Kierah Harris ’25 styles a bright blue jumpsuit, the same fit she wore on the first day of school with a silver-grey leather jacket.
Paired with a silvery-gray leather jacket, Kierah Harris ’25 dons an electric blue jumpsuit with buttons down the front, leading to a geometric cutout. She finishes the outfit with black boots and silver hoop earrings.
“Ever since I was younger, I’ve always been interested in fashion. It really hasn’t become a big thing until 2020, and now it’s just the way I sort of express myself. When people see me, the first thing they see is what I wear. So I kind of use that to let people get a look of what I’m like,” said Harris.
Harris’s style started to develop in 2019, initially following fashion trends like skinny jeans, leggings, and crop tops. However, her style began to evolve as TikTok fashion trends rose to prominence. Harris experimented with different styles made popular on the app but felt that they never truly fit her. As of now, while she still draws some inspiration from certain trends, she makes sure they do not embody her sense of style entirely.
“Right now, I don’t necessarily follow trends—I feel like it’s okay to follow [them], but I don’t want my whole style to be surrounded around them. So I build my outfits off of smaller trends, but I don’t try to devote my entire wardrobe to them,” said Harris.
Despite not entirely conforming to trends, Harris notes that various forms of visual media still have an impact on the clothing she chooses to wear. Specifically, she is inspired by the styles of numerous Korean influencers, artists and models, many of which are involved with the K-pop music industry.
“I really like Jennie Kim [from the girl group BLACKPINK]’s style and also Hwang Hyunjin from Stray Kids. I take a lot of inspiration from Korean fashion and models in general. A lot of Korean fashion consists of neutral tones, which is something I incorporate into my wardrobe. There’s also a lot of oversized clothing involved, so also I wear a lot of that,” said Harris.
Besides visual media, hair also plays a role in the clothing Harris chooses to wear. Because Harris regularly changes her hair color and style, she enjoys experimenting with the ways in which she can create contrast between clothing and hair and find color combinations that compliment each other.
“How I dress depends on my hairstyle, because I feel like my hair builds around my aesthetic. Whenever I change my hairstyle, it shifts from what I like to wear every day and what I want to express. I dress in more neutral colors when my hair is like this, but when I have braids, for example, I dress in more bright colors,” said Harris.
According to friend Inem Anako ’25, Harris’ color palette not only helps to create a cohesive outfit but also helps to express her personality. Anako shares about the powerful impact Harris’ style decisions had on her first impression.
“So there’s this one outfit she wore that I remember. She wore a bright blue jumpsuit and when I saw her, it was the first day of school, and she just gave off bubbly vibes from that and that she liked wearing bright colors,” said Anako.
Just as it did with Anako, Harris hopes that her style will continue to portray her fun personality, serving as a glimpse into her warmth and kindness.
“I really just want to give off welcoming [energy], and a lot of people say my outfits give off really bubbly vibes, so I just take it,” said Harris.
