WE KNOW FASHION TOO

STREET STYLES OF OBERLIN, OHIO

[sarpkeremyavuz]

My name is Sarp.

4 years ago, I left my home country, Turkey, to study in America.

Back then, I was afraid of the growing power of the conservative and dictatorial government. Afraid of the police, which was slowly being trained and prepared to serve as the government’s primary weapon against...

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what to wear for what is hopefully my last night doing undergraduate academic work

[weknowfashiontoo]

Shout out to all you stylish seniors on this last day of finals! Good luck!

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Mayowa Afolayan (OC '16)

WHAT. Grey patterned shirt, beige leopard print pants, silver strappy sandlas, purple stone necklace

WHERE. Science Center

INTERVIEW.

What style advice do you have for Oberlin students?

I feel like a lot of Obies just follow their own style advice anyway, but I guess dressing how you feel and putting on what makes you happy is pretty important. I always try to give myself one day every couple of weeks where I'm like, "Wow, I look really good today." I also try to pick up on other looks that I like around campus and seeing if I can incorporate them into my style. I wouldn't call it conforming, but I'm just trying to be open to different styles, and I think lots of people should do that too.

Those are some pretty bold prints you're wearing. But they work! How do you do it?

I honestly don't know. Haha. I was rushing to get ready for class, my pants had grey spots, and so I just found the first clean grey shirt in my drawer and hoped for the best. It was one of those situations when I was just like "yolo" and it ended up being one of my biweekly good days haha. I'm pretty sure that was the first time that I've ever dared to mix patterns.

Tell us about a first year's perspective on the Oberlin fashion scene.

I was definitely thrown off at first, and I still am when I see the some of the crazy things that people wear. Maybe crazy is too strong of a word. No, I'll keep it. But it takes a lot to be comfortable with your clothing and I really respect that. Personally, the leopard print pants are a stretch for me. I usually stick to jeans and plain bottoms, so I guess I'm wandering out of my fashion comfort zone. Coming to Oberlin has taught me to care less about people's opinions on my outfits, and it also has given me space to develop and experiment with my own style.

Other thoughts?

I don't know. Oh! First, thanks for including me in your blog. Also, don't be afraid to be different. That's something I'm still learning how to do. Express yourself!

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Victoria Cox (OC '13)

WHAT. Sunflower print sundress, black belt, world's softest sweater (pictured in scarf mode), black boots with gold spray painted toes

WHERE. Mudd, first floor

INTERVIEW.

What is your style advice for Oberlin Students?

I think it's okay to wear the same shirt a lot of days in a row, but a better solution is just to have a lot of versions of the same shirt. Also go big or go home, also fix it, also follow your arrow.  

Sweaters as scarves?---talk to me.

I think I might have picked this up from fashion icon Rosie? The weather changes a lot really fast in Oberlin, and it's so nice to discard the on/off sweater binary and take charge of your climate without having to carry around a backpack full of dummo scarves and jackets. And this sweater is so soft I don't want to take it off all the way, even when it's kind of too warm.

How has your style changed since being at Oberlin?

I was really gratified when I realized that Oberlin largely doesn't view clothing as a class signifier--at home if I wore something holey or patchy it indicated that I couldn't afford new clothes, but here it's attributed to personal choice/my cool diy ethos/environmental studies major. Also 90% of all of my clothes have been gleaned from Oberlin free boxes, which are the most precious gold mines. Like when I leave here I will cry over missing SIC prices, happy happy hour, and free boxes equally hard. I also think we have a really beautiful attitude in general toward costumes, which has definitely changed the way I think about dressing myself. I wore my prom dress once for all of high school; I've worn it five times this semester.

How much do you judge a person based on what they wear?

I think you can get a pretty good idea of someone's character by looking at their shoes. Maybe this is a little judgy, but I don't have a lot of tolerance for people who don't think their sartorial choices should influence what people think of them. I don't put a huge amount of effort into my appearance on most days, but I still acknowledge the fact that the way I present myself can affect other people's perception of me, in both cool and scary ways. Boys scream different things at me from cars when I wear old jeans and when I wear dresses! Like, you can use your clothing as armor or camouflage or to tell a story about yourself and that's too interesting and powerful for me to ignore. So, um, yeah I think you should trade your janky sneakers from the tenth grade for a pair of boots or something, come on.

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Jenny Vanetten (OC '13)

WHAT. White collared shirt, dark brown waistcoat, camel leather jacket, khaki pants, work boots, goggles, gear-embellished belt, octopus on gold chain.

WHERE. Burning River Roller Girls bout, Parma, OH

INTERVIEW.

What style advice do you have for Oberlin kids?

Commitment can be an intimidating word to Oberlin students/ everyone in the entire world, but committing to your style or outfit of choice is important. No half-assing allowed. You may find yourself dressed in a way others find ridiculous, but if you own it, only good things can happen. 

You are wearing an octopus on a chain. Why?

Heptapus. He lost his leg in fierce battle with 3 foot tall, tenaciously sticky monster, presumably. Thematically, octopi are very much associated with the steampunk aesthetic, maybe arising from sea-themed literature or maybe because they look good in a top hat and goggles. Functionally, something had to hold the chain in my pocket and no one has seen fit to will or gift me a pocket watch yet (hint hint). Spiritually, everyone should bring a friend with them along for the ride.

Who is your derby girl fashion icon and why?

This is such a tough question. If you've ever been to a derby bout you know that it can be a utopia of glitter, face decorations, and magnificent, magnificent spandex. However, if I had to choose, I would say I look up to the Cleveland Steamers as a team because they look fly in their uniforms, go all out with their themes (see: http://www.burningriverrollergirls.com/index.php/teams/the-cleveland-steamers), often sport a beer in one hand while plotting mischief with the other, and have been known to accessorize with bandanas, a fashion choice I will always support.

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Laura Grothaus (OC '13)

WHAT. Hand-made patchwork dress, purple top, duck boots

WHERE. Mudd, first floor

INTERVIEW.

What is your style advice for Oberlin students?

It's good to follow your instinct. You know when clothes love your body and your body loves the clothes. Beware of undue irony. The fashion hemo-goblins are on the hunt.

What is the story behind the dress?

I made the dress out of tshirts my aunts gave me during my preteen years that say things like "feisty" and "love stinks", using a pattern based on corsets of the Renaissance. It also features a cutting from my father's Calvin and Hobbes t-shirt.

What is your favorite article of clothing you've acquired/made while at Oberlin?

It changes daily–– there are pieces that were gifts from friends (a dress covered in snaps, a tea-colored polka-dotted shirt, a thick floral poncho, etc.) that have all these emotions attached to them. Today, I would say my favorite is the skin-tight white lace dress Jessica Lam has allowed me to permanently borrow.

[weknowfashiontoo]

Old B Fashion Special Part 2

Who is your ultimate style icon? 

Ultimate fashion icon? Gotta be Bob Weir circa 1987. Low tops, tube socks, off-white polo, and the 4-inch jorts to bring it home. Human civilization may have reached its apex in this outfit:

  - Jesse

What is your favorite "questionable" article of clothing that you own? (aka, maybe not really that stylish but you love it anyways)

Hmm... this is a tricky question because I feel like at Oberlin, things that aren't "really that stylish"... are. I don't know, these things confuse me! But let's see... I have this pair of very flowy rayon paisley-print capris that are (in my opinion) pretty objectively ugly. They're kind of like the potpourri of pants: pretty tacky, but also kind of cute. I love them, and I'm hoping to get them out into the world more now that the weather's getting springy.

- Roxanne

[weknowfashiontoo]

Old B Fashion Special Part 1

What is your style advice for Oberlin students?

Wear what makes you feel like yourself. 

-Nora

If you could travel back in time to any era (based on fashions at the time), which era would you choose and why? (For those of you who don't know, the editors of weknowfashiontoo recently acquired a time machine that was left in their basement).

I would go back to Ancient Egypt. I would love to wear white linen every day and feel comfortable wearing head-dresses with every outfit. Also, being in warm weather with a cat by my side sounds wonderful. 

- Maggie

What is your biggest, best-kept fashion secret? 

Well, I don't know if this is necessarily well kept, or if it's even a secret at all, but I basically have the fashion sense and patience for shopping of a seven year old. My sources for clothing are exclusively free boxes and the Salvation Army in Elyria on half-off day (everyone should go! everything is half-off all day long every Wednesday!). I have absolutely no sense of fashion when it comes to things that are actually nice/flattering/classy because I always get really excited about the things that stick out from the rest of the clothes (i.e. sparkles and stripes) on the rack.  Mostly I just wear the first thing I see in the morning, so I usually wear really bright colors and crazy patterns (they stick out more in that 8 am half-darkness). Someday in the future I hope to overcome my fear of new clothing stores so I can dress like a grown-up, but for now it's fun to dress like a seven year old!

- Rebecca

Which co-op (besides Old B, of course) is the most stylish and why?

Having not spent much time in other co-ops this year, I cannot say for certain. But there is something charming about Fairkid style that I appreciate. Maybe it's the down-to-earthy queer ethically-acquired flannels. Maybe it's just my friend Rosie. 

- Lena

How much of your wardrobe is actually comprised of your own clothing on any given day? 

For all of my cooperative ideals, I seldom share my clothes with others. This is because I own roughly one pair of pants, three t-shirts, and half a dozen button-downs. And they're all mine, baby. By which I mean I've collected them from various free boxes, dumpsters, and discount bins. Did that answer the question? I don't know. By the way, I'm always accepting fashionable donations (lookin' at you, Tank!)

- Joe

What article of clothing are you most excited to not wear once it gets warm out? 

Now that it's warm, I'm excited not to wear socks all the time. They just get dirty and then I have to wash them.

- Shelby

How has eating/living in Old B shaped your personal style?

There is a free box located just outside my bedroom door, which means that on my way from the shower to the bedroom, I very well might find 2 new possible t-shirts, sweaters, scarves, or various other clothing items. Because the Old Barrows residents are so darn fashionable, the free box is a veritable gold mine. Furthermore, because Old Barrows is such a lovely chill and low-key environment, and people don't judge you if you're just wearing panties or pajama pants or a cheetah-print dress with huge gold earrings, I feel I get to oscillate in the best way between dress-up and dress-down. I can come to lunch wearing my morning "I'm going to try and look presentable today clothes" and then by dinnertime I feel totally comfortable peeling off the layers until I'm just wearing socks and a nightie.

- Elena

[mensweardog]

Your Spring Fling: Floral Prints

Floral Print Shirt: Uniqlo  |  Tie: Club Monaco  |  Navy Suit: Paul Smith  |  Linen Pocket Square: The Tie Bar

not shown:  Oxblood Shoes: Paul Smith  |  Shades: Shauns Shades  |  Watch: IWC Portuguese

[weknowfashiontoo]

y'all, really, if you're not following menswear dog you're making a huge mistake. it is the perfect blog.

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[weknowfashiontoo]

the best style is punny style

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Ryan Lee Wong, Assistant Curator of Exhibitions at the Museum of Chinese in America

WHAT. Light blue button-down, gray blazer, cuffed dark jeans, dark brown shoes with bright white soles

WHERE. Root Room

INTERVIEW.

What fashion advice do you have for Oberlin students?

Do it up: in college, and especially at Oberlin, people give you relatively little grief for rocking an eccentric assemblage. Your clothes will become progressively more drab once you enter the workplace, and once you start a family it's all over. If wearing capes or chicken hats is your thing, now's the time to let that fly. 

How would you describe your personal fashion style and what influences you?

It's enough if I can just find clothes that fit well. I'm lanky; it's a problem. Also, I don't know how to match colors, so I wear gray.

The Museum of Chinese in America is putting on a fashion exhibit featuring Chinese American designers. What are you most excited about with this exhibit? 

Shanghai Glamour looks at how fashion reflected changing visual culture and gender roles in the 1910s-40s for women in that cosmopolitan world. Front Row surveys thirty years of work by Chinese American designers, and asks why there has been this rise in the visibility of Asian American designers. Modern fashion exhibitions are theatrical: they try to capture the excitement of the runway, but instead of models we use lighting, sound, and gallery design to evoke mood and setting. Y'all Obies should stop by when you're visiting your friends in Brooklyn this summer!

http://www.mocanyc.org/node/836 

Other thoughts?

Many of the designers we interviewed for Front Row thought the rising interest in fashion today is a product of the internet giving us universal access to runway shots and street styles. I think this blog is part of that. Oberlin is such a funky microcosm: you're in this rural area but you have the cultural density of any world city.

[mensweardog]

Dress Down, Scarf Up

Scarf: The Hill Side “Modified Herringbone” (Hickoree’s)  |  Chambray Shirt: Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply

not shown:  Overdyed Jeans: APC (Mr. Porter)  |  Weekender Bag: Barneys New York  |  Loafers: Bass Weejuns

[weknowfashiontoo]

thanks to sara tera for showing us this!!

[weknowfashiontoo]

Hate is never in style. Oppression is never fashionable.

Solidarity and love, Oberlin!

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Sophie Mvurya (OC '16)

WHAT. Black top, black fitted jacket, multi-print Kitenge peplum skirt, black shoes, bracelets

WHERE. Runway to Africa, Carnegie Root Room

INTERVIEW.

What fashion advice do you have for Oberlin students?

Be you and let your fashion reflect that! 

How did you design/put together outfits for the show? What was the process like? Has this process influenced or changed your style at all? 

So the outfits were all donated to us by members of ASA. Lindsey designed some and sewed them. Regarding the ones I donated, I also designed and sewed them. For example, the peplum skirt I wore. The process was quite simple. But really, Lindsey handled that; all I had to do was give her the clothes. Regarding changing my style...I don't really know what my style is, in all honesty. I just wear what I feel represents my mood and character best, and that varies from time to time.

Tell us about the outfit you wore for the show. What was the inspiration?

So the outfit I wore was a contemporary African outfit. The peplum skirt is made from two different prints from the same type of material called Kitenge, which is somewhat hard cotton. I wore the black coat with it because I wanted to tone down the prints a little and also because I think black is a very sexy color and I was feeling quite sexy. The skirt is short because I love my legs and having them exposed. Lastly, the heels. I love being tall and I love heels so I had to add them.*

*(unfortunately not pictured, but they were purple ankle boots)

[weknowfashiontoo]

WHO. Eliza Diop (OC '14)

WHAT. Purple and white dyed dress, gold leaf earrings, gold bracelet

WHERE. A-House

INTERVIEW.

What fashion advice do you have for Oberlin students?

I would advise students to follow their intuition on what clothes or styles they like. I think a lot of times we get pushed into dressing a certain way due to campus culture, or not wanting to be judged, but I think it's important to stay true to your unique senses and your unique tastes! Style is something that is supposed to be unique to every individual and I think that if Oberlin students acknowledged that more, we could find a lot of trends in student style on campus! I would also advise students that following fashion is not a cliche and wanting to look good or coordinate doesn't have to be a bad thing! Be proud if that's what you like!

What inspires your personal style? Do you have a fashion icon?

I think my personal style is inspired by afro-centricity, old school (90's), modern contemporary (like H&M since 2011) and sometimes vintage clothing. It's really hard for me to describe my style sometimes because it shifts from day to day depending on my mood. Some days I feel like dressing contemporary with pencil skirts and button ups, and other days I feel like wearing high waist jeans, printed-patterned shirts and bamboo earrings. One of my favorite fashion icons is Solange Knowles because of her changing style and unique fashion sense

What article of clothing do you love even though it is completely impractical?

Oooh, this is a toughie! I really love love love sandals. I wish I could wear them at all times of the day and at all times of the year because I think they go with every outfit! However, that doesn't quite work in Oberlin snow. Let me think of another clothing item, well I really love waist beads (from Senegal specifically) and wearing them under my clothes! It just becomes a problem when people can see it and they are like... what is going on? You can imagine.

[weknowfashiontoo]

Portland, OR Special

WHO. Brooke Kullberg

WHAT. Salmon and turquoise reversible Columbia jacket, yellow mesh sweater with pink stripes, orange animal print pants, hiking boots, sweet undercut

WHERE. Portland, OR

INTERVIEW.

Who is your fashion icon?

Any of the weirdos that are doing what they do in the world. The people who find self expression in the way they dress, and don't let the drab style of the professional adult life wear down their love to wear lots of colors, patterns and strangeness that ends up being a walking work of art, made of textures, colors, shapes and movement.

Actual names? Well, I don't have any. I am influenced by the initial idea behind the punk movement. The first punk out there was a rebel against the normative way of popular fashion as a symbol of their anti-lifestyle of not doing drugs, not senselessly partying, not following the popular ways of being, and of choosing to search beyond what we are all fed in our respective societies of what is the truth of life and of being; they read, dissented, created their own truth, and decided to be well-informed and politically and socially active. They manifested with their clothing. They also showed their personal creativity and reality by how they dressed.

The combination of grunge-iness and style, or trailertrash-iness and style, is my favorite!!! I guess a modern rep of dat style is Die Antwoord.

  At the end of the day, it just simply gives me a lot of pleasure to wear conflicting patterns and colors, match, or not, and be creative with fashion. But I do like to put some deeper meaning behind it all too; my style also is a symbol of the exploration and creation that I do, that tried to go beyond that what our societies already offer and profess. If I dress crazy one day, like in this photo, it just means that on that day I have a little extra vitality, conscientiousness, self-respect and creativity.

What is the inspiration behind your outfit?

Well... I guess the inspiration for this outfit comes from the idea of a futuristic post-hipster post-punk neon 80s-90s revival streetkid teenager that is trying to be rebellious and radical as if she lived in a distopian future, even though the world she lives in isn't thhhhaaaaaaaattttt bad in terms of social strife.

How has your style change since studying in Chile for a year?

Well, honestly in Chile is when my style went down hill, so to speak. I remember getting ready for my trip, packing up my bag, and thinking, "Do I really want to stand out when I'm in a foreign country whose culture and norms I know nothing about?" I had no idea how cool and fashion forward the people would be in Valparaiso, a decent sized port city on the coast of Chile. Either way, I was pretty sure I didn't want to stand out that much. I didn't bring my favorite zebra pants, I left the velvetines at home, the stripes and patterns and loud colors stayed in the closet, and the weird hats and accessories stayed in boxes. I packed a very conservative bag. Honestly, I really didn't want to scare my host family and I just wanted to be accepted easy, to fit in.

Chile was fun, and in Valparaiso exceptionally cool-looking people were walking around. Portland, OR (where I’m from) style is very similar to the style of Valparaiso. Notably, the Chileans were stuck in the 80s, but there was definitely the same looks and feels of Portland's 90s grungey beginnings of hiptserdom. Of course, there were the actual hipsters too there, grounded in a strong culture of alternative living styles, that focused on intellectual, socio-cultural and artistic pursuits. Anarchy seemed to be super popular there and so always at night and day there'd be people dressed in all black with animal print, patches, piercing and pseudo punk outfits. There were plenty of skaters going around sporting the typical skater look. There was also a strong classic punk and street kid scene, not only because of the love for punk music, but also because there were lots of community houses that were occupied and so some of these people lived for free. These occupied houses belonged to wealthier people who left them empty and unused, and amazingly there's a law in Chile that says if a house is left unused for 5 years, then the people can take it back. And so there ya have it, it created the possibility for a lot of people of diverse alternative lifestyles to thrive, and from lifestyle comes fashion and style. (All in all, Valparaiso had everything that Portland has).

The only real different styles down there were the flaytes (sketchy peeps) or the reggaetonero girls and boys. They dressed up in addidas track suits, had specific futbolista type hair cuts, always had multiple piercings and walked around with their music (reggaeton) playing on their cells phones. The boys were quite efeminate and plucked their eyebrows and put a lot of work into how they looked. They were known socially as delinquents, robbers and assaulters; basically rebels in a socially negative type of way. But for me, any sort of rebel and rebel style is attractive because of the strong statement in makes. I definitely came back to the US with fantasies of making my own addidas track suit with pant legs made super tight and "skinny." However while I was in Chile, I decided to get a hair cut that would be unavoidably be labeled as flayte, even though I was just copying Yolandi's (of Die Antwoord) mullet.

Returning stateside, I was certainly invigorated by the Chilean weirdness to get back to wearing my weird shit and having fun with clothes!

Do I have style advice for Oberlin students?

Well, my advice is that the most important thing at the end of the day is how the clothing fits and how you feel wearing it. That's always central to feeling good and to wearing alternative styles around town. Either way the point is to get adventurous, and college really is the best time to get funky cause its often the last stomping ground until adult sobriety tightens all your loose screws into normalness. Colors, patterns and textures are not only pretty, but hedonistically satisfying in a way. Share your clothes with your buddies n get funky with it! Get weird with it! You can build self-respect and self confidence while you go at it, and even strengthen friendships and build communities. My sister in her college coop had a sweater library where everyone shared their fabulous, funny and freaky layers. It was cool and it worked because everyone cooperated.

Where do I get my clothes? How do I choose them?

I get my clothes from actual crappy store-stores (I'm embarrassed to admit), from artisans (the more beautiful clothing I have), from second hand thrift stores (the best of the best), online from time of time, or in free boxes or picked up from the ground (usually to be fixed and re-sown) or as hand-me-downs from friends and family. For example in this outfit, the jacket was a $2 reversible Columbia jacket from a Eugene thrift store, the sweater was from a thrift store in Hawai'i, the shirt underneath it was from H&M, the pants a present from my sister online around $70, and the shoes are legit hiking shoes from trekking. Truth is, is that I do own some expensive pieces of clothing, that are either well made or just freaking awesome textures, colors and patterns. Everyone has their sort of budget for these things, and mine is defined by how awesome something is and how much I want it and really will use it (you know, just to rationalize paying so much).

But really how I go about choosing the clothes I like are first of all based on fit. I always go for skinny jeans, and tops that are well fitted and have shape. I fix up a lot of my clothing so that they mark curves or so that they just fall better on the body. Second thing I always look for are textures and patterns, which can easily bypass the importance of shape and fit, that is if the piece of clothing is that legit. Then comes the consideration of price, which is always the final choice maker.

[weknowfashiontoo]

MLK Day Fashions

WHO. Shirley Chambers

WHAT. Black and white striped dress, black hat with floral detail, black leather ankle boots, silver necklace, silver bracelet

WHERE. Finney Chapel

INTERVIEW.

What is your style advice?

Dress in what makes you feel good. Always dress your best, you never know who's watching...

Who is your fashion icon?

My fashion icon was my mom. She was an awesome dresser. She always instilled in me to look my best wherever I go.

Where did you get your outfit?

I purchased the dress from Bead of Paradise in Oberlin and the boots from DSW in North Olmsted. Two stores I love to shop!

BONUS PICTURE: The Zion Kings Men, with head-to-toe purple suits and snazzy dance moves!