Young Fashion
April 26, 2022
At the forefront of the pandemic, senior Gage Young had little to do while being stuck in Quarantine. While finding new ways to keep himself busy, Young came across some fashion inspiration from his father’s closet.
Just by looking at some old t-shirts, Young was able to find his style.
“Not having to worry about going to school and how everyone else is going to think about what I’m wearing was great,” Young said. “I was able to venture into my own thing. Prior to quarantine, I wore a lot of stuff that everyone else was wearing, like Hollister. I didn’t care because that was what everyone else was wearing. I care a lot more now. It started with me finding a couple of cool things to going to thrift stores.”
Young purchased most of his clothing items from second-hand stores.
“I used to never go to actual thrift stores, I would usually get clothes on Depop,” Young said. “I realized that even though it takes longer to find, it is way cheaper to go to thrift stores, I get practically everything from there except for shoes. I definitely look for fading on the t-shirts, signs of distress, and earth tones.”
Young tends to incorporate jewelry, vintage tees, and baggy jeans into his outfits.
“I always have silver jewelry on like earrings, necklaces, and rings,” Young said. “I feel like it looks good with everything. I feel super comfortable in my style. I’m never going to wear anything I’m not comfortable in. Vintage t-shirts add character and a lot of my pants are loose. I’m not going to wear skinny jeans.”
For inspiration, Young followed influencers on social media.
“I never see somebody and completely copy them,” Young said. “It’s more like I will see a pair of shoes and think they’re cool. If I see something that I can imagine with other stuff in my closet, then I will get it. I wouldn’t say my style is completely original, but it’s definitely me.”
Announcements of Senior Superlative nominations came out on Feb. 13. Young was one out of three nominated for Best Dressed. On March 4, Young took the title home.
“I had no idea [I was going to be nominated,]” Young said. “I was in the school parking lot and some friends said, ‘Hey Gage, we nominated you for best dressed.’ I didn’t even think about running. I think that those contests are more of a popularity thing and there are a lot of people who know more people than me. I thought it was cool that I was nominated, but I didn’t think that I was going to win at all. I thought that I had no chance, so I was super surprised [when I won.] A couple of people have complimented me on how I dressed, but I was not expecting this.”
Yet, with a unique style came problems between different generations.
“I do get a lot of weird looks sometimes if I’m wearing something funky,” Young said. “When I’m in a Walmart there are a lot of wrinkling brows coming towards me, but I don’t care. It’s a different time and I understand that they don’t understand. [For those who don’t feel confident in how they dress,] If you don’t quite feel like you’re dressing how you see yourself in your head, then just do it.”
