Fashion has been an essential part of culture for decades. Historically, fashion and style were reserved for the famous and wealthy. In 2022, however, fashion is more accessible than ever. Every-day people’s style can catch the public eye. Lookbooks, fit-checks, and “get ready with me” videos play a huge role in teens’ lives on social media. This attention to fashion shines through during the school day, with many students putting on their best looks for all to see. Omega spoke to student-selected “fashion icons” that make DGN’s hallways look like a red carpet to gain some insight on Gen Z style.

For junior Audrey Gorey, fashion has been a staple in her life ever since she could remember. After her grandma taught her to sew in second grade, she felt a connection to creating and styling her own outfits. 

“My family always joked that I was destined to be a fashionista, even though my outfits were completely mismatched and eccentric from the ages 2-7, ” Gorey said.

Gorey’s connection to fashion grew more personal to her as she entered high school. She credits the pandemic as a time that helped her grow more comfortable in expressing herself. To her, fashion is a testament to individuality and a way to feel confident in her own skin. 

“Style is a personal relationship that everyone maintains and grows throughout their lives,” Gorey said. 

Gorey plans to further her fashion knowledge in the future. A melting pot of different styles and opportunities, Gorey dreams of studying in a New York fashion school post-high school. 

Senior Ieva Mielaiuskas also recounts her childhood as being full of familial style muses. Her mother helped her with outfits and her grandma introduced her to the world of thrifting, which is still her preferred method of finding clothing. It is clear that Mielaiuskas does not take these Goodwill trips lightly. 

“You have to make time to go to Goodwill. You have to spend hours there to find the cute clothes. I always go with my grandma and she helps me with it,” Mielaiuskas said.

Mielaiuskas will be the first to say that her style wasn’t always at the intense level it is now. She refers to her freshman year fashion as “her basic era”. Skinny jeans and crop tops characterized this time in her life. Like Gorey, Mielaiuskas recounts Covid as the time in which her style amped up. During the months spent in quarantine, she transitioned from her “basic era” to her “e-girl era”. 

The more she grew, the more Mielaiuskas drifted away from specific aesthetics coined by the internet and into her own unique look. 

“With people our age, I definitely see maturity going through clothes. Freshman year we were definitely more insecure, but now we’re learning to actually love ourselves and wear what we want,” Mielaiuskas said. 

Similar to Mielaiuskas, senior Nicole Katzioris feels a big difference between her freshman year style and now. 

“Earlier in high school, I just wanted to dress how I knew everyone liked. I disregarded a lot of my own personal tastes for pieces that I felt would be approved by my peers,” Katzioris said. 

She has since learned more about herself and grown into her style. Katzioris also feels that dressing and having a style has allowed her to feel more comfortable and confident in herself. 

“Though, I think dressing ‘well’ is different for everyone. I think a good outfit is something you feel really comfortable and cool in, and you should enjoy wearing it,” Katzioris said. 

For senior Abbey Rosenberg, she views fashion in a slightly different way. While also cultivating day to day looks, Rosenberg also keeps up with editorial fashion. Her style is inspired by an app called “Vogue Runway” where Vogue posts runway collections from several brands. Her favorite part of fashion is, by-far, the Met Gala. 

“It’s always the first Monday in May and I shut down my life from 5-8pm during the carpet live stream to judge every star’s outfits. From looks, designers, and whether or not celebrities are on theme, it is my favorite day of the year.” Rosenberg said. 

Editorial fashion, however, can be very expensive and celebrity-oriented. Teens at DGN aren’t showing up to first period in Anna Wintour’s new winter collection. Rosenberg also mentions how teens her age have impacted fashion and new trends.

“Gen Z has shown that fashion is for everyone and anyone, not just the rich and styled by professionals. More people than ever are wearing what they want where they want.”  Rosenberg said. 

Ken Escoto offers a new perspective of his generation’s impact on fashion. 

“Something that I hope continues is clothing that challenges the gender norm. I’m happy that more and more people feel comfortable expressing themselves in ways that weren’t or aren’t accepted by society.” Escoto said. 

Throughout history, there have been many male celebrities that have walked the line between femininity and traditional masculine norms. Men such as Elton John, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury have been influential to older generations, but there is a new wave of celebrities challenging this norm. 

“Seeing celebrities like Harry Styles and Kid Cudi continuing to change the definition of masculinity makes me continue to experiment with my style.” Escoto said. 

Gen-Z’s style is ever-evolving. From gender norms to Vogue lookbooks, these students have made it clear that fashion’s influence on the younger generation is not slowing down any time soon.