OOTD: Three Northwestern Students on Their Everyday Style

Graphic by: Agnes Lee

Arthur Lebowitz, 21, He/him, SESP 2024 

It’s been awhile since Arthur Lebowitz got dressed for school. The 21-year-old second year returned to Northwestern after not one, but two gap years, and has re-learned how to dress for class after working at a ski resort for the past year with limited clothing. 

Growing up in Chattanooga, Tenn. and attending an all-boys school, Lebowitz never felt he had the freedom to truly explore his personal style. Boys could not wear pink in Chattanooga, he jokes. In order to display their personalities within the confines of the school uniform, Lebowitz and his high school friends styled their hoodies, hats, ties and shoes. Judaism is also central to Lebowitz’s identity and his style. He remembers the extreme reaction his cousin received to wearing a kippah to school. Lebowitz rebelled against the norms at his school by wearing untucked shirts.

At Northwestern, Lebowitz finds joy in experimenting with his fashion. He describes his style as both casual and versatile, with outfits that look modern and allow him to bike or skate around campus easily. At the time of our conversation he was “layered up” in dark wash jeans, a Patagonia jacket (he tried to conceal this at first, which I laughed), a navy blue rain jacket and a black “Gibberish” hoodie from a Colorado brand. He was also wearing Brocks, which he said are his best biking shoes and a Carhartt hat that he “found.” He said he tends to stick to a given outfit formula throughout the school week. 

On the weekends however, Lebowitz says he puts more effort into his outfits because he feels pressured to be part of the larger campus fashion scene outside of class. After classes and on occasional high-effort school days, he shows off his “music shirts” and his favorite “music jacket.” When people comment on his music related clothing it sparks interesting conversations and potential friendships. Fashion has helped Lebowitz form a community after taking time away from campus. 

Kendall Weiland, 20, She/her, School of Comm 2023

Kendall Weiland said her outfit of the day was inspired by her Sculpture class. She had woodshop, and had to tie the strings on her Golf hoodie together while carving her most recent piece. She knew her outfit would have to be simple, so she wore her coolest pair of sneakers and a newly thrifted jacket to add to the basic jeans and hoodie look –– the “Northwestern Uniform,” essentially. 

On days when she does not have Sculpture, and particularly when she has RTVF classes, she leans into her artsier outfits. On the weekends she likes to push her edginess even further with bold colors and textures. As a New Yorker, Weiland is no stranger to performing through her outfit choices. In fact, she found that at Northwestern, there is far less judgment of clothes than at the private school she attended in the city. Here, when she feels like it, she wears sweatpants. During Covid-19, she got dressed for Zoom class to encourage a sense of normalcy, and she continues to enjoy the opportunity to communicate her identity with her outfits now that we are back on campus. 

Ellie Odom, 21, She/her, Weinberg 2023 

Ellie Odom is an Art Theory and Practice student who finds herself dressing down for her art classes. The third year Chicago-native said that after having class with the same group of students for a few years, the desire to present as unique or artsy has worn off. For her three-hour painting class she often wears sweats. She says that in the art room, it is the art itself you are judged upon. 

When wearing sweats she feels free to move comfortably and to lean into her masculinity, a welcome break from her usual presentation. This I can certainly relate to. 

On the days where she does not have art for three hours, Odom has been experimenting with incorporating special pieces into casual outfits. She said she wants to stand out in a way that appears effortless. She giggles, remembering that freshmen year she would wear “little bootie heels” to class while hungover. This part of herself feels like a distant past. 

While at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Odom felt pressured to wear outfits that displayed wealth she did not possess. Everyone wore expensive and designer brands, and rather than attempting to fit in, she tried not to care about dressing on-trend.

During her senior year of high school, she discovered thrifting. This completely evolved her style, sparked her interest in fashion and allowed her the financial ability to experiment with clothes. At local thrift shops, she was drawn to bright colors and bold textures she would have never purchased at the stores she used to visit with her mother. Her thrift store finds felt like unique gems, many of which she still didn’t feel confident enough to wear. For a long time felt that she would rather wear something flattering than something cool. Odom is still figuring out this discrepancy as she cultivates both her style and her desired external presentation. 

On the day we spoke, Odom was wearing her favorite sneakers, Buffalo Londons. No one else has them here and half the time people think they are ugly, she explained, smiling. She loves stomping around campus with the additional three inches they add to her height and jokes that their only flaw is that they make her as tall as her boyfriend. She is also wearing a loose fitting pair of Zara jeans and a pink frilly sweater tied above her belly button. It was the first time she wore it even though she bought it in highschool since she was worried it was “too much.” Her roommates decided to dress cute today, which inspired her to wear it. She says she is very happy she did.