Jacqueline Lo’s fashion profile isn’t easy to categorize. She might grab wear her dad’s gray sweater and pair it with a belt from her mom. Whatever she does, it seems to work. 

Lo’s interest in fashion began freshman year, when she realized that she could wear clothing to express her confidence in a novel way. She shifted her wardrobe from “all black” to include more varied, colorful pieces. 

“For me it’s a way of expressing my confidence because I used to feel really uncomfortable in just short sleeves,” Lo said. “When I put on a nice outfit that I feel really good about, I come to school feeling better than normal.”

Lo often finds the most inspiring pieces to not be from her own closet — but from her family. 

She doesn’t go out and shop for clothes often, and finds that wearing her family’s clothes offers her a variety of ensembles without the added money or time. 

Not only does she wear clothes from her older sister and mom, but she also utilizes her dad and grandparents' clothes as well. Her grandparents’ blazers are some of her statement pieces. 

Lo’s favorites are her dad’s oversized blazers and sweaters. Although the blazers are often the ones her dad no longer wears, Lo said that they look “much more upscale” than anything she can buy with her own money. Additionally, she believes that oversized clothes are much more functional and easy to pull-off compared to tighter-fitting pieces. 

“Even when [the clothes] don’t initially fit right, a good belt makes everything look more put together,” Lo said. 

Lo doesn’t give any certain label to her style; instead, she considers her clothing as whatever pieces make her feel most confident and comfortable, but also allows her to be original. Although she often wears her family members’ clothes, Lo considers her style to be a blend of theirs. 

Frequently, Lo pairs one of her parents’ more formal pieces — such as a blazer or belt — and dresses it down with jeans or sneakers, which allows her to feel more comfortable while maintaining some formality. 

Ultimately, she doesn’t see much of a difference between her own style and the style of her peers. But she admits that she does stand out sometimes because of her mix-and-match approach. 

“At the end of the day, I feel like I took a tiny step out of my comfort zone, [which] makes me feel more confident about myself,” Lo said.