
By Matt Morton
A quick look at the clothes that adorn Palo Alto High School students offers a dizzying array of hundreds of vibrant colors, unique patterns, different cuts and varying materials—on the girls. But what about the other half of Paly? Here, we delve into how Paly’s male population decides to dress, and get some great fashion tips in the process.
...Classy
Seniors Oren Carmeli, Brian Berry, Himmat Singh and sophomore Ashil Koranne keep their wardrobe crisp, clean and coordinated.
“You gotta stay classy,” Carmeli said. “Wear a nice shirt that accentuates the [chest]—you want everyone to know how big your pecs are. You gotta wear some nice fitting jeans, so it doesn’t seem like you’re trying to show off your ass, but you can still shake what you’ve got back there. And you gotta coordinate those colors and patterns, but keep it subtle.”
Berry agrees with Carmeli, and adds his own tip.
“It’s important to make sure your pants really accentuate your figure in the general waist-to-thigh area,” Berry said. “And you should wear straw hats as often as you can.”
Singh dresses according to his own unique style.
“It’s getting pretty cold, so I wear what looks good, and it’s gotta be warm and comfortable,” Singh said. “Then I gotta match my turban with my shirt or jacket, and maybe my shoes too, so I’ve got a nice general color scheme going.”
Koranne adds a caution about color coordination, though.
“Don’t have all your clothes match, it’ll look really [bad],” Koranne said.
...Lazy
The vast majority of male Paly students dress purely according to convenience. Many men share Junior Andrew Watson and freshman James Wang’s fashion sense, one both eclectic and erratic, and rarely seen outside of Parisian runways.
Watson sums up the men’s shared sentiments with a concise statement.
“I wear whatever’s come out of the laundry,” Watson said.
Wang abides by strict criteria when selecting clothes.
“I just wear whatever’s clean, I guess,” Wang said.
...Comfortable
Senior Alan Lamarque and junior Koloti Mataele decide to opt for a more loose-fitting and warm winter wardrobe.
“You gotta bust out the hoodies, because it’s cold out here and being comfortable is the most important thing,” Lamarque said. “Also, people judge you too much if you wear a nice shirt. Button down shirts can actually be way more comfortable than a normal t-shirt, too.”
Mataeli chooses to be as comfortable as possible.
“I just slap on what I’ve got,” Mataeli said. “Ususally it’s sweatpants or jeans and a jacket, [because] it’s comfortable.”
...Unique
Senior Brent Schroder uses his clothes to tell the world who he is.
“My style usually complements the weather outside, as well as my mood on the inside,” Schroder said. “That’s why I wear layers. As it gets warmer, I can open up my inner self as I shed layers. [During the winter,] I wear dark [colors] outside layers, to reflect the darkness of this dark season, for instance, a black jacket with some blue accents. Now, underneath, on the inside, you gotta reveal your brighter self. You know, throw in some jazz into that outfit, like a bright green backpack that doesn’t go with anything.”
Junior Parker Devine makes good use of thrift stores when he picks out his winter wardrobe.
“I usually try to dress warmly for the winter,” Devine said. “So I wear whatever I can find at Goodwill.”
No matter how you choose to dress, junior Brian Kannappan sums up Paly men’s fashion decisions well.
“Really, you can dress however you want,” Kannappan said. “In the end, it’s all up to personal taste. Fashion is really just what the people around you are wearing, so if you want to dress differently, go ahead.”
The Clothes Make the Man...

Matt Morton