Fall is here! But what’s the best thing to wear around campus? How can you make sure that you are looking your best this season? In order to find out, we’ve interviewed Paige Purvis, a sophomore studying Apparel Merchandising, and Annika Kieper, a sophomore studying Apparel Design.
With some help from these two, you can look your best whether it's going to class, downtown, or home for the weekend.
What made you pursue Apparel Merchandising as your major?
Paige: In high school, I was in a club called DECA, a business and marketing competition club. I competed in Apparel Merchandising, and I loved it and did very well in it. I’d always been interested in fashion, but finding out that there was a legitimate career that wasn’t a shot in the dark made me want to pursue it, and that’s how I found out about Auburn’s program being so highly ranked. I toured Auburn and that was it.
Annika: I’ve always been interested in design and clothing, so Apparel Design/Merchandising felt like the perfect fit for me. I wanted to have creative, hands-on classes and I really liked all the potential career opportunities in the apparel industry.
Explain what your major is for those who don’t know.
Paige: I would describe Apparel Merchandising as the business side of fashion. It’s the buying and selling portion of it. It’s the marketing and distribution aspect of it. Getting the clothes to the people and deciding what is sold in the stores.
Annika: Apparel Design is more involved in clothing design and the creative process of producing a product whereas merchandise covers more of the selling apparel to consumers. Merchandising works more with consumers and the business side of the apparel industry.
What season is your favorite when it comes to fashion?
Paige: I definitely like Fall the best. You aren’t sweating the whole time and you aren’t freezing your butt off.
Annika: My favorite season when it comes to fashion is summer for sure! I love all the options in regard to color and the fun prints that you can wear during the summertime.
What are your thoughts on fall fashion in general?
Paige: Definitely more warm colors. Browns, reds, oranges, away from the summery pinks and things like that. Definitely layer based, especially in Auburn where it is fifty degrees in the morning and eighty degrees in the afternoon. You want your jackets and coats and sweater.
Annika: I really like fall fashion because the colder weather allows you to layer lots of different types of styles and fabrics. There’s also lots of fun accessories that you can wear in the fall like scarves, coats, and boots.
What tips do you have about women’s fall fashion?
Paige: Sweaters are always a fall staple. I think a good thing about that is it is layering, and also it can bring some of the short-sleeved dresses into the fall with a nice sweater. There are always sweater trends, but a sweater is always a staple.
Annika: Don’t be afraid to wear bold colors in the fall, you might not want to wear as bright of colors as you would during the spring and summer but deep reds, purple, orange, and green look great in the fall. Fall is also a great time to wear lots of different textures like fur or leather. You have lots of different types of garments to layer so be sure to take advantage of all the fun colors and textures that look great in the fall!
What tips do you have about men’s fall fashion?
Paige: That’s a little harder, but I always like a sharp button-down shirt. For class that’s a little bit overdressed, but nice long-sleeved shirts and jeans are always greats, with closed toed shoes. You don’t want your toes getting cold. Flannel shirts are always nice and cozy.
Annika: Definitely use layering as a way to tie together your look and experiment with mixing and matching styles. Also opt for more muted fall colors, there are lots of ways to mix and match colors, textures, and patterns but be sure to stick to a to a subtle fall color pallet.
We are celebrating 125 years of women at Auburn. What do you think about that?
Paige: I think it’s amazing. You know, it’s crazy to think that 125 years ago this was an all-male school, and a lot of these degree programs, like apparel merchandising, which are mostly female would not even exist. And seeing how well Auburn’s program is ranked and reviewed, is really a testament to how far those programs have come. Without woman at Auburn, it’d be a very different place.
Annika: I think that it is amazing! I love Auburn so much and could not be prouder that my school is celebrating 125 years of women on campus. I’m in awe of all the accomplished members of the Auburn family and can’t wait to see all the great things that women will bring to this University in the future.
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