“Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Coco Chanel
Each week, we will be bringing you the best in Oxford street fashion. From the casuals strolling to lectures to the all-out glam of formal halls and dinners, the team will be out and about capturing those trends that students are actually wearing. But for now, or at least until term starts, let us introduce ourselves and our fashion mantras. (However if you do see us, camera tow, be prepared to stop and be harassed – SMILE!)
Joanna Wilkin, St. Peter’s College
There is no point in fashion if it is not fun. As Oscar Wilde famously put it “fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months”. Fashion is quick-paced and unforgiving (velour tracksuits and gypsy skirts?!). Yet, like other girls this term, I see fashion as individualism, a chance for creativity and a moment of expression – it is about findi
ng your style. From milit
ary boots to floral tights, my Dad’s shrunken jumper or a customized sequin dress (because you looked awful in it in the first place!), fashion should be embraced and always enjoyed.
Giela Abd, St. Peter’s College
If I ever want something, it is probably something you can wear, walk in or carry on your shoulder. My lecture notes are filled with doodles of shoes and dresses and my definition of a perfect break from work is a quick hop to Zara or French Connection. Obsessed? Maybe. But clothes can be art after all, and I am an aficionado. The last few seasons have been all about leather for me. In the summer – leather with florals, later – leather with fur and knits. Or combined with lace for a perfect party outfit. Feathers are on the horizon too (although this trend has yet to convince me).
Sally Rushton, Pembroke College
I love the fact that fashion can be so many things: a multi-billion dollar industry, an elaborate art form, a medium of self-expression. It is inescapable and you are only young once so if you want to wear a ludicrously impractical yet fabulous feather jacket then go for it!
Sarah Hourahane, Mansfield College
A well-considered outfit can make you feel great – it can be the icing on the cake in an interview or on a night out; it gives you that bit of extra confidence. Yet it is also something to have fun with. Making costumes and dressing up for bops/fancy dress (see my Halloween attempt at Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) – anyone can be creative with their wardrobe!
Annabel Barratt, St. John’s College
Aged about 8, I had my earliest fashion epiphany. I hyperactively raided my mum’s wardrobe and created my first piece of haute couture. Belting several yards of bubble wrap around me, I created a body-con masterpiece. Hopefully I’ve come a little further since then, but my excitement for all things fashion related remains the same. I’m a bit of a fashion magpie, with anything sparkly or sequined posing a serious threat to my planned budget for the week, but during the day I have an equal appreciation for jersey basics or a well-cut blazer.
Also, check out our new Fashion blogs starting this term, SWOT: SHOP, a weekly review of shops and their collections accessible to Oxford Students beginning with the new online boutique, A| Wear, and BEHIND THE SCENES, a sneak peek behind each fashion shoot and links to some of the featured items.
