Check out the style of Laura Koeller, Oxy sophomore and author of the blog The Critique of Pure Fashion.
When did you start becoming interested in fashion? Did anything in particular spark your interest?
Really, I’ve always loved fashion. When I was little I had this skirt I called “the favorite skirt” that I thought was the cutest thing I had ever seen. I wore it pretty much every opportunity I got. Like even with pants, which was rather questionable in retrospect. I’ve always cared about the way I dress, and it was only more recently that I came to terms with the idea of marrying my love of something we generally see as shallow and realizing you can over-analyze the crap out of anything.
What is your favorite part of the fashion world?
My favorite part of fashion is the designers. It sounds cheesy, but they’re artists and that’s really cool to see. That speech in The Devil Wears Prada about the blue sweater is just too true (and Meryl Streep is a goddess). Fashion is a trickle-down industry, and what the designers create is inevitably going to impact the way we all see clothes. As an individual, it’s all about meshing the designers vision with your own to create an outfit. It’s their original ideas that give us the medium to shape the way in which we present ourselves.
How would you describe your style?
My style is pretty random. I only buy clothes that really excite me. I have gone into stores and embarrassingly started skipping when there’s something good. So for me it’s all about putting those pieces together in an interesting way. I’m a goofy kid sometimes, so I tend towards a more playful aesthetic.
How do you choose what to wear day-to-day?
At home in Chicago the weather tends to be a rather prohibitive factor in the way I dress, so out here, I guess I just look in my closet and see what I gravitate towards. I go through phases a lot that I think are reflected in my clothes. If I’m reading a particular book for example, that could be in the back of my head and be something that inspires the way I dress that day. Sometimes I really just want to be Blair Waldorf, or as close to her as I can get, though it’s always important to me to keep a bit of myself in there while I’m being someone else for a bit.
How would you describe the general style of Oxy kids?
I feel like Oxy kids dress pretty well according to the idea of the stereotypical college student, though definitely laid back. Pretty much super west-coast. People clearly put some time and effort into the way they look. There’s a lot of Brandy Melville too…
Do you have any fashion icons? Or are there any fashion blogs that you follow consistently?
As far as blogs go, I love the ManRepeller. She is a genius of self-deprecation and a definite inspiration. Girl knows her way around high-end designer and a thrift store which is something I really admire. It’s so important not to be a snob, but also to be kind of an expert in everything. I also love street-style blogs like The Sartorialist. All those men in their well-cut Italian suits…I die.
What inspired you to start a fashion blog?
My sister convinced me to do it actually. I’ve always loved writing, and she wanted to step up her game as far as wardrobe goes, so I was giving her my take on clothing. I’m a rather opinionated person and I believe strongly in the idea of fashion having an intellectual side. No matter how much we try to fight it, what we wear is a major part of the way in which people first see us, and I think it’s important for people to be aware of that. Everything you wear is making an argument about who you are, and if you stop to think about it you can really craft the argument you’re making.