Tsemone Ogbemi ‘21
Contributing Writer
Smith is a hub for individuality, and style is just one of the ways in which Smithies display it. I first noticed Sofia Canale-Parola’s ’21 clothing on Instagram before we met on campus. When we spoke, she defined style for an individual as, “When their clothing accurately and comfortably reflects their personality.”
If that’s true, then quite a few Smithies have impressive personality. I asked Sofia what attracts her to a piece of clothing. “I am attracted to clothing that makes me smile,” she said. “I draw from a variety of aesthetic influences, but I’m mostly attracted to the initial feeling.”
Sofia thrifts “partially for ethical reasons, and partially because it’s much cheaper … Conventional sizing is confusing and poorly designed, so I appreciate the charm of ignoring sizes when thrifting!”
Maia Russell ’18, said “I think I would feel really uncomfortable if one day I wore just jeans and a t-shirt.” It’s clear from her bright, patterned clothing that she feels comfortable in clothing that’s a little less standard. “I like clothes that look really comfortable but generally are more interesting than just a t-shirt,” she said.
Maia’s style is beautifully distinctive to the point, she noted, where, “People have told me that my closet is an eclectic thrift shop.” Maia “love[s] wearing huge shirts as dresses and lots of patterns.” She, like Sofia, thrifts, as do many Smithies.
Rose Soumare ’21 is another student whose style stands out. Naturally, she says, “Pattern usually attracts me to a clothing item.”
Shopping is something she seems to do efficiently. “I try to scrounge up some money and walk into a store with a mission at hand: Find something cheap, and find something different.” Most of my own shopping missions have been part of a quest to look like a specific “type of person,” so I admire Rose. She thrifts because “It is more environmentally-sound that way, plus it keeps [her] money out of sweatshops and evil pay.” It hardly surprises me that a Smithie would put moral, aesthetic and personal value on their clothing choices.
Although none of the Smithies interviewed for this article dress in a way that might be called conventional, they each mentioned that they’re attracted to clothes that look and/or feel comfortable.
Clothing becomes a way to rise above people’s judgment, when we stick to our own tastes. As a person who shops dutifully for “school clothes” and then changes to “after-school clothes” without compromise, I’ve realized that I may have some de-compartmentalizing to do. Clothing should be about being you, not about suiting your environment. It doesn’t matter to whom clothing is marketed, or even what it’s marketed as – if it makes you feel good, why not get it?
