A Queen's Wardrobe

As we cast aside our summer attire and sift through linty sweater collections, the question of fall fashion rises to the forefront of our collective consciousness. In the classroom, we debate wearing cashmere cardigans versus synthetic sweaters and spar over our positions on denim shorts. To answer these imminent questions and see beyond fleeting microtrends, this column seeks a fashion oracle.

The hunt begins with our Homecoming queen, Kaiya Tungyoo. Though her tiara isn’t part of her daily garb, her knit leg warmers and black headphones serve as equally iconic regalia. I traversed the halls with her, from Ms. McNeela to Ms. Adams, sharing snacks and swapping fashion tips and tricks. From her treasure trove of insights, she picked two kernels of knowledge to share with her beloved subjects and the El Segundo High School Bay Eagle.

Despite the sunny disposition of Los Angeles, our queen foresees a season filled with knitted pullovers and thinner reinventions of the traditionally heavy sweater. Whether it be a creative piece, similar to Malina Valentino’s hand-made cropped knits, or a thrifted vintage article, her majesty has her eye on the sweater category. Paired with corduroy pants and sturdy boots, a well-styled sweater could steamroll the cardigan and hoodie in El Segundo’s Fashion Week.

While I enjoyed wearing smudged black eyeshadow the weekend before Halloween, our resident royalty had a different take on makeup. I peeked into her cart during a trip to the Manhattan Village mall, taking note of which products she recommended. With a fluffy brush in hand, she told me her expectations for the winter: shiny glosses and shimmery eyeshadow which “stay on the chilly side of the makeup color wheel”. Soft blues, silver tones, and pinky blush will star in our resident ruler’s wardrobe, mimicking the flushed cheeks and snowy winter wonderland that never visits the perpetually sunny South Bay. Before we left to finish our AP Calculus homework, Kaiya Tungyoo told me to look forward to seeing her in icy yet cozy looks this winter.

Fashion is fickle, changing faster than the seasons and more drastically than the temperature does from first period to sixth. Despite the sage wisdom our Homecoming queen passed on to this unworthy scribe, I still find myself lost when scrambling into clothes and ransacking my messy closet. The hunt for a fashion prophet will continue for another issue, but for December, I’ll arm myself with the advice of a Homecoming queen, choosing sweaters over zip-ups and blue eyeshadow over black.