For Melanie Singh, her roots in New York City serve her primary style inspiration.
Sporting a classic combination of a leather jacket, white t-shirt, and dark wash jeans, Melanie Singh ’18 adds a characteristic flair to her outfit with a gold choker and emoticon-adorned nude sneakers. For Singh, this outfit embodies her individualistic and contemporary style.
“One of my favorite things that I own is this very simple, black leather jacket. I think it’s very New York just because it’s very sleek. It’s also pretty loud I guess. There’s not much there, but it still says a lot. Recently, I also got a pair of these nude sneakers that have an emoticon on them. I think those are similar to the leather jacket in that they’re very minimalist, but it has a lot of character in it. I feel like that’s also how the city is. It’s not overdone but it has a lot of character,” said Singh.
Singh tends to incorporate modern and minimalist style elements from her hometown of New York City into her style.
“I think just growing up in New York is just a very big part of me, and it has definitely influenced my style a lot. Everybody’s very into creating a very individual identity [there], and I think that clothing is a very good way of expressing it. I would say that I do dress pretty New York City-ish, which is more modern and minimalist, but at the same time still edgy, or at least that’s what I’m going for,” said Singh.
Although her wardrobe’s color palette revolves around solid, basic neutral colors, Singh maintains her individual and original style by utilizing layers in her outfits. She also relies more heavily on her own personal fashion tastes rather than being influenced by the clothing choices of other fashion bloggers.
“If I’m thinking about people I look at currently whose clothes I like, I don’t personally look at any fashion bloggers because I feel like fashion should be your own thing. I feel like looking at other people’s clothes kind of takes away from your own personality,” said Singh.
Singh defines her fashion choices as modern, minimalist, and edgy and remain true to her own individual style.
“On top of that, I like to add more layering because layering is what makes something really stand out. It makes each outfit very unique looking. You can re-wear one piece but in a bunch of different ways. I feel like that changes the personality of it,” Singh continued.
Although her style differs from New England’s typical trends, Singh stays true to her New York-inspired edgy style.
Jo Caico ’19 said, “Mel has a really cool, edgy look going on and it really works for her and her personality. She sticks to mostly neutral, monotone colors, I’ve noticed, but I think it really works for her. She has her own style that really sticks out. Everything always matches and such. There’s a lot of preppiness at Andover and she does a great job of keeping her own style, and I love her edgy look.”
Singh continues to feel confident by dressing authentically and adding aspects of her personality into her everyday style.
“I just feel like when I make an effort to wear a certain type of style, I feel more like myself. At school, if I’m ever having a bad day, I always try to amp it up a little bit because it makes me feel like I’m back at home. It makes me feel very much myself. When I’m walking around and I feel like I’m portraying the right version of myself, it’s empowering,” said Singh.
Singh’s friend Eva Chilson ’18 said, “Mel has really unique style. All her outfits go really well together. My favorite things that she wears are her emoticon shoes and furry hat. I also love her big green jacket. Mel’s style is really recognizable. I can always see her from far and know it’s her because of her outfit. She puts a lot of effort into looking good, and it works.”
