Originally published in The Pillar, Athenian’s student newspaper, March 2015

by Nicole Thrower ’15

Sweatpants and bare feet, floral print dresses and wedges, Paul Frank pajama pants, boyfriend jeans and Birkenstocks, Odd Future ball caps and distressed denim vans: you name it, Athenian has it. Anyone can take a look around and notice the variety of style amongst the student body.

Recent student interviews explain the diversity of student style at Athenian.

Fashion is an unspoken expression of individuality. Even if a student doesn’t plan what he or she will wear before leaving home in the morning, the student’s last-minute choice in attire reveals a part of his or her character.

“I don’t think a whole lot about my style, I don’t like to think of the way that I dress as a certain style or a certain image, I guess that I put out one but I don’t consciously pick stuff to try to make me look a certain way,” Sam Katz ‘15 said.

Students explained or interpreted their styles in a series of random interviews. When asked to describe their style, responses such as grungy/hippie-ish, classy, sophisticated, preppy, bold, edgy, girly, relaxed, and even comfy were used.

Athenians have gone through a series of transitions in the fashion realm. Every interviewee commented on their unique changes. Most focused on their middle school phases up to their current styles.

“My transition from eighth grade to now has gone from girly and colorful, to hipster-y, now more hippie-ish,” Violet Jurich ‘16 said.

While Jurich focused on colors, others followed brands.

“My middle-school phase was Abercrombie,” Katie Kwak ‘16 said. “Everything Abercrombie. And once I got into high school I sort of just shopped wherever. However, I have always worn my shorts even when it was 50 degrees outside.”

Some students have recently made more of an effort to show off their best selves, discovering their inner style and attending to every outfit.

“I feel like I did not care that much when I was younger but now that high school has started I felt like I needed to step up my game because most people judge you on first sight,” Hunter Barr ‘17 said. “Fashion and clothing are very important and I put value and care into everything I wear.”

Athenian appears to be a place that welcomes quirkiness and individuality. Most interviewees agreed that they do not feel pressure to dress differently at Athenian than they would elsewhere. “How I dress varies on how I am feeling that day, but for the most part I don’t think it varies,” Madelyn Mathai ‘16 said when asked if she dresses differently at Athenian than she does outside of Athenian.

Athenian is a special place that consists of a variety of styles and unique self-expression. Every so often, stop to take a look around and observe; you may discover something new about a student with a simple glance at their outfit.

“No matter where you go people are gonna be like, ‘oh my God what are you wearing’ and, of course, there’s a norm for style everywhere, but it’s Athenian, come on,” Katz said. “No one is going to say, ‘you need to dress this way or that’s not cool’, I feel like I can dress how I want and no one is going to give me too much grief for it”.