Walking through the campus, an average student might be seen wearing plaid pajama pants, an Essentials hoodie, a Stussy zip-up or Birkenstock slides. But once in a while, a student stands out due to their distinct style.
From street fashion to high heels, Ayden Cabingas, Eliza Lin and Celina Ren were among those in the Class of ‘26 who set the style standard.
Ayden best describes his outfits as “street style.” Throughout high school, he became more interested in dressing well, especially after getting inspired by his cousins’ outfits.
His outfits often comprise of baggy jeans and boxier hoodies or jackets layered with plaid button ups and accessories. However, instead of gravitating to name brands, he often buys his clothes from Instagram or thrift stores like 2nd STREET, saving money and being environmentally friendly.
When asked if he had any fashion trends he liked or disliked, he said: “I mean, wear what you like. That’s all I’ll say.”
Celina best describes her fashion as “alternative,” although she prefers not to box herself into certain styles. She draws directly from her parents’ closets — especially since her mother was a fashion designer — and reaches for darker clothes with interesting textiles.
When sourcing her own clothes, she often looks for vintage styles from Depop and eBay. Her outfits are often accessorized with rings from her grandfather, necklaces from her hometown Shanghai and long black and white nails.
Celina also sports different colors of hair, including vibrant purples and blues.
“In middle school, I dyed my hair a lot, and I kept doing that because I had like blue, green, pink hair when I was 12. I’ve always felt comfortable in it,” Celina said.
She also emphasized the importance of ethical fashion and minimizing fashion waste, particularly in terms of fast fashion.
“I’ve just been refining [my style] and wearing stuff that I’ve been more afraid to wear,” Celina said.
On the other hand, Eliza can often be spotted strutting down the halls in a pair of heels. From skirts to mini dresses and long coats, she often sources her outfits from Taiwan, thrift stores and her grandmother’s closet. Specifically, she names Matsumi, Air Space, GU, ThredUp and Aelfric Eden as some of her favorite brands.
When asked to describe her personal style, she said: “It’s impossible to pin down my style if I’m being honest; I’ve tried everything from academia to feminine florals to streetwear to all black goth-esque outfits. My style, I think, is better defined as what I don’t wear. I usually just pick what I think looks good on me.”
Her style, however, wasn’t always as distinct as it is now.
“For the longest time, my parents were really restrictive with how I dressed,” Eliza said. “I was not allowed to wear anything above the knee until the end of 8th grade. And suddenly a switch flicked — that summer in Taiwan, I must’ve bought at least 10 skirts, and so began my love for fashion.”
Besides her freedom in her outfits, Eliza has started focusing on the ethics and quality of the clothes she buys. Most of her outfits are now bought secondhand, and she specifically looks for fabric quality.
Eliza believes that fashion is an art form, and had a few hot takes to share: she dislikes the TikTok-famous Nike Tech jacket, sagging pants, pajama pants as an everyday outfit and microskirts, to name a few. She believes dressing well is a way of showing respect to yourself and the people around you, pointing out that our generation has a lot of work to do in terms of that.
“Honestly, anyone wearing an outfit that has more intention than thoughtless designer or social media trends and makes them feel confident is an absolute win,” she said.
