30 Day Experiment: The Final Days

Day 27

Today, I really missed color guard. In order to fill that missing void, I decided to wear my color guard jacket. I love this jacket because it has my name imbroidered on the breast. Wearing this definitely put a smile on my face because I genuinely miss the entire activity. I have been comtemplating on coming out of retirement, but I would like to experience college for what it is without the distraction of color guard. So, I have decided to continue color guard after I have graduated college. After wearing this jacket, I realized that clothes (in my opnion) have sentimental value in my life.

Duck face,
Andrew Kunz

Day 28

I wanted to end this experiment in style. I began in style, and I would like to end it in style. So, I decided to try something that I have never tried before; a turtleneck. One of the most surprising things about the turtleneck is that it keeps you warm. I loved that because the weather was windy and I didn't feel cold. I also got a compliment from one of my fraternity brothers telling me that the sweater made me look slimmer than I already am. I was kind of offended because I am super skinny in the first place, but then again it made me look nice (I'm not cocky, I swear). This was the perfect outfit to end my experiment with because it describes me so well; simple and cool.

Simley face,

Andrew Kunz

Summary

Overall, this experience was quite stressful. Thinking about what I am going to be wearing everyday was overwhelming. I got so used to dressing up like I don't give a damn to having the mentality of dressing to impress. I enjoyed the days when I dressed comfortably because I liked the feeling of comfort. I also liked the days when I dressed really nice because it made me feel good about myself. I have concluded that clothes affect my mood and I also correlate my outfit with the weather. I feel as if this experiment would have been easier if I had done this in the spring or summer time because I could do so much more with my outfits. In the end, this was a learning experience that I am grateful for. I will continue to think about the way I dress ALL THE TIME, but for now, I am going to take a break. I just want to dress like a normal college student and not care to impress anyone else.

You know you love me. XOXO,

Andrew Kunz ;)

30 Day Experiment: Day 22-26

Day 22

Today is a much needed relaxing day. Plus, I work at 7 in the morning tomorrow, so I am not going to look so hot today. I need another day to dress like a normal college kid. I am not afraid to admit this, but I started to fall asleep in every class today, so I think that it was perfect how I wore a sweatshirt and sweatpants. The biggest lesson I learned to day was that something bad always happens when I wear white. So, I always bring a Tide-to-Go pen with me! #productivity

Stay in school,
Andrew Kunz

Day 23

Today was a show day. I had to bring my color guard to another competition. Plus, it was near my hometown, so I felt the need to grace them with my amazing fashion sense. This is one of my most favorite outfits in the experiment because I debuted my grey cardigan from Forever 21! I have no idea why I was so excited about that lol! On the plus side, some girl who gave me my popcorn told me that I looked nice! I was hoping that since she said that that I would get my popcorn for free, but I didn't. Oh well. 

Better luck next time,

Andrew Kunz

Day 24

Today, I drew inspiration for my outfit from my favorite band, One Direction. Yes, I am a 20-year-old male who likes One Direction. I could highly give a sh.......darn. Anyways, this look is very preppy and I have never tried this before. I have tried preppy before, but I have never tried buttoning all of the buttons on my collar. It was a good thing to try for once because it gave me a different look. I will admit that the all-buttoned collar wasn't the best look for me. I liked it, but I didn't love it. 

The girl in the picture with me also teaches color guard with me, but she had just got done with her color guard performance, hence why she is dressed like this. I love her outfit because it is steam punk. I love that look! It's like burlesque meets factory worker back in the 1800's!

I miss color guard,

Andrew Kunz

Day 25

Today, I took my outfit inspiration from an Ugg's advertisement featuring Tom Brady. He was wearing a blue sweater and dark wash jeans. He displayed the monochrome look very well, and that is what I was trying to implement. It was simple, comfortable and easy. Those are my three objectives in finding the perfect outfit.

Excuse my hamper in the picture (not cool),

Andrew Kunz

Day 26

Today, I was again required to wear my fraternity letters. On top of that, I had to audition for the Greek Week Variety Show, so I was in sweats once again. It is really difficult to be somewhat fashionable in a hoodie (in my opinion). So, that is probably my biggest obstacle in this experiment; coordinating with hoodies and the weather. 

Excuses excuses,

Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 17-21

Day 17

Today is the day after my brithday, and I felt the need to relax. I did not want to det dressed all fancy not did I want to take the time to coordinate an outfit. My main priority for today's outfit is comfort. In order to achieve comfort, I went with the basic t-shirt and jeans. Nothing fancy, yet I do think the design of the shirt is quite unique. That's just me.

Get some sleep!
Andrew Kunz

Day 18

Ever since yesterday, I forgot what dressing up for comfort felt like. I liked being comfortable so much, that I wanted to do it again. But this time, I wanted to be warm in this cold, windy day. I wore a white Hollister longsleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. I agree that this outfit is pretty basic, but i like it! Okay, I still shop at Hollister. So what! Sue me! I know that I get shunned, especially in the fashion community, for wearing Hollister clothes. But guess what, I don't really care! I like that store because I fit their clothes and I like their use of colors. Preach.

Bite me.

Andrew Kunz

Day 19

Today, I was required to wear my fraternity letters. Also, the weather was gloomy, rainy, and windy, so I kind of went with the depressed college kid look; hoodie and sweatpants. Again, this outfit is nothing special, but I feel as if I had added an "Andrew" touch to the outfit....my beanie.

I've seen better days,

Andrew Kunz

Day 20

There are two words that defined my outfit today: weather and work. I am layered because it was cold as hell outside and I had no nerve to look like a model. Plus, who is going to be impressed by my clothes in this cold ass weather? I also had to work today, which meant a lot of dancing and choreographing, hence the sweats. One words sums this outfit: bum.

Working while in school is difficult,

Andrew Kunz

Day 21

Today was a brighter day. So, I felt a little on the trendy side. I wanted to wear a t-shirt, but I thought a t-shirt and dark jeans would look bland. So, I added a scarf to make the outfit pop. I really like the scarf I chose because it is a fashion scarf, not a weather scarf. Yes, there is a difference between scarves. Even with the scarf, I knew that the outfit was missing something. So, I decided to put on a beanie that matched my scarf. Plus, it worked out with the winter weather! 

Stay classy,

Andrew Kunz

Miniethnography

For my miniethnography, I decided to observe the fashion student community at Ball State. Although I am a fashion student, I am new to the program and do not know many or most people in the field. I decided to observe the community because I started to realize that I should make friends and get to know the faculty since I would be spending a lot of time with them in the near future.

As I went into the sewing lab, all eyes were focused on me. I realized that I was being judged the second they heard my footsteps. As I scoured the room for an open seat, everyone looked at me from head to toe. They observed my outfit and did not give me verbal critique because many of the students were preoccupied with sewing their own garments. As I observed other students sewing, I noticed that they made elaborate garments that I could never make (i.e. jackets, dresses, skirts). There were three main things that I noticed about the students at the lab:

1. Everyone had a great sense of style
2. Everyone kept to themselves and were quiet
3. If a student looked up, they were looking at what other people were doing

From these observations, I began to think that this environment was very tense and competitive. A few hours later, a couple of teachers come in and ask how everyone is doing. The second the teachers came in, the tension in the room had been broken. As an observer, I did not know why suddenly the teachers made everyone happy and vibrant. To me, it seemed as if the teachers held so much power in the field that the students felt the need to please their every thought. I was not able to speak with the teachers because various students were always conversing with them. It was nice to see the environment in the room change because of another new face.

Overall, my experience was unique. It was not as fascinating as I thought it was going to be, but it did give me a taste of what I would have to be immersing myself in more detail in the future. I also enjoyed my experience because I learned more about sewing than I knew before!

"Let's go to the mall, today."

Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 13, 14, 15, & 16

Day 13

Today, I felt the need to be a little sporty. In order to do so, I chose to wear a black running shirt. It is one of those shirts that is similar to Under Armour. A huge part of me really wanted to wear sweatpants, but none of the sweatpants that I owned matched the shirt. I could have changed the shirt, but it was so comfortable that I did not want to take it off. Instead, I wore jeans. I am starting to realize that I like dark colors. I think that I like dark colors right now because of the weather. To me, it seems fitting.

Stay in school!,
Andrew Kunz

Day 14

Today is Valentine's Day. It's either a great day for couples or a terrible day for single people. I am lucky enough to be single because that means I do not have to buy anyone anything. Instead, I took myself shopping and bought this sweater! I decided to get trendyby adding one of my favorite scarves to my outfit. I like this outfit because it is plain and simple. It did not take me a while to put this together , so I was pretty pleased with myself! This picture is making me realize that I am a TERRIBLE model.

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz

Day 15

Today is the last day of my teenage years! What better way to celebrate than in style! To say goodbye to teeny-bopper Andrew, I decided to put on the best ensemble that I have ever worn! The interesting thing about this outfit is that I played around with it so many times. I feel that I have worn four different outfits because I could arrange it in so many ways. 

The white shirt and orange jeans was very comfortable and simple. I then added a scarf to add more accents to my attire. I felt that it worked because all of the colors of my clothes seemed to complement each other. Next, I added a navy blue blazer. I have never worn it before, so I was treating the blazer with care. **Friendly tip==>When wearing a blazer, bring a lint roller because it will collect every speck of dust in the air.** 

Once my pre-birthday dinner came around, I decided to get a little formal. I changed from a t-shirt to a dress shirt and skinny tie. This has to be the best outfit I have ever worn because I looked and felt like I stepped out of the pages of GQ Magazine. 

P.S. Excuse the poses. My friend and I got a little carried away in our photo shoot. 

Smiley face,

Andrew Kunz

Day 16

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! I am way too excited for Dance Marathon and my party tonight. It's going to be a blast. I do not feel different at all. I'm sure that I will feel different once I'm 21, but I only have 365 more days left! All I wore today was a black dress shirt and jeans. Nothing fancy. Nothing better go wrong today because I will not be a happy camper if someone or something ruins my special day. 

Be safe!,

Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 10, 11 & 12

Day 10

If there is one thing I am truly proud of during this experiment, it is this outfit. I only say that because this outfit took me A FULL HOUR to prepare. I did not know what I was going to wear today, but I felt like being a little casual/formal. So, I scoured through my closet to find a dress shirt that I have worn only once in my life. I ddecided to choose khaki pants because I thought that it went well with the shirt I picked out. When I put both pieces of clothes on, it did not seem complete. So after about 15 minutes of going through my drawers, I found a blue sweater hidden underneath all of my clothes. After putting my sweater on top of my shirt, my neck seemed a little bit incomplete. So I decided to try putting a black tie on. Once I did that, I thought it was one of the weirdest looks I have ever tried.

So, I ditched the black and went with a silver tie. My outfit immediately went from a 4 to a 10! After putting my ensemble together, I realized that every piece of clothing was wrinkled. I spent about 25-30 minutes ironing all of those clothes. Boy did that test my patience! But, it was worth it in the end because my outfit turned out very well. I deserve a pat on the back :)

K bye,
Andrew Kunz

Day 11

Today was the start of my Birthweek. Yes. I said BirthWEEK. This is the only time out of the year where I get to act like a total prick and be okay with it. So, to begin my birthweek, I wore my snazziest outfit to to date. I put on a white dress shirt and covered with with an electric blue cable-knit sweater. I accented the outfit with dark jeans and grey shoes. I like this outfit SO MUCH because the sweater is my favorite color. Plus, I think that this outfit complements my skin because light, vibrant colors go well with darker skin. There were many people throughout the day complimenting my style.

I met someone new today, who happens to be a fashion major, and we had an interesting conversation. She said that if you are going to be a fashion major (or have something to do with the fashion industry), the you have to look the part. I completely agreed with her because the fashion industry is all about looks. Overall, I would say that this outfit gave me a boost of confidence!

Smurf-tastic!,
Andrew Kunz

Day 12

The weather was not too bad outside. It was very sunny and bright. Since the weather put me in a good mood, I decided to debut a never-before-worm jacket! I call it my One Direction jacket because it looks like something the members of One Direction would wear (plus, they are my favorite band...don't judge me). My outfit was pretty monotone and simplistic, but I thought the jacket was very nice.

I also had a chapter meeting for my fraternity today. A few hours before the meeting, I got a memo saying that the attire was business casual. I was freaking out because I did not want to hassle to find a new outfit! It stresses me out when I HAVE to change. Anyways, I pulled out my special Calvin Klein ensemble. I got this outfit this past summer for my godson's baptism. I love this outfit so much! If there were a fire, I would grab this outfit before I head for the door. This outfit makes me feel like a model, so my friends and I hit up downtown Muncie and took a one second photoshoot. The real reason why I was in downtown Muncie was because my friends and I had to do community service, but that is besides the point.

Pose for the camera, click, click.
Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 7, 8, & 9

Day 7

As I scoured my closet, I tried to find something that I haven't worn in a long time. I thought it was difficult because I have worn everything in my closet at least once. Deep in the back of the plethora of clothes, I found a teal and black checkered shirt that I purchased from Plato's Closet. I wore the shirt with light-washed skinny jeans and black sneakers. In my opinion, I thought that I had the "skater" look. Then again, that's just my opinion. To match my attire with the cold weather, I wrapped my favorite scarf around my neck. I thought that took my look from "skater" to "trendy." When I did this, I realized that one piece of clothing can change and define your whole look. This made me concious about everything in my future ensembles. Lesson learned.

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz

Day 8

Today is Friday. I wanted to make sure that my outfit was cool, yet confortable. So, I wore a Merino wool sweater from H&M and dark-washed jeans. I think that this outfit is a very well-complimented ensemble because the texture on teh sweater really stands out. Having the bottom half of my body decked in dark colors really helped as well. I love this sweater so much because it fits me prefectly. My friends took an embarrasing picture of me when I was not looking and the picture looked like I had man boobs. My friends said they were my pectoral muscles, but I refused to believe that because I am super skinny. Whatever. It's a compliment.

Shine bright like a diamond,

Andrew Kunz

Day 9

Today was a show day! So, that meant that I had to take my color guard to a competition. Everytime I go to a show, I noticed that all of the directors and staff dressed very casually, but also put a trendy, and sometimes formal, twist to their outfits. For this show, I decided to go preppy. I wore an Abercrombie shirt, khaki pants, and Sperry's. If that doesn't scream prep, then I don't know what does. Was this my favorite outfit? No. The only reason why I say that is because it is kind of uncomfortable. One of the biggest factors in me choosing an outfit is comfort. As a college student, I like to get dressed for comfort. As a fashion major, I like to dress to impress. Sometimes, you just gotta give. 

Keep calm and carry on,

Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 5 & 6

Day 5

I woke up today in a bad mood. I have no idea why I was in a bad mood. Due to the fact that I was in a bad mood, it seemed as if EVERYTHING pissed me off. So I tried to put a brighter ensemble for my outfit. I was thinking about going fluorescent, but I thought that was a little too much for winter. Instead, I chose to wear a beige dress shirt, light-washed jeans, and an old pair of Puma's.

I likedthis outfit becasue it was simple, yet trendy. I received four compliments on my shirt! All of them said that my shirt made me look like I was going on a safari. Ironically enough, I am using Safari, the web browser, right now. I am probably the only one who will think that is funny. Whatever.

Exhausted face,
Andrew Kunz

Day 6

Today was a better day than yesterday. Although it was stressful due to the two tests I had, everything was just dandy! Today brought up a fashion challenge: wearing my fraternity letters. I wore a forest green sweater that was given to us for a philanthropy event earlier in the year. I added a North Face scarf that I inherited from my grandfather to make my outfit really stand out. I have worn this outfit before, but with sweats. So, I decided to ditch the sweats and replace them with dark-wash jeans.

I really enjoyed this outfit because the color tones really worked well together. My scarf stood out, which is exactly what I expected because I wanted my outfit to emphasize the design of the scarf. I wore light-colored sneakers because I needed a piece of clothing that balanced the colors. I did not want my outfit to be all dark. I wanted it to be well-balanced. To add to the outfit, I wore my H&M glasses.

P.S. I really enjoy this picture. It screams GQ to me.

Winky face,
Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 4

Due to the loss of the 49ers at the Super Bowl this year, I had to show my depression by dressing in dark colors. I woke up in a very angry mood because they lost. I never thought that I would see the day that I would be sad over a football team's loss. On a brighter note, Beyonce's halftime performance was phenomenal! That is probably the only thing that put a smile on my face.

Even Beyonce's bootylicious performance and the reunion of Destiny's Child couldn't get me out of the rut I was in this morning. I may have been gloomy for the whole day, but that didn't stop me from watching what I was wearing. Since I decided to go "dark" today, I wore a black shirt, dark was jeans, and black Puma's. I would have to say that my ensemble put a smile on my face (even though the thought of the 49ers' loss was still in the back of my mind). This outfit is making me realize that I should purchase more darker-toned clothes.

Attempted smiley face,

Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 2 & 3

Day 2:

I had work today, which means that I have to get physically active. All in all, I dressed like a bum (aka "the normal college student"). I decided to dress in sweats and a tshirt. Since I had to stretch, workout, and dance all day, I saw no need to get all fancy. I did have the option to go out at night, butI decided to take a personal night and do nothing. I told myself that I was going to do homework and what not, but I lied.

Day 3:

Today, it's the Super Bowl! Born in the Bay Area, I am inclined towards the 49ers. A lot of my friends here are Ravens fans, but I could highly care less about them. The only Raven that I care about is Raven Symone ("That's So Raven"). Last I heard, she was doing Broadway. Sorry, I'm getting off track. Anyways, as a 49ers fan, I decided to wear my personalized 49ers jersey. Out of the kindness of their own hearts, my brother and his girlfriend decided to buy me a personalized jersey. It's one of the nicest things that I have ever gotten! I am in love with it! :)

It is quite difficult to be "fashionable" and "trendy" with a jersey. So, I decided to go with a slightly "sporty" look. I wore light-washed jeans and tennis shoes along with my 49ers jersey. This may not be a well-thought-out ensemble, but it works. I find it surprisingly comfortable!

P.S. Go 49ers!...and Beyonce! I think I might be more excited to see Beyonce than the 49ers.

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz

30 Day Experiment: Day 1

For my 30 day experiment, I have chosen to wear a different outfit everyday. No, this does not mean that I will be purchasing 30 different outfits. Ain't nobody got time for that; especially, as a broke college student. I chose to do this as my experiment because I want to find my own style and see if I can broaden my style by altering and trying on different outfits. 

For my "first day" outfit, I went a little on the trendy side. I chose to wear an H&M sweater, dark jeans also from H&M, and Sperry's. I thought that putting a light beige sweater would be appropriate for the weather conditions. It was cold as hell outside, so wearing a sweater seemed fitting. The dark jeans complimented the sweater and made the color of stand out. I chose to wear my blue Sperry's because I wanted the bottom half of my body to have similar shades of color. 

Overall, I got seven compliments on my outfit today (three of the compliments were from fashion majors)! Whenever I got a compliment, it was mostly about my sweater. Either way, a compliment is a compliment. However, I did receive a negative critique on my outfit. One of the RA's in my dorm told me that my sweater looked feminine. I wasn't offended by the fact that he didn't like it, I was offended by the fact he said it was feminine. In no way did I find it FEMININE when I bought it from the MEN'S section at the store. #confused. Whatever, he was dressed like a bum. He was just jealous. #hater

P.S. I know I'm not a model, so feel free to say what you want about that.

Smiley face,

Andrew Kunz

The Writing Center Analytical Memo

The Writing Center is a place where you could take anything and they would help you make your project the best it can be. When I say anything, I mean ANYTHING. Along with drafts of essays, they also look at blogs, multiomodal projects, etc. Although it is called The Writing Center, not everyone who is there is an English colleague. There are people from different fields of study that can help with anything that you bring.

For those people who do not like to trek through the cold winter weather, The Writing Center offers online sessions via Skype, Google Docs, etc. The appointments last exactly 50 minutes. Every student has a two appointment limit every week. If you are not able to arrive to your appointment, you can simply go on the to website and cancel. In my opinion, I do not like when teachers know my every move. So, The Writing Center will not let the instructor know of your attendance unless given permission.

Using this resource may not be mandatory, but it would not hurt to give it a shot.

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz

The Urban Gentleman

As a fashion major/fanatic, I find myself dipping my feet into the newest trends. I like to make sure that I look fashionable to my peers, but to my own standards as well. I generally tend to flip through the pages of GQ Magazine, but I also find great fashions by simply searching through Google. I'll let you in on a little secret: I Google my outfits to make sure that I look good. I should be using my own judgement, but I find no harm in using the internet for reassurance.

Along with GQ, I like to reference an online blog to keep up with the latest fashions, The Urban Gentleman. I like this blog because it shows me what style is in, what type of clothing to wear during certain weather conditions, and various famous fashion-forward male celebrities. I feel as if this blog describes me and my fashion sense. I will say that there are a lot of things in this blog that I would never wear in my entire life. However, I feel as though there is nothing wrong with trying those fashions. You never know unless you try!

http://www.theurbangent.com/

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz

A Little Bit About Me

I was born in Napa Vally, California into a traditionally Filipino household. Although I was raised in Indiana, I would say that I managed to keep my culture close to mind even though my environment was surrounded by a white community. I know so much about the Filipino language, except the language. My mom would always yell at me if Tagalog, but I never really understood what she was saying. My whole life, I have never understood the entire language. I can pick out bits and pieces, but I could never speak or understand it fluently. Sometimes, I feel ashamed because my familiy gives me ridicule due to the fact that I don't understand it.

Among many other things, there are two important things in my life: color guard and my fraternity. Color guard is important to me because it taught me a lot about myself. On top of elarning how to dance and twirl, it had taught me to embrace who I am and become a leader. Being the only boy in color guard made me learn how to deal with various people, mostly women. To this day, I still keep color guard close to my heart. I am a color guard instructor for a nearby high school. My fraternity means a lot to me because it is what kept me in college. If I did not join my fraternity, then I probably would have ended up in a slump and hit rock bottom. Thanks to my brothers, I have had the best time of my life getting to know everyone and spending time with them. After all, it's pretty much just a bunch of guys hanging out!

My life has way too many ups and downs. But, if I didn't experience them, then I would not have been the person that I am today.

Smiley face,
Andrew Kunz