St. Petersburg High School holds a diverse student body with various senses of style. Some students subscribe to the TikTok and Instagram fast-fashion route, some experiment with a new look every day, and others find a comfortable in between. SPHS students’ aesthetics can be described among the titles of Cozy, Clean Girl, Y2K, Pinterest-Core, Alternative, Preppy, and more.
In high school, most teenagers look for an outlet to express themselves, which tends to be through fashion. Luckily nowadays, teenagers are not as judged as they would be in the past for the way they dress. With there being such a range of different aesthetics, it would be a crime to confine teenagers to dress according to specifically one. A major factor in there being so many aesthetics is the fact that they can be crossed over and merged with one another.
A traditional student at SPHS, Desirae S, has the “Clean Girl” aesthetic, which has become exceedingly popular online as well as at SPHS. Desirae S says, “My style changes based on mood. So if I’m not feeling the best, I will wear sweatpants and a hoodie. On the other hand, if I’m in a happy mood, my style is clean, girly, and bubbly.” Especially now, the Clean Girl look consists of clothing from brands like American Eagle and Aerie, H&M, Lululemon, and Zara. Typically “Clean Girls” are seen with a slicked-back hairstyle, light, dewy make-up, and gold accessories.
As school can become draining from time to time, most students want nothing more than to be comfortable. This category of students would fall into the “Cozy” style. When questioned why a sweatsuit with a slip-on shoe has become a go-to style recently, Davanh, a traditional student at SPHS responds, “When I go out in public I want people to see that I am a chill person.” The Cozy aesthetic can be portrayed as laid back and safe, especially with the cold weather still hanging around. It isn’t too experimental and can be easily dressed up with accessories as well. Many brands make sweatsuit sets, and or different cozy articles of clothing that can be paired together. Some of the more popular brands are Adidas, Hollister, Nike, PacSun, and Juicy Couture.
Now that various fashion statements from a couple of decades ago are making their way back as the latest styles in high schools today, teachers at SPHS are recollecting how teens dressed while they were still in high school.
SPHS IB English teacher, Mr. Benton, attended high school in the late 90s to early 2000s in what he offers was a “Particularly cringey period of fashion.” Gelled, spiky hair, low-rise jeans, and cowrie necklaces were in! When it came to accessorizing, Mrs. Vinci (IB Science Teacher), who went to high school in the early to mid 2000s, said “yes [to] all the jewelry! Earrings, bracelets, necklaces,” to accompany the “preppy, beachy, [and] thrift[y]” vibe of the early 2000s. During the warmer seasons, guys were seen in cargo shorts and flip-flops, while layering especially, was a big thing for the colder seasons…even in the state of Florida. Regarding layering, Mr. Benton says, “Polo shirts [were] often worn over a visible white T-shirt or unbuttoned button-up shirts layered over another shirt beneath. Neutral-tone plaid button-down shirts were still in Vogue.” Although the grunge aesthetic was definitely on the up in the late 90’s, Mr. Benton mentions that “Alternative styles were still pretty fringe…[and] generally side-eyed by the majority.” Contrary to back then, today in high schools, more and more teens are following styles like alt-rock, certain subcategories of goth, dark academia, and more. On the other hand, similarly to the late 90s and early 2000s, many students now are wearing brands like Converse, Polo, and Tommy Hilfiger.
As SPHS students continue to bring back old fashion trends as well as contribute to new ones, SPHS continues to be a place where students can fret not, express themselves through their sense of style.
