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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

UC Davis is ‘fitted up’

With all the cool outfits across campus, two students took the initiative to create an Instagram dedicated to documenting students’ range of style

By ANGIE CUMMINGS — arts@theaggie.org

The @ucdfits account on Instagram showcases the fashion sense of UC Davis students on and off campus. Run by Olivia Hurley, a second-year design major, and Cleo Harrison-Felner, a second-year sociology major, the two created the account in mid-October after spending time in the dining commons and across campus, admiring the unique style that so many students have. 

“Everyone’s walking around this school too ‘fitted’ for us not to document it,” Harrison-Felner said. 

The account follows a fairly simple format — which has garnered a great amount of engagement — creating a positive and supportive environment for students to showcase their self-expression through fashion. Hurley and Harrison-Felner started out by simply approaching and introducing themselves to strangers with cute outfits, snapping a few quick pictures and posting to their rapidly-growing follower base. 

Since the account has gained some traction, they have begun receiving more outfit submissions, allowing for students to show off their weekend, evening or even out-of-town outfits, a perfect opportunity for students who prefer a more lowkey school day look to have their creative side seen by the UC Davis community. 

With almost half of the undergraduate student body being brand new to campus this year, little ways of creating community like this are more valuable than ever. 

“It feels good to walk around and hype people up,” Hurley said in reference to their newfound hobby of going up to students and complimenting their outfits before posting them on the account.

Natalia Stehlin, a second-year sociology major, who has had a white monochrome outfit featured on the account (and is depicted in the illustration as the second to the right), understands the value of a good fit. 

“I love putting time and thought into what I wear to class,” Stehlin said via email, explaining how expressing herself through fashion really is a part of each day. 

The appreciation for students’ looks on this account goes beyond any one style, trend or grade level. According to Harrison-Felner and Hurley, students seem to have gotten more comfortable with experimenting with their own individual style since the pandemic, citing the new kind of exposure to different trends on social media (Tiktok in particular). 

“What’s trendy has expanded,” Harrison-Felner said, noting how students are all inspired from different sources, as well as infusing their own personal backgrounds into their daily style — resulting in an incredibly “fitted up” campus.

Even though many would not immediately dub UC Davis as a particularly style-oriented school, with our reputation as a locus for STEM majors often eclipsing our student’s creative expression regardless of major, fashion is truly alive and well at UC Davis. With everyone from design and art majors to environmental and animal science majors featured, this account disproves the idea that a sense of style and studying STEM are mutually exclusive. 

From cool and casual fall outfits to handmade pieces, @ucdfits can serve as a never-ending source of inspiration for anyone looking to expand their own style, or even just as proof that there are truly no rules to style. This account provides a platform for people to engage with each other and express themselves. 

“We are all happy to see eachother feeling lovely and confident in what we are wearing,” Stehlin said via email. 

The account is always accepting submissions via DMs — “We post everything people send us,” Hurley said — so if you find yourself in an outfit deserving of more recognition, be sure to send it over to them!

Written by: Angie Cummings — arts@theaggie.org

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