Fall Fashion: What is Northwestern wearing this season?
Graphic by Justine Fisher
Have you ever stopped to wonder about how a specific community chooses to dress during a season? Well, STITCH did. We have heard from students and observed the elements that compose the Northwestern student's daily life preferences during the Fall 2024.
Firstly, what is a fashion trend, and why do people tend to follow or even adapt it to reality? Well, everything is connected with society, politics, cultural identity, pop and cinematography influence and consumerism. The first mentioned elements are caused by everything that we see, listen, and interact with. As you may know, social media is one of the biggest contributors in this field, but it was not always like this.
Reflecting on early centuries, what determined the social clothing style of part of the global society was mainly entertainment industry artists, including singers, actresses and actors. What was worn by artists quickly found its way into magazines and, consequently, different socioeconomic classes would also find a way to adapt to the style in order to be “fashionable”. However, the status of being fashionable then shifted in the early 90s to 2000s towards personal expression. Now, a space like Northwestern University colorfully showcases its cultural diversity, global influences, and many different perspectives through the student body’s fashion.
Looking around, independently of style, there are three main things that are extremely common among NU students: boots, sweaters, dearfoams, skirts, jackets and much more.
As shared by Weinberg and RTVF senior Sam Albright, “One of the fashion things I see more around is knee-high boots, swedes and headbands.”
It is true. If you look around, the most popular items are definitely the versatile ones, and it is incredible to see so many different colors, styles and combinations.
However, this particular preference for these elements is no coincidence, as shared by the students interviewed. The most used resource for inspiration was Pinterest, where if you search for inspiration, most of the outfits have this cleaner, more confident characteristic, with elements that allow us to express our creativity as we wish.
From Weinberg freshman Isaiah Thomas’ perspective, sweaters, scarves and headbands are the moment. On the other hand, in Medill freshman Luluya Tekle’s view, she said has been seeing that everybody is trying to have a cute and aesthetic vibe, wearing flare leggings, sweaters and cardigans.
The seasonal fashion gives us not only comfort, but also the chance to explore our unique forms of expression. As Isaiah pointed out, fashion allows us to wear vibrant pieces while keeping warm. For example, fall trends such as layering, plaids and earthy colors can be adapted in different ways by each student, the favorite students colors on campus so far are: green, brown, white, blue, black and orange. Reflecting their individual personalities and styles, one student might opt for an oversized coat with a skirt, while another might choose sweaters with bold accessories.
These choices not only meet the practical needs of the weather but also turn dressing into a creative and fun activity. The important thing is that everyone finds their own way of feeling comfortable and authentic, exploring how fall trends can be a reflection of who we really are.