On a typical Tuesday, students on Ring Road are dressed in styles ranging from comfortable hoodies and sweatpants to business casual and maximalist fantasy. Beyond ubiquitous baggy jeans, students feature flashy jewelry, dyed updos and statement pieces that reflect their personal styles.
Baggy thrifted jeans from the Ed Hardy brand — a clothing line inspired the work of tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy — were the statement piece of psychological science third-year student Matthew Mclaughlin’s outfit. The back featured a tiger’s head with bushy whiskers, depicted in bright, primary-colored patches.
According to Mclaughlin, his style changed after he started dating his girlfriend. They both thrift and share clothes — Mclaughlin wore his girlfriend’s NASCAR racing jacket — but they differ in how they explain their styles.
“She would refer to it as vintage, but it’s more like [the] 2000s,” Mclaughlin told New University.
A fan of Ed Hardy’s designs introduced his art to Mclaughlin.
“I used to live in Santa Barbara, and one of my friends in Santa Barbara who’s a tattoo artist likes a lot of Ed Hardy’s culture,” McLaughlin said.
Film and media studies third-year student Aresena Equihua said she’d guess someone would refer to her aesthetic as emo — maybe grunge or punk rock.
She got her first tattoo at 20 — a horseshoe crab — after reading The Book of Speculation and learning that it symbolizes adaptability and change. Her newest tattoo, still wrapped in plastic, features an anchor and octopus tentacles entwined around a ship’s steering wheel. The art serves as a nod to her desire to learn how to sail. She has a red pixie haircut inspired by the bands The Sundays and Sixpence None the Richer and more than 10 facial piercings.
“Today, I woke up and I had to work. Today I worked at like five in the morning, so I was really tired when I got out of work and I didn’t try as hard,” Equihua told New University. “So I feel kind of bad, but I usually dress a little bit more alt than this.”
While Equihua styled her black Dr. Martens with skinny jeans, second-year sociology student Maya Cervantes wore her black leather boots with her dad’s gray-wash baggy jeans instead.
She mentioned that oversized leather pieces are trending this season, especially given the rainy weather, with very dark colors also making an impression. As for trends that are no longer in vogue, she took a more laid-back approach.
“Fading out? Honestly, I don’t really pay attention to that. Usually, I just wear what I feel like at the moment,” Cervantes told New University.
She gravitated toward a darker palette — dark red lips, a black web-like hand harness on one hand, black long sleeves and boots. Among her three golden necklaces, an Our Lady of Guadalupe pendant and a cursive nameplate were both gifts.
Tucker Heneghan, a third-year literary journalism student, wore a light T-shirt from Illi’s Auto Services, a mechanic shop in his hometown in Michigan, where he frequently takes his 2008 Range Rover for repairs. Heneghan is interested in logo pieces, such as 7-Eleven merch. His sweatpants were from Outdoor Voices, and he wore an Ant Hill windbreaker over his shirt, paired with chunky white Nike Air Monarchs.
“Nike Air Monarchs [are] great for if you ever got to mow a lawn, and I got them on eBay for 25 bucks.” Heneghan told New University.
Third-year literary journalism student Renee Deramerian’s footwear of choice was Adidas Gazelles. At the moment, her most coveted fashion item is a jersey-style shirt from Anthropologie. She tends to follow trends unconsciously, Deramerian said.
“I’ll see the tops that someone’s wearing and be like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so cute.’ And then I’ll buy it and realize everyone is wearing it,” Deramerian told New University.
Third-year political science and literary journalism student Isabella Megerdechian wore black Cotton On sweatpants and a matching hoodie. She believes that investing in one statement coat is the most versatile approach to fashion.
Her current fashion obsession is a pair of foldover stiletto boots — shoes with extra fabric at the bottom, creating the illusion of wearing flared leather pants. The trend originated with Givenchy’s fall 2012 collection, and a pair costs around $2,000. Megerdechian said she’d style them with skinny jeans.
“I think skinny jeans are so elegant, but it’s not trending. I don’t know why,” Megerdechian told New University.
Fourth-year biomedical engineering student Adeola Adekoba wore a Dickies button-up and a blue and black graphic PacSun zip-up. He accessorized his outfit with Cartier hoops and prescription Gucci glasses. He has been wanting to embrace the aesthetics of Timberland brown boots and pair them with cargo baggy jeans, a look he often sees on TikTok.
“I’m getting into zip-ups more, so I got [this zip-up] recently,” Adekoba told New University. “I like quarter-zips, full-zips and then I normally wear my chains too.”
By pairing light gray baggy jeans with a sweatshirt, operations research Ph.D. student Mobin Nejati complemented his ash-gray hair tone. He told New University he loves how designers at Thursday Boots and Nike think.
“I can, to a certain extent, trust the designers,” Nejati told New University. “So if Nike is expensive, I’m okay with it because I am paying for the creativity of the designer, which I can trust because of Nike’s credit.”
Clara Carvalho is a Features Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. She can be reached at claraac@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon and Jaheem Conley
