Quad Style: Daisy Okoye

Dude--this is so cool. Okay, hey guys! I’m Daisy Okoye, a freshman in the College who should be reading Nicomachean Ethics right now… but here we are. As far as majors go, I’ve been looking into Law, Letters, and Society, Psychology, and Business Econ (surprise) as well as a possible East Asian Languages and Civilization minor focusing on Korean. I’m a Program Intern at Kids In Danger, a non-profit advocating for safety regulations on children’s products, who’s managed to claim the position of Community Engagement/Sustainability Ambassador of Salisbury house in BJ. If you can’t catch me doing any of these things (or my actual coursework), I might be running through pieces of choreography with Excolatur Dance Crew, attending ACSA or OBS events, avoiding Mansueto like the plague, or having a family dinner with my friends. Relaxation usually involves me reorganizing Spotify playlists (current addictions: Mulherin, Hyukoh, Flo Milli) and styling any willing members of my house.

What are you wearing for this shoot?

“After an unreasonable amount of deliberation, I decided to wear something I really enjoy. Every item kind of has a story.”

The first outfit (pictured above) features one of my closet favorites: a long black raincoat with bold, yellow, METALLICA-related text. Underneath this is a black turtleneck with a pair of pale green denim overalls. The last touch on this one is a mini beanie in my favorite color (bright yellow). Plus, of course, I had to throw on a much-loved, over-worn closet staple--my leather Chelsea boots.

In outfit two (pictured below), the base is a pair of black jeans that I ripped at the knees (during Lizzo’s performance on TV at the VMAs, for context) and wear folded to the ankles. The innermost top layer is a black fishnet-sleeved shirt. On that is this sick El Toro shirt I got from Six Flags in Jersey on Senior Night. The last layer here is my ultra-oversized and thrifted button-up, sleeves hiked up past my elbows. I threw in a mess of accessories to play around with detail. Make it a bit kitschy with the mock gold chains, heavy chainmail/metallic lion-detailed belt, and my actual glasses (near-sighted gang). White socks with tiny grey dots under my black and white Nike’s and my white and tan patterned headscarf for a couple extra statements of contrast just about tie everything together (at least to me haha).

Lastly, I tapped into a bit of that feminine energy with a flowy black silk skirt with a long leg slit and sheer puff-sleeved crop top. Air Forces back in their rightful places on my feet, I accessorized just a bit before grabbing a face sketch button-up shirt I’d salvaged from an underground market in Korea. This last look was meant to be simple, focusing more attention on the black-and-white details than anything else.

How would you describe your personal style?

My sense of style is… a bit difficult to pin down. At the core of it, though, I play around a lot with androgynous fashion. On one end, this equates to a combination of “skater boi” and urban comfort styles, a love for power-move business casual, and solid-colored jumpsuits. On the other, it’s a backless lace dress and space buns balanced with a growing chain collection. These parts, plus a particular affinity for Timberland boots (resulting from living in New York for my entire life), encompass just about every aspect of my fashion sense.

Where do you like to shop?

I am extremely unattached to brands, so I will honestly get clothes from anywhere that is A) reasonably priced (i.e. has a sale section I can beeline for and not laugh at the prices) and B) has some weird gems. Ridiculously enough, I never really knew where to thrift shop back in New York, but Goodwill is always a great place to be. Also, lowkey, jump into the clothing section of Target… it’s a high quality experience.

Do you have any fashion regrets?

Regrets? Hm… I don’t think I have those with fashion. I mean, yeah, never again will I unironically wear those obnoxious graphic tees from Justice or let my mom take over my everyday wardrobe for any amount of valid currency you could offer me, but I don’t necessarily regret wearing them at the time. It’s the Progress Principle; through the years, I’ve enjoyed this ever-continuing process of developing my style most of all.

“Through the years, I’ve enjoyed this ever-continuing process of developing my style."

What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?

At first I didn’t really have one. Like I said, in elementary school, my mom had full command of what I wore. My designated “school clothes” were typically boring and distinctly less trendy by 2000s mom standards than “going out clothes” or “church clothes”. By middle school, I just wanted to wear what the popular kids were wearing. I would’ve traded existences with one girl in particular just to experience her life of endless Abercrombie and Uggs. High school was the biggest turn around for me; I saw people actually making an effort to express their tastes beyond the Hollister fads and started trying things out. By the time I got to senior year, I was a French-tucking, pant-folding, Pinterest board-making, oversized-wearing, color-blocking machine. Now, at college, I’ve gotten to branch into things my mom maybe wouldn’t let me want me to walk out with on a cold day for “the sake of the fit”. My relationship with fashion, I suppose, is similar to what a musician has with their favorite instrument. Practicing everyday, feeling weird when you haven’t picked it up in a minute, sharing what you’ve done with other people, taking pride in it—the whole simile. It’s my own personal art. I recently realized I call my clothes “pieces” for this exact reason. Outfits are finished products.

Why is fashion important to you?

Fashion is important to me for a multitude of reasons, but I’ll level it off to a few. First, it presents a point of relative stability in my life. The only constant ritual of my morning routine is the time I allot myself to coordinate a look, so if you see me running across campus in the morning, I probably maxxed out on that time. I come from a pretty artsy town in New York--fashion and music are the pieces of artistic freedom I need to grant myself time for on the daily. It reminds me of home, I think. Also, the clothes I choose to wear represent the vibe I want to embody that day. If I get a rather unfortunate grade on a p-set or need a pick-me-up to get me through my nth midterm of the quarter, there is nothing, nothing better than experimenting with a killer combination of clothes and walking across campus blasting Beef by Flo Milli on headphones. Guaranteed 105% success rate. Especially if you watched America’s Next Top Model from the womb until the 7th grade. Last, it’s so much easier to accept and embrace my more androgynous features and tastes when I remember that it’s just a testament to my versatility. Trust me, I can do “frat boy chic” like no one’s business but switch seamlessly into “sorority girl summer” the next day. Having the power to be so adaptable has made me enjoy being, well, me a lot more than I used to. There’s always something new to try, some piece of me that is evolving that aligns with an expansion in style. Some new happiness to be derived, I suppose.

Having the power to be so versatile has made me enjoy being…well, me a lot more than I used to. There is always something new to try, some piece of me that is evolving and aligns with an expansion in style.