#ArtStudentProblems

By Charlotte Horton Art students are quirky to say the least. They typically have very unique personalities,and, more noticeably, rather unique fashion senses. You can find painting students wearing nothing but sweats as they slave over their canvases for hours at a time, simply not giving a rat’s ass about their personal appearance, while theater students wear what seems to be the result of a flea market binge.

But if you look at all of the somewhat questionable fashion choices amongst art students, you can find people who are some of the most fashionable kids at Syracuse. And it’s not because of the money they have to spend on an expensive, fashion-forward wardrobe, but rather because they own their sense of style, they embrace what they have, and make fashion fun at the same time. Maggie Reilly, a junior photography major from New Jersey, owns her style—an effortlessly cool vibe mixed with a little bit of “I don’t give a fuck.”

Q: How do you define your sense of style?

A: I'm not really sure how to define my style. Some days I can look moderately girly, but other days my friends say that I dress like a boy. I was considered a "scenester" in high school, but even then I had a unique twist to my style. I could never afford that high-end hipster bullshit from Urban Outfitters or American Apparel. I like to be comfortable, so I can care less where I find clothing. I also just like to stand out in small ways, whether it's with my bullet belt, my octopus necklace, or my double nostril nose piercings. I don't put much thought in my style, which is why I think it works so well. I have four-hour long classes (sometimes twice a day), I never go above and beyond with my fashion choices. Less is more. Simple as that.

What do you feel most comfortable in?

Hoodies are definitely what I feel most comfortable in, but the mocs and socks combo is truly where it's at. I haven't had my socks match since I starting doing my own laundry in seventh grade. My laziness kind of formed the mismatched socks into an important part of my personal style.

What do you wear when you’re slaving over your projects?

Whatever is already damaged. I wear the same ol’ torn up jeans with ink stains all over them whenever I'm in the ComArt Building. I swear the people there think I only own one pair of pants—as if they care (laughs). I figured if I ruined one pair, then they'd be my go-to bottoms, especially if I am working on something that could get messy. I am not a very neat person at all, so mess is inevitable. I cannot count the amount of T-shirts I have ruined thanks to being careless with printmaking ink and photo fixer.

What’s the quirkiest thing you’ve ever worn?

Well just last week when the weather was beyond amazing, I was playing corn-hole on FIJI's front lawn wearing my giraffe print underwear. They're booty shorts, so I wasn't really sluttin' it up in any way (laughs). But the quirkiest thing? I'd say the suspenders I've been wearing make me look pretty quirky. People probably think I look like a toolbag, but, honestly, I need them to keep my ass crack out of everyone's view every time I bend over in the studio. I've tried belts but they don't help as much as suspenders. I love the nerd style, man. It looks good and there's a solid function, which is always a plus!

Tell us about your hair...

In high school I had extremely short hair, almost like a pixie cut. I dyed it black and added a new neon color every month. Because of the constant bleaching and dying process, my hair began to get super damaged. I didn't touch it for a while and decided to let my natural auburn hair color grow back in, which I'm really not that psyched about. This semester I have been super overwhelmed with academic and personal responsibilities. I was exhausted from not having everything go my way, so I decided to take charge of something. One night I just stopped doing work and put bleach on random chunks of hair. The next night I dyed the chunks purple. My goal wasn't to seek attention with the bright color, but to make a slight change in order for me to feel in control again. My mom always told my dad when he grunted about my hair color, "It's just hair. It grows. It gets cut." It is just hair, so I am already itchin' to dye it another color. I may resist, though.

What inspires your style?

Honestly, I'm an artist—everything inspires me. I'm not exactly sure what specifically inspires my personal style, though. There's so much that I pick up or create for myself. So I guess my personality inspires my style; I don't know. I am a part of so many things. My style is a big pile of Jersey-nerd-artist-BAMF-hipster-stoner bullshit. I just wear what I want; I don't really care.