By Sophie Katz, age 16
Whether you’re an Instagram influencer or someone who can’t stand the feeling of tight leggings, fashion makes up a sliver of every WriCampian’s life. In addition to the numerous electives offered at camp, WriCampia boasts specialized activities that call for a passion for fashion, such as our yearly dance (in which campers have to dress up according to a surprise theme). From embellished hats to the WriCampia hoodies that have become our unofficial uniform, we sat down with multiple WriCampians to understand how style and fashion have an impact on the WriCampia experience.
First to step on the metaphorical runway was Sofia K, age 14, a fellow The Yearly WriCampian correspondent. Many WriCampians, Sofia included, agree that fashion is a way to express oneself. Sofia, who has a self-described “sporty/athletic” style, usually does not consider herself fashionable. Sofia emphasized that sports affect her fashion choices: she wears a leotard in gymnastics and long pants during horseback riding.
“In school, a lot of people wear athletic clothes so that’s how I started liking them,” Sofia told us. Although Sofia believes taking the weather into consideration is vital, she emphasized that “everyone has a different style so you can pack or wear whatever you want and nobody is going to care” – which is a notably different norm from the school she attends. She also noted sharing clothing items with her fellow WriCampians.
We found Nell, age 16, in Wel-B-Yon (the senior campers residence) living room, which is a sociable environment featuring lived-in couches arranged in a circular fashion. “Fashion can also be used for making statements and movements, and it’s very powerful,” Nell said. Notably, Nell forgot to pack for the dance, which took place August 15th and had a theme of “letters and words.” “As a kid, I used to not care at all about what I wore,” Nell said, noting that she was “the athlete tomboy sort of person.” But, she added, “I’m starting to find my own sense of style.” In terms of packing, Nell favors things that don’t take up too much space in the suitcase – specifically garments with thinner materials and versatile clothes. “I’m more inspired to express myself through my clothes here,” Nell told us. “It’s not something I do at all at home but I’m getting a lot of inspiration here,” she added.
Another senior camper, Madeleine, 17, said that she loves fashion. “I think it’s a means of self expression and I think that people often say fashion to mean what is on trend or what is dictated by a prescriptive source, but I think fashion is what you make it.”
Aesthetics, which are often used on social media to describe certain substyles of fashion, are common especially among younger people such as WriCampians. However, Madeleine isn’t fond of the term. “I think aesthetics are a terrible way to describe fashion,” she said, although if she had to pick an aesthetic for herself, she would describe her style as “acubi,” “a little bit of grunge,” and “conventional.” Despite campers having limited space in their suitcases, Madeleine ensured that she packed belts, and “this little lace ribbon” which she excitedly showed. She also mentioned being excited to play WriChella in pre-planned “rockstar” outfits. “I forgot more practical things than fashionable things,” Madeleine admitted, proving a contrast between the packing ideologies of WriCampians. “My style tends to straddle a world of alternative fashion and a mainstream look,” she posited. “I have some weird pieces in my wardrobe that I wouldn’t wear at school but I bust them out for camp,” she concluded, highlighting the fashion freedom that comes with being a WriCampian.
Ciri, 16, who was also lounging in her bunk when we stopped by for an interview, admits that she does not “feel like I have that much of a sense of fashion.” With a self-described “convenient” style, Ciri put an emphasis on Hawaiian shirts because “other people wore them,” and perhaps most importantly, shirts with funny messages printed onto them. Ciri values practicality (especially when it comes to cargo pants) and often struggles with complying with the dance theme, but she did emphasize that her friends influenced some of her fashion choices.
Gwen, 16, loves “shopping for clothes and going thrifting and trying out different fashion styles,” and she considers her style to be fairly flexible, noting that Y2k and athletic clothing were some of her favorite fashion styles. Tank tops, shorts, and athletic clothing were at the top of Gwen’s packing list. Similarly to many first-year campers, Gwen was unaware of the notorious cold here in Peru, Massachusetts. Therefore, next time, she’ll make sure to throw more pants into the pool of clothes she packs for WriCampia. According to Gwen, WriCampians are accepting of many different styles, and this seems to be a common theme agreed upon by WriCampians of all ages, styles, and backgrounds.
Sanara, 13, who we met in front of the lakeside art studio, was strikingly fashionable in unique ways, such as the butterfly-chained glasses she wore when she was interviewed in addition to a white sweater and jeans. She enjoys “layering” and “different types of glasses.” Sanara’s urban environment has influenced her style. “I live in New York City so people have lots of different styles,” she finished.
Sophia, a first year counselor said, “It’s important to feel comfortable in your own skin.” She used the phrase “hippie casual” to describe her style, and added that her upbringing greatly affected her sense of fashion. “My parents moved to America so they brought their own culture to America,” said Sophia. As a result of this, she “picked up a little bit of Danish fashion and culture and a little bit of American fashion.” Danish fashion staples include “very very long skirts” and “blacks and whites and grays.”
Emilia, 13, who was also sitting by the bucolic lake, enjoys tight-fitting clothing. But breaking her arm caused her to rediscover herself through fashion. Now, Emilia is “able to wear stuff I’m comfortable with physically and emotionally.” In contrast to her school environment, Emilia found that “nobody [at WriCampia] has been bragging about their outfit or making fun of it,” and she feels comfortable expressing herself at WriCampia.
Nico, 13, is passionate about assembling their own fashion. When we met them, they were wearing a self-made shirt! “I’ve loved fashion since I was 2,” Nico started. “I want to be a fashion designer when I’m older,” they said passionately. Nico, who describes their style as “alternative grunge,” notably forgot overalls and remembered almost everything else, including multiple types of earrings. Nico’s mom has always told them “not follow trends, and I could dress myself since I was really little.” Nico had originally thought WriCampia was a “normal” camp, but “once I realized that it was an artsy camp, I packed more stylish clothing.”
Lastly, we sat down with Cami, 10. She wears a “mix between casual and fancy” clothing, and she emphasized practicality. Living with her sister, who was next to her at the time of the interview, has allowed Cami to utilize hand-me-downs.
The general consensus among WriCampians was that expressing yourself is easy at camp, even while the nights are cold, and the dance theme proves time and time again to be challenging. Every camper was excited about fashion in some way. After all, we all wear clothes: why not wear interesting clothing?
