Student and teacher fashion evolves during quarantine

Hoodies such as this and casual clothes are becoming popular during quarantine, according to Mr. Bickford.

Vaidehi Rajagopalan

Hoodies such as this and casual clothes are becoming popular during quarantine, according to Mr. Bickford.

After more than a year in quarantine, some Rachel Carson Middle School students and faculty reveal that quarantine has greatly impacted their personal style, by either relaxing their clothes or boosting creativity.

RCMS student Chinmayee Lanka, 13, said, “[My style has] definitely relaxed, because, you know, I’m at home, and no one is looking at me.” 

Concurring, Mr. Joshua Bickford, RCMS theatre teacher, said, “[The pandemic] has really made me not care as much about how I dress.”

Mr. Bickford noticed that many people he knew had been dressing more relaxed since the pandemic, including himself. According to him, most people tended to wear looser layers and clothes that were primarily picked with comfort in mind.  

Additionally, a Teen Vogue article on the topic, published April 27, noted that many celebrities have also been donning a casual look and predicts that post-pandemic fashion will continue on a similar path. 

Conversely, some students have been reacting differently to quarantine.

Inaya Siddiqui, an eighth-grader, said, “If anything, I feel like being at home, my fashion is improving.”  

Inaya noted that at home, she had more room to dress how she wanted and experiment with clothing choices. Aastha Doshi, another eighth-grader at RCMS, had a similar stance on the topic.

“In the beginning of quarantine, I didn’t really have a varied clothing choice,” Aastha said, “but since quarantine it’s really expanded.” 

Aastha stated that she now has a newfound appreciation for dressing up and takes more care in her clothing choices when leaving the house. On the other hand, Aastha felt that following the pandemic, most people would revert to their old clothing styles. 

“Coming back from quarantine, people will start restricting their [clothing] standards because of social norms,” she said.

Nevertheless, despite the different styles, students agreed that personal style was extremely important.

Inaya said, “I feel like personal style expresses a person’s personality… I think by looking at someone’s clothes, you can get an idea of who they are.”

Chinmayee elaborated on the notion, providing an insight into why the changing fashion is so crucial.

“I think [personal style] is even more important during quarantine,” she said, “because with everything going on, being able to have fun and be you is really great.”