MU Street Style

by Laura Joy Griffith

Fashion journalists like to do this thing called "street style," where they go out and take pictures of stylish people on the street, and then post those pictures to blogs or publish them in magazines to serve as inspiration.  I decided to do the same thing, only just on the Multnomah campus.  Below are snapshots of some of your most stylish classmates.  Lookin' good, Multnomah!

Adrie Bickley softens the black of her jeans, booties, and backpack
with lighter colors and gentler shapes on top.

Becka Naydiuk rocks a statement necklace with a simple and classic silhouette. 

Brenna Coy uses layers and an unexpected pop of color to liven up classic pieces.

Chelsea Kopp's casual jeans and plain top still look chic
when paired with a classic coat, black beanie, and TOMS.

It's a little bit backwoods-logger, a little bit Rebel Without a Cause: Clara DeHoog
pulls together rustic and rocker influences to create a classic-cool look.

No one can pull off all-black quite like Darth Vader, Severus Snape, and Josh McKinley.

Layers are key to TK Moffit's casual-chic style, in which his shoes,
scarf, backpack, and headphones all play a vital role.

Do you want to be featured in the next MU Street Style?  Tag @multnomahmuse or #MUStreetStyle in your Instagram pics or send your picture to multnomahmuse@gmail.com.  OR you may just get stopped in the hall, if your look is just that eye-catching.

Calling for Peaceful Reform

by Laura Joy Griffith

Martin Luther King Jr.

            Martin Luther King Jr. advocated peaceful reform.  Lately, the issue of race relations in the United States has been anything but peaceful.  Blacks have died at the hands of police.  Police have died at the hands of the vengeful.  Our country seems to be split down the middle, and I feel like I’m in the center of it all.  I hear people talking about how racist cops are.  A black man can’t put his hood up when he’s walking at night, or he’ll be singled out.  I hear cops talking about how dangerous it is for them right now.  Police have to defend themselves; it’s a dangerous world out there, as the police killings in New York have only served to emphasize.  If you’re like me, you’re probably sick of hearing pointless arguments; you just want peace.

            I think it is important for both sides to realize the bigger problems behind the individual incidents.  We spend so much energy “getting to the facts of the case” (Was the man armed?  Did the officer follow proper procedure?) and ignore the real issue.  Racism is still a problem in America.  Today we salute Martin Luther King Jr. for the work he did, and we are grateful for the progress that has been made in recent decades.  But there is still progress to be made.  Are individual Americans, including police officers, racist?  Undoubtedly, although it may be mostly subconscious.  Is the system racist, including the police system?  Undoubtedly.  Is killing cops the solution?  Of course not!

            What many Americans fail to realize is that police officers typically follow protocol.  If one of their choices is questioned, it may go to court; the court determines whether or not the officer has followed protocol.  An officer who has followed protocol will be acquitted.  Does that mean that whatever the officer did was okay?  Not necessarily.  It just means that he was trained to it, and he did it.  Maybe police procedure needs to change.  That can be changed.  But hatred and violence will not change it.

            I hope I speak in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. when I call for peaceful reform today.  I see racism all around me, in individuals and systems—in the dark parts of my own soul that I don’t care to talk about most of the time.  Let’s do something about it!  But, as Dr. King so famously said, “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Fashion, Style, or Both?

by Laura Joy Griffith

Coco Chanel

            Coco Chanel said, “Fashion fades; only style remains the same.”  What is the difference between fashion and style?  Aren’t they both about wearing the right clothes—clothes that are in vogue?  I propose that fashion is about societal trends, but style is about personal expression.

            “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.  Fashion is in the sky, in the street.  Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”  Coco Chanel said that, too.  In the 1920’s, women began wearing short skirts to express their sexual independence.  It happened again in the 1960’s.  Cultural trends created clothing trends.  When society changed, so did fashion.  Every season, designers parade their creations up and down the runway, and magazine editors make this accessible in hundreds of pages of glossy photos.  Fashion changes every season, every month, every day, swayed by innumerable cultural influences.

            Nina Garcia said, “Style is a deeply personal expression of who you are, and every time you dress, you are asserting a part of yourself.”  Style is not about what fashion editors or bloggers are saying; it is about what you choose to put on in the morning.  Miuccia Prada said, “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world.”  Emma Watson said, “There’s nothing interesting about looking perfect—you lose the point.  You want what you’re wearing to say something about you, about who you are.”  What kind of person are you?  Your clothes tell your story.

            I find the distinction between fashion and style incredible freeing for someone like me with a tight budget.  Fashion is an expensive hobby; style is an acquired skill.  Vivienne Westwood said, “Buy less, choose well, and do it yourself!”  In other words, forget fashion—acquire style.