Students Falling into Fall Fashion; Raiders’ insight on dressing for the season – The Collegiate Live

By Avery Lokers

As the season of warm colors and crisp weather begins, The Collegiate asked Grand Rapids Community College students how they’re feeling about dressing for fall. 

Many students said they feel excited to welcome the cold weather as it brings a sense of comfortability with the necessity of heavier clothes. Among these, Elle Kraus, a 19-year-old GRCC student from Austin, Texas, said that the coziness of a Michigan fall goes hand in hand with his love of wearing sweaters. He recommends shopping at H&M because he is “a big fan of natural fibers, and you can find it pretty easily there for a cheaper price than a lot of other stores.” 

First-year student Benjamin Wassell, 24, of Grand Rapids, said that the best choice for a fall-dressing college student is “some sweatpants because they’re loungy and casual but you can also feel good and stylish in them.” 

Wassell stresses that thrifting is a good way to curate a cool closet and revealed that he does most of his second-hand shopping through online bases such as Ebay, Depop and Grailed. Through these sites, he finds good quality pieces that he is missing for the approaching cooler weather. 

Not to mention, thrift shopping can be a cost-effective and flexible method of dressing for the changing seasons. 

A local thrift store is where one can find many students such as Briannah Buikema, 19, who studies fine arts at GRCC. She is currently collecting her fall wardrobe and is on the hunt for a good jean jacket to pair with a heavy scarf. 

For Buikema, fashion is all about layering. She said “I love being comfy while expressing myself with warm layers of clothes.” She explained that fall is her favorite season because it allows for her to experiment with as many articles as she can at once. Compared with the need to dress light for summer fashion, fall is much more fun for her. 

For inspiration, students turn to influencers on social media platforms who are largely respected for their senses of fashion.

For Buikema, fall fashion inspiration is gathered from the Instagram persona Ava Kalitowski. Kalitowski, with nearly 420,000 eyes on her, shares looks incorporating fun patterns and bright colors, while often mixing classy business attire with cool street-style. She is often seen in thick sweaters, patterned slacks, paired with bright kitten heels and fun socks.

In Wassells eyes, YouTuber Drew Joiner sticks out as inspiration for fall clothing. 

“He’s very passionate and articulate about his ideas and it translates to his good taste,” Wassell said. Joiner’s style can be described as preppy, with heritage and modern accents presented through his use of pleated trousers, 1960’s style flat caps and bright pastel-colored chore jackets. 

Evidently, layering is a common excitement among GRCC college students as the arrival of cool weather creeps in. 

“Cozy things on top of cozy things,” as Kraus puts it.