When I was in high school I was full force “alternative”. I went from being a goth (complete with Hot Topic bondage pants and fishnets) in Freshmen year, to punk (blue hair, pyramid stud belts) to preppy in college.
My change from goth to punk came as a matter of comfort. Bondage pants were heavy! And wearing all that black would make me sweat up a storm, even if half my outfit consisted of fishnets. I was done with heavy, and starting at a new school.
Thus was born my obsession with punk. It was comfortable enough, but definitely not easier. Dying your hair blue (or any color of the rainbow) is a lifestyle change.- with frequent touch ups and a drawer of “dying day” clothes. I can honestly say I loved ultra skinny jeans before you could by them in the store. My friend Steph and I had to buy regular bootcut jeans and take in the seams, leaving the opening just big enough to squeeze your foot through. I am constantly in search of jeans with a skinny enough foot opening that the jeans look good on me (I have ultra tiny ankles, so even the ‘ultimate” or ‘extreme’ skinnies just don’t cut it.
On top of the skinny jeans would be stacked multiple studded belts, a bandanna sticking out of my back pocket (perhaps an homage to 1970s gay culture?) color coordinated with the concert shirt of the day. Around my neck you were sure to see another bandanna, that matched the Chuck Taylors of the day. Cat eyes, or if in a hurry a smudge of black that was a poor excuse for ‘smoky eyes’. Each boyfriend I had during that time was 1) In a band 2) Had a 1 ft+ tall mohawk 3) Smoked too much for their own good and 4) are probably dead, dying, or on their way.
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| Punk Show |
Truth be told, I didn’t completely give up the punk habit until junior year of college. I’m sure some aspiring punk was very pleased to find my box of studded belts. I still have all my bandannas (so useful) and Chuck Taylors. I have significantly downsized my concert shirt collection though.
By the end of high school, I still rocked the skinny jeans and chucks, but I was back to normal hair color (a dark, dark brown), a single belt, and more wacky choice of outfits. The only designers I deemed acceptable were Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs. By the time I was a H.S. Senior I just didn’t care what people thought anymore. I wore the weirdest clothes, including a memorable nylon yellow, black spotted tshirt that had a jersey bumblebee striped bottom. I also wore this gray dress that was made up entirely of a mouse print, pink, and yellow fabric. I got it for free when the school theater was going through the closet. I should not have taken it.
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| Senior Year of H.S. |
I kept up my free style punk habits when I got to College. I fully embraced my punky housemates from the Boston and greater NYC area (up the punxxx)! But in what I thought was going to be a sea of New England preppies and a handful of punks I was totally mistaken. My school was entirely full of punks, hipsters, alternative feminists who didn’t shave and denounced men. I loved it my first year. But then I started to hate the hipster hierarchy at my school. There were high school cheerleaders higher up on the hipster hierarchy than me? How? They don’t even know who Calvin Johnson is! I did however modify my style to what I will refer to as “cupcake style”. Heavy in colors, layers, and different prints.
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| Cupcake style? |
Frustrated with belonging to a sea of people trying to one up each other, I looked to my house mate and new friend, the ever classy Sarah. Sarah never tried to be anything but stylish. She has great taste in clothes, designers and practicality. She also used to work at a J.Crew. I had been in a J.Crew once, I distinctly remember running away (a perfect repeat of my first time in Abercrombie too). But now I was drawn to the simple color palette, the clean lines, the… the… classic style of it all. I liked that clothes could be dressed up or down- a huge bonus since I landed an internship at a law office that required business casual attire.
Here I am today, a college graduate, a paralegal, and a J.Crew devotee. I’m no longer dating a boy with a mohawk (or worrying about his impending doom from too much rock’n'roll) or rocking studded belts. My favorite designers still include Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs, but have expanded to include the classic designs of Barbour, Oscar de la Renta, and Chanel. Damn, it feels good to be a classic prep.
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| Count the Classics: J.Crew sweater, L.L. Bean vest, vintage Woolworth hat |
Love, C
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