In the hallways of school, fashion can be a way for students to express who they are and how they want to be seen. With personal style choices and shifting trends, what students wear often reflects their confidence, culture and identity. At the same time, fashion is constantly evolving, with old fashion reappearing in different forms and moving through trends faster than before. As styles come and go, students continue to use fashion as a way to define themselves while also adapting to the various trends around them. 

According to senior Lucio Mendez Duffy, students having the ability to dress how they want is important because it allows students to demonstrate their personalities and individual styles in school.

“(My style) definitely changed a lot, especially in high school,” Mendez Duffy said. “I feel like a lot of people who end up developing their own kind of style (is significant). Being able to wear what I want to wear is important because then I can accurately reflect myself. I don’t know what specifically reflects who I am, but it’s what I want to wear, so it’s part of me.” 

Junior Sage Murray said style and dress are important to help students’ self-assurance and morale, and strict dress codes in school can contribute to limiting that. 

“Fashion is a point of a lot of self-expression and also self-confidence for a lot of students. I know for me, I really love dressing how I want, and I think oftentimes a lot of school dress codes can restrict that,” Murray said. 

Assistant Principal Alonzo Parks said while schools still need certain dress code boundaries, self-expression through fashion remains significant. He said creating an environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves should be a priority. 

“Substances and hate speech are obviously a no-go (on school clothes),” Parks said. “But, personal expression is important, so I think our job isn’t necessarily to restrict but to make sure every person is going to feel safe to express themselves in their own way when it comes to fashion.”

According to social studies teacher Carley Kregness, her style has evolved slightly as her confidence has grown, particularly in her color choices. She said although some preferences have shifted, her core sense of style has remained consistent.

“I am more confident in what I like to wear and what I feel comfortable wearing now,” Kregness said. “I wear fewer bright colors than I used to, but I don’t feel like my underlying sense of style is radically different than it was before. There are just certain pieces, like turtlenecks in the winter, that have always been a part of what I wear.”

Senior Otoha Masaki said as her self-assurance has grown, she has found it easier to express herself through her style. She said her clothing styles also connect to her Japanese background. 

“I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with expressing myself, and so my fashion can maybe reflect that,” Masaki said. “Also, it can reflect my Japanese heritage because a lot of my clothes are from there.”

According to Reiley, personal style can change over time as people grow more comfortable expressing themselves. She said clothing choices often become more intentional with age, especially as individuals gain confidence in what they wear. 

“As people get older, sometimes they feel like they can express themselves better with their clothing and start wearing things that maybe when they were younger, they wouldn’t have worn, like certain patterns,” Reiley said. “You can also wear clothing that makes you feel better about your body, or highlight certain parts of you that you want to show or hide, and you can definitely do that with your clothing.”

Murray said their personal style has evolved over time, reflecting both academic focus and growing confidence within themselves. They said fashion has become a way to balance fitting in while also embracing creativity. 

“I know I’ve gotten a bit more of a dark academia style, which is not only reflected by my intention to be more studious, but also helped to internalize that and to become better at school,” Murray Said. “But also now I’m wearing more colorful things, embracing who I am, having fun with my style and trying to fit in.”

Parks said student confidence and self-expression can impact their overall experience in school and similar environments. He said there is a connection between feeling comfortable in one’s appearance and performance in something like an academic environment. 

“The more students feel like themselves and can create their own identity from what they wear, the happier they are here in an environment that’s conducive to learning and expression,” Parks said. “Michael Jordan has a quote which says, ‘When I look good, I feel good,’ and I think it’s the same for our students. If they feel like they look good, they’re more confident and may perform better.”

According to Lucke, fashion is important to students’ identities because it allows teachers and staff to connect with students on a more personal level. She said fashion lets students express themselves in school while remaining comfortable and safe in physically demanding classes like PE. 

“It is very important because it’s fun to see students’ individualities, their likes and their dislikes, because it gives us something to talk about and relate to, especially if (a student) is new, you can get a feel for (students) by their fashion,” Lucke said. “It is also students’ comfort, especially in PE, we always tell kids they should be comfortable. We don’t have a uniform besides tennis shoes, but otherwise wear what’s comfortable for you to do your job.”

Murray said fashion plays a role in shaping confidence and individuality. They said even everyday clothing can influence how someone feels about themselves and how they express who they are. 

“I’d say fashion is pretty important in my daily life. I’m obviously not showing up on a runway or anything, but the way I dress helps me feel confident and comfortable with myself every day,” Murray said. 

According to Ceja-Bravo, fashion is more than just clothing and can reflect a person’s identity and background. She said the way people dress can communicate their values, uniqueness and culture. 

“Fashion is a way to express where you come from, what you value and your personal beliefs,” Ceja-Bravo said. “It can be a way to show people your culture or personality if that’s what you intend to do.”

Reiley said fashion trends follow cycles, often returning every couple of decades. She said many current trends reflect cycles that were popular in the 1990s.

“In the classes I teach, we talk about how styles come back every 20 to 25 years,” Reiley said. “Right now, a lot of ‘90s fashion is popular again, like baggier pants, looser fits and chunky shoes. Trends shift over time, from skinny to wide-leg or short to long, but they’re always changing and eventually repeating, which is cool about fashion.” 

According to Mendez Duffy, fashion trends often come back over time, and he’s confident certain styles would return. He said piercings have become more mainstream compared to their earlier associations with specific subcultures. 

“Jorts specifically, I’ve definitely seen come back. I was wearing them freshman year when people made fun of them, but I knew they’d come back, partly because my brother introduced me to them,” Mendez Duffy said. “I also think piercings have become a lot more popular. They used to be more connected to 90’s punk culture, but now more people are getting them.”

According to Ceja-Bravo, she has noticed older fashion trends becoming popular again recently. She said she doesn’t mind these trends circling back, as she herself enjoys these styles. 

“I’ve seen a lot of early 2000s fashion, especially Y2K styles, come back recently,” Ceja-Bravo. “I like things like capris, Juicy Coutur, and that type of clothing, so I’m glad people are bringing it back because it’s iconic and now you see those styles everywhere.”

Lucke said at the beginning of her time teaching at Park, teachers and other building staff wore more formal clothing during the school day, but now teachers are allowed to wear more relaxed clothes. She said the change has helped make teaching easier, especially in a building where temperatures can become uncomfortable during the day. 

“When I first started teaching, staff wore more ‘professional’ clothing, the principals wanted (the teachers) to wear more business clothing,” Lucke said. “It has definitely gotten more casual, and (that) makes it more comfortable to be a teacher; some of the rooms are hot, some are not, you want to stay warm, stay cool, be comfortable, same thing with students.”

According to Kregness, holding onto older clothing can pay off as trends return over time. She said items that once went out of style often became popular again years later. 

“I never throw things away– I still have clothes from 25 years ago,” Kregness said. “Some pieces, like wide-leg jeans, went out of style for a long time when everything shifted to skinny fits. But now they’ve come back, and they’re popular again.”

Masaki said she sees that trend cycles are speeding up, with styles returning more quickly than in the past. She said items that were recently out of fashion are already becoming popular again. 

“I’ve noticed that styles like capris and even skinny jeans are starting to come back,” Masaki said. “It feels like trend cycles are moving faster now, with things going in and out of style much more quickly than before.”

Reiley said while fashion trends often repeat, they rarely return in exactly the same way. She said modern fashion is becoming more inclusive, with fewer boundaries around what different people can wear. 

“Even though trends come back, they always return a little differently,” Reiley said. “People style pieces in new ways, and different colors or patterns become popular. Right now, fashion is also becoming more open; there seem to be fewer rules about who can wear what. Clothing that was once considered only for women or only for men is now worn by everyone, and people feel more free to express themselves through what they wear.”