Since the Muromcew triplets’ Look of the Week feature published in January 2019, the three sisters, Mary ’22, Natasha ’22, and Nikita ’21, have each evolved in terms of their style and devotion to fashion. From diversifying their color palettes and sources of inspiration to embracing femininity, they continue to inspire their friends and peers around campus.
Nikita Muromcew
A triple combination of black stockings, heels, and a dress, paired with oversized sunglasses and a dainty pink purse complete Nikita Muromcew’s ’21 outfit. According to her friend, Ava Ratcliff ’21, Nikita has the best style among the current Seniors.
After her LOTW feature with her sisters two years ago, Muromcew reflected on changes in her fashion style and motivation. Instead of primarily drawing inspiration from Instagram and other social media platforms, Muromcew now is influenced by movies. In particular, she often enjoys dressing up and imitating the style of her favorite film characters.
“I do get most of my style inspirations from TV shows and movies, or at least the vibe I want to have with my outfits… [If] I really like this character in the movie, when I get dressed, I am gonna think about how this character is and what she would maybe wear if she had my clothing,” said Muromcew.
Additionally, wearing creative outfits acts as a source of motivation for Muromcew to be more productive, which is another reason that drives her to build up these “characters” and outfits.
“I realized that putting on an actual outfit where I feel really fancy and put together makes me more motivated to do my work, to be on time, and to just be more organized in general. Someone who is wearing this outfit needs to be put together because this outfit is put together,” said Muromcew.
According to Muromcew, by dressing up she isn’t trying to impress others or send certain messages. Instead, fashion is something that she truly loves and uses to work on and improve herself.
“I kind of just want to wear something that will motivate me to do better. At the end of the day, it is really about what I want to do and who I want to be, and not sending a message to other people,” said Muromcew.
Natasha Muromcew
In a cream knit button down, pink wide-leg jeans, black boots, and a beige plaid trench coat, Natasha Muromcew ’22 dons an outfit that consists of her favorite and most-worn pieces of the Winter Term. According to Muromcew, after seeing how Cher Horowitz organized her closet in the movie “Clueless,” she decided to use Google Sheets to piece together and keep track of her outfits.
“[The Spreadsheet] better helps me figure out my style more, [and] in general, my style is a lot more defined. I really get to know my clothes, since there’s so much statistical information on the pieces, so every piece of an outfit is really thoughtful and intentional,” said Muromcew.
Echoed by a friend of Muromcew, Hannah Ono ’22, the spreadsheet idea may seem fantastical or overly organizational to some, but it is “very Natasha,” given her frequent use of bullet journals and planners. Ono noted that the wardrobe-monitor speaks to Muromcew’s devotion to fashion and her thoughtful consideration in outfit planning.
“[Muromcew’s style is] unique, cohesive and thoughtful. I think she’s very into fashion history and the nitty-gritty details of fashion, which I think is really cool. Fashion is the way that she expresses herself. I know people have different mediums, and I think hers is definitely fashion,” said Ono.
After extensive research in the fashion section of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library, Muromcew uses newfound information to compose her outfits. The evolution of fashion, particularly in the 1950s, remains a point of interest for her.
“The 1950s make me wanna dress less like a teenager and more like an adult, just because of how sophisticated it was. There was a huge fashion revolution during the era of the late ’40s to the ’50s, almost like a rebirth of fashion, and I think it’s really amazing to look at all these new ideas. It’s the femininity and new age ideas that I really love,” said Muromcew.
Citing Parisian fashion designer Christian Dior as the catalyst of post-World War II fashion, Muromcew also takes particular interest in the femininity of his silhouettes. According to Muromcew, she has been exploring ways to incorporate femininity into her own outfits after centering her sophomore fashion research around the Dior fashion house.
“When I dress [femininely], I feel like I’m taking a risk. Dressing more feminine is going out of my comfort zone, but I do like it more because it challenges me and it really pushes me to dress in a way that is me, even if it makes me a little uncomfortable in front of my peers,” said Natasha Muromcew.
Mary Muromcew
Under an F1 racing hat, Mary Muromcew ’22 strides confidently in a black leather jacket, red motocross pants, and a pair of black square toe boots. With this self-descripted “stereotypically masculine” biker fit, Muromcew challenges the outdated gender boundaries in fashion and upholds her belief that clothing is genderless.
“I don’t think that there’s clothing that is necessarily ‘boys’ clothing or ‘girls’ clothing. I’m sure there’s a lot of boys on campus who wouldn’t wear skirts, but if you ask them if they want to be Blue Key Heads, they’d say ‘of course!’ Then they’d be super happy to wear a skirt. I think that’s a pretty good example of pointing out that it really doesn’t matter,” said Muromcew.
During her time at Andover, Muromcew moved away from her more feminine middle-school style. While she sometimes wore skirts or dresses in her Junior Fall Term, she now combines traditionally masculine and feminine styles, noted Amara Neal ’22.
“Mary’s style is very strong, [and] she [likes to] play with androgyny. It’s very edgy, not even intimidating, just very bold. It’s like in a sea of people wearing the same thing where you just stand out in the very best way, and she’s very good at experimenting with her style, and not being afraid to express herself through her style,” said Neal.
Used to wearing nearly all black and white outfits, Muromcew has also been incorporating different shades into her clothing’s color palette. According to her friend, Tiffany Tang ’22, the newly added colors speak to her personality while remaining cohesive with the rest of her black-themed outfits.
“She wears a lot of bold colors and fabrics, but it’s incorporated really well in a way that almost feels subtle. I think it really represents Mary well because she’s like a quieter, low-key person, but she’s very cool. I feel like the earth tones and the reds show a bit more of her warm side, because she is a super kind person, and I feel like these colors complement her really well,” said Tang.
Editor’s Note: Tiffany Tang ’22 is a Sports Editor for The Phillipian.
Editor’s Note: Amara Neal ’22 is a Photo Editor for The Phillipian.
