STEPHEN SATARINO

Daily Arts Writer

After
scouring
through

the perfectly aesthetic and
thought-out Instagram feeds of
fashion icons and style bloggers
from across the world, I often
think to myself: What is my
personal aesthetic? How do I
stand out and speak about who
I am through the way I appear?
This is a question that puzzles
many of us, especially as young
adults who are still learning to
navigate the complex maze that
is the world of fashion.

Before delving deeper into

the semantics of style, it is
essential to understand what
it means to have a personal
style. Does it equate to having a
quasi-uniform that defines you
by being the only theme in your
closet, or is there something to
more to it? It has often been seen
that having a personal style is
associated with a patterned use
of a particular fabric, type of
dressing or silhouettes, to name
a few. As a result, some would
say that their style is more
athletic, while some would call
theirs denim-oriented. But it
really boils down to having that
one thing which clicks for you.
Taking the example of Victoria
Beckham, her style is not
limited by colors, fabrics or even
the type of garment but does
indeed have one overarching
theme:
minimalism.
More

importantly,
one’s
personal

style is regularly thought to be
clothes-centric when the truth
of the matter is that it could
encompass any part of the
overall physical image. Thus
accessories, makeup and even
shoes are all fair game when it
comes to labelling something as
a “style.” To put things simply:
Having a personal style means
having a theme that is constant,
and it can take multiple shapes
and sizes.

While it’s not very hard to

grasp the concept of having a
personal style, defining it for
oneself is an entirely different
ballgame. Most of us youth
today tend to explore a variety
of trends and are constantly
striving to be in the know,
hence seldom do we consciously
recognize the pattern in our
choices. Understanding what it
means to have a personal style
and then defining it greatly
complement one another due to
the fact that they are influenced
by the same set of factors. Both
involve an understanding our
own self and identity in terms
of not only what suits our body
the best but also what truly
reflects our personality. This
is then followed by finding
the signature pieces that rule
the dynamic of our closet to
eventually
building
around

the mood projected by those.
It sounds like an awful lot
of things need to be done
when most of it is actually
subconscious. However, it does
require time. In many ways, the
theme of our image needs to be
isolated from factors such as
seasons and trends, though this
does not mean that it is to be
frozen in a set frame.

As ideal as it sounds to be

able to ignore other factors,
it isn’t always reality. This is
something that we are more
than well aware of. In a world
that
is
so
fast-paced,
the

fashion industry is not one
to be left behind with trends
changing as early as a fortnight.
Inadvertently,
stability
and

consistency are not always
available. In the past decade,
the fashion industry has seen a
dramatic rise in the number and
the diversity in trends, be it the

pairing of graphic t-shirts that
have a ’90s vibe with something
more chic or the return of
pastel colors and fanny packs.
We want to belong to each niche
coterie but still remain true to
the image of ourselves that we
have constructed.

The
next
question
that

arises is how one finds the
balance between exploring this
constantly expanding galaxy
but still retaining an individual
sense of style. I believe a big
part of answering this question
comes from the ability to
visualize what our ideal closet
looks like. Is it one that is
dominated by a single theme and
does not deviate, or is it one that
is constantly evolving but can
yet identify with a consistent
trope? With factors such as
fast fashion and social media
having such a huge presence
in our life, the scope of a trend
cannot be predicted. Some
brands churn out collections
as per micro seasons that
usually last anywhere between
two to four weeks while social
media propagates the next big
thing. Speaking from personal
experience, the width of the
choices available regarding all
facets of style, ranging from
clothes to accessories, baffle
me. For a person who prefers
dressing in basics with a touch
of professionalism but also
enjoys exploring new ideas,
I am often at a loss of how to

find the best of both worlds.
However, what I am coming
to learn is that it isn’t as hard
as it seems. Instead I see my
approach to my wardrobe as a
threefold process.

The
first
might
sound

overused, but it is indeed simply
learning to be confident in my
choices. It is unsettling to see
everyone around you look a
certain way and even if that
does not call to you, there is an
underlying pressure to conform.
However, Carolina Herrera —
classic fashion designer — put it
very aptly: “If everyone follows
trends, then we will all look the
same, and what fun is that?”
Recognizing what works for
you is integral and if you don’t
feel it, that piece of fashion is
never truly yours.

The second step in defining

one’s style is understanding
what the core trend is —
whether it is the fabric, style,
cut or even the embellishment.
Taking the example of bomber
jackets, they have been a hit
with the masses for a while now
and each store has a different
take on them. However, at
the core, the trend isn’t really
the jacket itself. Rather, it is
the touch of masculinity that
it provides which could be
achieved through a biker jacket,
or the way you accessorize or
even the shoes one wears. This
allows me to find the same
thread in my theme and join the
dots.

Finally, the last step in

finding this balance is being
OK with the fact that personal
style can change with time. It
is not permanent — instead, it
should evolve and grow since
the version that you are this
moment is not permanent.

As we explore new avenues,

attempt
to
understand

our image — but moreover
ourselves, especially as we
enter adulthood — we question
the importance of having a
personal style. Having one can
definitely have its advantages
— it lends a certain sense of
uniformity to one’s image but
still leaves space for creativity
and varied expression. Ideally,
it makes you feel better, since it
tends to be the embodiment of
pieces and ideas that give you
happiness. Furthermore, one’s
personal style often reflects
what inspires them, which can
be motivating because when
you feel good, you end up doing
better. However, not having
been able to identify one or
choosing not to have a particular
style is not something bad
either. At this point in our lives,
we are still figuring out what
we want to do and who we want
to be — answers often reflected
through our image. Not having
those is perfectly OK.

One’s personal style is not

limited to the clothes or the
way he or she looks, but it
is
an
encompassing
theme

in our lives. And not having
one gives us the freedom to
be
more
adventurous
and

grow with time instead of
trying to restrain ourselves by
boundaries we create. Everyone
works differently, and having
a personal style is just another
choice that can either be a
good fit or not, but it shouldn’t
have the power to define our
reflection instead of the other
way around.

The journey of finding
my own personal style

PRIYARDARSHINI GOUTHI

For the Daily

NETFLIX

“When the Night

Comes for Us”

Netflix

As ideal as it

sounds to be able

to ignore other

factors, it isn’t

always reality.

This is something

that we are more

than well aware

of. In a world

that is so fast-

paced, the fashion

industry is not one

to be left behind

with trends

changing as early

as a fortnight.

The fall cold and rain was

more than obvious, both from
the natural lighting set up of
the Forum at the University
of Michigan Museum of Art
(UMMA) and also from the chill
that rushed in every time doors
flew open as people poured in
for MUSIC Matters’s “A Night
at the Museum” concert. But
perhaps the point was coziness;
the audience was laid-back but
grooving as they danced and
sipped on their fizzy drinks
under dim, yellow lighting to the
sound of the performances.

“A Night at the Museum”

followed the more extravagant
SpringFest, an annual MUSIC
festival
hosted
every
April

at the University by MUSIC
Matters. The proceeds from the
event were used to fund MUSIC
Matters’s first social venture
with Books for a Benefit, a
nonprofit organization founded
on campus. “A Night at the
Museum” delivered the same
level of ambition as SpringFest
to unify the campus with music,
sparking social change on a
microcosmic level. It operated
on a smaller scale, at a more
compact venue with special
attention to some of the local
performances from SpringFest:
The Kelseys, Andrea Doria and
OSSI MUSIC. The effect was an
event unlike anything else I’ve
encountered at past concerts as
three completely unrelated, yet

equally as impacting, acts took to
the stage.

Each act had a sound and style

that was distinctly their own.
The Kelseys, a band consisting
of a lead singer, guitar player,
bassist and drummer, had an
alternative rock sound that was
undeniably peppy even when
lyrics veered into a more somber
realm. It gave me the same effect
as listening to Young the Giant
or Vampire Weekend. I was
especially drawn to the stage
presence and personality of the
members as they each grooved
to the music in their own distinct
way: The bassist was intensely
focused on his playing, the
drummer’s smile was contagious
as he broke into silent fits of
laughter, the guitarist’s dance
moves were wide and smooth and
the lead singer was deliberate in
his close-eyed singing.

Andrea Doria can also be

described
as
an
alternative

rock band that consists three
members: a drummer and two
guitar players who alternate as
lead singers. Each of their songs
came as a pleasant surprise, one
psychedelic and sticky, the next
truer to the alt-rock sound we all
know and love. The bandmates
frequently implemented different
instruments
throughout
the

performance, swapping them
in and out and between one
another, allowing each member
to play to their strengths.

My
favorite
performance

of the night was that of OSSI
MUSIC.
Composed
of
eight

members, I found myself losing

track of who played what as some
of the members managed to play
more than one instrument; I
was especially amazed by the
member who’d switch from
keyboard to trumpet, sometimes
in the same song. Despite a wide
variety of elements to their
music, it never felt crowded;
their sound was meditative and
subtle, luminous in its sway over
the audience as each instrument
and sound was strummed on in
an as-needed basis. Each lead
singer also brought forth a style
and story that was all their own
when they grabbed the mic,
their voices bright and emotions
palpable. I was mesmerized.

Despite having to shift from

one act to another, the transition
was seamless. MUSIC Matters
skillfully facilitated a social
environment for its audience
members. From an informal
introduction to the purpose
and goals of MUSIC Matters
to
DJing
psychedelic
music

between performances, a laid-
back element was prominent and
well-orchestrated. The obvious
ease and mingling between the
members of MUSIC Matters and
band members in the audience
only
added
to
the
casual

atmosphere of the event.

Overall, “A Night at the

Museum” was a memorable
display of the talent of local
music acts. Though not as
grand as SpringFest, the event
achieves MUSIC Matters’s goal
of unification through music by
making its expression on campus
the focal point of the event.

MUSIC Matters draws
attention to local talent

DIANA YASSIN

For the Daily

EVENT REVIEW

MICHIGAN DAILY

STYLE NOTEBOOK

“The Night Comes for Us”

turns the gore setting up to 10 in a
martial-arts showcase, with more
corn-syrup blood than a Midwest
corn-maze on Oct. 26 (not everyone
can go out on a Wednesday).
And along that line of thinking,
“Night Comes” might be the best
Spooktacular option this skeleton
season, dropping ghosts and ghouls
in lieu of Indonesian gangsters
drop-kicking each other.

Writer/director
Timo

Tjahjanto’s (“May the Devil Take
You”) film follows an ex-Triad
enforcer Ito (Joe Taslim, “The
Raid: Redemption”) who, after
an abrupt moral epiphany, turns
against the organization to save a
young girl, Reina (Asha Kenyeri
Bermudez,
“The
Doll”).
The

ensuing power-struggle as the
Triad tries to tie up their loose
end brings the brawl to a night-
club, a high-rise, a warehouse and
a human meat locker, evening out
to be one of the best installments
of splatter-cinema in a long time.
“Night
Comes”
is
low-in-the-

throat, involuntary-yelp gory —
the type of movie that is perfect to
watch with a group of friends, but
one that might raise questions if
you enjoy it a little too much alone.

The
focus

on the story
and characters
is light — a
new
fighter

will
appear

and
throw

themselves into the foray with no
need for introduction or purpose
or explanation before they are
impaled on a meat hook or thrown

from a building, never to be seen
again. It’s a movie light on plot,
and it only could have improved by
going lighter. Is the aim of everyone
with a gun in the movie comically
bad? For sure. Should all martial-
arts movies have a Batman ban
on firearms? Absolutely. Does the
Triad seem to have an unending
supply of goons willing to throw

themselves
at

the good guys?
Think “World
War Z” with
machetes.
No

one should go
through
the

trouble of HDMI-ing their laptop
to their living room TV to watch
this film if they want a Netflix
distributed picture with plot. Don’t

even turn on subtitles, actually.
Just sit back and watch heads roll.

And
there’s
an
important

distinction
to
be
made
here

between a film that is just so
candidly gory that it can be made
out to be fun and a film like “Night
Comes,” which seems to have been
specifically crafted by a technical
hand. The choreography and the
camera work of the fight scenes
is second to none, Tjahjanto
finding ways to incorporate the
battleground of each scene into
the action itself. The individual
characters aren’t as stylized as
characters in a film by someone
like Tarantino, but the feel of the
action — leaving logic at the door —
is strikingly reminiscent.

Tjahjanto,
a
director
with

more than a couple of thrillers
in his filmography, has a terrific
understanding of what to show
in a fight scene. He begins a scene
by gliding his camera around his
brawlers, giving the audience a
sense of where the fighters are
and what tools in the environment
might later be at their disposal. No
stone is left unturned, each of these
props eventually put to murderous
use as Tjahjanto bounces through
the progressing engagement. He
cuts away very sparingly during
the fights, giving the action a sense
of spectacle that disappears when
each kick or punch gets its own
shot. The last movie with action as
impressive as “Night Comes” would
be “Ip Man,” a lofty comparison in
terms of martial arts films.

‘Night Comes’ is a violent
romp through Indonesia

FILM REVIEW

Tuesday, October 23, 2018 — 5
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com