DeSastre
If when prompted for your favorite things, you respond: food, water, Dr. Martens, air, and existentialism, befriending Alana is a must. Their edge is frightening. If you see them around campus, you should know that Alana’s style is fierce. Their vaguely goth style exemplifies their fascination with the ‘80s. While donning ‘80s style gothic clothing, they are likely to be listening to obscure German music from the Berlin Wall era. If you spot them wandering around campus at night with friends, know that you have seen the edgy queen of the class of 2022.
Let’s be frank: the best-dressed person at Reed is probably Samrath. A junior math-stats major who testifies to being “all about my legs,” Samrath is a regular renaissance man who spends his time brunching at Proud Mary, making his own face masks, and dancing. Among his favorite things, lemurs rank pretty high. You can catch him working at the Duke Lemur Center, where he has spent the last five summers, during his time away from Reed. Among some other favorites are poetry and pictures of himself (sources say he displayed framed photos of himself and his lemurs in his dorm during his first year at Reed). If he could recommend one book to our readers it would probably be The History of Silence by Pedro Zarraluki. From this book he learned the power and beauty of every now and then shutting the fuck up and enjoying the silence. Most importantly, Samrath describes his look as “self-satisfying sport chic and always fun.”
Do you watch 2000's reality TV, drink Dunkin’ Donuts on your balcony, or pine for the life of a goose? Because if you do, you might be Marnie. A junior classics major, Marnie spends most of her time in the company of Plautus and Terence. Her favorite color is RED (with a caps-lock level of intensity). When asked about her style, she described it as “a high power lesbian lawyer, but on the weekend.” Wanna steal her look? Catch Marnie on the second floor of the ETC.
Ever met a History-Literature major at Reed? Now you have! Meet Sophia Lila Ellingson, a junior at Reed who likes to describe her fashion sense as “adding insult to injury.” If you’re looking to hang out with Sophia, her hobbies include killing two birds with one stone and calling a spade a spade. Sophia’s favorite color, “once in a blue moon,” can’t be found in your average crayon box, and please, don’t let the literature half of her major fool you—she never judges a book by its cover.
“Who’s that high school stoner?” It’s Alli Fatone! Find them carrying their new kitten in a backpack hanging from the front of their body because the kitten likes to see where he’s going. Alli’s passions range from swimming with dolphins to Taco Bell. Their outfits range from Cat Dad to Pool Jock. Catch them in the Pool Hall wearing the best flannel and (90% of the time) jeans. Alli doesn’t like specific labels, though. They instead prefer to think of all their outfits as “gay as fuck” because they are “gay as fuck.” A motto to live by.
DarkMatter is a trans South Asian performance art duo comprised of Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian that blessed Reed with their cool vibes and talent two weeks ago. Here at Reed, this duo has had a significant influence on one Reedie’s style—junior Sidra Morgan-Montoya! Sidra appreciates how the duo incorporates clothing in a playful and constructive way. They are also inspired by how DarkMatter uses style as social capital and subverts it. Sidra enjoys complexity in dress, sometimes using clothes to express their various identities. They say they’ll come across as a “straight white woman, [or a] racially ambiguous queer boy.” Both DarkMatter and Sidra toy with society’s expectations by introducing a fun and refreshing approach to fashion.
Who loves both the destruction of industrialized civilizations and Lisbeth Salander? Kevin James Snyder '16. Kevin’s hobbies range from aromatherapy to lacrosse, perhaps explaining the mesh, and include fictional heroes, the cosmos, and the mimetic nature of camouflage. Kevin takes all of these influences and masterfully weaves the unexpected into a seamless look while combining characters and characterizations. Having been accused of “not dressing queer enough,” Kevin attempts to mitigate gay stereotypes through clothing. Having featured Kevin for this week’s issue of The Grail, we shall now return our ginger fashion icon to their home amongst the soulless and damned.
Bowie. Lennon. Twiggy. What do these three fashion icons have in common? Jake Gonnella. Not sure why? We’ll explain. Drawing from ’70s style, Jake incorporates pieces from the decade into a distinct brand of contemporary men’s fashion. Although the pieces on their own call to a different era, Jake fuses retro with current by mixing textures, patterns, colors, proportions, and a coy pair of little striped pink socks. Details like these are what make Jake’s style all his own.
The best style is often inherited. I mean, take a look at Kardashians. Aziza Azfal ’17, theater major, is another perfect example of it. In a nod to her mother's advice that turtlenecks are soft, supple, and stylish; she wore one combined with black trousers and offset the neutral palette with clean white sneakers, giving her a subtle, polished look. Sometimes the best outfits are those that are the least contrived and most comfortable ... and make you look as dope as your madre.
hasta la proxima,
aa & muk
On any given night, you will find Kira doing one of two things: at her sewing machine, crafting her very own, abstractly Sapphic wardrobe, or alternatively, taking loving care of her dog Louie. But don’t let her 4’11 frame fool you, folks. Kira is the embodiment of pure lesbian top energy, and will fight pretty much anyone who is ableist, mean to dogs, or hurts her close friends. Kira gets her style inspiration from gay pulp fiction covers featuring ‘50s cowboys and housewives, and half of her closet is iconic dad fits. When she can’t afford the off-the-wall, weird, statement-making pieces that make her style unique, she just makes them herself. Powerful.