Continuing my exploration of Cambridge student’s relationships to style, this week I visited Selwyn Gardens, Pembroke’s off-site accommodation for second years. I spoke to Miguel Roe, a History student at Pembroke, about seasonal style changes, unusual celebrity inspirations and his love for festival fashion.

Talking about his fashion in general, Miguel tells me he doesn’t necessarily follow a certain style or set of rules, but just wears what he likes - especially if it’s a bit more out there and will get reactions out of those around him.

If something is outside of the norm, that’s part of the attraction for me

“I like things that I know other people are probably going to rip into - sleeveless hoodies or weird designs that stand out for example. If something I like is outside of the norm, that’s part of the attraction for me – it then has that extra appeal to it. I also like to wear a lot of colour, especially pastel tones or seasonal shades so in autumn I’ll wear a lot of yellows and oranges.”

“I've always liked the clothes and the kind of style I've worn, but since I've come [to Cambridge] I've felt more comfortable wearing whatever I want to wear and not really concerning myself so much with what other people think. When I came back home after my first term here, a lot of my friends back home actually picked up on the fact that I was dressing differently and wearing louder colours. And for me it was a really positive change.”

Miguel goes on to point out the general trend of scrolling through your Instagram feed - or scrolling on social media in general - for ideas is a mine of inspiration when it comes to putting together new outfits or trying out different things.

“I'm definitely influenced by Instagram celebrities in the same way that everyone is, I suppose. John Mayer is a big one for me - he’s inspired me to wear things like shirts over hoodies. Another thing would be that I really like festival fashion - it’s such a big trend at the moment, all of a sudden everywhere you look people are wearing bumbags in their everyday life. Personally, festivals have always been a big thing for me so a lot of my fashion probably comes from that as well”

I've felt more comfortable wearing whatever I want to wear here and not really concerning myself so much with what other people think

Miguel’s observation definitely rings true in terms of recent high fashion trends as well. From Balenciaga to Gucci, more and more runway brands adopted streetwear trends like bumbags and place a focus on incorporating practical items into their shows this past fashion season - celebrities like Chance The Rapper, A$AP Rocky or Kendall Jenner most definitely played a role in making bumbags and other streetwear high fashion runway chic.

As our conversation draws to a close, Miguel offers some insights on how his relationship to fashion has changed over the years and how he responds to and feels about expectations and norms both on the Cambridge fashion scene, if there is such a thing, and in general.

“For me, a lot of what I used to wear was geared towards trying to fit in, or rather just going unnoticed. When I first started secondary school, I had really long hair and got a lot of stick for my appearance, which then made me become quite conscious of it all of a sudden. In general, I think everyone feels pressure to fit and fashion can just be another form of that”

“In the past, I definitely changed how I dressed to please other people, but at some point, particularly coming here, I realized that if I like things I should just go for them. I think that drive to conform fades as you get older and you realise there's no point changing yourself just to make it through school, because in the end you still want to be yourself. So I think a lot of fashion simply becomes a rediscovery of what you like and what you want to be.”