21 Fashion Students on How They Dress for School
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
It’s time to put the stereotype of the art student in all black to rest. Sorry, New York.
The Cut went to Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology to scope out the chic up-and-comers in the fashion industry. What we saw? Neon buzz cuts, fairy makeup, anime bags, and Louis Vuitton speedy bags accessorized with chains. What we didn’t see? Head-to-toe black. It was replaced by red (with white high heels).
Since nobody knows the Zeitgeist better than cool teens, here are the best tips: Shop at Salvation Army, DIY your accessories (or get your friends to do them), wear funky pants, and follow your own style. But as one burgeoning designer, Andrew Curwen, put it, “I don’t really love people who are wearing something because it’s a trend. I want people to wear clothing because it speaks to them and they feel powerful in it.”
Click on to see their style and hear their stories, from the photographer who applied to college with an iPhone camera portfolio to the “colorist” designer who buys all her clothes in Korea.
Daniel Elias Pascual, 18 “It took me like 30 minutes to figure out what shoe to wear. I wasn’t sure whether to wear my platform loafer mule...
Daniel Elias Pascual, 18 “It took me like 30 minutes to figure out what shoe to wear. I wasn’t sure whether to wear my platform loafer mules,but I went with the pumps because it makes it more tailored. Plus heels always give me confidence. I’ve known how to wear and walk in them since middle school, but I only started wearing them outside of the house my sophomore year in high school. And people say don’t wear white after labor day, but I’m like, Who cares about the rules?”
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Stephanie Zerner, 20 "My dream job would be to make crafts and sell them on Etsy, but my realistic job would be to be a fashion foreca...
Stephanie Zerner, 20 "My dream job would be to make crafts and sell them on Etsy, but my realistic job would be to be a fashion forecaster. I thought it was the coolest concept to predict what’s coming next and be able to tell the trailblazers’ that."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Myles Loftin, 19 "The last year-and-a-half I started shooting professionally. You get to create your own fantasy with fashion photographs;it...
Myles Loftin, 19 "The last year-and-a-half I started shooting professionally. You get to create your own fantasy with fashion photographs;it’s your own little world. It doesn’t have to conform to anything. And you get to experiment and do things you normally would not do in real life."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Randy Wang, 22 "They’re handmade shoes and hand dyed. I love hand-processed things. They’re more emotional and moody. That’s why almos...
Randy Wang, 22 "They’re handmade shoes and hand dyed. I love hand-processed things. They’re more emotional and moody. That’s why almost everything I pick is handmade. I design menswear -- I would say it’s avant garde but in a dark way."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Callie Williams, 19 “Normally I dress up more for class. But I really love fashion -- it’s a huge form of expression if you can’t figure ou...
Callie Williams, 19 “Normally I dress up more for class. But I really love fashion -- it’s a huge form of expression if you can’t figure out another way to do so.”
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Trudy Hoang, 18 "I got this from a thrift shop right before I came to New York. I just got here 2 weeks ago. I really like shirt...
Trudy Hoang, 18 "I got this from a thrift shop right before I came to New York. I just got here 2 weeks ago. I really like shirts that you don’t find people wearing all the time and that have a shock value. I have a shirt from the Bubba Gump store that says “Gump for Prez” but people always think it says “Trump for Prez.” I like surprising people like that."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Zachary Mazur, 20 "I started dying my hair blue when it was long and I loved it. I was really feeling a denim look and was like, ...
Zachary Mazur, 20 "I started dying my hair blue when it was long and I loved it. I was really feeling a denim look and was like, Let me style myself all in blue."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Charlotte Renner, 19 "Fashion and art has always been for me. As I got older I kept getting more interested. It’s never the safe road to go ...
Charlotte Renner, 19 "Fashion and art has always been for me. As I got older I kept getting more interested. It’s never the safe road to go into art, but I decided to do it and hopefully it goes well."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Symone Wynter, 19 "Fashion means influence. Within culture, music, art, people look to us for trends. We’re basically the innovators. ...
Symone Wynter, 19 "Fashion means influence. Within culture, music, art, people look to us for trends. We’re basically the innovators. It all starts with fashion."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Andrew Curwen, 22 "I try to design really strong silhouettes, ones that can easily wear a person but at the same time only inspire really st...
Andrew Curwen, 22 "I try to design really strong silhouettes, ones that can easily wear a person but at the same time only inspire really strong people to wear them, or people to want to be stronger to wear them. There’s more of an emotional connection to the clothing. I don’t really love people who are wearing something because it’s a trend; I want people to wear clothing because it speaks to them and they feel powerful in it."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Dien4sty, 19 "I actually just replaced the strap with a chain this morning. I’ve been trying to buy the Louis Vuitton strap, but it’s $300 for a...
Dien4sty, 19 "I actually just replaced the strap with a chain this morning. I’ve been trying to buy the Louis Vuitton strap, but it’s $300 for a strap. And my friend made me this chain so I just put it on. And it’s a shoulder bag now." Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Java Jones, 22 "I’m a communications design major and also a photographer. I created the entire portfolio on my cell phone to apply because ...
Java Jones, 22 "I’m a communications design major and also a photographer. I created the entire portfolio on my cell phone to apply because I’m from a working class family and I didn’t really know how to use a computer, didn’t know how to use a DSLR, or any other camera other than the iPhones camera. Around 2014, iPhone photography was emerging, so I decided to give it a shot. I submitted my work to the school and got accepted."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Mati Hays, 20 "I mean, my look is not 'vintage-inspired.' Everything I have in my closet is vintage, so it’s not like I’m going for th...
Mati Hays, 20 "I mean, my look is not 'vintage-inspired.' Everything I have in my closet is vintage, so it’s not like I’m going for that, it just is."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Danielle Paterson, 20 "I do color schemes every day, so either warm or cool colors and I match my makeup accordingly. Today’s a little...
Danielle Paterson, 20 "I do color schemes every day, so either warm or cool colors and I match my makeup accordingly. Today’s a little different. It’s fashion week so I’m trying to be a little more conservative."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Aaliya Miles, 20 "In 2011 I took a sewing class and from there, the deeper I went into the classes, the more I got intrigued about the fashi...
Aaliya Miles, 20 "In 2011 I took a sewing class and from there, the deeper I went into the classes, the more I got intrigued about the fashion world. Nobody can tell you what to wear, how to wear it, or who you are."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Ariana Ava, 18 "I’m studying fashion design, and I basically plan on developing a high-end streetwear collection. I like edgy and powe...
Ariana Ava, 18 "I’m studying fashion design, and I basically plan on developing a high-end streetwear collection. I like edgy and powerful things. It’s a little vulgar, the things I make, but I want them to make the men and women who wear my pieces to feel really comfortable in their bodies."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Louis Grillet, 19 "I’ve moved around my whole life so I feel like I’ve just picked up things from places I’ve lived. Fashion is the image we...
Louis Grillet, 19 "I’ve moved around my whole life so I feel like I’ve just picked up things from places I’ve lived. Fashion is the image we put up for ourselves,\ for other people to see immediately."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Chae Kim, 22 "I’m a colorist. I love colors. I love pink, as you can see. And unlike other New Yorkers I don’t really like black, so I...
Chae Kim, 22 "I’m a colorist. I love colors. I love pink, as you can see. And unlike other New Yorkers I don’t really like black, so I usually wear colors to school. I’m a fashion design major and what I make is also colorful, and whimsical and playful."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
John Stenby, 21 "My dream career right now is probably product development for a small, gender-inclusive company, like trying to mix t...
John Stenby, 21 "My dream career right now is probably product development for a small, gender-inclusive company, like trying to mix together menswear and womens wear into an androgynous brand. I got interested gender-inclusivity by being myself, watching others, and getting into the club scene."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Roxas Timmons, 17 "My influences are a lot of gothic things and fantasy-based things. I love Victorian things, and old corrupted thing...
Roxas Timmons, 17 "My influences are a lot of gothic things and fantasy-based things. I love Victorian things, and old corrupted things. It’s my first day of school. I’m a senior now. I wanted to look vampire casual, maybe scare some of the freshmen."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
Bri Clarfield, 18 "My pants are from Salvation Army. They’re not the most comfortable pants I own but they’re one of my favorite piece...
Bri Clarfield, 18 "My pants are from Salvation Army. They’re not the most comfortable pants I own but they’re one of my favorite pieces."
Photo: Brad Ogbonna. Photo Editor: Biel Parklee.
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