Meet Peter Pagel, the nursing freshman who expresses himself best through thrifting and styling. His favorite staple pieces include overalls, patterned pieces and painted nails. Pagel draws inspiration from the people around him while relishing his own distinct style where indie meets simplicity.
Following the current trend, Pagel thrives on finding recycled clothing and giving it a new life. His biggest inspiration is Lil Nas X who inspires many as a prominent figure in both the fashion industry and the LGBTQ community.
Describe your style!
“Most of my outfits are thrifted, but my style mainly is a combination of really anything I find that I think may look interesting or pop out when wearing the outfit. By far my favorite thing to do though is wearing many plain patterns or pieces of clothing, and put them all together and focus on making certain colors match or complement each other. I pick out one thing in my closet that I really want to wear that day, and then I plan my outfit around that item and try to make it mesh together as well as I can. On top of this, I also paint shoes and shirts and love being able to add small personalized things to my outfits that are truly one of a kind.”
When did you get into fashion?
“Senior year of high school, when I started thrifting more and wanting to express myself for who I am instead of not really caring what I wore to school.”
Who are your biggest inspirations?
“My biggest fashion inspiration is one of my friends from home who always looks good and was a big part of me getting into fashion in the first place. On top of that, I’m inspired every day by how most of the people walking around San Diego State dress, and I will pick up on how other people tie their outfits together and use some of the things I see daily in my own outfits. Also, besides all of these people, I love how Lil Nas X dresses and wish I could pull off some of the outfits that he wears because he sticks to color and looks absolutely great. So thank you Lil Nas X for showing me it’s ok to not care what others think and go for the craziest outfit you can.”
What are three staple pieces in your closet?
“I love my overalls. My sister found them in the kids’ section of a thrift store and sent them to me last semester, and I wear them all the time in all sorts of weather with almost every shirt I own. They go well with most things and in my opinion make the outfit pop more than regular denim pants would. One other thing that you will often find me wearing is my red corduroy pants. I found them on Poshmark because I specifically wanted some red cords, and they are the most comfortable, well-fitting pants I own. So, shoutout to @sadiewang1 on Poshmark for the sick new cords! Finally, there aren’t many things that don’t go with white Converse high tops. I often wear them when I want to wear a certain shirt or pair of pants that has a really crazy pattern. I love my Converse and hope to paint them once they get too dirty which will give them a whole other life.”
Where do you shop? What are your favorite brands?
“Most of my outfits are from thrift stores, but sometimes if it isn’t, then it is likely a plain hoodie or something from Amazon because they are cheap, comfortable and come in like 20 different colors. I really like looking for embroidered clothes from thrift stores, as they go well with most things and just look really good. My favorite brand when I’m not thrifting is Patagonia because I love their simplistic sunset logo and many of their designs. In my opinion, simple logos look infinitely better on clothing than complex ones.”
No matter which outfit Pagel wears, he usually has a spunky piece of clothing in the mix.
