The Lookbook

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This is the first episode of a new series, Style Theory — a visual interpretation of the The Communicator's online constant "The Lookbook." For each episode, the subject is asked to pick three outfits that represent their style and talk about what dressing well means to them. This episode is centered around Amber Hing, a sophomore at Community High School. Here is a list of the clothes worn in...

“[Fashion] is an aspect of your appearance that you can control. Your appearance plays a lot into how people perceive you, and it’s something you can use to say something about yourself without talking to people.” Octavia Anderson, a junior at Community High School, loves bright colors, patterns and tying knots into her shirts. Anderson is all about wearing things that look fun but are also...

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For Mira Simonton-Chao, getting dressed in the morning doesn’t take a lot of thought. She chooses her outfits by asking herself one question. She posed it like this: “What would I wear if I was in a super angsty cool music video,” Simonton-Chao said, “where everyone is just lying around?” The music video on her mind is Love$ick by Mura Masa, a vaguely bleak but persistent video set in ...

Sophomore Abbey Foreman added a pop of color to a classic outfit: a white t-shirt paired with blue jeans. Her red checkered vans, along with her loud orange backpack from Patagonia was sure to be spotted in the crowded Community hallways on Monday.

Max Mellor prepares for his band's show in the hallways of Community during second block. His guitar strap visibly representing his heritage and family background.

Zoe Lubetkin Chloe Di Blassio seen stunting on Friday in some Dollskill boots. The rest of the outfit is as eclectically sourced as it looks: her jeans are Eddie Bauer from Salvation Army, which she distressed herself, the bodysuit is from Verbena, bought during the Ann Arbor Art Fair this summer, the beret and safety pin are from Depop, and the rose pin is vintage from her grandmother. ...

Although this sweater has been accused of being made out of couch material by friends of Quinn Perkins, she wore it happily on a Friday during fifth block. Perkins, a junior at Community High School in Dianne Dudley’s forum, paired it with a tiger’s eye rock necklace from Ragstock. The “couch sweater” is from the Value World in Ypsilanti.

Looking good for the fall doesn’t necessarily mean you need to drop a bunch of your well-earned money (even if it is actually your parent’s) for a whole new wardrobe. Joshua Caldwell, a freshman at Community High, appears laid-back yet sophisticated in his plaid red-and-black flannel. Instead of having to hand over a grueling $50 or more at trendy stores like Urban Outfitters, Caldwell bought his...

This jacket is as retro as it looks; Malcolm Elliott, a junior at Community High School, acquired it from his dad. The coat was given to his father 20 years ago from a friend of his, and it has been passed down ever since. “[My dad] told me ‘This was given to me, so I’ll give it to you.’” Elliott said. The jacket itself features a golden chain-like pattern and a baggy fit reminiscent of...

Nyah Selassie fashions various necklaces into her daily wardrobe everyday, whilst a self-described clumsy person who tries to limit her jewelry to prevent any slip-ups. Her choker and her sun and moon necklace were bought from World Market, and her blue-threaded article was made by her sister. She added a mock-shark tooth to the blue thread afterwards. "It’s like a mock of a shark-tooth bu...

Audrey Jeffords, a senior at Community High School, centers herself around the character Ducky in “Pretty In Pink.” Ducky is her inspiration; Jeffords loves the 80s. She enjoys wearing loose things so she can be comfortable. Her jeans are Levis which she ordered online. Her shoes are from Nike and everything else is from Salvation Army.

Sonja Benjamins-Carey’s grandmother taught her how to embroider when she was young. Although she does not embroider anymore, she still admires the appearance of a hand-embroidered garment. Benjamins-Carey, freshman at Community High School, purchased this flower-stitched denim skirt from H&M’s Coachella line.

In sneaker culture, ‘fake’ or ‘knockoff’ models of popular (and generally more expensive) sneakers are valued far less than their counterpart, even if they look the exact same. Aris Chalin, a junior at Community High School, believes that this set of values inherently favors those who have more money than not. “I like how there is a sneaker culture, but I don’t like how it is financially...

"I get all my clothes from my grandparents," said iO Soucy, a junior at Community High School. Her shirt used to be worn by her grandfather in the '40s before being handed down to her older brother, who rocked it until it was stolen by Soucy. When your wardrobe is your grandparents, it's easy to find the perfect 'legit' vintage look. For example, Soucy's newly-found jean haven, her grandmother's basement,...

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Vans' 'Sk8-Hi' shoe model has been around since 1978. It is currently popular among students at Community High School in it's all-white color-way. Elinor Duck, a freshman at Community, is seen here sporting her year-old kicks.

Rutger de Voer, a senior exchange student from the Netherlands currently attending Community High, commented on how the fashion in Europe is different than in the U.S. He thinks that people in America are more laid back with their attire, wearing mainly athletic shoes and sweatpants. "People usually wear jeans all the time in the Netherlands," Voer said.

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Ken McGraw, an english teacher at Community High School, rocks an olive-brown suit paired with a red bow-tie and coffee.

The 'Fire Red' Air Jordan threes are coveted shoe for some sneaker fanatics. The sneakers are seen here worn by Daniel Giampetroni, a sophomore at Community High School. To get the perfect shot, Giampetroni wanted to capture his sneakers in movement.

"I would say this golden choker [is my staple piece of clothing]," Sophie Lete-Straka said. Lete-Straka, a sophomore at Community, believes that style is all about feeling comfortable in your clothing.

Daniel Giampetroni seen here letting his sneakers do the talking by wearing a minimalist light grey long sleeve and dark grey joggers.

Zoe Lubetkin, a sophomore at Community High School, could not stop moving while her Air Force One sneakers were being captured. Then, she pauses at the balls of her feet to show off her kicks, worn with light pink socks to lightly contrast the all-white sneaker.

A skateboarder in the summer, Julian Mayes-Burnett, a junior at Community, brings his skater look to Kerrytown Market.

Timberland 'wheat' boots are popular this winter among Community High students. The shoe is worn here by Sarah Levin, a freshman at Community High.

"I feel like style means more of like ‘you rock what you rock’, you know what I’m saying,"  said Chris Cho, a sophomore at Community. "I do not follow trends or stuff like that, I just wear the stuff that I like."

Meghana Tummala works on a project for her Modern readings class while rocking a floral-patterned Forever 21 dress.