When weaving in and out between students in the Staples hallways, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the expressive spectrum of attire modeled by Staples students. However, through the surging sea of tops, boots, jackets and accessories, Staples’ fashion icons Harley Kowalsky ’15 and Gwyneth Mulliken ’15 rise to the surface.

Kowalsky and Mulliken exert a fun and interesting aura complemented with smooth style.

Kowalsky’s taste for fashion is routinely inspired by Alexa Chung, a former British model. Kowalsky read Chung’s book “It.” “It’s pretty basic. It just talks about her style inspiration, and includes a lot of her pictures and drawings,” Kowalsky said.

For the most part, Mulliken keeps her style practical. She looks into blogs and websites when shopping for clothing. Though she said, “I don’t think I really have a style icon,” Mulliken does appreciate Whitney Port’s fashion sense. “She was in a TV show called ‘The City’ and now she has her own fashion line that I like,” Mulliken said.

She describes her style as “minimalist” and tries to add a “vintage edge to it or just a kind of cool vibe.” Kowalsky likes to shop at Madewell and Zara and she makes good use of the clothes in her house. Kowalsky has basic t-shirts and solid colored sweaters from her mother that she wears, and her groovy appearance goes hand-in-hand with her personality. “I am pretty laid back and sure of myself,” she said.

Kowalsky’s go-to outfit is a white t-shirt, high-waisted jeans and black Nike Frees

“I don’t shop that much because I wear a lot of my clothes from past years, but generally, if there’s a season change and I need a new sweater, I’ll go shopping to find specific things,” Mulliken said. Urban Outfitters or Oddz tends to be her shopping destination.

Mulliken chooses what clothes to buy based on how much they stick out to her and how many uses they can have. “I like things I’ve gotten on vacation or in stores they don’t have around here,” Mulliken said. In an out-of-town store, she purchased a black and white jacket, which is one of her statement pieces that sets her apart from the Staples crowd.

Achieving good fashion is a lot tougher than it would seem. One of Kowalsky’s closest friends, Kaela O’Kelly ’15 really admires all the tough work that goes into it. “Harley is great at making things work. She used a necklace from seventh grade and made it stylish,”  O’Kelly said.