By Martin Castro (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 8, 2014
The Cascade sat down with John Carroll, resident fashion authority and English professor extraordinaire, to speak about his personal style and favourite fashion trends.
How would you describe your personal style?
That’s a difficult question. I think at times it could be described as “preppy,” but I try to avoid that as much as possible, so I try to vary it [as much as I can]. I think my style is fluid.
What’s your favourite part of your outfit?
I like this tie because I got it from a store in London. But I also like my shoes because they’re kind of cool with no heels, but they look neat.
Are you comfortable?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely comfortable. I would never wear clothes that weren’t comfortable.
I’ve noticed you tend to wear skinny jeans a lot. That’s awesome. Why?
Well, because I can.
How do you put your outfits together?
I sort of sometimes look at magazines, but a lot of the time I see what other people wear, and if I see something I like, I think about that. Plus, I have four young men that are in my life [whose fashion I’ve observed], that are in their late 20s, early 30s, and they’re really good fashion consultants.
Do you have any fashion advice for students?
Fashion advice for students? No, I think that students should wear what they want to wear, and have fun with what they’re wearing. [Students should wear] anything that they feel is expressive of who they are. They should feel free.
What are your thoughts on today’s fashion trends?
I don’t really know what today’s fashion trends are. Things like skinny jeans and button-up shirts are really big right now. Well, [trends like that] please me. I think … it also takes more notice of the shape of the body, because what we were into for a while there were clothes that disguised the shape of the body. I think the human body can be pleasing, so I think that type of [form-fitting] clothes complement that.
What’s your favourite fashion trend?
That’s a very good question. I would say the flapper era of the 1920s … I was in a play two years ago [in which] we wore styles of that era. The hairstyles were different, too. It was very stylish, the men wore very beautiful suits. One thing I would like to make clear is that even though I like the fashion of that era, I wasn’t alive then.
And your least favourite fashion trend?
Oh, I think my least favourite fashion trend was when people were wearing jeans that were halfway down their butt. I hated it; I thought it was terrible. Also, when people were wearing pyjamas to school. I hated that.
If you could bring back one trend from the past, what would it be, and why?
As a result of the 1960s, people [had] this sense of freedom that you could wear whatever you wanted and it was an expression of yourself, which was great, that’s a good thing. But it also tended to lead towards sloppiness. I think that before that era, men and women both put a lot of effort into looking really nice when they went out into public … I think if we could go back to taking more care when we present ourselves in public, it’s aesthetically pleasing for everybody.
