There is no surprise that BC likes to fit in with the norms, even that of dull winter apparel. After all, Pantone described this year’s color as “Cloud Dancer,” whose whimsical name is where its mysticism ends. Describing the stark color of white, the company stated they chose “a color that will resonate around the world, a color that reflects what people are looking for, a color that can hope to answer what they feel they need.” But how can a pigment that can be understood as the absence of color emulate the current business of society?
Being so close to the metropolitan city of Boston, one might think that our Chestnut Hill campus would be a vibrant fashion scene. Not to mention, only a few stops down the Green Line, vibrant thrift shops begin to line the streets as alternatively, craftily-dressed college students and young people crowd the train cars. So it appears to be a self-inflicted issue: the student body of BC has fallen into the rhythm of capsule wardrobes and neutral Canada Goose winter coats.
This bleak fashion-wear prominent in these cold weather months may not just be a product of the season. Following the same bend, our game-day fashion has become dreary and monotone: gingham print and cowboy boots, the same Southern flair lining the stands of Alumni Stadium, raising the question of whether Boston College students are being authentic to themselves or the ever-quickening paces of trends and consumer capital desire.
My point is not to say that these trends are irrelevant, that they are not fashionable, or that we must stop wearing colors like “Cloud Dancer” and other easily wearable palettes. Instead, color is something we should look forward to and incorporate into our daily lives, not just when it’s warm outside.
For a moment, envision the summer you look forward to. In your imagination, I bet the colors are vivid and the thoughts warm. Nowhere is your black puffer to be found, nor are the sweatpants that carried you through finals week. So why should we subconsciously settle now, making these cold days even more difficult to endure?
Thrifting and spending time playing with color in your wardrobe can be an outlet for creativity, which I find withering away. Yet once you turn to colorful tones, I can bet that you won’t want to turn back- especially with all the compliments you’ll be receiving.
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