by Andrew Aquino and Barbara Nave

Listen to the story!

Andrew: One of my favorite TV shows

Barbara: mine too!

Andrew: is Projet Runway. It has everything I need: angst and fashion! The fact that I watch the show definitely tells people that I love fashion.

Barbara: me too! Andrew and I have different opinions on just how much you can judge someone based on what they're wearing. Andrew thinks you can figure out a person just by looking at their outfit, but I think it's just not that simple.

Andrew: Barbara and I scoured the streets of Downtown Anchorage looking for people whose style made a statement that matched their personality.

Barbara: The first place where Andrew and I went to hunt down the fashionable seemed obvious: Nordstrom! At first glance, we couldn't decide which stylish shoppers to approah, but then we noticed Trevor, dressed, as he described,

Trevor: I'm wearing Citizen Jeans, Puma Speedcats, a tee, and a henley.

Barbara: Not to be sterotyping, but he looked like the stereotypical gay guy; fashionable and flamboyant. You could tell that he was one of those guys who was more fashionable than you, and knew it.

Trevor: Well people at my other jobs thought I was the more fashionable one.

Barbara: We definetely agree with his coworkers that he is very fashioable. But quite frankly, a lot of his personality could be seen by the way he dressed.

Andrew: After talking to Trevor, Barbara and I walked around downtown and ended up at Snow City Cafe. Halfway through our meal, a fellow Spirit-of-Youth-er, Michaela Hernandez, appeared... Meet Michaela, an all-Alaskan girl who described her outfit as this:

Michaela: Woven hat, an East High Thunderbirds sweatshirt, Gap jeans, and Danskos.

Andrew: As you can see, by the listing of her clothes, she is a very practical person. She was wearing a hat and a sweater to fight off our cold Alaskan cold.

Michaela: I'm pretty much greenie-Alaska-granola. I'm not into clothes that look cool but aren't comfortable, I want it to look cool and be comfortable.

Andrew: See!?! Practical. Michela is very practical. At Spirit of Youth meetings she's the one bringing us all back to reality, and ehlps us set realistic goals. Michela has a no nonsense approach to fashion and a no nonsense approach to life.

Barbara and I were beginning to realize that the way people present themselves relects a lot about them.

Barbara: As we continued our interviews, this idea was supported again and again. The next person we chose to interview was...

Ching: Ching Tseng.

Andrew: Yeah! Well, we found her checking out the shoe selection in Her Tern, an upscale boutique right next to the ATMI studio. You could tell that she, like Trevor, put a lot of thought into her outfits and style. When we asked where she shopped, she told us without hesitation:

Ching: Bebe's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom sometimes.

Barbara: Well, once again, our suspicions were confirmed. Clearly, this lady put quite an investment into her wardrobe. But Andrew and I wanted to talk to someone more... absolutely amazing, somebody so close to perfection that we had no possible way of critiquing them. However, the only people we could were...OURSELVES!

Andrew: We couldn't believe that we didn't think of that before. I mean come on, I was wearing a graphic tee, a button vest, darkwash jeans, and a pair of white shoes. The shoes definitely topped off the outfit. They are white vans with the names of my favorite bands on them. I was basically a walking billboard for my personality. If you've listened to previous shows, you probably know that I'm very opinionated in music taste, and my shoes definitely show it.

If I was to name my style, I would call it indie prep. The indie comes from the music I listen to and prep comes from the school I go to, South.

What were you wearing that day Barbara?

Barbara: Well, Andrew knows I never leave the house looking less than fabulous. That particular day, I was wearing my black-and-white horizontally striped sweater I bought on vacation in Spain, my favorite darkwash jeans from the Gap, a houndstooth headband, and purple velvet flats. Personally, I wear whatever seems to fit the current situation. I guess I try to wear what's fashionable, but I'd like to think that I put my own spin on things, too.

Andrew: As you can see, peoples' public presentation tells a lot about them. Even though it's a social taboo, stereotyping people based on their clothes is a really easy way to get to know them. It communicates their personality without any words.

Barbara: For example, Michaela's style showed that she is grounded,

Andrew: Trevor's showed that he's very comfortable with his sexuality

Barbara: And Ching Tseng 's style shows that she really puts time and effort into her presentation. Finally, it comes to Andrew and I. Andrew's style shows that he's confident and KNOWS what he wants.

Andrew: Barbara's style shows that she is very fashionable, and that she is in tune with every season.

Barbara: I guess that the moral of our story is that Andrew and I are the people to talk to when you don't know what to wear.