Student Style Spotlight; Kate Soland
If there’s one thing this offputingly warm October has given us here on Haverford’s campus, it’s some serious style. I don’t know what it is about a warm autumn, but the creativity has been off the charts, and here at shoegazing we want to give credit where credit is due.
In an effort to shine more light on the incredible stylistic minds of our student body, this series will highlight individuals whose day to day uniform puts a smile on my face, and undoubtedly those of other fashion fiends.
Kate Soland (26’) is a bubbly Haverford Sophomore, and a prospective psychology major. While I like to think of her as my personal spiritual guru, she also spends time sharing her mental health wisdom with her peers as a member of Active Minds, Haverford’s mental health awareness club. As a Pennsylvania native, Kate introduced me to the wonders of the Amish Market for the first time, and has been surprising me with magical insight I never knew I needed ever since.
Kate is eclectic and bright in both personality and style, and it’s one of the things I love most about her. Her signature necklace stack exudes quintessential fall energy, and is almost always accompanied by a beaded string of jade around her left wrist (energy is everything to Miss Soland). When I first asked Kate to be the catalyst for this project, she was surprised but immediately on board. This lighthearted willingness to try new things comes across clearly in the way she puts together an outfit. Whimsy is something hard to capture on the daily, but Kate radiates a playful put togetherness perfect for both in class and around campus.
I tasked Kate with coming up with four outfits which she feels capture her ‘aesthetic-essence’ to share with you all, and her creations absolutely did not disappoint. I asked her how she would describe her style in three words, and she laughed and told me, “definitely witchy… yeah, I’d say girly, witchy, and flirty”. Always fresh, and always fun, Miss Soland keeps it real 100% of the time.
The Debrief Fit
Kate catches up with her brother in between classes. Since they’re twins, she keeps it real.
She loves mixing second hand and new pieces. Her favorite vintage store, G-Spot in her hometown West Chester, PA is a beloved source of style inspo.
She also has a lot of fun pieces from her Dads hometown, Sigourney, Iowa (est. pop. 2000!) (Miss Worldwide!)
On her morning routine:
“I get ready–I measure how sore I feel after a workout–the worse I feel the more witchy the outfit needs to be.” (K)
Keeping it Movin’ and Groovin’
Kate loves clothes that move; her style matches her energy, effervescent and always ready to get down to some Meghan Thee Stallion.
Mindful Mother
Kate loves to work out in style, keeping it colorful and high energy from Barc to the GIAC and Back
Kate says she feels like she found her style in the second half of high school, but she’s definitely embraced it more since getting to Haverford. Breaking out of the mainline mold really opened a lot of doors for Kate, and allowed her to take joy in trying new things.
Sleeping it Off
After a long day, Kate gets cozy. Vibes are everything, and the end of day reset keeps us all going. Tea, TV, and ‘hermiting’ is Kates recipe for success.
…
Its Time to Party<3
College is stressful and we all have to let loose sometimes, Kate shakes it off (literally) true to her twirly-girl roots, and rocks out in her cow print pants.
‘I dress to feel more like myself on the inside. I love RuPauls Drag Race, I wanna be like those girls. Style for me is more about bringing fun into every day,’
Kate shared. I think everyone can always use a little more reason to smile, and style is a beautiful way to channel that joy. Follow Kate @katesoland on instagram to see more of her style (and spiritual insight) this semester.
Haverford students are creative and bright, and getting to see their incredible campus on style is one of my favorite parts of every week, and we can’t wait to keep highlighting new voices this year in shoegazings’ student style series!
