Fashion on Fifth is back, showcasing the brilliant outfits your classmates are wearing every week, and the thought and inspiration behind them as interpreted by the author.

This week on Fashion on Fifth, everyone has a uniform. I don’t mean the pleated skirt with a stiff button up and blazer from Catholic school type of uniform. I’m referring to your favorite beat up sneakers, the jacket you’ve worn everyday since winter began, or the color you always reach for to build your outfit off of. These students’ uniforms are inspired by their favorite artists, their daily activities, and the cultures they come from. 

Claire Alexandra she/her

@somberangels, second year Parsons fashion design

Claire broke out of the Matrix to attend fashion school. She exudes power and an unapologetic attitude, wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day. She personalizes her over-the-ear silver headphones with stickers to add a touch of color to the ensemble. Her inspiration for getting dressed every morning is 2008 musician Ryan Ross from Panic at the Disco, specifically when he wears skinny jeans. When asked if this is her inspiration today or everyday, she responds confidently, “It’s an everyday sort of thing.”

Tao Mitchell he/him

@tao_mitchell, first year Parsons interior design

Tao glows as he walks down the street cradling his orange and yellow tulips. He claims he bought them to put inside of a vase he made, but the hickeys accessorizing his neck suggest the tulips might be for something, or someone, else. As an interior design student, he references his favorite Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt when he gets dressed. He says he’s inspired by uniforms, and shows his military sweater that’s beige on the outside but lined with colorful plaid on the inside. His style is tame and semi-formal. There is beauty in simplicity and uniformity, and Tao encapsulates it.

Myah Durham they/them

@myahdurham, third year COPA drama

Myah gets dressed everyday based on a feeling. They love baggy and comfortable clothing because in drama class they “roll around on the ground and shit.” Their embroidered and paint-stained jeans are from Texas, just like them. Myah’s attracted to clothes that they don’t think they’ll be able to find anywhere else. They like weird silhouettes and necklines, and often don’t go shopping with a specific idea of what they want, otherwise they don’t believe they’ll find it. Myah doesn’t find the clothes, the clothes find Myah.

Matthew Serra he/him

@cakey.jpeg, first year Eugene Lang film

Matthew’s outfit is the same no matter the occasion: “very colorful and very fun.” Today he’s wearing black. Very fun, Matthew. But he contrasted it with colorful pins dotting his beanie and bright pink Ugg boots that draw giggles from passersby. Inspired by skate culture and the musician and designer Deaton Chris Anthony, Matthew has his own art printed all over his backpack, along with his own stickers on his laptop. Keep up the outlandish colors, Matthew. Your pink Uggs bring joy to others as well as to you.

Billy Chen he/him

@madbilly114, Parsons photography MFA

Billy rejects the idea that he may have a uniform, yet he only has five pairs of pants and five shirts. Turns out he’s just as effortlessly cool as he looks. With only 25 different outfit possibilities, he “wears whatever feels right” at the moment. He assures me that his pants options range from jeans, to cargos, to sweats. I’m left wondering what the last two pairs are. Some days when Billy gets dressed he wants to feel like himself, but other days he aspires to be more like Rick Owens, “because come on, he’s Rick.”

Maria Mosier she/her

@mariamosier_, first year Parsons fashion design

Maria takes a deep breath before defining her uniform: “Large bottoms, smaller top” is the definitive answer. But she’s not done. Maria builds her outfits like a cake: in tiers. Texture is her biggest obsession. Running her hands all over her clothes, she says that she wants to feel the full rainbow of texture in whatever she wears. When I ask about her jewelry, she waves her wrists around to show the full auditory capability of her silver bracelets: “I want you to hear me coming.” But perhaps what she considers one of the most important parts of an outfit is the hair. Hair is an accessory to Maria, and when it’s greasy, it alters her entire ensemble.

As we settle into our second semester routines, oftentimes our outfits follow suit. Faced with a busy day, students don’t always have the time or energy to meticulously craft our outfits, so we turn to our uniforms: the clothes we feel most comfortable in, the bags we carry to class, and the jackets that match everything. Everyone’s uniform is different, some more complex than others, but they all provide us with the comfort and security we need to to face the cutthroat, ruthless, and hostile world that is New York City undergraduate art school.