From the inconsistently hot to cool to rainy days, if the weather has proven itself to be anything for this fall season, it is unusual.
The peculiarity of the weather, combined with fall’s reputation as one of the pinnacles of seasonal fashion, presents the interesting challenge of integrating personal and typical seasonal styles with weather that is not always ideal.
Despite this, after documenting student fashion for November on campus, it is evident that personal style and dressing in a way that caters to self-expression remains alive and well here at Parkland.
Whether that be individuality, comfort, or just wanting to feel confident, these goals and values encompass a wide range of aesthetics and trends.
We documented the three most frequent trends, which vary in multiple styles, namely baggy silhouettes, layering and the standard darker palettes associated with fall.
Baggy silhouettes and layering
In homage to the trend cycles of the late ‘90s to early 2000s, which have been popularized and revived within the last few years, it is no surprise that baggier silhouettes and layering, also in regard to colder temperatures, are favorites among college students.
Student Alan Chan loves the idea that baggy silhouettes have transcended the fashion scene into becoming more experimental. When asked about his favorite season fashion trends, Chan said,
“I like skirts; actually, I rock with the idea that bottoms can be more flowy. I feel like we got there with the skinny jeans to baggy pants phase, and now we are pushing that to even more extremes.”
Additionally, he shared that Giovanna Ramos from the Concrete Boys Crew is one of the prominent people he gets his fashion inspiration from.
“She will layer baggy jeans with a tiny hoodie on top of a big button-up, and I think it is so fun when you put pieces together that don’t really go together.”
Generally, though, when dressing up, Chan describes his fashion goals as being “comfy” but still wanting to be “cool,” a common sentiment for those looking to be fashion-forward but maintain comfortability under weathered circumstances.
Student Tevi Balekita discussed how, on colder days, weather can sometimes discourage the inspiration to dress fashionably, leading to the eventual wearing of a “hoodie” and “sweatpants.”
However, similar to what Chan mentioned earlier, there are always ways to elevate outfits or articles of clothing that may seem relatively simple, making colder weather such an exciting time to style clothing.
One of the easiest ways is to layer pieces together. Layering, be it a cool jacket, oxford shirt, vest, or unique jewelry, can turn a good outfit into a great outfit. By layering, you add different textures, patterns and colors, as well as an element of depth, ultimately creating greater visual interest with the bonus of extra warmth.
Even if you are not looking for extra warmth, layering remains a fantastic way to elevate outfits on warmer days. For example, a light cardigan, skinny scarf, or even sheer leggings can be worn to achieve a classic dressier fall look.
This fall, TikTok popularized a method of layering by introducing the “7-point rule” to a widespread online audience. Essentially, this rule challenges people to create their outfits using seven different articles of clothing, promoting concepts of creativity and the longevity of finding new ways to style items.
Fall palettes
Beyond new trends that utilize fundamental fashion ideas, colors and palettes are staples of fashion that need no introduction to bring into the mainstream.
While occasionally, some seasons bring a particular color into extreme popularity, fall, like every other season, has specific, highly recognizable colors in its palette.
Although some students showcased these colors more directly, utilizing multiple shades of the typical fall palette, such as darker muted greens, browns, dark purples and black, a majority of the students documented used at least a few colors of the typical fall palette, even if utilizing fall colors was not the main focal point.
Fashion, often being a product of our environment, most likely explains this. Undoubtedly, not everyone goes into picking every single outfit solely depending on the season’s color palette. Yet, the appearance of fall colors might unconsciously stem from a place of things such as association with the temperature, trends and holidays.
Consistently colder
As November is coming to an end soon, the weather is starting to resemble the standard fall-time weather, which will only get colder with the arrival of December and the winter months ahead.
For Parkland students, this will most likely bring forth the challenge of maintaining fashionability and practicality, two concepts that do not always agree.
Chan gave an interesting analogy to maintaining personal style with the weather, comparing types of weather to “video game levels.” Explaining that it is like being on a “rain level” or a “snow level,” hence having to wear specific shoes for the correlated “weather ailment.”
“So then it makes it a challenge where it is like, ‘Okay, I gotta wear these boots because it’s snowing, but how can I make these boots swag [or] how can I make these boots sporty or come off as classy?’”
Ultimately, after documenting Parkland students navigating their fashion through the differing conditions throughout the fall, seeing how they will manage the worsened conditions of the winter cold in their personal style is bound to be an exciting look into how creativity can stand against its obstacles.
- All photos taken by Sophia Naylor ↩︎
