Style Sessions
Name: Angela Su
House/Year: Kirkland/2012
Hometown: Queens, N.Y.
Please describe your personal style: Comprehensive
How has your style changed/evolved since you’ve been at Harvard: I think in a sense my style has definitely become peppier, though I don’t mean it in a prim and pearls sense. It’s more that I think people in New England, particularly in Cambridge, embody a certain casual elegance that I’ve incorporated into my own taste. For example, I can’t seem to own enough button-down shirts, though mine tend to lack ponies or initials. I think they’re such an indispensable classic and even sexy piece and the perfect starting point for any outfit. Also, Harvard has made me obsessed with finding ways to remain stylish and comfortable in precipitation. I stalk rain boots.
What is your typical wear-to-class outfit: Wool tights, ankle boots, high-waisted shorts with a button-down shirt tucked in. Possibly something ridiculous in my hair.
How do you stay chic in the cold weather: Balance! The hardest part of cold-weather dressing is remaining chic in face of the inevitable and necessary bulk. Keep things streamlined with coats in flattering cuts. Even down parkas can be made slimming with the right length and quilting. Or, embrace the volume and go all out with a huge parka and a full scarf but balance it with very fitted bottoms: wool tights, leggings, jeggings, jeans—whatever you feel most comfortable in.
What is your one fall must-have: A fur vest
What’s one fall trend you wish would go away pronto: I hate calf-length boots. They hurt me. Not physically, just spiritually.
Name: Sonia S. Dara
House/Year: Eliot/2013
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Please describe your personal style: Casual chic with the occasional sequin dress
What do you predict will be popular fall trends this year: Leather and tweed. Those two always make a “comeback.”
What is your one fall must-have: A great coat that you can throw on and automatically feel stylish in
What is your typical wear-to-class outfit: Jeans, boots, a top, and some sort of layer or sweater. I like to keep it simple.
What’s one fall trend you wish would go away pronto: Not sure how I feel about these bell bottom jeans from my middle school days coming back
What is your favorite single item of clothing/favorite accessory: A necklace I received a few years back. I never take it off!
Anything else you’d like to add about Harvard student style, fall style, style in general: Even though trends come and go, it seems to me that there are a few staple items in the Northeast that will never leave campus: Barbour jackets, Hunter boots, Tory Burch flats, and Longchamp bags.
Name: Oluwatobi “Tobi” T. Tikolo
House/Year: Adams/2014
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria/West Sussex, England
Please describe your personal style: A mix of a ton of different things, sort of like me. Above anything else, it is an expression of my being. Glancing at it, my style is very classic, as bow ties and tassel loafers are core components of my wardrobe, but at the same time, like me, trying to find the fun in just existing as they are: case in point, my orange trousers.
How has your style changed/evolved since you’ve been at Harvard: My style has certainly become more experimental. I have been experimenting with a lot of academic fields and extracurriculars since my arrival, and this has influenced my style decisions, especially bold colors and patterns.
What is your one fall must-have: Colored socks
What is your typical wear-to-class outfit: Oxford shirt, corduroys, loafers, bow tie
How do you stay chic in the cold weather: I love tailored coats. A well cut coat can mask anything.
What is your favorite single item of clothing/favorite accessory: A shaggy wool jumper I bought in Scotland. Reason for this is that I bought it from a random factory while I was up there, it doesn’t have a label because they produce for a bunch of different brands, and it doesn’t have a distinct color, but nonetheless it is fantastic.
Anything else you’d like to add about Harvard student style, fall style, style in general: Can someone please tell me how to wear a bow tie with DHA?
What’s one fall trend you wish would go away pronto: Problem sets
Name: Jack Pretto
House/Year: Adams/2014
Hometown: Prospect, Conn.
Please describe your personal style: Urban Prep
How has your style changed/evolved since you’ve been at Harvard: In high school I dressed super preppy and only began to explore contemporary fashion trends in college. I experimented a lot in high school and feel more confident about my style as a result.
Who are your style icons/where do you look for fashion inspiration: I can’t say that I have a true style icon. As YSL said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal,” so the people I look to for inspiration change as fast as fashion. Right now I have been following Milan Vukmirovic, a fashion photographer, pretty closely. His laid back, casual style does not take away from his well-tailored, minimalist pieces.
What is your one fall must-have: A utility chambray shirt for guys and a fur vest for girls
What’s one fall trend you wish would go away pronto: Platform dress shoes
Name: Dae Won Lim
House/Year: Pfoho/2014
Hometown: S(e)oul City, South Korea
Please describe your personal style: Borrowing Tobi Tikolo’s words, “If your style was music, it would be electronic.” I would also add a little bit of Jazz.
How has your style changed/evolved since you’ve been at Harvard: Barbour has grown on me.
Who are your style icons/where do you look for fashion inspiration: Lapo Elkann and Scott Schuman. I often check the Sartorialist, and I always get the GQ and Esquire fall style issue. Also, I often ask my father for advice on ties and pocket squares.
What is your favorite single item of clothing/favorite accessory: I just stole my dad’s watch from the 80s. I think a leather strap epitomizes the classic autumnal touch.
Anything else you’d like to add about Harvard student style, fall style, style in general: Save the sweats for the winter and the mid-terms. Looking good: It’s a lifestyle.