It’s a new year here on campus. 2023 brings a fresh sense of winter fashion as students bear down to withstand New England windchills. At the same time, spring is on the horizon and no one seems to forget. On Thursday afternoon, the temperatures in Amherst broke high 50s bordering on that warm spring feeling.

Victoria Gravel, better known as ‘Vic,’ a sophomore sustainable food and farming and English double major, knew spring was in the air. “I really wanted to manifest spring, it’s feeling like a spring day which is delightful,” exclaimed Gravel.

She went with a green floral jacket, signaling spring, yet kept the underlayers more in tune with New England winter. Her button up patchwork flannel shirt was the perfect compliment. The patchwork included hues of primary red, plum and magenta with green accents. On the bottom, Gravel went with white pants and her Blundstones, “which I wear every day,” she added. Gravel accessorized with Kelley green peapod earrings, capping off the look with some funk.

Lilly Zeng, a recent graduate with a double major in biochemistry and nutrition, was bundled up with class, wearing sophisticated pieces and exploring neutral tones. “I’m actually also an international student, so this outfit is from China,” explained Zeng.

Zeng styled a black Moncler puffer jacket with tan underlayers. She wore a ribbed tan top that matched the camel-colored inner lining of the puffer jacket seamlessly. She added in a logo patterned tote bag, which was perfectly practical. “I’m an intern, and former employee with UMass Dining, so this is just my work outfit, [and] I carry this bag for work. I like the capacity of it. You can fit in a laptop, an iPad pro, [it’s] just very convenient for work,” Zeng said. Sensible style goes a long way.

Nick Liu, a senior computer science major, was unintentional with his outfit, but you could never tell.

“I woke up this morning and saw the temperature and it wasn’t that cold, so I just wore this instead of a down coat,” Liu said, gesturing to his dark grey wool coat. In true university fashion, Liu sported a grey UMass tee, where the logo peeked ever so slightly out of his coat collar. On the bottom, Liu had washed chrome parachute pants that ended just above his custom high-top converse.

“They’re actually from a Chinese website,” added Liu. The converse were monochrome, but Liu gave them a bright flair with hot pink laces. On his back, Liu carried a black leather backpack that gave a business casual impression. But to Liu, that wasn’t anything fancy. “This is just my normal backpack I wear every day,” Liu said.

Junior psychology major Matt Lister would likely win the ‘Most Colorful Outfit in Massachusetts’ award if there was one. Bold, primary 80s retro colors covered Lister from head to toe.

“I had laundry to do, so this was kind of just what was left over,” Lister said. For an outfit created out of convenience, Lister sure did coordinate immaculately. On top, Lister wore a bright purple crewneck with three equally bright primary-colored horn buckles. A small bright stripe embellishment was added to each shoulder seam.

“I like this one because it kind of looks like a toddler’s toy,” Lister said. “I very much enjoy bright colors; I think they’re fun. I don’t see a lot of it on this campus.”

Lister wore a fanny pack as well, which had a bright stripe perimeter. It appeared to be made of Jerga, a coarse woolen fabric. On the bottom, Lister sported bright harem trousers. His backpack was no exception to the retro stripes. The horizontal blue, red and yellow stripes perfectly matched his look.

As Lister says, “It’s just like why not? Brighten up.”

Ava Neely can be reached at [email protected].