Donning a graphic purple long-sleeve top from Marc Jacobs’ Heaven collection, Sophie Tung ’25 styles her outfit with a set of chunky necklaces, a pleated white skirt, and thrifted heels. With a purposefully bold silhouette, the long sleeves paired with the pronounced square shoulders surround the outfit with a theatrical flair.
Growing up, Tung attended a school with required uniforms, causing her to have little control over her day-to-day style. When she arrived at Andover, Tung found her chance to use fashion as a creative outlet, experimenting with bolder stylistic habits and shaping her personal aesthetic. Tung’s style is defined by bold colors and a distinctly Y2K influence, stemming from her mom’s fashion magazines.
“I went to a school in Hong Kong that required us to wear school uniforms. There wasn’t a lot of freedom in that. When I got to Andover, I realized that there’s no dress code. I started to like be bolder in terms of expressing myself through style. I’ve been recently leaning towards very vibrant colors. I really like wearing one very sharp color and then paired with other very dull colors. I draw inspiration from my mom’s vintage Japanese fashion magazines. I feel like most of the stuff there is Y2K, so that is like a huge inspiration for the way I dress,” said Tung.
A creative way Tung puts her outfits together is through a digital wardrobe program, inspired by the film, “Clueless.” Through having a digital archive of all of her clothing pieces, Tung is able to envision different combinations and create an efficient system of visualizing outfits. Besides this program, Tung reflects her mood and the energy she wishes to give off through her fashion.
“In summer, I coded a program that has basically photos of all my clothes. It’s actually inspired by the digital wardrobe in ‘Clueless.’ I coded this system that lets you choose my outfits every day. When I’m feeling really down, I would definitely wear a lot of darker colors. When I’m feeling like I wanna be a little bit more intimidating because I’m not an intimidating person, I can only express that through my outfits,” said Tung.
Tung’s approach to fashion has evolved as she becomes more conscious of the environmental impacts of fast fashion. Now, Tung prioritizes sustainability through thrifting and creating her own clothes. Inspired by the show ‘Project Runway,’ which features designers creating their own fashion pieces, Tung alters old clothing into new and improved pieces instead of purchasing mass-produced clothing.
“I’ve been trying to shop less and I’ve been trying to definitely avoid fast fashion. I used to shop fast fashion a lot, but I’ve been recently trying to avoid [it]. Sometimes I would just go thrifting, and then if I really wanted to switch some things up, I might even go to The [Nest] just to adjust a piece that I don’t really wear anymore and just bring it back out again. Basically, when I was a really young kid, my parents got me into Project Runway. I became very interested in making clothes and runway fashion,” said Tung.
Looking ahead, Tung hopes to blend her passion for fashion with her experience in journalism. Either by taking courses in sewing and design or pursuing job opportunities, Tung hopes to expand and deepen her knowledge of fashion. Additionally, she aspires to intern at a fashion magazine, building on her experience of working with campus publications. For Tung, the prospect of attending and reporting on runway shows is an exciting way to merge her interests.
“I do want to try taking summer courses in sewing or, especially in college, maybe I would take some courses outside of school or just [do] online workshops. I also kind of want to intern at a large fashion magazine because I worked for The Phillipian and I’ve worked for ‘The Pariah.’ I feel like if I can tie that part of my identity with fashion, that would be pretty cool. I would really like to go to fashion runway shows and interview designers and then talk to people and ask them how they think about fashion,” said Tung.
Making daring and bold fashion choices, Tung’s style is uniquely hers. Whether it’s experimenting with colors, textures, or unconventional pieces, she pulls off the outfits that others might hesitate to wear. Alice He ’25, a close friend of Tung, made note of her refreshing take on fashion, emphasizing Tung’s ability to style pieces that reflect her dynamic personality.
“Sophie’s style is very much a mixture of all the things that she loves and finds beautiful. She often wears pieces that, if I were looking at them on a clothing rack, I wouldn’t give them a second glance. But when she wears them, she somehow makes them very much her own. She’s able to make any piece of clothing look good. She likes a lot of colors and a lot of different textures, and that makes her very dynamic and very representative of her personality as well. If you ask most of my friends, they’d probably say Sophie has the most unique and personable style. If I see an outfit, I know immediately that it’s something Sophie would wear,” said He.
Editor’s Note: Sophie Tung was an Arts Editor and Alice He was a Managing Editor for The Phillipian, Vol. CXLVII.
