It is no secret that the Faculty of Arts and Social Science is regarded by many students as one of the most fashion-forward schools in the university. An Lyn Chee hears from three unique fashionistas about their atypical outfits, style icons, and struggles with fashion.
Speaking through style
Second-year Linguistics student Jodi Ng’s outfit choices have been called many things, but “subtle” is not one of them.
Vibrantly-hued hats, bright hoodies and loudly patterned camo pants make her easy to spot among a throng of students.
Ng described her street style as “hypebeast on a budget”, and opts for more affordable alternatives than the pricey authentic fashion pieces. Hypebeast style includes the lastest streetwear trends and is typically worn for the purpose of making a social statement. She also owns close to 30 hats in a multitude of colours.
Although fashionistas are stereotyped as being as loud and flamboyant as the way they dress, fashion helps Ng express herself the way words cannot.
“I’m more introverted and I struggle with confidence, so wearing more flamboyant or showy clothes helps to compensate for my lack of presence,” she said.
Her contrasting style and personality have left some with misperceptions of the 20-year-old. According to her friend, that of a “biker Ah Lian girl”. On one occasion, a senior assumed from her dressing that she had a crude personality and, much to her discomfort, proceeded to share dirty jokes with her.
Ng revealed her dislike for being labelled this way.
“People tend to believe that it takes some level of confidence to wear showy clothes but I think some people want to reflect a part of themselves that they can’t verbalise, that’s why they wear ostentatious clothes,” she said.
Like many fashion enthusiasts, Ng often finds herself admiring the unique ensembles of her fellow FASS students.
“Once some of my friends thought I was checking this guy out but actually, I was looking at what he was wearing.” she joked.
“We [FASS students] often take pride in what we wear, I think it’s a nice mix of different styles and combinations.”
Second-year Communication and New Media major Carman Chew attests to that statement.
Caught up with celebrity clothing
The 20-year-old’s fashion choices shift between two distinct styles. Some days, Chew is inclined towards the preppy style, which is defined as classic pieces with pops of colour and bold prints.
Other times, she prefers hip-hop fashion and wears flashy hoodies, casual sweats and caps.
When asked about her favourite style icon, she laughed and said that it was impossible to choose.
Chew is intrigued by gender-bending fashion and admires celebrities like non-binary American actor Ezra Miller, who is well known for his avant-garde red carpet outfits (which occasionally include gowns and heels).
She is also amused by Jeff Goldblum's “dad style” and the actor’s consistent and exciting mix and match of prints.
Moreover, Chew particularly adores women in suits. She looks to actress Cate Blanchett for inspiration on smart-casual looks and singer Janelle Monae for unconventional ways to shape the human silhouette in through costume.
Motivated by her style icons, Chew doesn’t shy away from challenging gender norms with her dressing. She is especially fond of bow ties and sees them as her trademark.
Despite the neckties being unusual every-day fashion pieces, Chew feels more empowered with them on.
She reminisced to the first time she wore her yellow bow tie.
“It was the first time I received compliments from every class that I attended. Wearing something so bright and still being able to feel comfortable in it was very freeing.”
She constantly receives compliments from her peers about her unique style and recalled with a laugh that she only gets negative reactions when she wears slippers to class.
A misunderstood passion for fashion
However, not everyone’s style agrees with their peers. Second-year English Linguistics major Raiant Sim has received his fair share of criticisms.
Sim regards his style as a fusion of various trends that disregards conventional men’s fashion. He fills his wardrobe with hoodies, shirts and jackets in eye-catching colours ranging from mustard to hot pink.
The 21-year-old also has a soft spot for choker necklaces.
Judgemental remarks by his peers include “your pants are too tight”, “your shirt is too big” and, once when he was wearing his oversized moss green sweater, “you look like you’re wearing a raincoat”.
His parents are also unable to see eye-to-eye with him on his outfit choices, having described them as “very feminine”.
“When I was shopping with my family, I found a pair of skinny jeans in a really nice colour. When I came out of the fitting room, my dad looked visibly disgusted and my mum told me off, saying that it was inappropriate and I shouldn’t be wearing something like that,” he shared.
“I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with what I picked. I was really upset, so I slammed the dressing room door. We had a really long argument about it afterwards.”
Despite the slew of negative comments Sim receives, this fashionista remains unfazed.
“I know that regardless of what people say if I think I look good in [an outfit] that’s all that matters,” he said.