Shelby (22) shuffles into the Erasmus Sustainability Hub, laden with bags. A clothing swap is in progress – there are clothes racks and bins full of jumpers and bags. The toilets are occupied with students trying out their potential acquisition. Shelby embraces her friend, who organised the event. Her smile shows a twinkle in her eyes. She puts down her bags and lets her coat slide off her shoulders like an unfurling cocoon.
Shelby is wearing a jumper that falls loosely off her shoulders at the top, but is tight around her waist. “The funny thing about this jumper is that I am actually wearing it upside down, it’s actually a turtleneck”, she explains. She thus balances femininity, a tight waist, and masculinity, loose sleeves. “I often have male role models because they have a different way of layering… and patterns, and colour and coolness.” Shelby easily pairs a pair of wide-legged trousers down to her knee, in a houndstooth pattern, with blush on her cheeks and red pins in her hair.
Sustainability
Even though she lives in Barendrecht, Shelby’s style really comes into its own in Rotterdam. “The city is a place where life is a bit more vibrant, where there are more young people experimenting”, she says. She looks at the people in the sustainability hub, fidgeting on her long nails. She loves that there are so many international students, all bringing their own style. “The campus is sometimes my Pinterest.”
She is enthusiastic about the clothing swap because recycling is much better for the environment. She herself wears a lot of second-hand clothing; her boots, for example, come from Vinted. She wore them today especially: “They have the elegance of a heel but also offer the comfort of being able to walk around without getting blisters.” They are, or were, beautiful boots: red leather, small heel, a sole that sticks out just around the foot. But they are practically falling apart. The points are worn away. The sole of a heel is gone. She is using a paperclip to use the zipper. Shelby doesn’t mind, she smiles her warm, quick laugh. The fact that not everything is perfect only makes the outfit better.
What is the best compliment you have ever received?
“Today a friend said to me: ‘Your outfit is a bit unusual, but it’s quintessentially you.’ I can appreciate that, that she sees I’m not pretending to be someone else. I want to be creative, but stay true to myself at the same time.”
