Strutting into Spring Semester

Students show off their back to school style

You look good, you feel good. And for the first week of the semester filled with icebreakers, first impressions and syllabi reviews, it seems as if feeling good is critical to a successful first week. Science backs this up — the psychological term for this concept is “enclothed cognition.” There is a field of research dedicated to how the clothes you wear impact your psychological processes, meaning a reasonable first step to feeling good is looking good. The Foghorn went around campus to ask students to describe their first week fashion choices.

Daniella Jarratte, a sophomore communications major, said they typically rewear their favorite jeans and t-shirt, “but I love for the first week of school to wear my best outfits…I always wear band tees and things, and I was listening to The Velvet Underground this morning, and I honestly forgot I had the t-shirt in my drawer, so I was like ‘I’m gonna wear this’.” 

Kamila Portero, a first-year politics major said that her goal for the day “was to dress cute for my first full day of classes.”

First-year psychology major Ivy Saunders said that she has “many different styles.” She displayed her versatility, contrasting a fairy-esque black dress layered with a white corset and black platform boots. “I love big chunky boots. I’m not that short, but I just love the look of chunky shoes,” she said.

 Expression through fashion can provide a way to stand out. Katherine Anthony, a junior computer science major said that the reason she dresses in lots of color and creativity is because “as a computer science major I want to take up space as a woman.” Anthony paired her bold look with a pair of dangling cheese-and-cracker earrings, adding some playfulness and an idea for a post-class snack. 

Courteney Reaves, a senior psychology major said, “I just painted my nails blue, so I went with a shirt that has a little bit of blue on it,” referencing her Care-Bear shirt. 

Family inspires one student’s style. Zack Willson, a first-year design major said he has always been inspired by “my dad’s old style. I don’t like his new style, though,” he said with a laugh. Willson dressed-down his dad’s old brown button-down with baggy jeans and thrifted ‘90s Skechers, completing his old school skater vibe. 

We’ll see if the campus continues as a runway for students through the rest of the semester. 

Inés Ventura contributed to the reporting of this story. 

Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel, Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor, Inés Ventura