March 17, 2025 by Ava Tatum (‘25)
Have you ever wondered what your favorite teachers dressed like in high school? I was lucky enough to have conversations with some iconic Toga teachers to get a glimpse of what fashion looked like when they were in school.
Katherine Cole
[Q] Who/what inspired your style in high school?
[A] “In high school everyone was wearing Hollister, which was very much like California vibes.”
[Q] Where did you buy/get your clothes from?
[A] “Mostly Hollister, but a lot of us worked in the mall in high school. I went to Shaker, so we weren’t too far from Crossgates. We would share clothes a lot of the time, we all had pretty similar styles so we would just interchange clothes a lot of the time.”
[Q] What fashion trend do you wish would make a comeback?
[A] “Mini skirts with UGG’s, bedazzled clothes, gaucho pants, and belts.”
[Q] What’s your most embarrassing outfit story?
[A] “There are so many, we would get very tanned, and wear crop tops with super low-rise pants. So, I look back on pictures from Christmas with my grandparents and I’m wearing a belly shirt, it was just so inappropriate.”
[Q] What advice would you give to high schoolers developing their style?
[A] “No matter what you wear you’re gonna look back and be like “that was embarrassing” and everything that you think is embarrassing will come back into style anyways, so it doesn’t really matter that much. As long as you’re comfortable while still investing in good pieces, because you never know if they might be worth a lot of money in the future.”
Jill Cowburn
[Q] Who/what inspired your style in high school?
[A] “I was really into alternative music, so I wanted a style that matched that. I would paint on my own jeans and add panels.”
[Q] Where did you buy/get your clothes from?
[A] “Some thrift stores, the mall- the mall was the main event in the 80s, the GAP.”
[Q] What fashion trend do you wish would make a comeback?
[A] “I don’t really pay attention to fashion much and maybe I should sometimes, but I don’t. I think I was most interested in fashion when I was in elementary school.”
[Q] What’s your most embarrassing outfit story?
[A] “When I first graduated from college all I had was grungey clothes, then when I moved to the city, I had to wear really conservative suburban dresswear, like matching sweater sets. So that was a little embarrassing because it just didn’t match my personality at the time.”
[Q] What advice would you give to high schoolers developing their style?
[A] “Just try doing things, enjoy, nobody will remember. I had a hard time remembering my embarrassing moments. Make a statement, why not? It’ll be fun to be remembered for something.”
Johanna Garrison
[Q] Who/what inspired your style in high school?
[A] “My friends, music, bands, my parents, old movies.”
[Q] Where did you buy/get your clothes from?
[A] “I grew up in Cambridge, New York, so we didn’t have many options. I would raid my dad’s closet and wear his old shirts and ties. I shared my clothes with my friends. My older siblings would send me clothes when they lived in California because California was always ahead of New York State.”
[Q] What fashion trend do you wish would make a comeback?
[A] “None. I like what a lot of you guys are doing now. I like that teens do a lot of thrifting and upcycling nowadays, I think it’s amazing.”
[Q] What’s your most embarrassing outfit story?
[A] “My sister was getting married, and she wanted me to wear this dress. It had big puffy sleeves, and it was tacky and shiny, but not polyester, it was really awful. When I look back on it, I’m like “oh my god, why did she pick this?”, but everyone else was in that [type of clothing] anyway.”
[Q] What advice would you give to high schoolers developing their style?
[A] “Be yourself, we are constantly judging ourselves, but I hope there’s a certain point in life where you do it less. Try to find your little niche and find people that make you feel good about yourself. People should support each other.”
Julie Cox
[Q] Who/what inspired your style in high school?
[A] “The dELiA’s catalogue that came in the mail every month, Gwen Stefani, my friends.”
[Q] Where did you buy/get your clothes from?
[A] “The mall, of course. I’m sad that not as many young people go to the mall, it was like a social experience. Lots of GAP, J. Crew, and dELiA’s for sure.”
[Q] What fashion trend do you wish would make a comeback?
[A] “Girls wearing sneakers with dresses to dance and stuff-it’s so cute and fun. I think comfort-based fashion is something I’d like to see more of. I think everyone should feel their best in whatever they choose to wear.”
[Q] What’s your most embarrassing outfit story?
[A] “I wore a ton of purple, like I just decided to wear a lot of purple. That was like my signature color, but even down to my shoes, I had bright purple converse and I included it in my makeup too, so it was a little overboard.”
[Q] What advice would you give to high schoolers developing their style?
[A] “Have fun with it. Experiment when you want, wear things that make you feel confident. If I’m not feeling so great I like to dress up because it makes me feel more confident and then that will actually seep into my mental state for the day.”