harmful consumerism. She feels that thrifted clothes also
have character that new ones lack. Thrifted clothes are “clothes that carry memories.” As Kennedy puts it, clothing these days are becoming “just garments,” rather than a special item that someone wears and loves for years. The personal connection to our clothing is being lost. Thrifting also can simply be fun. Kennedy describes it as being “like a hunt.” You might not find a winning piece every time you go to a thrift store, but when you do, it’s a very rewarding feeling. She encourages everyone to consider reducing environmental impacts by buying second-hand.
Students at DHS also submitted fashion article alumni Zoё Harker and Bridget Jordan as style inspirations at our school. Kennedy, Bridget and Zoё went thrifting together and talked about fashion ideas and inspirations, and have tips and insights that could help you on your fashion journey.
Bridget thrifts most of her outfits. She likes to work with color coordination, and brought her outfit together with a base of navy blue. The sweater has navy mixed into it, which blends with the navy dress, but the sweater’s pop of colors makes it visually interesting as a whole outfit. This method of subtly tying different pieces together with common colors can take an outfit to the next level. Bridget says that we should all try to explore different styles, and find what feels “the most like them,” rather than only following what others do. “Fashion can be very powerful,” and by finding what your definition of fashion is, you can tap into this power and confidence. “Push boundaries,” because once you find what works for you, “you feel great.”
Zoё chose her outfit because it’s one of her favorites, and one that just “put together well” with color combinations of blue, black and silver. The word she used to describe this process is “fun,” which is how finding an outfit you like should feel. She shares similar sentiments to Bridget that you should find your own style, and “dress for yourself,” because following a trend can be fun, but “it’s short lived.” Zoё gets inspired by ideas from places like other people she sees, Pinterest and Instagram, and she combines these ideas with her own. “I get inspiration from others, but I make it mine.”
