Molly Harris helps in bridging apparel gender boundaries.
Everyone may not be into FASHION, but everybody wears clothes. Boom – no one’s running around naked, and in today's modern society, there are a lot of ways that you can do that.
As an expert on clothes (I’ve been wearing them most days for 20 years now), I feel comfortable with making the statement that guys clothes are comfy A.F. Jeans, sweatpants, hoodies – I can rock this shit all day baby, all day. And although women are equipped with an equally as robust comfy arsenal, I’d swear that only four girls on this campus own a pair of champion sweatpants, but they’re probably buried under a pile of LuLus. BUT I KNOW YOU HAVE THAT STUFF (even if you only wear it to bed).
I wanna feel like I didn’t even change out of my pajamas when I’m going to class, except in the morning to change out of them and back into them. Congruently, the clothes I’m wearing are functional. I feel as if I’m wearing a Pendleton x Hot Hands collabo (hot hands = hand warmer company that ALSO makes a product called Toasty Toes). My top priority when getting dressed is the cozy-factor. I have to have an average score of 7.482 to not want to crawl back into my bed in the morning.
A common argument to explain this disconnect is often that guys don’t really care how they look. I’ve seen too much mirror-time clocked and done enough outfit checks to disprove that statement. Our hair doesn’t take as long to dry. That’s all you got on us.
What’s the deal with heels!? Why do you do that to yourself?!
To help debunk this issue, I sought out the worlds foremost expert in campus fashion (and founding member and active participant in W.A.P – women’s association of pinners).
I walked to her safehouse a few blocks down University (I can’t reveal an exact location), and that’s where we conducted this interview. James Bond has the suite next door.
“How would you describe your style?”
“Umm…boyish, but kinda classic," Molly responds.
“Classic in what way?”
“Preppy, almost…sometimes…certain things like polos or flannels."
She trails off and starts laughing.
“It’s kinda like Goodwill, cause over half of it’s from there. (We both laugh – we’re laughing more enthusiastically than I’m emphasizing in these italics.) Forever 21.
“How would you compare it to what you see women your age wearing?”
"Pretty similar – I’m not ever something real crazy, but there will always be one thing (in her outfit) that’s weird. I’ll be just wearing a sweater, jeans, and little boys Timberlands."
"What is your main goal when getting dressed in the morning?”
“I definitely want to look good enough so that I don’t look homeless.”
Molly responded barely holding back a laugh until we both started laughing.
“In class, I want to look nice! When I’m dressed up for class, I feel more put together, and it makes me actually feel more awake. And of course comfort – it has to be warm!!!”
"What keeps you from wearing champion sweats and hoodies err day?"
"I don’t have a lot of colors! Do you know what would be so cool, though -- if everyone started to wear those rip-off pants."
"Like the basketball warm up pants?"
"Yeah!"
“Now I gotta ask, what’s the deal with heels?”
“Oh god, I can’t walk in heels. I have my Clarks, my fake heels. They have a one inch heel. See?”
Molly pulls the shoes out of nowhere and begins to Vanna White the shit outta them. They are brown suede, have a nice zipper on one side for trapping in your feet.
“Even at formal I end up wearing crocs.”
“Why do girls wear heels?”
“It’s something that boys don’t have…it’s a girly thing thing to do…? It’s really just a weird concept like, ‘This is uncomfortable! And I’m taller…I probably should be shorter!’ For some reason, it’s just the norm. In professional environments, women often wear heels. I have no idea how they do it. I’d just be concentrated on trying not to wobble!”
“How do you feel about flannel shirts? ”
“Holy shit. Why doesn’t everyone wear them all the time. They look good! And they make you look good! They’re so classic, and you can switch it up with a vest or whatever. Plus, super comfy."
Before letting her escape back to her Pinterest lair, I asked her for one piece of advice she would give to men and women on this campus.
Molly replied saying, “People have a lot of room to step up their game. Girls, just look nicer for sure. Sometimes the stuff we wear out looks so stupid! Like a tight black skirt and a tucked in flowy shirt? There is just so much cooler stuff! Plus, it’s freezing out! Try dressing out of the box a bit more. If you have a cool sweater, wear it! I always remember that one person that looked really cute."
“How about for the guys?!”
“Again, I would just say broaden your horizons when shopping. There are so many cool guys' stores around – explore more and find cool places to buy more unique clothing. And Urban doesn’t count.”
Last Question….
"What would be the first thing you’d buy if I gave you $1,000,000?"
“Definitely a Hudson Bay Jacket! Yeah -- the one that Rachel Bilson has. It has the wood hooks and the hugest hood that goes all the way forward…oh I’d buy so much stuff."
Molly smirks a smirk that only appears when one has a hankering to buy so much stuff.
“Anything else?”
“I’d buy…laughing…no this is too weird – whatever. Have you seen those websites that sell those awesome onesies? They have a Gameboy one that sells for like $400 or something like that…and the jerseys of all the NBA players from one team. But not like a good one, just like a really random one."
Well, that was it. I packed up my stuff and headed home. As I lay in bed that night and thought about my day, I thought about the ceaseless fight between comfy clothes and their stylish counterparts. I then got distracted by what our chef Kristen was going to be making for dinner the next day. I then fell asleep.
