Spring has officially begun. However, the spring weather in D.C. is often unpredictable with gushing wings and gloomy skies becoming sunny, warm days within hours. Despite this, one thing remains consistent: Howard students are going to dress for the occasion.
Howard students Zenobia Wiley and Nyasia Ashford both agreed that checking the weather was essential before putting an outfit together.
“Check that weather app,” Ashford said.
In addition to checking the daily forecast, Ashford made sure to plan the night before. Ashford can be indecisive in the morning and to prevent missing early classes, she gives herself enough time to think about her outfit thoroughly.
“I should do that,” Wiley chimed in. “That’s why I’m always late!”
The pair, who call themselves “work besties” have contrasting styles despite their synched-up personalities.
Wiley mentioned how their style consists of all black, whereas Ashford’s nearly never is.
“If I’m wearing all black, I am not in the mood,” Ashford deadpanned.
Although they were both rocking all black outfits, Ashford accentuated her look with a purple hat, giving her bold, pink pixie cut enough room to shine.
Wiley used various textures with their fur hat and boots contrasting perfectly against their leather jacket and a white cropped top to break up the monochromatic outfit.
Ashford and Wiley both agreed that their general mood helps to decide their outfits as well.
“It changes from like heavy metal one day and soft the next day,” Wiley said. “I might be selling sex another day.”
Ashford, who pulls a lot of her inspiration from Rihanna mentioned that if she is wearing sweats, she is either heading to modeling practice or simply not in the mood that day.
Conversely, on the days she is in a good mood and dressed to the nine, she loves the support within the Howard fashion community.
“There’s literally space for everybody at Howard,” Ashford said. “If I see somebody and I think their outfit is fire, [I’m going to] tell them and [they’re going to] say it right back!”
The aspect of authenticity was emphasized by students when discussing fashion at Howard.
“If I see somebody else on the Yard with a fire fit, I’m like ‘Let me take a picture of that’,” said freshman Brian Woodley when asked who inspired his outfit choices.
As for his general style, he likes to fuse multiple genres and generational styles to create his outfits.
“When I think of my style… I think of it kind of like how old-heads back in the ‘70s would dress, but then like, mix that with how we dress now,” Woodley said.
Woodley determines his outfit of the day off of one item. The piece varies each time, but once he finds the pieces of clothing to coordinate with, he begins forming his outfit.
For his outfit, he started with his Doc Martens and paired the boots with his yellow-stitched Rocawear jeans. Finally, settling with a bright yellow hoodie and a blue and yellow varsity jacket to complete the outfit.
“Sometimes, it’s pants. Other times, it’s shoes; one day, it’s my hair,” Woodley said, gesturing to his blonde waves.
Sophomore Cooley chose a different approach when choosing his outfits. When asked how he goes about the outfit picking process, he emphasized that he had to pick pants first.
“It mostly starts with the pants,” Cooley said. “I feel like the pants are an important thing on the fit. Any shirt can pass as good.”
When he came to the Yard that day, he had no plan. He figured something was happening so he showed up dressed for it.
His outfit was simple, yet stood out with his Tiana Osbourne jacket as the featured item, giving his outfit more flair. Cooley’s locs were pulled into different sized ponytails, serving as a statement on their own, with his black shades blending perfectly with his hair.
“These glasses; if [they’re] not on my face, [they’re] in my pocket or in my bag,” Cooley said. “It’s always on me just in case, I [want to] go a little incognito.”
As for his inspiration, he found it most in his community.
“My biggest influences are the people around me,” Cooley said. “Not even the fashion icons, because they [are] fashion icons to me, I look at them and [I’m] like ‘Oh, I want that’.”
The trend for fashion at Howard revolves around the way students are able to draw inspiration from one another. They influence each other, encourage each other and strut the Yard together.
Copy edited by Lauryn Wilson
