If you scan the latest runways featured in the pages of Vogue, Bazaar, W and the like, you will notice that this season’s trends are decidedly less, well, uniform. This observation does not apply to the ample selection of distinctly feminine shapes of the season, but rather the myriad of styles, colors and takes on what are arguably the most lax struts down the catwalk in recent seasons.
Scan the hallways of USM, and you’ll notice an equally diverse take on fashion. Whether it is fleece or faux Louis’ (I know darlings, I know. You believed the seller on Ebay when they posted an authentic Murakami for 30 dollars), USM students sport a wide variety of styles that run the fashion gamut.
I must admit that when I moved to Maine from Los Angeles, I did not expect much in the way of fashion from my fellow classmates. To be perfectly honest, I fully expected a sea of fleece and flannel to greet me as I stepped onto the USM campus. Though I wasn’t entirely off in my admittedly stereotypical assumption, I must happily report that I have been continually refreshed by the many, often courageous and genuinely individual styles that accompany that much loved fuzzy fabric in the halls of USM.
While there is a fair share of students who are easily identifiable in their allegiance to a particular trend (trucker hats and tiered skirts anyone?) there are just as many, if not more, who continually shun the latest style in exchange for their own take on today’s fashions (read: a three foot Mohawk). And this is what I am so precisely enamored with about this season, as well as the overall style at USM; finally, there is an increased appreciation for innovation and personality.
The fashion world is slowly taking a step away from the unabashed idolizing of labels and has instead traded logos for quality and individuality. The label, for instance, is at last being appreciated for its quality, not for the sneer pass it gives you when sidling up to another female. It’s like a man in a bright red Ferrari pulling up to another man in an understated domestic, isn’t it? Last year the Ferrari would have screamed luxury and privilege as it screeched away and yet this year the domestic driver merely rolls down his window, looks over and says, “That really is a beautiful car, a fabulous specimen, but I must say I am terribly sorry about your inadequate anatomy,” as he pulls quietly away.
USM, being home to such a variety of students, parallels the diversity that is taking place on the runway. Admittedly, I find some manifestations of this diversity to be un-wearable, such as the thick white socks with black dress shoes that I see continually around campus (you know who you are). Then there is always the sock with sandal syndrome that really must end (really). And let us not forget the super-super low rise jeans that have actually been out of season for a while, as they offer strangers way T.M.I., including the color of your Cosabellas (skin is no longer in) and the aforementioned tiered 80’s throwback minis that are begging to be retired (along with those trucker hats, please).
And yet, for as many fashion victims (and complete road kill) that are strewn across the lawns and halls of USM, there are plenty of students who stay current while maintaining a sense of personal style and even more who ignore the mainstream completely in favor of their own offbeat preferences as the trend toward individuality increases.
Allow me to acknowledge the obvious irony of a trend against trends. I am well aware of the apparent conflict and yet, I don’t see it as a passing fad. I believe this to be more of a shift in our priorities, coupled with the conscious decision to not frantically chase the Ugg of this season (which happens to be the moccasin, incidentally) and instead concentrate on developing ones own unique, fabulous style (which may very well include the moccasins).
It is this quiet appreciation for uniqueness and quality that the fleeced students of USM have mastered gorgeously, undoubtedly making them the understated domestic of the season.