Meandering our way around the snaking paths between lecture halls, tutorial groups and canteens, we are bound to see other dressed homosapiens out and about minding their own business. Yet there are some amongst us who cannot help but pass biting remarks over some choices of clothing that were obviously made in the dark. It is in our duty as fashion journalists to remind the masses that the importance of clothes can never be over emphasized because we ALL have skin, but only a select few have a good wardrobe.

        Other than the surface distinction of one faculty from the other, there has been a subtle yet growing trend amongst the student population of subscribing to particular fashion tribes. HOOKED uncovers the dogma and code of conduct for each of the 5 major/very queer tribes so that you can assimilate effortlessly into the world of the decently(indecently) dressed.

        These fashion doyens have a knack for wearing the weirdest things around and on most days seem to have robbed my grandmother of her clothes. The majority of the population can be seen sauntering around the arts faculty looking aplomb with their authentic(mind you!) vintage clothing/accessories/underwear. They never look out of place considering arts looks pretty much medieval anyway. Subscribing to this tribe would mean frequent visits to the Salvation Army Thrift Stall and random vintage shops that are only made known to the inner circle. How do you get into their pocket of trust? Well, just pick something up when you are at your grandma's place and come Monday, wear it along with a bucket-load of confidence. It really is all in the walk, some of the clothes are really interesting (euphemism inserted).

        Leading the forefront of fashion disasters in school will have to be certain hall residents who have seemingly forgot to bring decent clothing when packing. Harsh as it may seem, wearing your pajamas and bed hair out is absolutely unforgivable because you are no longer 6 years old and your mum is not around to accept the blame of having been too lazy to dress you. You are no longer cute in sleepwear. Remember that! Members of this tribe seem to have the words ‘I LIVE ON CAMPUS' emblazoned upon their attire which on hindsight can be pretty reminiscent of Victor and Rolf's Fall 2008 collection which was also terribly in your face. Their identity they wear with much pride just so they can bounce pass you during your 8 am lecture and shoot you a ‘I just woke up face' while you collapse in sheer fatigue over your notes. 

        There is however a somewhat alternative culture within the tribe that I have been spotting. The other day, I chanced upon an individual who wore a somewhat dressy top with her fbts (good god!) and used a leather belt to put the entire ensemble together. Who was she trying to kid? People whose eyeballs cannot look southwards? If you want to be part of this gung-ho tribe, go right ahead and blow me away with your guts and bad morning breath.

        People of this tribe may at times find their genetics similar to that of the aforementioned hall residents. Their difference lays therein the fact that Tribe 3's patriotism to school is innate and not sparked by floats and mass workouts to get a trophy of some sort. They genuinely feel that the design of the shirts/blazers/bags displayed for sale at the co-op is aesthetically appealing and have a burning desire to purchase them once they lay their eyes on them. Much like how we want to purchase entire runway collections and just sleep on the streets with them as our sole possessions. I really have no prejudice against school-crest emblazoned attire but, really, someone has to sit down and have a serious talk with the designer about making them look wearable.

        Bringing cool to an all new terrain is our group of I-DON'T-CARE-WHAT-YOU-THINK individuals who eat/sleep/study/play/swim/whathaveyou in their constant attire of sneaks, t-shirts and jeans. They eschew the conventions of having to go with trends and believe more in comfort than fashion that could hurt (think mile-high heels rocking the runway presently). Their wardrobe is bent sideways from the number of t-shirts they possess and they will tell you there is a DEFINITE difference between a cool t-shirt and one you should just burn. People who like wearing t-shirts which say ‘Your boyfriend wants me', ‘Hazel-eyed hottie', ‘I am what your dreams are made of' and other rubbish are the marginalized of the tribe. Reason being it is really terribly annoying to look at self-praising people the entire day. Those horrible taglines always undergo some sort of surrealist evolution by blurring and reformulating to say ‘SOCK ME NOW'.

        Other than the handful of black sheep, these renegades are in a class of their own and I salute their nonchalance.

        I marvel at how members of this tribe have managed to keep all the items they wore since they were 12 and use them till this day. Did they even go through puberty?? Ill fitting jeans and nondescript tops with really horrible looking sport shoes that are hidden by the ridiculously long hem of aforementioned fashion faux pas jeans are an absolute crime when you are 20 and have some sort of social consciousness. Maybe this tribe has the great hope of holding out long enough so that they may well possibly become vintage come ten years later. 

FAT HOPE.

        Occasionally while careening down the inhumanely humid paths of the arts faculty, I chance upon individuals who stop me in my tracks with their ability to transport me from dreary NUS to the imaginary plane of the impeccably and tastefully dressed. This tribe is on the verge of extinction and individuals subscribing to it are an extremely rare breed. They are rather easy to spot because they often look like unicorns among weeds. Next time you spot one, give them a long hard look because I seriously think they are about to suffer the same fate as the then-dodos.

        The greatest sin of the capitalist system is its ability to churn out production lines worth of identical items. Tribe 7 consists of fashion automatons who immediately view any item from topshop/forever21/someretailshoponorchardroad as a fashion sine qua non. I often wonder if I am having some sort of time disorder because every corner I turn I see the exact same piece of clothing I just laid my eyes upon 3 seconds ago. There really isn't much we can do with the limited choices we get but it is all about owning the outfit. Draw polka dots on your outfit or something. At least you won't fade into obscurity. HOOKED

Comments

Written by Guest on 2008-10-05 12:49:39 what rubbish

co-op "school" clothes Written by Guest on 2008-10-05 13:36:25 hey, about the logo emblazoned attire. I feel that the jackets and hoodies especially, are supposed to create this sense of "varsity spirit". Almost every university in the world has one. It is like proof that we once attended this prestigious institution. So, can some thing be done about it to make it look more wearable. some of them look extremey odd. NUSSU, hold a competition or something. make our varsity jackets look COOL.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-05 20:59:48 definitely rubbish.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-05 22:52:21 might as well come naked if everything seems like a sin.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-05 23:12:36 Should add some pictures to let us know what exactly you mean ?   I only get the "stay in hall" one.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 00:02:56 i think it would have been better if u attached pics of pple from the diff tribes.without the visuals it really doesn't hit the nail.cheers.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 04:11:43 hey, don't be so hard on the writer! i thought this was actually pretty funny. tongue in cheek la! ask for a sense of humour along with those gladiator sandals, why don't you?

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 05:15:44 This sorta articles really requires pictures or else it just doesn't work. wow I admire the tongue-in-cheek approach, I do think this writer is trying too hard to be purposefully mean. Drop a little sarcasm and vitriol next time round.    overall, still well written.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 06:06:43 hmm i find the article rather bitchy, altho it is interesting. To all those who suggest pics, how would you feel if it was y ou in it? please please please realise there is a huge difference bet WITTY and bitchy !

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 06:06:44 hmm i find the article rather bitchy, altho it is interesting. To all those who suggest pics, how would you feel if it was y ou in it? please please please realise there is a huge difference bet WITTY and bitchy !

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 07:15:44 snob. what do you wear then? fashhag wannabe.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-06 14:04:43 Catty and fabulous.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-08 11:59:12 people come to school to study not as models in a fashion runway. what exactly do you wear to school anyway? if forever 21 and topshop isn't good enough, do you come exclusive high fashion pieces?

Good stuff Written by Guest on 2008-10-09 00:18:24 This is gd stuff. For those who dont get them all, here's my take on them.  Tribe 1: grandma fashion (self explanatory)  Tribe 2: sloppy-look  Tribe 3: nus logo-loving grp of ppl  Tribe 4: indifferent/mismatched dress sense  Tribe 5: kiddy-look  Tribe 6: fashionistas  Tribe 7: the followers aka sheep  I have noticed 2 more tribes: 1) The Patriot - perpetually in faculty related attire. 2) The environmentally friendly - same piece of clothing 24/7, possibly to save on soap and water. This is no joke, i know of a guy who wears the same hoodie rain or shine, we call him kenny from southpark.

Written by Guest on 2008-10-09 18:05:49 i think the writer is spot on in describing the different types of people and their clothes. Very well-written. Bitchy as it may seem, it's very telling.     And you know, if you find this offensive or "utterly rubbish", might i say that the truth hurts.     And there's nothing worng with topshop and forever21, it's just that you become so uniform with everyone else that you don't have an individual identity that differentiates you from the rest of them that shop there. it's all about mixing and matching and making ur purchases look high-end. and that's what the writer is saying.     and fash hag (from urban) is so not cool. The writer is definitely of a higher calibre than fash hag.     good on ya, rachel!

Written by Guest on 2008-10-24 09:03:49 no wit and no humour employed at all. well, perhaps the bit about the writer and her 'duties' as a 'fashion journalist' did kick up a few laughs for me.    content aside (which is pretty uninspired and unimaginative to say the least), the writing is horrible.     first sentence: "meandering"? OTT; save it for 19th century literature class. "homosapiens"? what extra meaning does the word contribute that a simpler, less (faux) pretentious word cannot?    to borrow one of orwell's points in journalism: "never use a long word where a shorter one will do."

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