Campus Couture
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Written by Nicole Wloszek-Therens
Spotlighting Cleveland State University students who wear their self-expression on their sleeve.
Katey DiGiacomo
Katey DiGiacomo, a senior public relations major, is one of many college students who has grown into her personal style in the last few years of her life.
She describes her current style as “Y2k, grungey, ballerina-core.” Brittany Murphy and Gwen Stefani are two of her biggest fashion icons, but she always adds her own personal twist.
DiGiacomo’s favorite fashion technique is layering, her favorite combination being a skirt over a pair of pants. Whether she is going to class or walking the runway, she finds a boost of confidence from expressing herself through her style.
“It makes me feel really confident,” DiGiacomo said. “Not that I need to be different from other people, but I feel uniquely myself when I have a good outfit on. When I look good, I feel good.”
For those who want to step out of their comfort zone with style but don’t know where to start, she says that being yourself is the most important part.
“Even if you don’t think you have a personal style, everybody does,” she said. “Just be yourself and love who you are.”
Liev Williamson
Liev Williamson, a junior public relations major, said music inspired him to step outside of the box with his self-expression.
“I take a lot of inspiration from music. I think music plays a really big part in my style,” Williamson said. “I’m wearing a lot more white, trying to be more fluid. I really think that music and fashion go hand in hand.”
Williamson thinks that fluidity in his fashion sense also comes with fluidity in experimenting with different pieces, whether they are originally designed for men or for women.
“I don’t think that gender has a role in any type of clothing,” Williamson said, “I think anyone can wear whatever they want to and they can sell it.”
Having personal style doesn’t necessarily mean getting ready for a runway show in the morning, but Williamson encourages people who are finding their personal style to simply give it a try.
“When I started, it wasn’t always good,” Williamson said. “At least I tried.”
Elizabeth Ballah
Elizabeth Ballah, a senior journalism and public relations major, describes her personal fashion taste as fluctuating through many different styles, stemming from experimentation with different pieces.
She started experimenting with her style during COVID-19, when she was left with more time to figure out who she was and how she wanted to express herself.
“We were all just inside trying to figure out who we are and what we like,” Ballah said, “I definitely took advantage of that and started to develop my own type of style.”
If she had to describe her personal style in one word, it would be “whimsical,” but she says that this is just one piece of the multifaceted way she wears her style on her sleeve.
Dressing in a way that feels true to who she is on the inside gives Ballah a confidence boost, but she thinks it's important not to get lost in what she’s wearing.
“I want to make sure that I feel good even if I just wear sweatpants,” Ballah said. “I want to make sure that my confidence comes from within and isn’t just external.”
Morgan Alten
Morgan Alten, a senior journalism and public relations major, compares her fashion sense to Lizzie McGuire and Cher from Clueless, and said her closet is more comparable to a costume store than the average, everyday wardrobe.
“Most of the things in there you wouldn’t wear every day,” Alten said. “But I would.”
Her favorite aspect of styling herself is layering, which could be seen in the outfits she chose for herself as early as elementary school.
“Even when I was little,” Alten said, “I would do the classic leggings with a jean skirt over it.”
Alten’s room is a reflection of both her personal style and the inside of her mind, with walls specifically dedicated to displaying her accessories.
“I literally have scarf and bag walls, like scarves on bags with hats and belts,” Alten said. “It’s that analogy of what’s inside your room looks like the inside of your head.”
A piece of advice Alten would give those starting to step out of the box with their own personal style would be to take inspiration from other people, but make it your own.
“Don’t sing like you’re Brittney Spears, just sing one of her songs in your own way,” Alten said. “I’m not trying to look like anybody else. I just like being Morgan.”
Grace Salter
Grace Salter, a senior journalism major, would describe her style as featuring lots of black pieces, tights and skirts. She mostly gets inspiration from traditional alternative and gothic styles.
“I like lots of tights, skirts, and baggy stuff. I’m trying to lean more into street clothes wear,” Salter said. “Pretty much everything I wear is black or grey.”
Salter also finds inspiration from Amy Winehouse, whose style featured aspects of a retro pin-up style with a bit of a grunge edge.
“She’s definitely a style icon,” Salter said. “And also Morgan,” she mentioned, referencing fellow CSU student Morgan Alten. “I look at what she wears and how she layers her clothes, and I’m like OK – that’s it.”
For those trying to build their self-confidence in their fashion expression, Salter said that the first step is just putting it on.
“Just put it on. Just put it on, bro, and see how it makes you feel, and if you don’t like it, you don’t like it, then move on to the next thing,” Salter said. “Just stay true to yourself, homies.”
Nicholis Scott
Nicholis Scott, a sophomore environmental studies major, said that his style is inspired by simply living in Cleveland, taking in everything he sees on a daily basis while existing in the city.
“I find architecture, history and the nature around me inspiring,” Scott said. “I’m also very inspired by business people, like the whole briefcase kind of vibe.”
Scott would describe his style as dramatic, but also simple. His personal expression through fashion started when he was young, with fond memories of playing dress-up as a child, and has developed as he’s grown into adulthood.
“When I would spend time with my grandpa, I would put on my mom’s high heels and we would listen to the Manhattan Transfer,” Scott said. “I think that those things – they’ve always been there.”
Scott said the inspiration to express himself in the way that felt most true to himself came when his sibling took their life.
“That traumatizing event taught me that you only have one life to live. There’s no point in denying who you are or hiding yourself or stopping yourself from living how or being who you want to be,” Scott said. “From there on out, that shed the light inside, and it just felt like, ‘Yeah, who cares? I mean truly, who cares?’”
For those who are starting to express themselves on the outside in a way that feels true to who they are on the inside, Scott said that the most important part is finding a safe place to start showing their personal style.
“We live in a society where queer people and trans people experience so much violence for expressing themselves and for being who they are,” Scott said. “I would just start out with a specific place or event that you know will be safe, and start with that.”
Whether you are a self-identified style icon or just starting to find how to express yourself through clothing and accessories, a common belief of those who have found themselves through fashion is to be true to who you are on the inside, and the rest will follow.
The following are more images of the students and their fashion!
