Happy holidays and seasonal greetings! Winter time is here, it is never quite noticeable living in a homeostasis environment like Santa Cruz. But we are here for the season! Wintertime isn’t just a change in the seasons but a change in our clothing as well. This time of year can be very stressful, with a lot of negative associations with overconsumption and tension within ourselves. In this issue, we are going to discuss topics of how to guide your way through the holidays without over-consuming, and reflecting on how far you’ve come, not how far you need to be.
Morgen
Great outfits and clothing pieces can be borrowed or reused. This is Morgen, she is wearing a black and white striped dickies hat from the dickies outlets, a shirt, and a brown and blue tie from Goodwill. The heavy brown leather jacket is her grandfather’s, the black denim pants are her roommate’s ex, and the square-toed shoes are an Amazon dupe. I love this outfit, not only is it extremely warm, but it is sleek and feels confident. She kept great coordination as well as creativity by adding a pop of color subtly from her tie and hat. Morgen suggests when it is cold out and you want to balance style, layer! Choose a good button-down or colored shirt with a vest or sweater added under a leather jacket. With a scarf if you want that extra winter look. If you are lacking something in your closet, steal something from your family or friends (respectfully). Morgen’s personal style has fluctuated through the years. She says she started the year off exhausted over fashion after being into the maximalist look, starting the year off uninterested in fashion, but is now dipping her toes back in the water, experimenting on a smaller scale. This year fashion taught her a lot, she knows now that fashion doesn’t have to be performative, but a reflection of yourself. She used to put pressure on herself, expecting her look to be her identity, but she has now realized that fashion is an accessory to her personality and not the other way around. If you get bored with your closet, experiment with layering, adding accessories, and manipulating different pieces, like pinning or cutting. Eco-friendly fashion is glamorous, thrifting has become mainstream, and there are gems out there. Creativity helps, Morgen says, with creativity, there are endless possibilities. Morgen understands how tempting fast fashion can be to others and credits the majority for trying their hardest to be sustainable.
Olivia Lou
Reflecting on our personal fashion evolution. This is Olivia Lou. Her whole outfit is thrifted. Lou enjoys shopping second-hand, getting rewarded with unique pieces. She is wearing a short-sleeve black cardigan with ruffles, a blue sheer dress, layered with a black fitted skirt and burgundy floral tights, tied together with boots Lou got from Steve Madden. Her accessories are thrifted as well. I enjoyed this outfit, the vibrant pops of color is a beautifully unique take on an averagely gloomy season, making two different colors flow together seamlessly. When the weather is chilly, Lou chooses a pashmina as a personal staple of hers. Lou loves layering, specifically a button-up long sleeve under a baggy sweater, paired with a large brown fur coat on top for that put-together winter look, sometimes even wearing leggings under jeans if it is really chilly, with Carhartt boots. Over the years, Lou consistently has had the same style; however, she does enjoy switching up the patterns she wears and lately has been into wearing flats, most importantly prioritizing comfort over style. The only trend she hopes doesn’t follow us into 2026 is Al-designed fashion. Fashion has taught Lou that she is constantly evolving and growing into herself, as her clothes do as well. A fashion item Lou would love to give this year is a vintage Carhartt jacket. A pro tip for making an outfit feel new without shopping is layering. Lou loves to layer new pieces on top of a staple piece. Specifically layering lingerie over a tee and a lace skirt over jeans. And get creative. Eco-friendly fashion can feel marvelous. You just have to put the work into finding pieces that work for you and looking out for the high-quality brands that last.. Lou acknowledges people care about both aesthetics and sustainability. People are trying to be conscious of consumption as well as trying to look good while doing it.
Clayton
Creating looks that last. Lastly, say hello to Clayton. He is wearing a classy 1950s-style outfit. Wearing a vintage, worn heirloom from his mother, a black tank top Clayton drafted and sewed, paired with delightful vintage dress trousers, a genuine leather belt made by Clayton himself, tied together with beautiful custom engineer-styled boots from an atelier shop handmade in San Francisco. This outfit stood out to me because Clayton looks very classy, managing to make simple pieces look and feel like so much more. At the beginning of the year, Clayton was into the classic streetwear, but as the year went on, Clayton began loving the 1940s-50s silhouette. Pushing Clayton to learn that the fit of a garment can change an entire outfit, even when you are trying to simulate a certain era of clothing. A piece of advice Clayton would give to balance style during the winter is to wear a lined pair of jeans with a nice leather jacket, adding a beanie or scarf for a solid accent. A winter piece that makes Clayton to feel more composed is a Pendleton cable knit sweater, bonus points if it has a roll neck, and topped with a vintage A2 bomber jacket. As you can tell, Clayton is very innovative and creative; if he doesn’t have something, he will make it, and most definitely make it better than the original. Clayton feels eco-friendly fashion is alluring, choosing to use eco-friendly fabric, or finding a nice pair of trousers, and altering them, is an easier way than sewing from scratch. Cheaper to reuse clothing than to buy fabric, good for the environment, and you get a unique piece of clothing that is custom fit to you! Clayton understands people care about about aesthetics than sustainability. It is easy and convenient, but he says it is so gratifying to know that a garment is sewn by yourself. If you feel you need a refresh on your everyday outfit, altering it is key! Nothing looks better than an article of clothing that looks made for you, hugging and creating your dream silhouette. You do not want to do that, then switch out your more common pieces. If you usually wear trousers and a button-up, switch the button-up for a tank top instead. There are more than enough resources out there for you to upgrade your fashion or give as a gift, as well as maintain a healthy outlet that supports our earth.
