When Santa Rosa Junior College student Katie Menzel wakes up, the first thing on her mind is: “What am I going to wear?” She takes an hour and a half to get ready.
In contrast, when student Adrien Inda gets ready he grabs the first thing he sees and calls it good.
It doesn’t matter if students take their time in the morning or if they grab a shirt and go. They can rock yoga pants as much as they can rock boots and a leather jacket. All SRJC students have their reasons for their own style and what makes them comfortable.
Alumnus Jose Gomez starts his day wondering what he’ll wear. He goes with what makes him look and feel good, like a black and white silk shirt with a British flag print and black dress pants.
“I am a very energetic person and I want my style to reflect that,” Gomez said. “I am not going to start my day wearing baggy pants and a wrinkled, oversized shirt. That’s not the statement I want to make when I walk out the door.”
Gomez loves shopping at Macy’s for his makeup and clothes. He wears a liquid foundation, black mascara and a little bit of black eyeliner to bring out his eyes. He often wears a suit and dress pants for work and makes sure he is always presentable no matter where he goes. The only time he wears sweatpants and a T-shirt is at the end of the night when he comes home to relax.
Menzel’s morning routine is to shower and straighten her hair, apply her makeup and pick out an outfit.
“I have several different styles,” Menzel said. “I have a very laid-back style. I also have the style that’s classic, modern and very simplistic.”
When applying her makeup, Menzel uses a powder foundation, mascara and eyeliner. She enjoys experimenting with different makeup and clothes, like leather jackets or anything bright and bold. Friends have complimented her unique style. Her favorite places to shop are American Eagle and Forever 21.
Conversely, Inda likes to stay comfortable throughout the day. His closet consists of mostly flannel and jeans.
“My signature colors are black, red and dark gray. Sometimes I will try wearing something yellow or green, but you will mainly see me in my flannel,” Inda said.
He doesn’t try to impress anyone with what he wears except when going out on a date with his girlfriend; then he’ll take his time to be selective.
He hasn’t received any compliments, but doesn’t care what people think if they don’t like what they see. He says he will never go to school wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
“I do take my time a bit but I am not going to spend so much of it on figuring out what I am going to wear when I need to get out the door for class,” Inda said.
Alumnus Jolene Aplin is all about being comfortable with what she wears.
“I work seven days a week. For four days I’ll be wearing my work shirt, but the other three days sometimes I just pick out a pair of yoga pants and a tank top,” she said.
Aplin does find time in the morning to pick out clothes for her and her boyfriend to wear. She also takes the time to put on some makeup and brush her hair.
After that, she is off to work. She takes more time when it comes to special occasions like her birthday or her brother’s wedding. It’s hard for Aplin to find clothes in her size so she doesn’t bother with trying to shop for the latest trends.
“I really don’t know what my comfort zone is with clothes, but because of my body type it’s sometimes hard to look further,” Aplin said.
Students know how to rock their own wardrobe, whether they take the time to plan or grab the first thing they see and call it good. They know how fabulous they want to look and what makes them feel great.
