College is famously known and remembered as “the best years of our lives.” Four (or more) years to explore, experiment, learn and find ourselves, so that we can (hopefully) sort out our passions and plan our futures — including the development and cultivation of our own signature style.
I realized the value and significance of these years and their impact on our individual future in fashion when interviewing Charlotte Michaelcheck ’15. Michaelcheck was born and raised in New York City, attending school in Manhattan before venturing to the Green Mountains. Most people either know Michaelcheck for her improv skills (she is a member of Middlebrow), her quirky collection of backpacks, her dedication to her neuroscience major or her bold, outrageous “going out outfits,” as she calls them.
Michaelcheck refers to her style as, “all over the place.”
“Sometimes I look like Woody Allen in drag,” she said. “And then other [times], very skimpy 90’s.” Whatever you know her for, we all can recognize that this girl has got personality, style, confidence and brains — and it seems to run in her family.
Michaelcheck’s wisdom in fashion is rooted and influenced greatly by her mother and sister. Her sister is a New York City-based fashion designer considered a rising star among high fashion experts. In addition to her sister’s incredible success in fashion, Michaelcheck’s mother “has always been adept at putting herself together.” Those two women “veto most of my choices so that any resultant style is mostly a product of abject constructive criticism I’d say.”
Even though Michaelcheck has a distinct style, she is still figuring out who she is and how she wants to be portrayed. When asked about where her look will end up, Michaelcheck said, “I have some things I know I will hold onto and others I really hope to lose — at this point that ratio’s probably more in favor of the latter.” But for right now she hopes to portray herself in a versatile way.
“When I feel well dressed it’s mostly in something that’s at least in part conservative,” she said. “When I dress to go out or for more casual purposes I almost never consider it to be fashionable. I want to feel confident in what I wear, even if it isn’t necessarily a good outfit.”
Michaelcheck isn’t afraid to stray away from what is “fashionable” for something that makes her feel good — and isn’t that what is ultimately most important? Fashion is fun and exciting but if it doesn’t make you feel self-assured then it is simply a materialistic form of expression. That is why Michaelcheck goes the extra step when it comes to her selection of clothing.
“People pick out clothing usually in anticipation for some event or a new season,” she said. “So in that aspect, fashion is positively associated with fun things or something you’re looking forward to. It’s another, maybe superfluous, preparation step that makes otherwise not so enthusing events a little more exciting. Especially when costumes are involved: the more ridiculous the better.”
Interestingly enough, a girl with such a natural ability to express herself through clothing does not believe that fashion is fundamental to a person’s character.
“I never really focused on fashion,” she said. Michaelcheck approaches fashion in a lighter hearted way, dressing up to simply please herself as opposed to make a statement.
“If someone wants to wear something that isn’t necessarily in keeping with what the rest of the population is doing, I think they should. If it’s a form of self-expression, great, if you just want to wear something ridiculous for attention, that’s fine too.”
After her years in the mountains, Michaelcheck plans to get rid of some of her more revealing garb as she gets older.
“At some point it just gets ridiculous, or tired,” she said. “Hopefully I will accrue some things that last a little longer and can be worn in most public settings (which cannot be said for much of what I currently own).”
In the future Charlotte also aspires to follow her mother’s footsteps in her classic uniform attire, meaning that she wears a basic framework for every outfit that is always the same but changes the details so that every look is somewhat unique but still honest.
“My mother does that with button downs and straight leg black pants. Her closet is the best because it’s filled with different variations of the same structured outfit. For me, I think that’s the ideal.”
Middlebury may be a difficult place to try out outrageous things in the fashion realm, simply because fashion is not that prevalent on campus, but at least there is no pressure to be up-to-date on all the trends. College is a transitional stage between high school and the real world—on one hand it’s your chance to wear what you will never be able to again, but on another hand, it’s also the place and time to develop your own style and cultivate a wardrobe. Even if you are like Michaelcheck and “still in transition,” keep trying new things, go out of your comfort zone and put time and effort into fostering a wardrobe that you are proud of.
Style Icon: Michaelcheck is "Woody Allen in Drag"
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