The purpose of style with Chris Fiorello

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Chris can be said to wear things with character - a moth-eaten cardigan from his grandpa, bracelets from his mother, Allen Edmond lace-ups from his father, and some of his own pieces thrown in for good measure. Something old, something new. He has a strong sense of what he thinks it means to be the best-dressed man in a room. Enough to warrant a second look, but never to the point where people stare and wonder, a clear indicator of "trying too hard."

It's hard to miss the excited hand gestures and intense look in his eyes as he talks about style as a means of communication, the importance of clothing that accentuate one's assets, and his time researching in Vietnam. He is truly excited about these topics, which I find great to see. His responses to my questions are deliberate and thoughtful, making me reevaluate my own answers to those questions. All the while, I can't help but notice the details of his outfit - how he rolls over the sleeves of his cardigan to show a bit of shirt cuff, places his tie inside his shirt, and helps bring the entire ensemble together with pink ankle socks. This guy really knows how to get it right.

And best of all, his sense of style extends to more than just the clothes he wears around campus. Just check this out from last year's CCBDC Concert.

Bad. Ass.

Transience with Christian Lopez

I wish I had a picture of Christian from last year, just to show the changes that his style has undergone since I first met him my freshman year. Christian undergoes major shifts in which he discards much of the clothing of his past, keeps a few choice items, and starts anew. In this way, I see it as a distillation of his personal style. He slowly rids himself of that which he finds unnecessary, gradually building up the few things here and there that survive through his various phases.

His style has gone in such a direction that much of what he wears is either his dad's, or at least something his dad might wear. However, while the shirt may be his father's, the execution of it is completely his own. He takes something as classic as a gray blazer and adds a bit of the unexpected by downplaying it with skinny jeans and a pair of old archeologist boots. Pretty cool.

Nick Clute-Reinig - Suit Up

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My good friend Nick is no stranger to the term "dressing up." He pulls out his three-piece pinstripe suit whenever he feels like it, whether for a special occasion or not. And it's something that I really respect about him - that he always puts his best foot forward and projects his strength of character through clothing as sharp as he is.

Now, the suit's background is fairly amusing. Nick does a great job of picking up great numbers at thrift stores, this suit included. Very high quality construction, little sign of wear, and all from a suit made in Hong Kong for some fellow named R. F. Miller back in '82. Whoever the man was, I'm sure he'd be glad to know that his suit fell into good hands.

Style Showcase: Bethany Okada

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I sometimes feel as if the non-hard science majors are having all the fun. The majority of the people that I've seen that dress "well" have been creative types - artists, musicians, writers, and the like. However, Bethany is a chem major at Harvey Mudd and still manages to exhibit a strong sense of style and a taste for fashion.

Her style revolves around dresses through and through, punctuated by some wonderful jewelry and worn leather items. Her rings are particularly interesting in that she gravitates towards ones made from whole things such as shells or stones.

And while she says she looks forward to the colder months to bring out her felt hats and coats, I couldn't help but admire the way her dress flowed in the warm California breeze.

Skateboards and Selvage - Emily Radler

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I couldn't help but notice Emily's style when I saw her on campus a while back. Her entire outfit was very cleanly executed - the crisp cuff on her Petite Standards, the selvage handkerchief, and everything fitting impeccably.

What I found particularly interesting about her style, though, was that this was a recent development - a drastic turn from her more feminine way of dressing in the past. And so while some may have slowly grown into their style, Emily's was rapid and deliberate. Because of this, she seems to have been able to carefully curate her wardrobe and start over from scratch. While daunting, this seems like a refreshing and liberating thing to be able to do. It's how she dresses now that she is able to look at a mirror and be happy with herself, which is a pretty great thing to be able to say.

Playing with a theme - Ari Mygatt

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What I love about this particular outfit is how Ari plays with shades and tones - sticking with a certain color and moving within its limits to create a sense of cohesiveness. It creates so much more different of a feel than color coordination. Everything from her scarf to her jewelry stays monochrome, but the tonal range prevents it from being visually uninteresting.

But more about the individual: she has a great smile and was fun to work with. She also has a lot to say about music (I mean, she's a DJ for KSPC after all) which I feel somehow reflects itself in her awesome sense of style.

What a cool person.