December has arrived. The leaves have fallen, the skies are endlessly gray, the wind chills and Middlebury students have begun dressing more casually to accommodate the cold, prioritizing comfort to focus on finals. However, there are some, including Nonna Madoyan ’28, who embrace the dreariness with open arms, allowing it to elevate their fashion.
Influenced by growing up in Moscow, Russia, Nonna Madoyan ’28 described her style as “Really classical. You know, black pants, white shirt, vest—” she absolutely adores black pants and vests — “like a nineteenth century boy at an elite school.”
Her outfit displayed this classical color scheme. She sported a two-piece set, soft and flowy while still form-fitting: a white blouse with black accents lining the collar, hem, and sleeves, and white pants with black accents at the ankles, and shined black loafers. The top and pants were bought together from a small shop in Armenia, the place of her heritage.
“The shoes, too,” she added. “Most of my clothes, I’ll get from a little store somewhere.”
Her outfit was decorated with minimal yet meaningful jewelry. She wore a single gold ring starring a small, flame-shaped gold flower, which was once her grandmother’s earring. One set of simple gold earrings glinted in her ears.
“Moscow is very diverse in terms of fashion, and you can see that in my wardrobe. I have some pretty funky things in addition to my classical things,” she said.
Madoyan isn’t tied to what many would consider “dark academia” — she’s also an avid fan of ’60s and ’70s styles, effortlessly weaving her interest in these decades into her classic base. The flare at the bottom of her flowy white pants may pay tribute to her love for Elvis Presley bell bottoms.
“Nonna has an assorted and eclectic style which always makes her stand out. I'm always impressed with what she comes up with, regarding both her range in styles and her skill in crafting them,” Julia McCarthy ’28 wrote in a message to The Campus.
Madoyan has recently found herself inspired by late autumn, the time to shake out layers and hoods. “I love scarves. At home I think I have a collection of maybe 10 scarves. And I love wearing coats, so at home I think I have, like, two coats,” she said.
The coat she’s worn recently is an elegant beige trench that reaches her shins. While the trench coat has been a staple of all eras of fashion, this aspect of Madoyan’s style fits particularly well with her fusion of ’60s, ’70s and classical aesthetics. She also often opts for vests and blazers, capturing an androgynous-yet-still-feminine kind of beauty that the ‘60s were known for.
Madoyan detailed the variety of styles one can find in Moscow — although she dislikes the current shift towards modern, Americanized trends, she said the Russian capital’s authenticity is far from buried.
“In Moscow there is this mix of post-Soviet culture and modern culture,” she said. “So you see a lot of interesting choices there. I would say it has a lot of classical choices, though, especially for women — so you’ll see a lot of women in coats, trenches, black boots.”
This is the kind of fashion Madoyan feels connected to and appreciates.
“Nonna’s style varies day by day but I’d say she’s very chic overall,” said Kristal Lin ’28.
For Madoyan, fashion isn’t a distraction, but a way to prop up her own productivity and attitude.
“If I dress in a sloppy way, then my entire day is kind of sloppy as well. We have this saying in Russia: the way you call your sheep is the way your sheep will sell. If you name your sheep badly, you’re pre-determining their fate. So I feel like if you dress badly in the morning, like if you go to class in your pajamas, I don’t think you’ll be super productive,” she said.
She wants to feel like she’s owning her day, and fashion is one tool she uses to feel in control.
Inspired by a myriad of factors, from her upbringing in Moscow to the aesthetics of small Armenian shops to jazz, Nonna Madoyan has cultivated an elevated personal style that is both classy and fun. Her love for winter-wear may inspire us all to embrace the weather we often dread, and her consistent classical style provides us all a glimpse of elegance that has become so devalued in this age of quick microtrends, hyper-restrictive aesthetics and carelessly throwing on sweats when going out.
So consider naming your sheep well with a nice outfit or two. Looking at Madoyan, one can see it does wonders.
