Latest Publication

Fall 2024 Magazine - The Lookbook

As a child, I spent hours every weekend digging through my mum’s closet, spellbound by the fabrics and textures that seemed to hold stories of their own. I loved stealing her shoes and jackets to play dress up and feed my insatiable imagination. Every few months, I would get giddy when I knew it was time for a haircut because the stylists kept stacks and stacks of old fashion magazines for guests to peruse. Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire – these publications fed me so much more than the stale lollipops I picked out of a glass jar after every appointment. Those glossy spreads weren’t just images and text to me, they were windows into a world where fashion was an art – a way of communicating without words. As an unwaveringly quiet, reserved kid, these magazines were everything. I vowed that I would make my own one day, a space where fashion wasn’t just what you wore, but was something that encapsulated the energy of different people designing their own runway.

Welcome to a Nutmeg issue like no other – a capsule of campus life where clothes are just the beginning. In the fashion industry, a lookbook is a curated collection of photographs meant to present clothing, accessories, or an aesthetic that conveys a brand’s unique vision. I wanted to take this concept a step further to create a lookbook for fashion at UConn, combining the talents of our writers, photographers, and designers. In this issue, you will see that campus style is more than just clothing – it’s a mirror of individuality, a nod to heritage, and a testament to the power of expression. College serves as a canvas to bend expectations and praise identity.

Nutmeg writers spoke to a number of UConn students who shared their stories in relation to personal style. From the familiar, lived-in pieces of vintage clothing to a carefree, loud maximalist wardrobe, elements of each individual’s lives are weaved into what they wear each day. This magazine isn’t just a collection of looks; it’s a glimpse into the values, ideas, and ambitions that drive us as people. In these pages, you will see students celebrating and redefining what is “normal” in college fashion. They both push the boundaries of and find home in comfortability and the status quo.

I hope this issue inspires you to take bold risks, reframe your understanding of fashion, and be unapologetically you.

Sky Cummings