9
THE CHICAGO MAROON - JANUARY 13, 2017
uchicago MANUAL OF
STYLE
with layering knits to make it interesting.
SPENCER K APLAN / FOURTH-YEAR
I like to work within a more rigid structure. If you have a lot of clothes that are very different, very embellished, you could put them together in wild new possibilities…but that feels too open for me. I’m more comfortable and productive if I set certain structures for myself—for example, sticking to neutrals. If I had all these wild pieces of clothing, then I feel like I would just gravitate toward the same combinations just out of habit. I’m taking out distractions, which gives me more focus.
I’m Spencer, an International Studies and Economics major. I’m on the board of the UChicago LGBT Business Alliance.
“My style...is
My hobbies inspire my dress. I mentioned photography before and how that’s informed the sense of structure to my wardrobe. I make ceramics as well, which is all about form. Geographically I gravitate towards Scandinavian or northern French styles. The color palette is very similar across both—cloudy days, in a sense. I like cloudy days, and I dress for cloudy days.
more of a private creative exercise.”
Spencer is wearing a cardigan by COS, a Breton T-shirt, and windowpane-checked pants by Uniqlo.
by david farr, christian hill, & mj chen
That style feels more comfortable to me, especially with its relaxed, structured fits. Funny thing is, I’ll go out in clothing I consider comfortable, and people will comment that I’m dressed so formally, even though I’m in a casual cotton sweater. I was at the dentist over winter break, and she asked me if I was going anywhere special after—apparently I overdress for the dentist’s. I’m also really inspired by Christophe Lemaire, the French designer. His clothes are very simple and capture what I like about form, innovating on traditional shapes or making clothes that look very comfortable to wear. I’m also into Issey Miyake. My interest in geometric prints comes from Japanese design. I love that he has a specific focus—fabric innovation—and all of his lines address how he works with fabrics differently. He’s known for pleats…I think pleats are so cool! It’s a pattern on clothing but in three dimensions, and it changes how the clothes sit on your body. Speaking of pleats, I put these in myself [second outfit]. They didn’t fit quite right when I got them from Uniqlo, so I practiced some of my new MODA designing skills and added pleats. I think that makes them unique and I like them more now. I’m not in a financial situation where I could buy all these custom-made clothes or clothing made in batches so small you can feel the aura of the designers. So, I am grounded financially in fast fashion, but I do try to pick pieces that I know will last a little longer. I want to be as responsible a consumer as I possibly can. I know that I have to buy clothes made in factories, probably made under poor conditions—but if I don’t buy as often, if I buy for the long term, it feels more authentic to me. —SPENCER
My outfits represent the very limited color palette of my wardrobe—I really only wear gray, black, cream, and navy. It places a lot of limitations on my style, which I like. I’ve been doing photography for many years now. In high school, I only did black-and-white film photography. That practice resonated with me because when you take out all the color, you get a lot more freedom to work with other aspects—say, pattern, form, shape, or line— within that limitation. With my style, I’ll take out the colors and work in other dimensions to keep the outfits interesting. For example, the textures that I pick. They all go together: very geometric and not too loud. In my first outfit, I’m wearing a Breton stripe tee and pants with a windowpane check—I don’t think they clash because windowpane is just two sets of stripes at once.
“I like cloudy
Material is another really interesting dimension I tend to think is overlooked by a lot of people. I’m very interested in architecture, especially modernist architecture which stresses material form versus embellishment. I think that characterizes my style pretty well. Instead of choosing clothing that speaks very loudly based on visual cues or details, I see the value of the clothing as something more holistic and intrinsic—a sense you get of how shapes, materials, and textures interact. I think it’s just a different way to look at clothing. My style isn’t really a means for me to express myself; it’s more of a private creative exercise where I’m not necessarily trying to show anyone anything. I’m trying to find myself in how I choose my clothing. It’s more of a practice of self-discovery. I look at the same wardrobe every day—we all do—and the fun is making something new with it. Everything matches with everything else, since my clothes have no color! Maybe I’ll put a knit cardigan and over a knit turtleneck and play
days, and I dress for cloudy days.”
Spencer is wearing a sweater by COS, an undershirt by COS, pants by Calvin Klein, and a watch by Shore Projects.