Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Chase on becoming a fashion master

by Chase Bucklew
ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT EDITOR

I am in love with the world of high fashion. I am a self-proclaimed hipster from Seattle and I am blatantly shallow. I am still a huge fan of Barbie, Gemma Ward is my idol and in my spare time I like to read ELLE magazine cover to cover.

At this point allow me to justify my shallowness under a more positive light of aesthetic appreciation. We pursue beauty. We follow beauty, and we feel privileged when allowed the opportunity to be in the presence of beauty. This is how fashion has manifested in our world.

All of us know how students at Whitman dress. Face it kids, most of my readers could really give a care about fashion. But it still breaks a little piece of my tiny heart each time I see a pair of green crocs slithering through the mud on Ankeny. Ew.

Each university has its own general fashion vibe, yet all seem to have a certain class of trendy kids. These hipsters are aware of their fashion choices, and pick out dope threads.

One trend in our little community that I adore are furry moccasins. They are so warm and toasty and fuzzy!

Portland, Seattle and Bay Area kids, we all know that skinny jeans are not only completely choice. Tapered jeans are basically a universal icon of coolness. Because Whitman attracts loads of students from these places, our campus also has attracted mountains of legit denim.

Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister and American Eagle are undeniably addictive in our society. The galactic empires of the corporations make it super convenient to grab an acceptable pair of jeans and top that fit. Buzz kill (boring, for those not up on their old school slang).

However, I have noticed that at Whitman these brands are worn sparingly and originality wins the race.

And just for the record, Birkenstocks can be a good thing too when worn correctly.

For guys, the only necessary items are a pair of rad sneaks, or moccasins, and jeans that fit.

As a comparison, let’s take a glimpse at another school’s trends.

I spent the fall semester of this year at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. My readers will immediately associate Hawaii with beaches and the bogus colors of Waikiki. Pink and lime green floaters somehow remind me of ’80s surf culture. Surf culture is huge and vastly dominates the trends chosen by the locals. Duh.

However, Honolulu is also home of the third biggest mall in the world, Ala Moana Shopping Center. This encourages a population of hipsters on the campus as well who prefer to take the more difficult route to fashion success.

My personal favorite look that many of my Hawaiian friends sport is quite simple, yet golden. To create the effortless look of a local Hawaiian fashionista, all one would need is a pair of Havaiana flip-flops with some skinny jeans.

Think of these as Legos upon which a fashion empire can be built, a la mode.

We are smart cookies here at Whitman College. As one of your arts and entertainment section editors, I hope that my readers can see the virtue in fashion and perhaps even the righteousness in being pretentious and superficial.

View Comments (1)
More to Discover

Comments (1)

All Whitman Wire Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • D

    Daniel BachhuberFeb 22, 2007 at 4:19 pm

    I’m fashionable, I don’t know what you are talking about.

    Reply