Defining her style as “different and quirky,” senior Katelyn Seyl said her style journey has immensely changed throughout quarantine.

“I thought I found my style, like, in sophomore year, but it was so bad,” Seyl said. “I think I found my style during quarantine and then the summer.”

Quarantine encouraged Seyl to find new things to do to keep her entertained, and one outlet was styling.

“I started playing with makeup and styling different outfits, and it just kind of gave me an outlet of expression and creativity to use and that’s kind of what got me into actually having a good style,” Seyl said. “And I just like being able to express myself through my clothing.”

Over the past few months, Seyl said she had a multitude of influences. From everything she’s seen from Tik Tok to Pinterest, she said her favorite trend is the pearl necklace inspired by Harry Styles. She said Styles is an inspiration because he always tries different things, which, in turn, encourages her. Seyl said one thing she respects and admires is that Styles breaks stereotypical clothing gender norms.

“I really like just playing with the idea of clothing having no gender, so wearing sweater vests and button-up shirts and pants that would preferably be for men,” Seyl said. “You can wear whatever you want.”

Although Seyl is surrounded by content related to jewelry and clothing, she said she doesn’t follow trends because they’re popular, but because they inspire her. She said she sometimes subconsciously follows them, but they’re not something she prioritizes.

“I feel like if a trend fits who I am, then I’ll follow it. But if it doesn’t relate to who I am or what I represent, then I won’t,” Seyl said.

When it ultimately comes down to what she’s wearing, Seyl said it depends on how she’s feeling that day.

“I tend to just find stuff that I like, and whatever mood I’m in that day, I’ll wear something that reflects that,” Seyl said. “And it just depends on how I feel, but I try to use my style to express myself and who I am.”

Seyl said she still has many things she wants to add to her closet.

“I’ve seen a lot of flare pants; I really like that recently,” Seyl said. “I also like long pattern skirts. Those are two trends that I like a lot. I think it’s really fun.”

From her experience with her newfound style and expertise in fashion, Seyl said coordinating is what defines being stylish.

“It’s kind of just learning what pieces can go together and what pieces might not look as good,” Seyl said. “Just playing around with different ideas and shapes of clothing.”

Junior Katie Taylor said she found her style fairly recently.

“[I probably started following trends] during the summer, just during quarantine I just wanted to kind of find my style more,” Taylor said.

Taylor said her current style has elements of other trends she has always admired.

“I’ve always seen goth and emo fashion, and I think that’s really cool,” Taylor said.

She said her style completely transformed over quarantine. The time to herself allowed her to foster growth within her confidence. From a more pastel indie look, she shifted to a dark alternative and indie style.

“I think [quarantine] definitely gave me time to find myself and be more comfortable [with] myself,” Taylor said. “So I don’t think I would dress at least as extreme as I do if there was never quarantine.”

Taylor said TikTok encouraged her to change her style. By simply looking at what others were wearing along with occasional videos on fashion tips/trends, she was influenced to style herself differently.

“My ‘For You’ page is just alt, so that’s all I see,” Taylor said.

Although her style is drastically different, Taylor said she didn’t need a lot of things because there’s more than having specific pieces when it comes to following a style.

“I had to get some accessories, but the way you style things can make it appear different,” Taylor said. “Most of the stuff I already had.”

Taylor said she thinks she’s well caught up with trends relating to her style, but she is not so confident in the others.

“I mean, I’d say from what I’ve seen, I’m pretty caught up,” Taylor said. “But I think, especially since it’s from Tik Tok, everyone sees different things. So I would say I’m caught up, but other people would probably be like, ‘what are you wearing?’”

Taylor said she is satisfied with her style and there isn’t another prominent trend or style she’d like to try. She said her love for the alternative style goes deeper than just the fashion.

“It’s just the alternative mindset and clothing trends, I just think [they] are really cool and a good way to express yourself,” Taylor said.

Senior Megan Hanahan describes her style as a feminine streetwear look. She admits she wouldn’t have ever been able to transform her style if it wasn’t for the help of a few fashionable friends. She said they inspired her to start diving deep into her style.

“I wouldn’t say I didn’t have a very strong sense of fashion before I became friends with them,” Hanahan said. “But they’ve definitely had a large influence.”

For Hanahan, her friends not only introduced her to a new way of dressing but also a newfound appreciation for fashion.

“As I started to get more into it with Josie [Henzlik] and Faith [Henzlik], it almost acted as a creative outlet,” Hanahan said. “It was so fun to put different pieces of my clothing together to form an outfit I didn’t even know was possible before.”

At first, Hanahan said the sisters helped find some basic clothes for her closet, which opened an array of outfits she could wear. However, she said she is far from completing her clothing collection.

“I had some things that I was able to put together to form certain outfits,” Hanahan said. “But as I’ve gotten older over the years, I’ve definitely picked up a few more pieces that have helped individualize my wardrobe.”

Now, as the presence of social media has grown, Hanahan said it plays a large role in guiding her style.

“A lot of my ‘For You’ page [on TikTok] is a lot of trending fashions and I love fall fashion, so that’s been really fun,” Hanahan said. “But Pinterest helps, too … it’s basically all social media [that] is really helpful.”

Through being exposed specifically to trends from social media, Hanahan said she was introduced to clothes that she would’ve never considered to add to her closet.

“The bell-bottom jeans are something I never would have thought I’d get into but I do have a pair,” Hanahan said.

Hanahan said she considers herself knowledgeable on trends and enjoys observing where they’re heading.

“I like to think that I’m pretty caught up. This fall has been a lot of leather and gold jewelry and chunky boots. I know a lot of people wear Martens,” Hanahan said. “It’s been cool to see that evolve and see how pieces fit together. And what comes back from fashion is always interesting.”

A trend she wishes to follow more but finds peculiar is chunky headbands.

“One of the weird trends that I noticed that come back, and I wear them every day is headbands … those have been super interesting,” Hanahan said. “I’m curious to see if those carry on.”

Out of all the trends she’s seen, Hanahan said there are a few she integrated into her style.

“I love leather. I love the chunky gold jewelry,” Hanahan said. “I also love to cheetah print. I mean, anybody that knows me knows I love cheetah. I say those are probably my favorites.”

Although trends inspire some of her outfits, Hanahan said she doesn’t rely on them.

“I’d say I’m more focused on staying ahead of the fashion,” Hanahan said. “I think I formed my own personal style probably around sophomore year, and it’s kind of ran on from there.”