New quarter, new fashion. In our first edition of Campus Chic for 2014, our muse of the week, third-year biochemistry and molecular biology major Seojung Kang, tells us all about her winter getaway in Seoul, Korea and what she bought as a little gift to herself during the holiday season.
There’s something about Seojung that really caught my eye. Everything from the Karlie Kloss-inspired cropped hair to the oversized, tweed waistcoat was just so chic yet so effortless that I was immediately compelled to feature her look in MUSE. She is able to play with the masculine and the feminine and incorporate menswear tailoring in her look to create her own sophisticated style.
1. If you could describe your personal style in three words, what would they be?
Comfortable, classy and chic. Even though I say “comfortable” is one of my words, sometimes I just want to wear my heels.
2. What were you up to over the break?
I actually went to Korea … for business reasons, but I had a lot of fun, went shopping a lot and ate a lot of really good food.
3. Where did you go shopping in Korea?
There’s actually a lot of really small stores and boutiques that are super cheap near Ewha Womans University in Seoul. I also went to Myungdong which is really great for nightlife, and they have a lot of really cool stores there too. There’s also a really great variety of these shops alongside the road where they set up stalls with all these different kinds of hats and accessories.
4. What is your all-time favorite accessory?
Shoes definitely, but I bought this ear cuff while I was in Korea and I saw Ke$ha wearing a similar one on the red carpet. I got it for a really great price and it has these crystals and this feather shape that I really like.
5. Tell us about your look.
[This coat] is a long, boxy style that I saw a lot of people wearing, so I was looking for a coat like this while I was in Korea. I didn’t want a solid color and I like the pattern and that it’s similar to Houndstooth. I mostly dress in neutral colors so I wanted something that could go along with a lot of the outfits that I already have. I love cold weather and scarves and sweaters. I always say that you could put on however many layers when it’s cold, but you can only take off so many layers when it’s hot. I got my shoes from ZARA and my shirt on sale at Mango. It’s a chambray two-toned shirt that goes well with skirts and a lot of different bottoms.
6. Who is your style icon?
There’s actually a fashion blog that I follow called “Neon Blush” and she wears a lot of ZARA and a lot of clean-cut things that I really like. I try to find styles that are cheaper than ZARA, but similar in taste. [My interest in fashion] stems from my aunt who used to buy me a lot of clothes and send them to me from Korea. I used to live in Tennessee and I always preferred her style over the style in Tennessee where Aéropostale was a really big thing.
7. What do most girls usually wear down South and how has your style evolved since living in Tennessee?
There’s always the stereotypical Southern college thing where all the girls wear Nike shorts and oversized t-shirts. Going back and forth between Korea [and the US] a lot has influenced me and, obviously, online shopping which led to looking around Topshop and websites like that. California has definitely affected [my style] a lot — not just weather-wise, but also being in an environment where people wear a lot of different things in a lot of different ways. Everyone wore pretty much the same thing everyday while I was in Tennessee; but coming here and going to San Francisco and L.A., it was just a big eye-opener for me.
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