It’s no secret that there is plenty of style on campus. From high-waisted skirts to bow ties, both students and teachers alike have found expression in their clothing choices. Everyone seems to have his or her own distinct style. Some stretch the dress code as far as possible to show off who they are only through their clothes—be they preppy, trendy, or somewhere in between.

But why do people focus so much on their style? Junior Holly Mitchell, who says she will “pick a pair of tights and form [her] outfit around that,” makes an impression just from her clothes. Her fun style pulls inspiration from Asian pop culture and its fondness for bright colors. Instead of just trying to impress others, she says she likes to dress for herself.

Seventh grader Satchel Shah is known for his formal style, including his “trademark fedora” and satchel, hence his name. He said he “likes standing out.”

Shah’s opinion on personal fashion is that “If someone has a talent at picking out clothes, then he or she should be free to use it however he or she feels best.”

Theatre and psychology teacher Donna Walker said she “went to a school very similar to Trinity…where you basically had to dress for what would be appropriate for going to church.”

So how did she separate herself from everyone else? “My circle of friends tended to dress a little off-center, with outfits we had personally made ourselves,” said Walker. She described the crazy trends of the time that would cause people to stare if worn today.

But is it bad that teens follow the year’s trends so closely? Walker says they do it because either, “one, they want credit for helping to start the trend, or two, they just want to fit in.” She says fitting in is our motive for everything, from our style to our behavior. “The best way in life to get along with other people and to get what you want from people is to make people feel accepted,” said Walker.

Shah said following trends too closely could be bad because, “people just want to fit in rather than wearing their favorite style.”

More and more young people have been getting into the world of high fashion, when designers make trend-setting clothes for people. The world seems to be split on whether this is strange or accepting. Social media has contributed to the rise of high fashion, especially with young people. A few weeks ago, during New York Fashion Week, fans didn’t have to wait for pictures; runway shows were aired live so people could pretend to be part of the crowd.

While young models have been on runways for years, young celebrities have now taken a bigger role in the fashion world, fronting fashion campaigns and sitting in prime front-row seats at exclusive fashion shows.

On top of that, social media has greatly increased our view of the fashion world. It used to be limited to the elite few who broke into the industry. Now, the head designer and creative director of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, has a cat who is going viral thanks to fan blogs. Teens have been popping up fashion and beauty blogs to cover everything from creating a fishtail braid to their styling tricks on mixing patterns. Many hope to either get paid by placing advertisements on their sites or by stepping up in the fashion world.

Mitchell sees this as a good thing. She said, “It’s awesome [that] kids our age are getting into fashion because it’s a great way to express themselves. It’s an entire art form in itself.”

Walker agrees, and said to “figure out what you love, then try to figure out how to get paid for it…now you have a whole world at your fingertips through the Internet, and hopefully that will help someone who, a decade or two ago, wouldn’t have had access.”

Others disagree with Walker, saying that these teenagers are too young and that none of their fans will be able to buy the products they are selling.

Shah points out that it could be a “double-edged sword” because “on one hand it helps people develop their style and how they want to look.  On another hand, it may cause them to start dressing inappropriately for their age.”

He also said that teenagers “all pay such close attention to looking like everyone else, [but they] could be a bit more individualistic.”

Whoever you may think is right, one thing is certain—teenagers love fashion, and they don’t seem to be giving it up any time soon.