Nothing says more about a person than the clothes they wear, and the first week of school is the perfect opportunity to show off who you are through your sense of style, whether that be what’s trendy, what you bought from the thrift store, or simply just a t-shirt and jeans.
Trends are different everywhere. What you wear during the first week of school may look a lot different than what people in other states like New York wear. The heat in Texas can cause some people to settle with shorts, sandals, and a simple top, while the cooler temperatures up North allow for people to wear more layers, plus the fashion reputation that New York holds.
Every student at the University of North Texas has a unique and personal sense of style. Inspiration from Y2K, alt, collared shirts, oversized sweaters, BRATZ, neutral tones, and more. As the first day of school found its way to North Texas, these students prepared their first day of school looks with their sense of style in mind.
(Images of UNT students Kota Lee, Aidan G Smith, and Casey Rusu)
The Texas heat does not stop students from dressing with style. However, Casey Rusu doesn’t find the heat of August very fashionable. Rusu shines in the fall and winter months by wearing more sweaters and tweed coats.
“As I grew older, I realized that the sweater is such a staple of attire. I can pair so many different pieces of clothing,” Rusu said. “My affinity for sweaters, tweed coats, and other linen winter wear grew from that.”
Students like Kota Lee and Aidan G Smith like to express themselves with clothes that have a fun design, jackets, sunglasses, and by being bolder in the things they both wear. While Aidan prefers wearing things he would have never worn in high school to feel more confident, Kota uses fashion to challenge perceptions of their gender identity, "I just want to showcase how I see myself," said Lee.
(Images of UNT students Olguita, Mars Lewis and Maegan Norman)
Sleeveless shirts, crop tops, tank tops, and collared blouses are popular for warmer weather. Paired with solid colored pants, patterned pants, or even just jeans is something you can never go wrong with, and the right accessories always pull things together. Mars Lewis takes a lot of inspiration from the early 2000s and enjoys making color combinations.
“Some days I’m inspired by more horror/alt/rock styles, so I’ll wear lots of jewelry and clothes that are either really big or really small,” Lewis said.
Olguita and Maegan Norman find that their sense of style changes daily, too. You can find Olguita dressing in specific genres and being inspired by visual work, video games, and myscene dolls. Maegan takes inspiration from look books by Dolls Kill and Barbie with crop tops and pink pants.
Walking around campus on the first week of school is UNT’s very own fashion week. Everyone has such a distinct style. It can even serve as a conversation starter: “Where did you get those shoes?!”
Wearing the clothes you feel most comfortable and unique in enables you to be creative in ways you didn’t think were possible. New York City is known for its fashion and on the first week of school, students take every piece of fabric worn into deep consideration. The first week of school in New York is the first fashion week of the season, and it makes students of New York thrive that much more, knowing there will be eyes everywhere.
(Images by India Sleem https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/wxexx9/carolyn-besette-kennedy-fashion)
Students have pieced together unique outfits with the inspiration of “extreme body fashion” and certain decade pieces. Common trends include fur coats, mismatched outfits, chunky footwear, leather jackets, sheer dresses/shirts, patterned and baggy pants, chunky jewelry, and sweater vests.
(Images by India Sleem https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/wxexx9/carolyn-besette-kennedy-fashion)
Neutral and bright colors are common all around. One minute you’ll see a bright, pink outfit, and the next minute, you see browns, purples, and blues. A balanced fashion palette is key, as everyone wears a little bit of everything and trends consistently change. Wearing top brands in New York isn’t as important and common as it may seem, either. Staying true to yourself and what feels right keeps you in the spotlight on any occasion.