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In print | Published April 21, 2005

Swarthmore, meet style: After collecting submissions nominating students for the illustrious title of Most Stylish Swattie 2005, The Phoenix chose two fashion mavens to share their style philosophies and shopping secrets with the unwashed masses.

Here, Alyssa Work gets the exclusive style dish from Katie Chamblee ’07 and Mikio Akagi ’08.

Katie “One Bracelet Too Far” Chamblee

AW: When somebody first sees what you’re wearing, what do you want it to reflect about you?

KC: I would like my personal style to reflect “calculated distraction.”

AW: What do you mean?

KC: I mean putting together things that don’t make sense but miraculously do.

AW: Does that reflect a deeper personal philosophy of style?

KC: I see clothes in the sense of ‘dressing up’ because in high school I was really, really preppy so here I kind of went all the other way. Wearing clothing as a costume makes me tend towards the ‘one joke that took it too far’ — except in my case it’s the one bracelet that took it too far.

AW: Who do you consider your celebrity style icon?

KC: Animal from the Muppets. I love his hair. I’ve been trying to do that for years, and I’ll know I got it right when I look in the mirror and scream “animal” in that creepy little voice we all know so well.

Hopefully that won’t happen in class, but you know. Let the chips fall where they may.

AW: Where do you find most of your outfits?

KC: Random places — especially jewelry. I got really into craft jewelry, because it’s popular where my mom lives in the mountains of North Carolina. I look out for big stuff that’s interesting and unusual, and a lot of times it costs about two dollars.

AW: How much space does your wardrobe encompass in your room?

KC: Well, we only have one closet in our room, so my clothes are pretty much everywhere. And my clothing accumulation is partially motivated by my hatred of doing laundry.

When it gets really bad, there’s always Chanel Chance to cover the scent.

AW: What kind of style counsel can you give to the Swarthmore population?

KC: When you go into a store, there’s never any harm in trying something on because you think it isn’t you. It might be. Also, don’t assume things don’t match. If something is outrageous enough, no one will question you on if it matches.

Mikio Akagi, Pillar of Class

AW: What do you consider to be your style philosophy? How does what you wear reflect you as Mikio?

MA: I don’t really think that much about what I wear … what I find comfortable just happens to be shirts and slacks. I suppose some people might say deep down inside I’m uptight.

AW: You didn’t just pop out of the womb wearing slacks and collared shirts. When did you start dressing like this?

MA: In middle school I wore a lot of Hawaiian shirts, but in high school I started collecting slacks and shirts. I keep pretty much everything, and I don’t throw out a lot. I’ve still got an old Cub Scout uniform that’s a little short but it still fits.

AW: There’s a facebook group named “Everyone Should Dress Like Mikio.” What would the world be like if everyone actually dressed like you?

MA: The facebook thing was definitely a surprise. But anyway, if everyone did dress like me, I think most people would be uncomfortable. I’ve been called crazy. I wore a suit to class one day when I had an exam — you have to intimidate the exam, you know — and Professor Kuperberg just said “You’re crazy” and walked away.

AW: Is there a historical or celebrity figure whose style you look up to?

MA: I wouldn’t say I try to exactly imitate anyone, but I’m a fan of Cary Grant. He’s got that elegance.

AW: Where do you get most of the stuff you wear?

MA: Department stores, mostly. I don’t spend a lot; the couple of suits I own are gifts and hand-me-downs. If you have black pants and a collared shirt, it’s hard to screw that up.

AW: Any fashion advice for the average déclassé Swat students out there?

MA: People tend to be afraid, I suppose, of dressing like I do because they assume it would be uncomfortable or awkward.

I don’t think Swarthmore really has a problem with this, but people should dress how they’re most comfortable. There’s no reason to be torturing yourself with clothes, painful heels, fussy skirts, and the like.

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