Gallery • 10 Photos

Teya Kerns

Sumner Wallace '20 poses in an alley in downtown Iowa City. She wears Converse, jeans from Urban Outfitters and a sweater that her mother made years ago.

West Side Story (WSS): What designers/brands are your favorite?

Sumner: 100% Urban Outfitters because their vibe works well with my vibe.

WSS: How unique is your fashion?

Sumner: There are parts of [my style] that are pretty basic, but I like to think that I’m pretty individual. In junior high everybody wore leggings, sweatshirts from Pink and converse, and that was okay, but I was like, ‘That looks like everyone else,’ and I never wanted to look like everyone else. I wanted to stand out a little bit, so if everyone else was wearing converse and stuff from Pink, then maybe I would wear converse and find a cool dress from some obscure website.

WSS: How does your style represent you?

Sumner: When I do dress up, it says pretty much exactly who I am as a person. [If I dress up] it’s because I’m feeling peppy and awake that day, and I had time to actually try.

WSS: Do you find it more important to be comfortable or confident?

Sumner: I would say they kind of go together, usually when I’m comfortable I am pretty confident. Because I know I’m not wearing neon colors or something like a light up sweater.

WSS: Who inspires you to pursue your own fashion?

Sumner: When I was younger it was my mom, because she is boring most of the time but she can look good when she wants to. I like looking good because it makes me feel sassy, I guess. Most days I’m wearing leggings and sweatshirts and it’s pretty boring, so every once in awhile I like to get fancy.

WSS: How did your fashion change over the years?

Sumner: It used to be that everyday I wore basically the same thing: jeans or leggings, and some kind of T-shirt, usually from a musical or something that I had participated in. Then I discovered the internet, and now its a lot of single pieces from Urban Outfitters and Modcloth.

WSS: What color schemes are your favorite?

Sumner: Blue and grey — that’s pretty boring. Red, but more of a burgundy red. All the burgundy clothes that I have are dresses, so I would probably just put on a dress and then probably Birkenstocks which would probably be grey. For blue and grey, denim jeans and then a blue shirt that I was wearing today and then probably grey shoes of some sort.

WSS: What is your opinion on shoes?

Sumner: Oh, shoes! Oh my god I love shoes. I would say besides jeans and the occasional dress, [you should wear] sneakers, like converse and vans. And I like the idea of heels.

WSS: What style makes you most comfortable?

Sumner: Definitely jeans. All my jeans are from Urban Outfitters, and although Urban Outfitters is expensive and bougie, I always make sure to buy when there is a sale.

WSS: How often do you purchase new clothing items?

Sumner: Not very often. Maybe twice a year, like in the year and in summer, because there are usually sales. Right after Christmas is a really good time for sales. Usually I’ll buy something from Urban Outfitters and then the rest of the stuff I’ll get from Target.