Words and images by Eleanor Antoniou, interviews by Lexi Covalsen 

Fashion Week may have ended in London, but here at Girl Talk, it has only just arrived! We went to Cambridge’s most stylish runway (Sidgwick Site of course) to find the most fashionably dressed students right now. Read on for some fashion inspiration and to explore the age-old question: do humanities students really dress better? 

ZANA @zanamody

How would you describe what you’re wearing today?

Zana: It’s colourful, bright, but also smart. And comfortable.  

How would you describe your style in general? 

Zana: Normally a lot of leather pieced together, big boots always, chunky boots, typically a lot of denim plus leather. 

Do you have any style icons? 

Zana: I don’t think I follow anyone’s dress sense really, and I don’t think I follow the trends – whatever’s trendy, I only wear the pieces that I like. It’s more important that I wear something that makes me feel good about my body! So normally I do a capsule wardrobe per term, and then I think what’s gonna make me feel comfortable today. I’m normally in trousers, it’s actually very rare you see me in a skirt. 

What subject do you study, and would you say your subject has a specific style?

Zana: English! People often say that English students dress the same. There definitely is a certain style with people doing English, but I don’t think I follow it, I honestly just wear what makes me feel good about my body.  

What are you up to on Sidg today? 

Zana: Work, coffee, I’ve come here for the whole day! 

EMMA @emma.bry

How would you describe what you’re wearing today? 

Emma: Preppy-ish, some 2000s Gossip Girl inspiration! 

Would that describe your style in general?  

Emma: Yeah, it’s either this preppy, school-ish kind of vibe, or pink, I wear a lot of pink!

Do you feel pressure to dress to the max when you come to Sidgwick?

Emma: I used to, especially in first year because I wanted to look good wherever I went, but now I wear just gym clothes more often when I don’t feel like making an effort. But it is fun to make an effort sometimes! It just reflects how I feel. 

What subject do you study and does it have a particular aesthetic – do people dress the same?

Emma: I do HSPS and it’s just kind of similar to the Sidgwick vibe I guess.  I think all humanities students, compared to STEM, have one distinct vibe – which is fashionable! 

Do you have any style icons?

Emma: I kind of just go on Pinterest and look at random people on there, I don’t think I have anyone in particular, I look at the Y2K tag of course! Oh and actually, I have a lot of outfits pinned from Audrey from the Gossip Girl reboot! 

What are you up to on Sidg today? 

Emma: We’re going to the history library because I have an essay to write! 

EMILY

What are you studying? 

Emily: I’m doing an MPhil in ASNaC! 

What are you up to on Sidg today?

Emily: I’m in between classes at this point. I just got out of Old Irish and just waiting for the next literature lecture to begin so I’m taking a break! 

ASNaC is quite a niche subject, but do you think the people who study it have a certain aesthetic that they try to match?

Emily: Yes and no. I haven’t paid attention to it all that much, but when I go into the department, I feel neither under or overdressed. There’s a happy medium I guess! We still have people wearing jeans and a t-shirt but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone in a hoodie or sweatshirt! 

How would you describe your style in general?

Emily: I don’t necessarily want to say retro because some days it’s not, but most everything that I have in my closet is second-hand.  Probably the vaguest way I could put it to encapsulate all of it is a cult librarian core. I take inspiration from the 30s, the 20s, the turn of the century sometimes, but just small elements obviously! 

Do you have any style icons?

Emily: Kind of, I like a lot of the aesthetics of Christopher Lee’s old film rolls, a lot of his earlier films – the typical archetype of his characters – that’s it, that’s the aesthetic. 

JEMMA @jemmaforster_ 

What are you up to on Sidgwick today? 

Jemma: I’m going to a seminar on early modern drama, and then I’ve got an interview for a Master’s at KCL after that! 

How would you describe what you’re wearing today? 

Jemma: I’m wearing a thrifted corduroy shirt, my skirt is also thrifted from a stall in Brighton, Doc Martens, and then some thrifted fish nets, and this leather jacket is from Depop.  The jewellery is also from a charity shop at Grafton or from my mum’s cupboard or something! 

Is this typical of what you wear? How would you describe your general aesthetic? 

Jemma: Yeah, usually leather jackets, long skirts, that sort of thing! 

Do you feel like you match the English student vibe? 

Jemma: Yeah probably! I feel like there’s a lot of long skirts and short hair and fringes in the English department.  

Do you have any style icons? 

Jemma: I mean, anything Helena Bonham Carter does – I don’t think I really style myself off of her but I just really admire her!

RACHEL @rachel_oya 

What are you up to on Sidgwick today? 

Rachel: I’m trying to decide what library to go to! I’ve never actually been to the Seeley and thought maybe I’ll do it today.  

What subject are you studying? 

Rachel: English! 

Is this outfit indicative of your style in general?

Rachel: I think this is like a soft Rachel look. I nearly wore my black coat today and then thought that’s a bit too dull – the sun’s out today! 

How would you describe your aesthetic in general?

Rachel: Sort of relaxed, warm, and cheerful! 

Do you think you match the English aesthetic? How do most people in the subject dress? 

Rachel: I do have a tote bag right now, but I haven’t worn a beret, mostly because my hair’s too big! Yeah probably, probably a subsection of the English faculty. 

Who would you say your style icon is? 

Rachel: Probably an artist called Cassi Namoda. She just released a clothing line but it’s so expensive! She’s one of the first people I check on my Instagram every morning. She’s got a similar hair texture to me and skin tone, so our tones are really similar! 

SHAWN @shawnalexandra

What are you up to on Sidgwick today? 

Shawn: I just finished a workshop and I’m about to go to the library for essay work. I’m doing my Master’s in Law right now! 

How would you describe your outfit today? 

Shawn: I think it’s just casual – I didn’t think things through, I was just rushing to get to my class, so I just thought let’s see what goes with the joggers! I do like to colour match because I just find it easy on the eyes to look in the mirror and think everything’s matching! 

How would you describe your style in general?

Shawn: I usually dress up more – I wear a lot of skirts and dresses, a bit more in pastel and beige colours nowadays, but I used to really flock towards blacks during my undergrad. 

Do you feel like you stand out in the law faculty? Is there a law student uniform? 

Shawn: I think the basic law student uniform is that there is no uniform. Guys wise, they mostly wear suits.  You have two extremes, either dress up or completely dress down.  I think it also depends on classes – for people who have class the whole day until like 6pm, they sometimes even wear pyjamas.  If you have only one class then you dress up and everything.  And there are definitely jeans and trousers among the girls. For the first few weeks I was the only one wearing skirts, then I realised people don’t always wear skirts here, understandable when the weather was getting colder! 

Do you have any style icons? 

Shawn: Not really I think. I just get fashion inspiration from fashion youtubers, like Mina Le and ModernGurlz, just to see how their fashion is.  I’ve also tried pulling off the cottagecore look and couldn’t pair all the pieces together – can you imagine going to lectures with all your books in a basket?! 

Thank you to all our gorgeous models for speaking to us as we stumbled from library to library and interrupted your coffee breaks at the ARC Cafe! We hope everyone is feeling a little inspired for all those future trips to Sidgwick – why worry about your degree when you’ll have the chance to walk the fashion runway on your way to those lectures?