Passion for Fashion: Berkeley High School students reflect on back to school fashion trends reminiscent of summer styles

In the midst of the summer season, as students swarmed the halls of Berkeley High School on Aug. 14th, the  perpetual dilemma of summer fashion returned:  what to wear to school? The transition from summer time styles to school fashion  can be daunting  for some, but for others, the fresh slate of the new school year becomes a bountiful  source of fashion inspiration. 

“I get inspired by the people who I see in my classes, because there’s a lot of people who have really good style at this school. So I’ll see an accessory they have and maybe try to copy it in different ways,” Sophie White, a  BHS junior, said. 

What people decide to wear to school each day can be greatly influenced by the season, trends, practicality, and their peers. For many students, going back to school makes an impact on how they express themselves, whether they focus more on dressing comfortably or embodying a particular style. Especially after summer break, getting into a daily school routine can alter one’s personal style in more ways than one. 

  “In the summer I wear more bright colors, but (in school) I kind of bundle up a little bit more,” White said.  “I always take notice of people’s outfits and try to incorporate their styles, there’s a lot of cool people here.”

Similarly, Bodie Oakley, a BHS junior, shared the transition his fashion sense took at the beginning of the school year.

  “I spent all summer biking across Europe, so really I was cycling through like three pairs of clothes,” Oakley said. “ I think coming back really made me appreciate having my full wardrobe.”

Classmates are often the best models of new fashion trends, and the beginning of a school year is when trends come back to life. Babydoll tank tops are a common sighting, along with the typical baggy jeans, or even an occasional denim skirt. 

“I’ve seen a couple blundstones in school, and oversized shirts with shorts. I’ve seen a lot of people wearing tennis shoes with ankle socks,” White said. 

Minimalist fashion is a great option for BHS students who prefer to keep it simple while still achieving a cute and cohesive look. 

“I like baggy pants on a smaller top, and I really like to be sort of minimalist but with a pop of personality,” White said. 

This “pop” could be a fun accessory, or a sprinkle of color in an otherwise neutral outfit. It can be tricky to come up with outfits everyday, so sticking to the basics with a little twist of your own style is often an easy path to take. This stylistic preference is easily adapted to the seasonal changes occurring in the school year as well. 

But recently, some students are leaning in a different direction. Maximalism; including bright color combinations, maxi skirts, and lots of accessories. 

“I’m definitely trying new styles,” Gabby Johnson-Rizzo, a BHS senior, said. “Especially for this year, since it’s my senior year, I’m trying to show out more.” 

Many students at BHS use the hallways to showcase their individual style, while others prefer to dress more comfortably for the six hours spent at school each day. 

“I feel like I wear more practical clothes,” Noa Forney, a BHS sophomore, said. “And it’s influenced by what other people are wearing that year too.” 

As the year goes on and people get to know their peers, it can become easier to experiment with new styles and bring out their own personality through fashion. 

“I get a little bit weirder when I’m more comfortable with people I met that year, so I’ll start putting on some crazy clothes just to throw people off,” Oakley said. “Sometimes I like to wear suits and then some more country attire as well.”

Forney echoed a similar sentiment. 

 “I experiment more at the end of the year because I’m more comfortable with everyone around me,” Forney said. 

Students may even put extra effort into the way that they dress to make a certain impression on their peers and build a reputation for having a good style. 

“It’s a much more performatory thing coming to school and dressing.” Oakley said,  “When I’m not surrounded by my peers, I really don’t try. I like to dress in a certain way when I’m surrounded by people I know.” 

From minimalist to maximalist and all areas in between, fashion continues to be a performance art. It is ever evolving, adapting, reverting, in a recurring cycle. While approaching fashion from this performatory perspective may excite some, the pressure of every outfit being “art” can become anxiety producing to others. Voicing a rather familiar feeling of this stress, Johnson-Rizzo explained that “Yesterday I was overthinking what I was gonna wear and I literally was going through my clothes and I threw so many clothes on the ground just to figure out what to wear.” 

Eventually, Johnson-Rizzo decided “you know what, I can’t find anything so I’m just gonna grab stuff and go.” 

There are thousands of students at BHS, each with their own unique wardrobe coming to school every day in the outfit of their choice. Even just taking a walk through the breezeway, the C1 hallway, the M building, or the campus green during  passing period could provide a dozen new styles for students to take inspiration from.