Jeans and a T-shirt.
The look is classic, but on a campus of about 50,000 students, the outfit can get a little tired.
This week, SPM takes two ASU students with cookie-cutter clothes, challenges them to walk the fashion plank and let us deck them out in garb they would normally never wear.
Student 1: Broadcasting senior Steph Van Horn
Style: Typical T-shirt wearer
Fashion goal: A whole new kind of sexy. Van Horn tells us she likes classy looks, so we envision a Charlotte York meets Sienna Miller.
When Van Horn shows up at Buffalo Exchange -- a pricey thrift shop on University Drive -- she is wearing one of her favorite looks: a bright shirt, jeans and heels.
"I don't really shop at thrift stores," Van Horn says. "I like to go to places like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe. I don't really look to what other people are wearing -- that's not how I decide what I like."
First, we put Van Horn in some DKNY and Coach. She can't help but frown at the white and pink Coach sneakers.
"Too preppy," she says.
Van Horn tells us she likes to show off her legs by wearing short skirts and tight jeans, and is hesitant when we give her a pale green circle skirt by NV Construction. A calf-length skirt that swishes as you walk can be as sexy, if not sexier, than a mini skirt.
Van Horn tries it on with her own T-strap Mary Jane heels from Payless, and it soon becomes her favorite piece.
"I don't usually wear skirts this long, but I like it," she says. "I like that it's flowy. I don't like long skirts that are tight."
We give her an off-white eyelet button-up top by Tilt that goes great with the skirt.
But something still seems to be missing. On a whim, we have Van Horn pull on a stretchy black sweater for an eclectic, but very elegant look.
The muted colors transform Van Horn's look from intense to inviting. And, the eclectic nature of her outfit keeps it from being too boring or preppy.
The skirt is an unusual shade of green, which can be hard to wear. Trying out a risky color on your lower half is a good idea, because it isn't competing with your face and hair for attention. You can also tone it down, as we do with Van Horn, with a top in a neutral shade.
Van Horn allows us to play hairdresser and give her a new updo, but opts out of any alterations to her heavy makeup.
"I'm going to work after this," she says.
In the end, Van Horn goes with the look she knows.
"This is too boring," she says of the sweater-shirt combo. "I like to wear more interesting tops. I like my boobs."
Student 2: Chemical engineering sophomore Mike Clements
Style: Function over fashion any day (every day, really)
Fashion goal: Sexy nerd as embodied by Ethan Embry's character in "Can't Hardly Wait" and male coffee shop employees throughout Tempe.
We find Clements through a vast network of engineering majors. Like many of his peers, he feels most comfortable in simple, casual clothes. His uniform is an ASU T-shirt, baggy jeans and white running shoes.
However, Clements rejects the stereotypical notion that male engineers don't know how to be fashionable, an observation an alarming number of female engineers have reported.
"Lots of these guys manage to look pretty good," he says.
"I just wear whatever," he says of his own style. "I don't really like to shop."
At Buffalo Exchange, the novice fashionisto comes out; he has difficulty verbalizing his feelings regarding fashion, and has a painfully slow dress and undress time.
Undaunted, we bombard Clements with suggestions and clothes he simply must try on.
Sadly, the off-white, short-sleeve button-up with a cool ring pattern is too big for the fitted style we are aiming for. Clements shrugs.
As a rule, Clements rejects everything with any kind of floral pattern, or anything that somehow resembles a plant.
"Uh, no," he says to a pale blue paisley shirt.
Finally, after three pairs of pants (Levi's, Dickies and Banana Republic) we strike gold with a pair of gray wool J. Crew suit pants. They are a much better fit for Clements than the baggy jeans to which he is accustomed.
Sexy nerds must have one great look that is theirs only. For Ethan Embry, it was the baseball T-shirt under a button-up. For Clements, it is these pants.
Once the entire outfit is meticulously selected and assembled, SPM waits anxiously, for a very long time, as Clements gets dressed for his final picture.
The result is impressive. The pants are tailored, but relaxed enough for Clements to still feel comfortable, and the colors blend together perfectly. His actions suggest he likes the new look, but we wonder whether he would purchase and wear the outfit.
"Well, it depends on what people say when they see me in The State Press," he says with a smile.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
