Monochromatic Madness in Fashion

This article is part of our Spring/Summer 2020 print issue. See the full, digital version of the issue here.

Photo courtesy of model Niharika Chandrasekar.

Around Elon’s campus, on our friends’ Instagram feeds and on college campuses across the country, we’ve noticed a trend. Many of the styles are a combination of mainstream pieces—boyfriend jeans, skirts and tops, mostly in the shades of black, white and denim.

During college, it is so easy to fall into the habit of dressing within your own comfort zone. When we get ready in the morning, we often opt to leave the bright red blouse with the balloon sleeves in the closet and go for a black sweater and jacket instead.

When asked, “Where do you get your fashion inspiration?”, a group of fellow female peers —Audrey Trullinger, Carlie Davis, Alex Covello—responded: “My Instagram feed,” “Instagram models,” “the Hadid’s,” “fashion bloggers,” or “other women I see on campus.”

Women on our campus get their fashion inspo from celebrities and models on social media platforms as well as from their peers. This leads our general demographic to develop overwhelmingly similar senses of style that don’t stray too far from what we’re used to wearing, in order to avoid negative attention for dressing beyond the norm. Dressing outside of your comfort zone is key, however, the goal should always be finding true confidence and excitement in your fashion choices.

One way to do this is what we like to call monochromatic madness.

Rarely on campus do we spot a hot pink pantsuit or a patterned set in the crowd. It would be surprising to spot a color wheel of pants or a bright yellow pair of shoes accompanied by a similarly colored jacket. Contrary to popular opinion, however, dressing in all one color can actually be a fun and edgy way to express yourself.

While some of us might shy away from expressing our truest sense of style for fear of judgment, remember that many other women share this same self-conscious mindset.

Outside of our Elon bubble, we learned that students around the country flourish while dressing themselves in bold, monochromatic looks. One trendsetter is Niharika Chandrasekar, a student at New York University studying Economics, French, and Media. Niharika’s Instagram feed, @indiepeacock, is host to a plethora of selfies displaying outfits in a rainbow of colors including bright blue, hot pink, red and neon green. Many of the outfits have an inspired, vintage feel, due to Chandrasekar’s interest in 70s and 80s-esque styles. Despite having a strong pull to these styles right now, Chandrasekar reveals that this is actually subject to change by the day.

“I can go from wearing streetwear one day to wearing something more girly later. I don’t have a specific aesthetic and style I align myself with, but rather wear things that really peak my interest or are extremely colorful,” said Chandrasekar.

When asked where she harnesses her creative inspiration from, Chandrasekar gave us a very compelling answer. Her biggest fashion inspiration is her house.

“My parents painted our walls with the brightest of hues so I was always surrounded by the spirit of color,” said Chandrasekar. She attributes this to being impactful in her decision to dress in flashy colors.

“Monochromatic looks help me feel the most myself because I get to show people my love of color. I’ve walked the streets of NYC and Paris with bright monochrome looks and felt incredibly empowered by how much I stand out in a crowd of neutrals,” said Chandrasekar.

This is exactly the type of tenacity we aim for! It is an absolute moment of girl power to strut around a beautiful city, inspired by the clothes we wear, with an accessory embellishing our personalities.

Chandrasekar’s monochromatic style extends past her wardrobe. She relishes incorporating it into her makeup looks as well. For readers who are scared to make the bold leap to dressing in the monochrome, an edgy makeup look may be the perfect prerequisite.

“For cooler colors, I tend to do a graphic liner in a matching shade. For warmer colors, I usually put on a lip shade to match and amp up on orange or pink blush,” explained Chandrasekar.

Modern fashion continues to be an exceptional platform for self-expression and pushing the boundaries within this platform can yield the most exciting results. Let’s ditch the notion that only a certain type of person can pull off edgy, trendy styles and start showing off our best accessory: confidence. We fully endorse wearing whatever the heck you feel in order to express who you are.

Photography by Trinity Battle featuring models Greta Bollmeier and Ari Brochin.

Photography by Trinity Battle featuring models Greta Bollmeier, Margaret Johnson and Ari Brochin.

Photography by Trinity Battle featuring model Ari Brochin.

Photography by Trinity Battle featuring models Margaret Johnson and Ari Brochin.