Welcome back to Fashion on Fifth, a beloved Free Press series showcasing New School students’ unique and wide-ranging style. After seeing how this creative community translated their personal looks to Zoom, our reporters are taking to the streets of Greenwich Village once again. This semester we are bringing you more in depth profiles and thoughts from your peers about their style evolution throughout the pandemic and since being back in New York City.
Mai Huang
Third-year illustration student Mai Huang has seen their style transform along with their understanding of self over the past few years.
Huang hasn’t always sported the monochromatic, gender non-conforming styles they wear these days. Prior to the pandemic, Huang’s closet featured exclusively masculine looks, mostly T-shirts and jeans — a far cry from their style today.
“I realized I … can wear whatever the fuck I feel like wearing,” Huang said. “Why limit myself to … gendered clothing when [I] can wear literally anything? I can wear skirts, dresses, men’s clothes, women’s clothes, nonbinary clothes, tattered clothes, whatever.”
The change in their wardrobe and how they approached their personal style came when Huang realized they were nonbinary during their sophomore semester. While they’ve always been interested in women’s fashion, Huang was formerly put off by feminine clothes when they identified as a cisgender male. However, last year, Huang’s feelings towards feminine style changed, after styling a skirt that had been gifted to them by a friend. The skirt illuminated a new outlook on gender for Huang, both in terms of their own experience and their relationship to clothing.
Wednesday, Huang wore a sleek black leather cap and a crisp white dress shirt under a vest. They wore long, flowy pants and high-top sneakers. They accessorized with several chokers and a red bracelet from Cambodia.
When searching for new clothes for their wardrobe, Huang considers both budget and style.
“I need to pick clothes that are cute and affordable, [and] those rarely intersect,” Huang said.
Huang usually buys off-brand products from China.
“If possible, I would buy stuff that [is] ethically produced but … all of my stuff comes from China.”
No longer tied to the typical masculine fashion they used to wear, Huang said they’ve felt happier since their style and identity have changed. They said wearing whatever clothes they want is “a very freeing experience.”
“Also, genders are bullshit,” they said.
Nadia O’Hara
Nadia O’Hara is a second-year student studying photography at Parsons School of Design. To her interview with The New School Free Press, she wore a metallic pink jacket from her mom’s closet, a brown lace top, Juicy Couture track pants, Air Force Ones she found on Depop, a mixed pattern golf cap, and a cheetah purse — all of which were either thrifted or handed down to her.
O’Hara describes her style as “cool, comfy, and colorful,” and actively works to incorporate these elemental building blocks when assembling outfits for school.
O’Hara said that nearly all of her wardrobe was acquired second-hand.“I love going through my parents’ and brother’s closets, and thrifting,” she said. She frequents East Village Thrift in Manhattan. “They have great finds, all you need is a little patience,” O’Hara said.
She is inspired by all things New York, in all its chaotic and colorful complexity, she said. O’Hara also specifically mentioned James Blake, large gemstones, silver jewelry, children’s books and the color green — which is her favorite — as sources of style inspiration.
O’Hara said she finally feels able to express herself through fashion at The New School after having to wear a uniform throughout her prior education. “I’ve gone to Catholic school my whole life, so this is my first time dressing up for school,” she said. “My style has definitely evolved because I’ve never had so much freedom in selecting outfit choices.” O’Hara has been having particular fun experimenting with accessories, she said. “I’ve started switching my jewelry and finally wearing my hats.”
O’Hara said she doesn’t feel pressure when dressing for school. “I don’t care to impress people with my clothes because I think the most enjoyable part about fashion is seeing reflections of people in their outward expressions,” she said.
Anne Fejer
Anne Fejer is a second-year Strategic Design and Management major at Parsons. She is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and describes her style as, “comfy, structured, and fun,” Fejer said. For her interview with The New School Free Press she wore a thrifted black mini dress from Reformation, , a red leather jacket, checkered tights, and Dr. Martens.
“Most of my clothes are from vintage or thrift stores. I occasionally shop at Free People or Abecrombie and Fitch,” she said.
Reflecting on her style during quarantine she said, “I only wore sweatpants and pajamas to class on Zoom, but now I am inspired and want to wear fun pieces.” Her wardrobe has evolved due to her renewed drive to experiment with unique pieces, patterns, and styles. Fejer said, “I used to only wear fitted clothes, ripped jeans, mini skirts, and mini dresses. My style definitely has changed and I experiment more.”
Fejer’s style is influenced by the dynamic landscape of New York City and conversations with peers, she said, “I feel more inspired to dress up. Moving to New York I’ve seen many new styles that people are wearing, it makes me want to be more innovative with my [personal style and outfits].”
Fejer shared with The Free Press that her school outfits are dictated by her mood. She said, “I dress based on how I feel, my emotions [affect] how I dress each day.” She gravitates towards simple pieces but always accessorizes with a statement piece. Fejer acknowledged some amount of pressure when picking an outfit for school. “There’s definitely pressure to dress nicely since we attend a fashion school, but I’m excited by it because I love experimenting with my outfits,” she said.
Enrique Marshall
Portland native Enrique Marshall’s style centers around utilitarianism and typically features colorful pieces. Because he was working on a piece in the sewing lab, the outfit he wore to his interview with The New School Free Press featured his utilitarian sensibilities more prominently.
The second-year Integrated Design student said he usually opts for a more vibrant ensemble, but today Marshall wore a jumpsuit, purchased secondhand, and a chain from Forever 21. He paired his suit with black 1460 Dr. Martens he’s had since the 8th grade. Marshall said the shoes help remind him of how much he’s changed and how far he’s come.
“I’ve learned a lot in this pair of shoes,” Marshall said. “it’s so valuable to have something like that that’s linked to so many lessons, so I like wearing them to remind myself ‘you in eighth grade would be so proud to see where you are.’”
Marshall’s go-to outfit is a different pair of 1460 Dr. Martens, red ones, plaid pants and a plain short-sleeve shirt. He never forgets to add some colorful jewelry. Usually, Marshall starts with one item, and builds his outfit around that item. Today that item was his jumpsuit. He tends to keep everything else more muted to highlight his central piece.
Marshall said his upbringing in Portland, the ostensible home of the “hipster,” gave him a foundational confidence in exploring his individual style and experimenting with how he presented himself.
“It made it a little bit more comfortable to show up to school in stuff like I’m wearing today… If I grew up somewhere else, I think I would feel a little less comfortable showing up like this every day,” Marshall said.
After taking a gap year during the pandemic, Marshall found he’d changed quite a bit. In his year away from The New School, he’s found a new major, moving from fashion design to Integrated Design, and discovering an even greater freedom in what he wears.
“I discovered that the constraints that I was placing on myself, in the sense of what section to shop in, gender-wise, [were] just arbitrary,” Marshall said. “There’s no reason for me to only shop in the men’s section when the women’s section sometimes has things that I like better.”
During this time alone over the last year, Marshall also considered how he wanted to be seen when the pandemic ended. “I got time to really think over my own gender expression,” Marshall said. Now that classes are back in person, it’s important to Marshall that his style really represents the new clarity he has about his internal self.
“As I’ve evolved as a person … I’ve noticed that I want my style to sometimes speak before I do,” Marshall said. “I think that as I’ve grown up, I’ve decided that it’s more important for me to wear things that kind of stand out, rather than blend in.”
