How the average McCallum student’s clothing choices affect them and their confidence

Genevieve Temple

The Shield: When did you first get into fashion?
Genevieve Temple: “I wanted to be a fashion designer in first grade because I got a business card from some fashion designer. I started to learn more about fashion sophomore year because that’s when I started thrifting more.”
TS: Do you have a fashion inspiration or icon you look up to?
GT: I don’t, but I take inspiration off eras, like the ‘90s late ‘70s and even the ‘20s.
TS: What would you say your personal style is like?
GT: I wear a mix of ‘90s fashion and today’s modern ‘90s. Not every ‘90s style is coming back, just some.
TS: Do you prefer buying new clothes or thrifting new finds?
GT: The deals make the clothes really cheap, but I don’t really thrift for deals, I like getting old stuff and altering the stuff I get. I like [older items] because I can alter them to fit me and my style.”
TS: What’s your favorite piece of clothing to style?
GT: I don’t really like jewelry or accessories as much as I like accessorizing outfits and making outfits my own.
TS: What clothes do you feel more confident wearing than others?
GT: I don’t like wearing things that will show off my chest, or really short shorts, so I feel more confident wearing kind of modest things that I think are fashionable.

Alex Phillips

TS: Where are your favorite stores to shop?
Alex Phillips: I guess my favorite store is Free People. I’ve always liked Free People, but now I shop there like all the time because I like how all of their clothes match. If you buy everything from Free People, all of your clothes will look good. Same thing for Brandy Melville. If you buy all your clothes from Brandy Melville then you like always look really put together. I’ve also been shopping on Revolve a lot, which is an online store. But really I’m just preparing for college, so I wear like T-shirts to school everyday, because I’m trying to save my clothes for college.
TS: What’s your favorite piece of clothing to style?
AP: I am not very good at accessorizing, so I like shirts or dresses that are like busy with like patterns, or like look really nice so I don’t really have to accessorize them.
TS: What do you feel most confident wearing?
AP: I feel most confident wearing something that I think is trendy. I’m not one that’s like super into fashion, but if I like buy a new shirt, and I think it’s in style then I feel like ‘Yes I’m in trend with everyone’, but yeah I guess like trendy clothes.

Narith Vuy

TS: How did you get into fashion?
Narith Vuy: It goes back to when I was young, like around 6 years old. My sister had a paper doll, and I was like “I wanna play that.” And I got really into it, like putting colorful dresses on the paper doll. Then I got the idea of loving clothes and stuff. I didn’t know the words “fashion” or “design,” but when I grew up and saw fashion shows and stuff on the TV, I really thought it was interesting. The thing that most inspired me were Korean pop groups. They really inspired me to make clothes because in all of their songs, they all had different styles and wore bright colors. That got me liking the idea of colors in clothes and fashion.
TS: Do you have a personal style icon?
NV: I would say Maschino, which is a clothing brand.
TS: What’s your personal style to wear?
NV:I would say, having a bomber jacket, shorts, whatever the kind or color may be and Converse.
TS: What do you feel most comfortable wearing to school?
NV: I feel the most confident wearing clothes that I made.
TS: How long have you been making your own clothes?
NV: Last year I was just learning how to sew, but this year is when I really started making my own clothes”
TS: Do you want to pursue anything with fashion when you’re older?
NV: Yes. After high school I’m moving to New York because I got accepted into Parsons. And I’m hoping to work at some fashion place, but at some point I want to make my own brand, maybe during my third or fourth year of college.”