Fashion Forward - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Blooming With Style in Santa Cruz

Malia Fort — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:07:06 +0000

Meet three Santa Cruz locals sharing their unique styling tips and personal reflections on fashion, sustainability, and individuality.

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Marching Into Another Month of Fashionable Locals

Malia Fort — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:58:06 +0000

Explore the unique sustainable styles and fashion journeys of locals Misha, Rosa, and Leena in this month's Fashion Forward feature.

The post Marching Into Another Month of Fashionable Locals first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Layered Looks That Refuse to Fade With Winter

Malia Fort — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:14:18 +0000

Discover how to master the awkward transition from winter to spring with creative layered looks from three fashion-forward individuals in Santa Cruz.

The post Layered Looks That Refuse to Fade With Winter first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

New Year, New Looks

Malia Fort — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:31:27 +0000

Explore the personal style and inner growth of three individuals in Santa Cruz as they showcase unique, thrifted, and handmade fashion looks for the new year.

The post New Year, New Looks first appeared on Growing Up in Santa Cruz.

Fashion Across Generations

Malia Fort — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:12:04 +0000

Outfits and energy come in all ages and sizes. Every generation reflects beauty, whether it comes from years of knowledge or momentary passions. I found multiple people of all ages rocking outfits that reflect a great spirit. Today, we are going to look at people of all different generations. Ari Ari is a current student at Santa Cruz High. His band T-shirt with cut-off sleeves is from our local Santa Cruz Record store. The grey camo shorts are from the goodwill bins in Monterey, and ankle high black boots are from a military store. His ring is from super silver, and Ari made his own bracelet made of bottle caps. The jean chain and black belt are both from Goodwill, and the silver necklaces are from other thrift stores. Black is Ari’s favorite color to wear. He advises not to be afraid to try new things, because there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like your outfit; all that should really matter is whether you do. If you think you like something, it never hurts to try something on. His favorite places to shop are Goodwill and the Streetlight Record store. He says he is goth so his clothing is mostly a collection of band T-shirts, with his favorite personal piece being a long black trench coat he calls Uncle Fester, which he prefers to pair with a black turtleneck, a classic goth look. Ari says he wants his style to reflect that he is just a silly guy. Djin Djin is wearing a black tank top with lace trim and a detailed black stretch maxi skirt. The top is thrifted, and the skirt is from a thrift store called Flipside Thrift Center. The silver moon and stars chain belt was gifted by a friend. Most of her jewelry is gifted by a friend or purchased from Etsy. But her silver barbed wire bracelet is from a beautiful local artist named Jen Raynes (@ jenraynesart). Djin is an OG goth here, so she prefers wearing black, reds, burgundies, and purples. Djin usually starts with black as a base color and then continues to feature other colors along the way. Djin advises not to let capitalism dictate your style. Women’s beauty and clothing standards change every few years, partly to convince you to buy a whole new wardrobe. Don’t fall for it. Dress in what makes you happy and comfortable; the confidence you have in your own style will show. Djin’s favorite places to shop at are Thrift shops in Grass Valley, where they have great prices and great throwback pieces from the 90s-early 200s. Etsy is her go-to for jewelry, but Moon Kissed in Santa Cruz has great pieces as well. She also loves shopping for odd pieces that, as a bellydancer, she finds at festivals. Djins’s least favorite fashion trend is fast fashion, which pushes folks to waste money on cheap pieces that fall apart, and if not sold, get thrown in the trash. The manufacturing is terrible for our environment and people. She is a trans woman who has only been transitioning for a year. She wants her style to express a degree of femininity, though with a bit of edge. Djin feels that representing as a strong and confident transwoman is especially important in the current political and cultural climate. Djin says embracing their gender identity has impacted the way they currently dress. Along with discovering the whimsgoth aesthetic and am in love with it, always looking for witchy wear. Her favorite piece is a stretchy maxi skirt with a deep red velvet top and leather boots. Amir Amir was born and raised in Santa Cruz but is currently going to school at the University of Oregon. Amir is wearing a black and grey real tree camo T-shirt he thrifted in Oregon. His black denim shorts with white spiderweb stitching his brother made for him as a gift. Lastly, tied together with all white Air Forces, which he bought from the Nike store. He tends to wear daker or more neutral shades, but he can appreciate others who choose more vibrant clothing. His favorite place to shop is at thrift stores in Santa Cruz or Oregon because people are constantly getting rid of good clothing. Amir wants his style to show that he is someone who enjoys the mundane side of fashion, like he stated earlier, nothing flashy, but just enough to have some sort of personal uniqueness to it. His least favorite fashion trend is labubus. The outfits that make him the happiest are soccer kits, and he is inspired by the colors because he is a soccer player himself. Heidi Heidi is from Sacramento but currently lives in Aptos. She is wearing a vibrant, beautiful long-sleeve shirt by Desigual from her older sister, with a white, tiered, flowy muslin skirt handmade by a local artist named Forte Designs. Lastly, she had a light leather-colored heel, which was also hand-me-down from her older sister. Her favorite color to wear is green because it is full of life. Her advice is that your best accessory is your smile. She enjoys mixing styles and expressing joy. She also enjoys good statement pieces and repurposing clothing in a fun way to create a unique outfit. The outfits she wears that make her the happiest are clothes made by her daughter, along with bright colors. Heidi is great at color coordinating and finds happiness when reflecting her inner shine as well. Heidi doesn’t shop too much because she enjoys recycling, but when she does get new clothes, they are either hand-me-downs from family members or thrifted.

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The Santa Cruz Effect

growingupsc — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:59:28 +0000

Have you ever wondered if a place can dictate your style? Here are four individuals from all over who wound up in our little town, one way or another. Every one of these characters has fantastic flair. Whether it is in correlation to our town’s influence or not. Some of these individuals attributed their poise to the town and people in it, while others disagreed. Even though the town may not be a direct influence on others, it could be a haven to those who embrace creativity and idiosyncrasy. Santa Cruz has a great selection of thrifted clothes, along with one-of-a-kind people with fantastic energy. The beauty of our town is reflected through art, people, and how they present themselves. Casey and SkylandWelcome these two lovely ladies, Casey on the left and Skyland on the right. Casey graduated from UCSC, born in Los Angeles. She says she has always cared about fashion, and picking out an outfit is her favorite part of the day. She admits her approach to clothing has evolved as a person and acknowledges Santa Cruz has played a role in her choices. She is currently traveling, so most of her clothes are from her friend. The brown T-shirt is from Target, the green bag is from a clothing swap in New Orleans along with the colorful striped skirt. Brown leather studded belt is thrifted, jewelry is from traveling in Vermont, Oregon, Israel, Mexico, etc. With brown sunglasses from Crap Eyewear. She would describe her style as pirate hippie. Some of her icons are Helena Carter and Emmylou Harris. A tip she gave was to figure out your proportions and always try on clothes. Recommends choosing comfortable clothes with lots of layers so you are prepared for all-day wear and any activity. Skyland, standing on the right, goes to UCSC, born in San Jose. Her vibrant top is thrifted from Portugal, and the light-wash denim skirt is from a garage sale. Brown boots are from Ebay, and the brown side bag is from Depop. All silver jewelry, bangles and rings are from Spain. She has always enjoyed Santa Cruz. She explains how Santa Cruz has helped her express herself and allowed her more opportunities to do so. She would describe her current style as Cowboy Dixie or Cowboy Victorian. If she could only choose one piece of clothing, it would be a good pair of shoes. She advises trying on clothes and choosing what makes you feel good. Both of these ladies agreed that finding and getting to know yourself helps to express yourself. They also both credit Santa Cruz with having a positive effect on what they choose to wear. DanSay hello to Dan. They are a current UCSC student. I love this almost Western bohemian esc elegance. They are wearing Magnolia Pearl black square glasses, a classic accessory. White mesh-like T-shirt with a western type font saying ‘LOVE’ and a prepossessing fire graphic from Free People. For accessories he is wearing two long necklaces and a wide leather studded belt from Free People. Lastly wearing a light wash ripped denim, also from Free People. I adore their ruminative accessory correlation, with brown being splashed head to Boots. This outfit is a perfect example of doing just enough. in a sense, the premise of the outfit is simple, but the amount of thought and time put into the outfit is recognized. I love how laid back the attire feels, as well as having amazing harmony with accessories. Dan is from Palm Springs but recently moved to Santa Cruz. They said moving to Santa Cruz never affected their manor; they have always been very individual and true to what they love. Picking out an outfit has always been important. Some advice they give for picking out your clothing is finding what you resonate with and guarantee it fits your body. If they could only choose one item to carry in an outfit, they would say a belt. TaniThis is Isaac, he is from Scotts Valley. He is wearing a green and white flannel shirt that he got from his Dad. The black denim jorts are from Santa Cruz’s local thrift store, Oasis, with a silver chain from Amazon. The black Converse are from Depop, and his brown side bag is from Hot Topic. I appreciate the vintage outdoor look with a modern twist. His outfit is a combination of a simple outdoor aesthetic with an edgy twist. He favors in-store shopping and prefers looking for outdoorsy ‘rigid’ clothing, because it is sturdy and long-lasting. A piece of advice he gave when you are shopping is to look for something that is more ‘basic’ with quality. The reason for this is so you don’t end up falling into trends and end up getting rid of the clothes within 6 months or so. Having solid critical pieces is a great base to build off of. Picking out an outfit is important to him; if he had to choose one thing to save in an ensemble, it would be accessories. By Malia Fort

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Cool Clothes Seen on the Streets and in Schools

growingupsc — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 18:00:38 +0000

In downtown Santa Cruz, we talked to the most stylish people on the street. From linens closing out summer, to pinstripes making an early fall appearance, classic trends have taken over Front Street. Let’s take a look at the self-expression the Santa Cruz residents choose to communicate through their personal styles. My name is Morgan Guerra and I am a current student at Cabrillo College. I’ve been enthralled in fashion since being a little girl playing dress-up in my mother’s closet and have longed to work in the fashion industry since. My goal is to shine a spotlight on the diverse fashion in Santa Cruz, as it’s something I’ve always taken notice of, but have never seen anyone truly talk about.

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