As I was getting dressed, I was thinking about where my style comes from. I knew it definitely has some influences and after looking at all of my favorite pieces, I realized that I dress like the women from the movies and television shows I watch.
When I find myself relating to a character I start to incorporate pieces of them in myself because even though their reality is fictitious, the emotions that their stories make me feel are real. Lately, my style has been largely influenced by the character Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) from the movie The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy. I have never experienced heartbreak from my significant other getting drafted to go to war, but I know the feeling of seeing life as soft, bright, and clear only to have your expectations that you assumed were true be altered by unforeseen circumstances. I will not spoil the story of the movie in case you haven’t seen it, but I will mention my love for Geneviève’s clothes that I wish to make my own.
1. Sweaters
Geneviève’s sweaters are what ties many of her simpler outfits together. Her cardigans matched with her bows create a dainty and charming look that I adore.
Credit: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
2. Coats
I hope the weather finally gets colder in San Diego because I am ready to wear coats! Geneviève’s coats make her look elegant and pristine, a look that I strive to emulate.
Credit: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
3. Color
Color is an important aspect of this film because the colors of the characters’ clothing often match the background colors, which can also show how the characters are feeling. I chose blue clothing for this collage because I think blue best captures the feeling of despair and loss that the movie is trying to convey. Colors are very important to me when I’m considering my style because bright colors remind me of the vibrancy of youth. Although as we get older we may see our lives less and less through the perspective of a technicolor lens, sometimes through bright colors we are reminded of the fun, hope, and liveliness we carried as children.
Credit: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
I can watch movies repeatedly simply for the costumes.
Not everyone enjoys watching musicals, especially ones that involve the characters singing every single line, but I believe that The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a great movie to watch for those of you who admire when a significant amount of care is put into the details of costumes and cinematography. If you’re looking for a change in your style you should watch some of your favorite movies to see if any of the outfits represent you.
When many of us think of the coolest girl at school, that girl is rarely ever cool. We usually think of someone who is mean, stuck-up, and who praises herself for her “original” outfit that she copied from a Brandy Melville model.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Emily Zito, we went to high school together. Emily is the type of person who others are drawn to because she radiates warmth and kindness. Everyone turns to her in a room because of her unique sense of style and the way she carries herself with sophistication, confidence, and poise. She’s the type of person who you would aspire to be, but you know she wouldn’t want you to be anyone other than yourself. This is why I’m doing my very first interview with Emily, she is the true definition of the coolest girl at school.
I wanted to interview you because I saw you almost every day in high school, and you were a person who always stood out to me. I call you my style icon because you look so put together and unique. With that said, my first question to you is why do you like to dress the way that you do?
“Aw, thank you! Ever since middle school, I never wanted to dress like anyone else. That’s why I love thrift stores so much because I can find things that no one else has. That’s why I don’t love going to fast fashion corporations because you see the same thing on everyone else. I want to stand out.”
Do you have any style inspirations?
“I don’t think I have a specific inspiration because I like to pull things from different people. I’m often influenced by different eras like the 90’s white oversized men’s shirts or the colors from the 70s. I am inspired by anyone who is doing their own thing.”
I see on your Instagram that you post Tyler the Creator a lot-
“Yeah, I was just about to bring him up. I think he’s so cool on how he does music, scoring, fashion, and how he doesn’t give a f**k about anything. He dresses however he wants, so I find a lot of inspiration behind that. I love it when people wear things that may come off as ugly, but they’re wearing their clothes for themselves, and I think that’s really cool. So yeah, he’s definitely one of the people that I look up to.”
I admire people who don’t care if what they’re wearing is seen as ugly too, but do you ever feel pressured to look good all of the time?
“Kinda, sometimes. Going to school everyday people tend to notice your outfits. For example, you tell me you think I dress cute, which makes me aware that people pay attention to the way that I dress. At the same time, I don’t care very much because when I get dressed in the morning and I dress cute, I do it for myself. I love to play with the different things that I wear, so I guess yes and no. When people know that you’re into fashion, people think that you have to look good all the time and that’s where the pressure comes from, but if I want to wear leggings and a hoodie then I will definitely wear that.”
With me, I sometimes feel pressured because on the days where I do dress down people tend to ask me if I’m sick!
“Yes! They’re like ‘is something wrong with you? You’re not stepping out today!’ Nope, I just don’t feel like it!”
You said that you dress for yourself, so would you describe yourself as being a confident person?
“I think so. You don’t necessarily need the confidence to dress in different ways, but I do consider myself to be confident because you need the confidence to know that you can pull things off when you see that no one else is dressing like this.”
Does your confidence come from anywhere? I often think that I am confident, especially when it comes to what I wear, but as soon as I step outside that confidence suddenly disappears.
“I’m not sure because I feel like it’s been an internal thing for all of my life. I never had to tell myself repeatedly to ‘be confident’ before I stepped outside, I just did it. I think what’s helped me is having an older sister. She’s into fashion as well, and she inspired me growing up. Watching her wear what she wants and not give a f**k about others’ opinions made me think that I could do that too. It’s so much more fun being confident and loving how you dress, so that is what I do.”
Do you think you would like to pursue going into the fashion industry when you get older?
“I don’t think so because it’s not a deep passion of mine, I just think it’s a fun thing to do. I like shopping at Goodwill and dressing really cool, so I don’t see a career path, but you never know. I do love it and I want to keep my options open.”
Do a lot of your friends shop at thrift stores too or are they more into fast fashion?
“A lot of them shop at Urban Outfitters, and I think I own five things from that store. I believe Urban Outfitters targets that Goodwill type of style, and I think that’s very smart of them because they are a business, but then again it’s overpriced. I could get something much cooler at a thrift store. My friends do both but they lean more towards the stores. You definitely have to have an eye when you thrift.”
I think you’re right, you definitely have to have a good eye for thrifting. I try to go to thrift stores but I tend to only find jackets and blazers at Goodwill. Then I look at other people who thrift and it seems like they’re able to find so many things. I don’t know how to sort through it, do you have any methods?
“I like to start with the handbags because I think a little purse is so cute. I see everyone else finding jeans at goodwill, but I think finding a good pair of jeans is the trickiest thing for me. I go straight towards outerwear, but that’s probably I love outerwear and I gravitate towards it. I think a key thing is being patient and going in with no expectations.”
Going in with no expectations is important because a lot of people are set with the style that they have, but in Goodwill you see clothing coming from a bunch of different people, and I think you need to keep an open mind. You may see something that you wouldn’t normally wear, but maybe I can do something with it to make it my own.
“Yes, for sure. One day I can dress like a five-year-old little boy and the next a thirty-year-old mom, just really chic. That’s what is so much fun about Goodwill. As you said, you’re seeing a wardrobe that a variety of people have contributed to, so one person can dress in all these different ways. Of course, you have your own thing that you like, but I think keeping an open mind makes things more interesting and keeps you unpredictable.”
Sometimes my parents or older adults look at me and say, “uhh what are you wearing?” Do you hear that from older adults as well?
“Yes, my mom says that all the time. I’ll wear my cute slack pants, and my mom calls me a grandma, but I tell her ‘yeah, I want to embrace the grandma look!’ My mom always responds with, ‘well it’s you and that’s all that matters.’ I bet some people look at my outfits and think they’re ugly but it is important for me to embrace it. It’s more interesting when not everyone likes your outfits.”
Well, I happen to love all of your outfits! So, it is now October and you told me that you love fall fashion. The weather is still hot, but what are your favorite fall styles?
“I really love outerwear so my closet is filled with jackets and coats. A good coat is essential. It’s kinda ironic that I live in San Diego because I have so many coats but I’m just waiting to move somewhere colder.”
How would you describe your style?
“I would call my style casual chic. I want to be comfortable but also look like a bad b***h when I’m stepping out. I still feel like a bad b***h in my hoodie, leggings, and my Reebok shoes. Being a bad b***h is a mindset. It’s not all about what you have on, I think what attracts people to others is their presence. People are attracted to energy.”
A lot of people say that young people like to follow the crowd. Do you feel like our generation is stepping away from that and we are trying to wear clothes that we truly like despite the opinions of others?
“I think our generation is better at not caring and dressing how we want. I see that a lot in friend groups. I see a lot of friend groups who all have a similar aesthetic but each person has their own individual spin on that aesthetic. Although it feels like our generation is straying away from conformity, I know there is still a lot of people rushing to Urban Outfitters to buy something that they see everyone else at school wearing.”
The reason why I asked that question is because I’m looking at the glitter on your eyes and I’m thinking about the show Euphoria. The girls on that show have their own unique style and I know they have inspired other people to dress how they want.
“Yeah and I think that’s a good thing that people who didn’t have the confidence to dress a certain way see the way that Rue dresses and they think ‘okay, I can dress like a tomboy.’ Then there is Cat who is a boss a** b***h who wears whatever she wants. That’s really cool for bigger and curvier girls who can see someone as confident as she is on TV.”
You mentioned how Rue can inspire others to dress in a more typically “masculine” way, do you ever feel pressured to only dress in a way that is seen as being feminine?
“I guess there is some pressure because I am a girl, but I really do like dressing more masculine on some days because sometimes I think it’s more comfortable. I love to wear black pants, a turtle neck, and a graphic tee even if that may not be super feminine. I think that seeing Rue or characters like Rue show people that it’s cool and just as interesting to dress that way.”
I tend to dress more femininely because I feel that’s how I’m expected to dress. I do gravitate towards feminine styles more, but I don’t think you should have to pick one. I think we can combine the two if that is what we like.
“I feel like there is always going to be pressure when it comes to gender and clothing, but I think it’s getting better with our generation.”
Do you have any pieces in your closet that you feel very attached to and if they ever got stolen you would feel devastated?
“For me, three things come to mind and they are all coats. I have a zebra coat that I recently got from Oregon, my deep orange 70s coat with reflective detail that I got at a thrift store, and my coat that I like to call my Matrix coat.”
I’ve seen your Matrix coat on Instagram. I see a lot of your outfits on there. A lot of people like to talk about social media and it’s negative effects, but how does it make you feel?
“I think I have a love-hate relationship. I look at my feed consisting of people from high school, and I think that I don’t really need to follow these people because half of them I don’t care what they’re posting. I love social media for the explore page or the fashion Instagram pages. I have folders saved of looks that I love and like to get inspiration from. I haven’t posted a picture in a while but when I do post I do it for me. I like it when feeds have a unique look. I don’t focus on if someone from high school likes my pictures or not. I think it’s cute when your friends or people you may not know very well comment on a post because they like your outfit. I do that too sometimes because I want to be supportive. I think that’s a positive thing about social media, how supportive people can be, but it can definitely get to some people’s heads and they end up posting just for the comments. It has its pros and cons just like everything else.”
I first got an Instagram in middle school, but I deleted it because I noticed myself only posting what I felt others would like. I got one again this year because I told myself if I wanted to post a picture, I have to do it for me.
“I was actually looking through your Instagram the other day and I was thinking about how it’s really cool that you’re posting all these paintings because that is what you’re interested in. I think your feed should be a representation of you and what you want to see.”
So, we talked about handbags, coats, and pants, but what about shoes?
“In middle school, while everyone was into sneakers, I was obsessed with black boots. I still have five pairs of them because I used to center my whole wardrobe around them. Now I’m into sneakers. My one stars are my essentials, I can’t let them go. I also have my Tyler Golf le Fleur shoes. I love Reeboks. I really like wearing a fancy dress but dressing it down with a denim jacket, a belt, and a pair of sneakers. I like to mix my silk dresses with black boots or sneakers. It’s fun to play with shoes!”
Let’s say it’s the weekend and you’re dressed in an outfit that you feel very confident in, where would you like to go?
“I love going to concerts, that’s a huge part of my life. My friend Zoë and I go to a coffee shop every first of the month and we get dressed up to listen to live music. The little events here and there are really fun.”
Do you ever plan your outfits with your friends?
“Sometimes! When we went to the coffee shop to listen to live music and the theme was the 90s so we planned our outfits accordingly. When we went roller skating we wore a bunch of glitter and bright colors because we wanted to dress like the characters on Euphoria. We don’t do it all the time because we each have our own aesthetic and way that we like to dress.“
I wish this interview had a conclusion so I can call myself a professional interviewer but after the previous question, we drifted to a variety of topics, such as chateaus, tea parties, travel, college life, and movies. Although I am still learning how to interview, I hope you were able to learn more about Emily and yourselves. I didn’t write this interview so you could imitate Emily’s style, but so she could inspire you to have the confidence to create your own.
My hair is more than something that rests on my head. My hair is part of my culture, identity, and history. My hair is part of my freedom.
I got a haircut a few days ago. I didn’t cut my hair noticeable short, the cut was more like a trim. This probably means nothing to you, but this was a significant moment for me.
We must love ourselves and our communities
Slavery in the United States may have ended in 1865, but there are various methods attempting to ensure that black people never gain true freedom. One of the methods is to make ourselves hate or want to hide our blackness. Many of us thought that if we do our best to assimilate to whiteness maybe we would finally be accepted by society and ourselves. This proved to be utterly false. No matter how straight our hair looks we were not free from being abused, imprisoned, and dehumanized. When black people found this to be true, they realized that our nation may not love and respect us, but we must love and respect ourselves and our communities.
Black Is Beautiful
The idea of black people loving and respecting ourselves and our communities is vital to our liberation and it was (and still is) revolutionary. This mindset sparked the “Black Is Beautiful” movement in the 1960s. Kwame Brathwaite, a photographer from New York, showcased black women wearing their natural hair in the neighborhoods of the Bronx and Harlem. Magazines, such as Jet, were featuring natural hair. Angela Davis, an activist, writer, and scholar wore her natural hair to court when she was finally acquitted of the charges brought against her. Brathwaite, Jet, Davis, and more all showed the beauty in blackness and its power.
Dreaming of Straight Hair
Although the “Black is Beautiful” movement did gain popularity, straightening our hair was still very common for many of us. Growing up in the early 00s, I still remember the feeling of a hot scalp, tugging, breakage, and tears from pain and sitting down for too long, which many black women find too familiar. I constantly wished for naturally straight hair because maybe then I wouldn’t feel embarrassed when my friends and I would do each other’s hair and I was always left with a tangled mess. Maybe then would I feel beautiful all the time. I didn’t know that I had been conforming to eurocentric beauty standards until I started using Instagram. I know the conversation about social media is often about how it’s harmful but through Instagram I found women loving and celebrating hair that looks like mine. Listening to Solange’s “Don’t Touch My Hair,” Aminé’s “Cantu,” or Beyoncé’s Lemonade helped me understand that my black hair is beautiful, similar to what artists and activists did for a past generation.
My Bird’s Nest
Many would think that my natural hair journey ended there. I realized the beauty of my natural hair and I gained ultimate confidence. No. Natural hair often makes me feel too noticeable and hearing words such as “bird’s nest” being associated with my hair does not help. Black women straightening our hair isn’t bad. Some like to because they simply like the look, and that is their choice, but I know my intentions when straightening my hair are not always healthy. I wanted to be smaller and look “presentable.” I began to believe that just because other black women look gorgeous with natural hair, doesn’t mean that I do too. I stared at myself in the mirror with my braided hair extending across my back as I dreaded to unravel them. I finally did so after ten hours of cramped hands. The next day I got my haircut. The hairdresser cut off all my ends that had been damaged from the heat over the years. She told me that I have pretty hair that would look gorgeous if I straightened it, similar to what my friend’s mother said to me in kindergarten, which led me to straighten my hair for the first time. I raised my head to look at my new cut. My hair looked poofy, curly, frizzy, thick, big, bold, and beautiful, and I absolutely love it. I’m ready to reclaim my natural crown.
More than just a pair of beat-up shoes, my Converse have stood the test of time, carrying defining moments of my youth through its simplicity and sense of familiarity that everyone has grown to love.
I was sitting in a parking lot, surrounded by friends, waiting for a concert to start. We were shaking from the cold and from excitement for the show we had purchased tickets for many months ago. My legs were stretched out in front of me, and I took notice of my hot pink Converse that looked perfect with the blues and pinks from the sky. As I stared at my shoes, I saw all the dirt marks on them. Instead of getting upset about my carelessness with my shoes, I thought about the memories these shoes hold, the memories that have defined my youth that are present on my Converse.
Proud Owner Since Age Five
I have owned a variety of Converse since the age of five; blue, gray, light pink, hot pink, and the classic white. I remember walking through the Converse store contemplating which color suited me best at the time. Part of the reason why I believe Converse is very popular is because of time.
Playing Against and With Time
Converse All Star shoes have been in production since 1917. Being around for approximately 102 years, they have had to play both against and with time. Every brand’s goal is to exist for as long as possible or to become timeless. Converse, originally a shoe for basketball players, had to challenge time when players moved on to more comfortable and durable shoes. The brand experienced some low points after losing its core consumers, but you can go to almost any setting with young people present and see a pair of Chucks. Our generation seems to gravitate towards anything vintage; record players, mom jeans, fanny packs, and Converse. We long to include ourselves in a past that we have not seen. We lace up our Converse and think about how our parents, and even grandparents, laced their Converse up before us during their coming of age. We are attracted to the sentimentality that comes with aging shoes.
Looking for Simplicity
The Breakfast Club, Booksmart, Stand By Me, and The Edge of Seventeen are all movies about young people trying to understand the world around them now that their view from a place of innocence and comfort is shifting. In all of these movies, there is at least one character wearing Converse. I believe that youths are attached to these shoes because they are simple. As young people, we are overwhelmed by figuring out who we are, others telling us who we should be, and complicated decisions. Chucks can be edgy, soft, vibrant, cool, bold, or whatever we want them to be. Through them, we can show who we are at the moment, and no one picks them but us. They match with almost every outfit, making the decision to wear them uncomplicated.
New Pair
The Converse that I got in high school has marks from skating in the parking lot after school, running around parks with my friends during sunset, and marching in the streets of downtown to protest injustice. Although I love my Converse and my memories with them, now that I’m in college I think it’s time for a new pair that I can make dirty. I think I’ll get bright yellow because right now, I’m feeling hopeful.
Written by: Maya Dixon
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