Nora Fitzsimmons
Nora Fitzsimmons is a sophomore art major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She prides herself on her eclectic, vintage wardrobe and finds significance in fashion through self expression.
Q: How would you describe your fashion taste?
A: I think that’s a really hard question, and that’s a hard thing for me to define just because I don’t want to confine myself to one type of fashion because I love learning about different styles. But I would describe my style as eclectic because I draw from different places.
Q: What are some people or ideas you draw inspiration from?
A: I love Iris Apfel. She’s super awesome because she’s a super old woman from New York. She’s super colorful and strong, and all of her clothing asserts her power to other people. And that’s something I’ve always loved about clothing is it’s something where even if I’m not feeling the most confident about myself, I can assert my confidence to other people with my clothing. I also love vintage. That would be my true love, mostly because I think it’s awesome to own something that has its own history and I think learning about how to respect that history is really important to me. I draw inspiration from both modern and past styles but my favorite eras to draw inspiration from are the 60s and the 70s, and right now I’m starting to get more into the 90s and 2000s.
Q: What age did you start getting into fashion?
A: I actually know my fashion awakening, it was pretty apparent. My fashion awakening was when I was in fifth grade and my mom took me to Talbot’s for the first time. My mom loved Talbot’s growing up, and they had all these blazers in the clearance section. I saw all the older ladies wearing the blazers and I thought it was super cool. So I had a whole phase of my life, pretty much all of fifth and sixth grade, where I would wear Talbot’s blazers. It looked ridiculous on me and it looked horrible. Halfway through fifth grade I started getting into berets because Talbot’s started selling them at that time. I would just wear a blazer and a beret like every day.
Q: How would you describe your wardrobe?
A: I would describe it as maybe not the most functional, but definitely every piece I own, I have some kind of connection with. Every piece I own, it’s something that I will use a lot because otherwise I just won’t buy it, or I will force myself to use it. That’s how I expand my style is I force myself to utilize everything in my closet. But definitely colorful, definitely fun; that’s how I would describe my closet. Fun, colorful, and not too serious.
Q: What is one staple item that you think really completes your closet?
A: A good pair of jeans. I am obsessed with vintage denim. Vintage denim was made to last because it was made from actual denim, not from that soft, weird stuff. It doesn’t feel good and it doesn’t look good. All your staple pieces should be comfortable, they should be functional, and you should be able to wear them with at least five different outfits off the top of your head.
"I always tell people, if I stepped out in a trash bag tomorrow, I’m sure I would get a compliment, but it’s only because I’m confidently wearing it. "
Q: How do you curate your style?
A: I mostly try thrifting. Thrifting takes a lot of work because you can’t just expect to find something every time you go out. But I also think that makes shopping healthy because you shouldn’t expect to buy something every time you go to a store. My all time favorite store is Thrift World in Omaha. Other than that if we’re not talking vintage, I love Samantha Pleet a lot. All of her stuff has the sense of vintage to it. Modern day clothes are seen as an investment to me because usually I like more expensive modern day clothes because they’re made with more care. Oh--Japanese brands. I just started getting into them; they’re so cool. I’ve been getting into General Research and Pleasures, but they’re more of the hype beast shit. My favorite brand for basics is Los Angeles Apparel because they are made in L.A.. they hire with liveable wages, and all of the cotton is sustainably sourced.
Q: What are your opinions on campus fashion?
A: I love campus fashion, but it’s because I love how much of a tiny little culture it is. I’m obsessed with little microcosms of fashion. People dress for necessity here. It's a big t-shirt, little shorts, big sweatshirt. Boys, it’s khakis or some kind of basic pant with a hype beast shirt or frat shirt. I wish people would try more things on campus because it makes me feel like an idiot walking around in my little outfits. I wish people would have more of a connection to their clothing on campus. I wish people would curate their style more because I want to know more about the people I see everyday. I get the comment everyday that “I wish I could dress cute everyday,” but really you can dress that way. I always tell people, if I stepped out in a trash bag tomorrow, I’m sure I would get a compliment, but it’s only because I’m confidently wearing it. It’s not because my style is so above everyone else’s, it’s just because I’m confident about what I wear. So I have a hard time believing everyone wants to wear a t-shirt everyday.
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