Talya Dersu, Special to The Denisonian—
At just a glance, a Denison student’s style can give you a lot of insight into their personalities and interests. From denim jackets to black leg warmers to butterfly earrings, everyone has their unique style. I walked around campus eyeing people’s outfits and stopped a few to interview. By doing so, I gathered understanding on what inspired them to dress the way they do.
Emily Harris ‘24, takes influence from YouTube. “YouTubers who took great care in formulating outfits. They showed me the importance of showing individuality in my own style.” Harris also discussed how pop culture impacts her style and how she chooses to dress.
“At thrift stores: Goodwill, easiest available.”
Joselin Aguilar Gramajo ‘25 takes inspiration from “a lot of movies” when it comes to her fashion sense. The media she grew up watching has been a big influence on her, specifically the television show Rebelde.
“There’s a lot of creativity in fashion,” she said. Aguilar is a big fan of eyeliner, loves shopping at thrift stores, and would describe her style as “mysterious Pinterest indie girl.”
Kiara Zamot ‘26 finds comfy clothing as a crucial part of her personal style.
“I really like the beach bum style, I like androgynous outfits. I like to mix up feminine and masculine styles,” Zamot said.
Zamot shops from a lot of local boutiques as well as Urban Outfitters.
“Flea markets are big, I get a lot of stuff from the flea market,” she added.
I asked Zamot, who works social media for Denison, how social media influenced her style. “I look at what is trending and see what is in style right now.” She finds that helpful and tries to implement them into her own outfits. She also looks at Pinterest to look up different aesthetics she likes and saves them to board for later for inspiration.
Zamot also loves shoes and corduroy hats. “You match your shoes to your outfit. It can make or break it.”
Emmy Ayad ‘25 would describe her style as “alternative.” She is a big fan of the weird sweaters of Aelfric Eden. She also loves American Eagle jeans, the Urban Outfitters sale section and vintage clothes.
“I like funky, kinda offbeat clothes,” said Ayad.
Azalea Biteau ‘26 takes inspiration from the television shows “Gilmore Girls” and “Gossip Girl.” She buys a lot of clothes from vintage stores or gets them from her mom’s closet.
“I have my grandmother’s boots from the 1990s,” Biteau mentioned.
Other than that, she often buys from Amazon when she receives gift cards.
“I support Thread Up which is an online thrift store that I scroll on and find sweaters.”
Biteau would describe her closet as colorful, classy, and sort of French.
Caroline Concannon ‘25 takes influence from things that make her happy.
“I like a lot of colors. Katie Holmes has a really cool style. As well as from “Gilmore Girls”– Rory and Lorelai,” Concannon said.
Pinterest boards, Stevie Nicks, and Wallace from “Wallace and Gromit”, also inspire Concannon. She likes the brands Madewell, Dickies, Verge Girl, Levitate, and O’Neal. She buys a lot of second-hand clothes, is big on thrifting and owns a treasured moose sweater.
She would also describe her closet as “chaotic, lots of things that make you laugh.”
Andrew McCutchan ‘26 takes inspiration from Bryan Cranston, or “whatever I feel like wearing that day.”
He would describe his closet as mostly dark and earthy tones.
He takes clothing from his parent’s closet, thrift stores and various other stores.
Sofia Monteleone ‘26 enjoys a lot of things when it comes to creating outfits.
“My style is just a hodgepodge of whatever I feel like. I really like the kind of academic teacher, Dead Poets Society, dark academic side – but also very feminine, fairy; very bright and playful and grudge styles and stuff like that.”
She takes inspiration from a mix of stuff.
“I get a lot of basic pieces at thrift stores. Other pieces at normal retail stores. I have a lot of things I bought a long time ago that I’ve repurposed. I like Free People and Urban Outfitters.”
Monteleone enjoys finding new ways to rewear her clothes as her style evolves. She would describe her closet as cramped and earthy. She discusses how she loves accessories.
“That’s a core part of style. I love big earrings. I love having stable jewelry pieces that I wear in different combinations and different outfits because I feel like I have a consistent style but I get to wear them over and over again.”
Rebecca Van Marter ‘26 loves to pick things that she likes.
“I like to think I dress like the older sister in a Halloween movie – like the older sister in Hocus Pocus. I like the New England aesthetic. A mesh of hippie and bohemian style. Not fully hippie, I still have the aesthetic of preppy New England. Princess Diana’s silhouettes also inspire me.”
Her favorite pieces of clothing are from thrift stores.
“A lot of my clothes I’ve had for a long time. I don’t buy clothing a lot; I re-purpose them. I love Marshalls [and] T.J. Maxx.”
Her closet has a lot of jewel-toned neutrals that are earthy and don’t feature many patterns. “I mostly like the silhouette and design of clothing and textures like denim, knits and satins.”
Overall, many individuals shared the same interest in stores to shop at and how they get their inspiration. It’s interesting to see how many people go to similar stores yet have different styles and ways they make their outfits unique.