A closet full of Miu Miu, Prada and Gucci shoes paired with clothing by Roberto Cavalli, Sky and an authentic black Chanel purse comprise the style of Natalie Veliz, a sophomore in the School of Communication. But don't be fooled. This aspiring public relations student, known for wearing Juicy Couture sweat suits, mixes her expensive wardrobe with pieces from Forever 21 and H&M, like many of AU's female population.
"I think the brand affects the price," said Veliz, who promises she only owns one pair of Tory Burch sandals, which retail at $225. "They are more stylish and cooler because they are Tory Burch."
Forever 21 is a popular store among young fashionistas. The store allows them to dress for less in designer-like styles.
"People get what they want," said Veliz, who claims her mother refers to the store's merchandise as "disposable clothes." "It's just not a designer brand."
Veliz admitted to wearing a custom-made $2,000 prom dress, but acknowledges that consumers like affordable clothing.
In 2005, Target introduced a private label collection featuring designs sold in its stores at inexpensive prices. The collection, GO International, provides the "hottest trends for guests who appreciate individual style at an affordable price," according to Target.com.
"It's still stylish, but the quality isn't as good as if you went to Neiman Marcus and got the same thing," Veliz said when asked if the designer's collections lost desirability when sold at Target.
In February, Jovovich-Hawk became GO International's 10th in-store designer. The label's spring collection, available on ShopBop.com, retails a silk jersey dress at $410, and quotes the designer's mantra as "Feel good, look great. Feel bad, look great." A similar version of the dress at Target sells for $34.99.
Veliz, who considers her black Chanel purse to be her most prized possession, represents only one style at AU. On the other side of the campus-fashion spectrum is her roommate, Laura Landrau, a sophomore in SOC, from Puerto Rico.
"I buy something because it's cute, not because it's a brand name," Landrau said.
Landrau said she can sparingly name fashion-designer labels, as Veliz candidly said she cannot picture her roommate in anything but her favorite Aeropostale denim skirt.
"I don't think that being expensive is fashionable," Landrau said. "But society has been brought up that way. That, yeah, price matters."
After living with Veliz for nearly a year, Landrau now knows more designer labels in the fashion industry and believes "prices go with prestige."
Veliz, in a navy Juicy Couture velour sweat suit, and Landrau in a brown T-shirt and jeans, agree that style is really about personal appearance.
"I don't buy cheap dresses," Landrau said without mentioning the price tag difference between the average $32.80 cost at Forever 21 and $400 at BCBG, her favorite store for dresses. "Forever 21 doesn't look good on me."
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is known for her expensive and stylish clothing in the TV series "Sex and the City." Parker broke all price boundaries, though, in the summer of 2007 when she released her clothing line, Bitten, at Steve and Barry's retailers. Bitten's advertising reads, "Fashion is not a luxury" - not a single item in the line is priced for more than $20.
High prices, not just on AU's campus, do not necessary mean the clothes are more stylish.
Olivia Barker, a fashion writer for USA Today, said she comes into contact every day with the New York City style that is similar to the heterogeneous mix of labels and fashions seen at AU and other colleges.
"You can have high style and wear thrift-store castoffs," Barker said.
