Pursuing fashion: Junior continues to show love for her own style

It takes junior Clara Von Drehle mere seconds to piece together an entire outfit from her already-overflowing closet based around one of her thrift store finds.

“If someone went through my closet and then tried to describe it in a few words [they would say] there’s stuff that looks like an old lady would wear,” Von Drehle said. “And then there’s stuff that looks like a four year old would wear it.” 

The satisfaction of seeing the end result of any outfit as well as the way it feels when its all together is why Von Drehle is so consumed by the fashion world.

On a day-to-day basis, she doesn’t usually reach for those unique items when getting ready for school, but instead opts for a more comfortable look like a graphic t-shirt and a pair of lululemon leggings. The second the weekend hits however, Von Drehle struts to her wardrobe ready for her full glam moment.

Von Drehle’s looks are inspired by her favorite things. The long, tan trench coat that sits in the back of her closet brings her one step closer to fulfilling her “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” dream.

To find these crucial pieces, her go-to’s are thrift stores like Savers, City Thrift and Arizona Trading Company. These stores offer a wide variety of clothes for low prices, which makes it easier to find different styles according to Von Drehle. 

“You can go with someone who has a completely different style than you, but find something you both like,” Von Drehle said. 

She also pulls inspiration from more trendy stores like Free People and Anthropologie — but only on occasion does she actually purchase something. She enjoys the process of putting together an outfit piece-by-piece and being able to combine items from many different stores, which is why she tends to gravitate towards thrift stores. 

“When you go to Free People, sometimes a shirt will be hanging above a pair of pants and it’s clearly coordinated,” Von Drehle said. “I feel like when you go to big stores the work is already done for you, the styling and everything.” 

Before getting ready, she envisions her outfits head to toe and says that accessories are one of her favorite things to work with to pull an outfit all together. Big golden hoops or a fun hat could be the necessary finishing touch on an outfit. But over any accessory, her all time favorite is purses. 

According to Von Drehle one of her favorite pieces to finish a look with is a $4 handheld, small wicker purse with embroidered strawberries on it. 

In the end, seeing the outfit come together after thrift shopping and purse hunting is when Von Drehle gets the most satisfaction. It’s all about the final look — the pants match the stripes in the top and the earrings add a pop of color, just like Von Drehle imagined it.