When it comes to clothing, many people find it fun and expressive to have a certain style. Whether it be going out for a night on the town, going to a local coffee shop, or having a picnic on a hot June afternoon—you are most likely always wearing clothes, at least I hope. So, when it comes to these events, do you dress to impress? Do you have a certain style you always lean towards? Or, does the event make the outfit for you?
Preston Carron, a senior at the University of Iowa, not only loves clothes but has a unique style to express himself.
When Carron wears a particular outfit, he thinks of it as “playing a character, and when I dress up or put my fancy clothes on, I feel so elegant and lavish.”
According to Carron, when he was younger, if he wasn’t fond of his outfit, his confidence would be lacking. Now that Carron has grown from that, he believes that clothing is an art.
Carron said that he finds clothing to be a huge part of who he is. “It’s like a part of myself is exuberated or enhanced,” he said. To him, clothing has the ability to bring out his personality, helping him shine whenever he walks into a room.
After talking about how his clothing is a huge part of who he is, how exactly does Carron describe his style? “I would say I have many styles,” Carron said. He explained that the outfits “range from casual to elegant. But if I had to describe it, I would say my style is a mix of 70s and 80s with a touch of flare.”
Carron also stated that a monochrome or bichrome look really tickles his fancy. For Carron to blow everyone out of the water with these looks, he’s got to get the clothes first.
“Most of my clothes are from thrifting. Bits of pieces are from regular stores,” he said. Carron said that the key for him is to “come up with an outfit idea in my mind and search for things at a thrift store to try and make it a reality.”
Now that Preston has the look, it’s time to pull out the phone, look at the weather app and decide whether he needs to wear the jacket that makes everyone look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man or just a classy fall jacket.
Carron explained that fall and spring are his favorite seasons for his clothing. “Mostly because I can wear anything in my closet. If it’s colder one day, I can wear long sleeves, and if it’s warmer, I can wear shorts,” he said.
Once Carron has the outfit on and he’s ready to go out and show the world, nervousness starts to set in.
For Carron, while his outfits do give him confidence, he sometimes gets nervous putting something “different” on. “I say ‘different’ because our society right now seems to shy away from being different. It’s slowly changing, which is amazing,” he said.
To help Carron face his fears and wear what he wants, he will wear the outfit the whole day to see how it feels, and what kind of power comes with the look. Since Carron’s learned to wear what he wants, he hopes that other people, especially men, take risks when it comes to their clothing choice.
“I took a meaning of life philosophy class a couple semesters ago. And the one thing that stuck with me was to live your life how you want to, even if it makes you eccentric. To live a life of happiness, is to live the life you love,” Carron said.
At the end of the day, Preston says that, “there are so many different ways to express who we are as humans. For me — that’s music, paintings, art, fashion. For other people, it might be snorkeling or dancing or bowling, or whatever people like to do. The key is to Explore. Explore different things. Once you stop exploring, you stop living.”
