Note: This is a continuation from last week’s Fashion Forward.



Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff ’08 dreams of riding a motorcycle through western Asia: "I would love to go from village to village, collecting beautiful objects." Dressed in heavy leggings, a nubbly oatmeal sweater, and a mountaineering backpack, she looks quite up to the feat. The senior speaks Chinese, Spanish, French, dabbles in English, and plans on picking up Portuguese this summer. She plays the organ, enjoys Bikram yoga, and can discuss Whitman while carrying her weight in supplies up the alpine ridges of Alaska. For real. Rachel's style is a mix of the practical and the absurd, culled from Andean street vendors and her late grandmother's closet alike: "I wear things that are visually appealing, and things that are soft. I don't aim for a particular style." As a leader of the Save Darfur movement and frequent traveler to impoverished regions of China, Rachel extends her social activism to the clothes she wears: "There are many destructive elements of the garment industry, from pollution, depletion of natural resources to wasteful construction methods. Most importantly, the conditions of the workers are unbelievable at almost any level of production." In protest, she plans to purchase no new clothing for an entire year. Far from being condescending to those still invested in fashion, Rachel admits: "It's definitely a struggle. Sometimes you see something and you're like 'oh that's so pretty-wait-no!' Fortunately all the women in my house are the same size so I have enough options to keep things interesting."



Sophomore Jess Nicholson knows all about this sort of familial fashion. Her older sister, Maggie, quietly led '07s hipster movement. "We're really similar in a lot of ways, style being one of them. We're always sharing clothes, music, books, and anything else. Since she's been in London this year at school, she's come back dressing a lot differently. It's fun. Everyday is like dress-up when we're together." Jess' taste in music is wide-ranging, encompassing both obscure bands and old favorites: "Of course I love the Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Bob Dylan-but I also really like Stars, Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, and Regina Spektor." She is typically seen in Red Engine jeans (brand this time, not color,) Hanes v-neck tees, and five-dollar scarves off the streets of 'The City.' Besides her Ray Ban Wayfarers, a hipster staple, Jess' favorite item is her dad's class ring: "I put it on a gold chain recently because it's absolutely massive and I just love it." When asked how she would characterize her look, the sophomore candidly replied: "I most often get dressed five minutes before class in the dark, so it's just sort of whatever I can put on that seems to make sense…I don't know that I can really identify my style. I just wear whatever I want and try to look as put-together as I can manage. Homeless chic maybe? With serious emphasis on the 'homeless.'"



Cordelia Blanchard ’08, mandolin-strumming actress-cum-economist, was not named after King Lear's daughter. Despite this setback, she relishes Shakespeare's writings along with "anything that's good- I have way too many favorite books, but Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Go Dog Go definitely top my list." When she's not reading, Cordelia enjoys "going gallivanting with friends" and fantasizing about Chanel riding boots. The senior is never without her trademark stacks of bracelets: "I couldn't really say how they came to take up residence on my wrists, but I've been wearing them since sixth grade, and while the bracelets themselves have changed, the feeling hasn't particularly." Cordelia accessorizes this jewelry with skinny jeans, thrift-store t-shirts, cashmere cardigans, hand-me-down jackets and Sperry Topsiders. "In New York City, it's almost impossible to shop without being bombarded by current trends, so in that sense it is something I think about," she says of fashion's influence on her wardrobe, "but it is also not something I intentionally contemplate in formulating my daily outfit." More so than 'The City,' Cordelia feels inspired by folk art, her family, experiencing new cultures, and music. Pulling up her leg warmers, she continues: "I love the 80s because they were absolutely ridiculous. Also, my friends, because they're the people who actually tell me when I look like a clown." This is a rare occurrence, however, as her playmates more often describe her look as downy, huggable, and hip.



Cordelia does not react particularly well to the 'hipster' label, but makes headway in defining the aesthetic: "It kind of makes me cringe, but there aren't really any good synonyms. It means offbeat, stylish, put-together without matching. It also implies a sort of nonchalance with regard to the self." The inimitable Dave Shapiro continues: " To me, hipsters are kids who immerse themselves in current culture (music, visual art, film, etc.). What I don’t like about the term hipster is the negative connotations it sometimes brings. Some people say ‘hipster’ only meaning a cultured individual. Others say ‘hipster’ and imply a degree of pretentiousness." Lily Gottschalk's flippant response may perfectly encapsulate the core of hipsterdom: "Look around and take yourself less seriously. The End."