Student Style Highlight: Style with Aysar Abdelgelil

By Olivia Rivera

OLIVIA: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

AYSAR: Hm...grimey, goofy, and...gorgeous! Grimey because sometimes my mom tells me I look really dirty, but I kind of like how that looks because it looks more genuine than regular ad campaigns. And goofy is because I like dressing a little oddly, like wearing funny graphic shirts.

O: WHAT ARE SOME DISTINCT PARTS OF YOUR STYLE - WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO WEAR/ATTRACTED TO?

A: I love collecting chains - I usually either make them from parts of other necklaces or I buy them at punk shows and small pop-up shops in Manhattan. I also love experimenting with color! I love wearing every color, but especially bright pink and yellow clothes. I specifically look for colorful long socks and tights when I go shopping, and I wear a lot of my sister’s clothes.

O: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WEARING COLORFUL CLOTHES?

A: I don’t like wearing too many dark clothes because I’m not really a dark person! So I usually add colorful clothes to really dark outfits to avoid expressing myself that way too much at one time. Hence, my colorful makeup.

O: WHERE DO YOU TEND TO FIND THE CLOTHES THAT SPEAK TO YOU?

A: I definitely get a lot of my clothes from thrift stores, but I also buy a lot of stuff from Depop and steal stuff from my sister. My favorite spot at the moment is L Train Vintage in Brooklyn.

O: WHEN DID YOU START EXPRESSING YOURSELF THROUGH FASHION?

A: I probably started experimenting with my style in freshman year of high school and have since gone through a lot of different phases. This phase that I’m at now started in the middle of my senior year.

O: WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR STYLE?

A: When I go to punk shows and hang out in NYC, I love to look around at what other people are wearing and take mental notes on stuff I like. I also have a few Instagram accounts that I scroll through often…the ones that come to mind at the moment are @tinkcolorful and @creepyyeha.

O: WHO IS YOUR STYLE ICON?

A: My sister Katryce! Shes 26 - growing up, I always looked up to her and her style. She’s gone through a lot of style phases too and has lived in a lot of different cities, so I have a lot of cool stuff that she gave me and she’s the reason why I'm not afraid to express myself through fashion!