Dressing with a Capsule Wardrobe as a College Student
Lauren Lagasse '25 poses in two outfits photo creds: Lily Jandrisevits '25 and Juliet Kirk '25
Marist College is widely known for its fashion program and the designs that its students create every year. But, expressive fashion goes beyond the classroom as students across campus find the best way to truly show who they are is through their clothes.
“I think fashion can communicate a lot about your personality, just because you’re making so many choices every single day about how you present yourself,” said Lauren Lagasse ‘25.
During Lagasse’s interview, she wore a midi-length black floral dress with an oversized black sweatshirt branded “New York” and Oxford loafers. Her monochromatic black looks that always seem to be well tailored without being too uptight are something that makes her stand out.
Brianna Rullo ‘25, a friend of Lagasse’s said, “Lauren’s personality is very cohesive, so it makes sense that her clothing identity reflects the organization and intricacy that she has in other things she does.”
Whether she is going to rehearsals for Singers or Sirens, or a Mosaic meeting, Lagasse exudes an understated confidence. She attributes her ability to put together cohesive outfits to her capsule wardrobe. “I have a limited amount of pieces that all sort of go together so I like to try to combine things in interesting ways that I wouldn’t have thought of previously,” said Lagasse. Hence, her combination of a long dress and an oversized sweatshirt. She takes two key pieces and combines them to create a look that is both comfortable and new.
Lagasse also explained her choice to dress in (almost) all black. “Starting in high school, I started to wear all black every day just because I thought it was easier. I like a more elegant, sophisticated look and with all black it's a lot easier to achieve that,” said Lagasse. “It's so much easier to go shopping and know in my mind what pieces are missing in my wardrobe because I’m not just accumulating clothes from everywhere. It makes it easier to spend less money and be more mindful of the environment when I’m buying clothes.”
Since buying from sustainable brands can oftentimes be pricey, Lagasse chooses to focus more on buying pieces she knows she will wear many times.
“I used to buy pieces like blue velvet tops with crazy sleeves that I would wear like twice, which was fun, but it's so much easier to know what specific piece is missing from my wardrobe. Having a very distinct style makes it easy to shop mindfully,” said Lagasse.
Her aforementioned dress is from H&M and her sweatshirt was a gift from her parents. Both pieces are affordable and chosen with the purpose of many uses.
Rullo also said that she appreciates how Lagasse can take the few key pieces in her wardrobe and make them new. “I am never thinking about how her outfits are all black. I am thinking about them as a whole,” Rullo said.
Where capsule wardrobes tend to be boring or focus on a very minimalistic style, Lagasse serves to show how to be mindful and still have fun with fashion.
“I think I found a style that can really work throughout my entire life,” Lagasse said. “I am really inspired by the preppy style of the seven sisters schools from the 1970s or 1960s. It was a group of all women's colleges really exploring what it meant to be a woman in higher education and take control of what they were wearing,” said Lagasse.
She also explained that growing up in New England, she was constantly surrounded by the preppy style, and taking inspiration from these historical women gives her a grounded element that she can build on.
The elements of history, paired with comfort and consciousness create a style that feels timeless and purposeful. It takes from inspirations that feel classic, while also being young and current for a college student.