As the spring semester comes to an end, students take some time to reflect on the year. Some reminisce about relationships, laugh about party shenanigans or cringe at the sight of a blue book. However, within the gates of campus, some may reflect more lightheartedly on UA’s fashion aesthetic of the year.
The UA isn’t exactly known for having the most hipster, alternative fashion scene, but many Wildcats certainly embrace more mainstream style trends. Will Thoma, a pre-business freshman, said wearing infamously basic brands such as Lululemon Athletica is an unwritten style “rule.” Halei Cory, a criminal justice freshman, said she thinks that most of the time, UA students’ dressing moves are pretty predictable, but that it is perfectly OK.
“Lululemon yoga pants, North Face backpacks, the basic sorority girl look,” Cory said. “There’s a lot of basic bitches here — a lot. I do wear Lululemon, [though]. They make quality, comfortable athletic gear. … People should dress however they want.”
Cory also said she noticed many UA students who did not conform to popular fashion trends and “did their own thing.”
“There’s a lot of people who go off on their own fashion trends,” Cory said. “I’ve noticed a lot of fashions I’ve never seen before, a lot of clothes combinations I would have never thought of.”
With respect to unique fashion, she said boys have a more ubiquitous look than girls.
Tucson’s beautiful, seemingly ceaseless days of sunshine let students wear warm-weather clothing for most of the school year, and a few styles really emerged these past two semesters. Wildcat ladies embraced bohemian pieces redolent of the 1970s, sporting flouncy crochet dresses, crop tops, wooden platforms, high-waisted denim and elaborately printed bell-bottoms during the day. Cory said she really loved this year’s bohemian styles.
“I really like the aesthetic of the boho-hipster trend,” she said. “Being from Southern California, most people already have the ‘hipster’ look going on, so it was fun to see that incorporated into college life. It reminded me of home.”
Less popular, normcore-esque grunge styles began to surface in winter, with brands such as American Apparel and Doc Martens gaining more prominence in the campus fashion scene. North Face jackets accompanied the quintessential sorority girl getup, according to Cory.
Cory said she noticed a resurgence of the preppy look among guys. Thoma said he agrees with this statement, as the essential UA guy’s look often incorporates Sperry’s Top-Sider, Polo Ralph Lauren and Chubbies, but he said he also recognized that other guys’ fashions still prevailed.
“A UA guy either wears cargo shorts with a hammer loop or a fresh pair of Levi’s khaki shorts,” he said. “There is no middle ground, … [and] I’m in a frat, so I just wear Sperry’s. All the SoCal kids wear cool socks. I’m from the Midwest, so I prefer a warm cotton blend and occasionally a synthetic polyester if I’m feeling saucy. I recognized that there is [also] a Cold War between Converse and Vans people.”
Thoma said most UA men’s attempts at delving into hipster fashion miserably failed. Between wearing weather-opposite and ugly pieces, Thoma said most guys trying to achieve the alt-look failed.
“It’s 92 degrees, you clown; take that scarf off,” Thoma said. “Fedoras are not fashionable.”
As fashion is ever-evolving, Cory thinks the UA’s Urban Outfitters wannabe-hipster style will transfer into the fall semester, as the hipster trend “has been a fad for a while.” She said that, as all fashion trends eventually do, trends such as Birkenstocks, overalls and bell-bottom jeans will simply “cycle” back yet again.
Thoma said he anticipates a rise in old guys’ staple pieces, such as hammer pants and cargo shorts.
Regardless of what styles develop or persist into the next semester, we know for sure that Wildcat fashion differs from person to person, and everyone’s style is unique in its own eccentric way.
_______________
Follow Brenna Bailey on Twitter.
