CAPS helping students develop professional fashion flair

From Instagram posts, to yearbooks and even the high school photographers, each individual student has their own touch to appearances. Senior Zoey Carbiener said that her style comes from her personality, that she felt like it was important to represent yourself in all ways, but senior Ashley Ferson said her weight loss contributed toward her style as she gained confidence and began to open herself up more. 

Both seniors have been expressing themselves through clothing, especially once they started taking the CAPS program offered by Hawkeye Community College. “CAPS taught me professionalism through clothing, but I still decided to get a little cozy with it at school,” Carbiener said. “On a normal day, I would wear what some people called ‘lazy’—sweats, hoodies, leggings, occasionally crop tops, but in CAPS, I’ve learned to wear nice dresses, skirts and sweaters—two very different styles.”  

Ferson follows the same lines as she said her school clothing was “A bit of a jump” from what she wears at CAPS. On the day of her interview, she was wearing an all white outfit: flared jeans, a nice top and a blazer. “After CAPS, I will be wearing Nike joggers with a white tank-top and a flannel.”

Both seniors admitted to huge changes in their clothing of late, “life-changing” as Ferson said. Carbiener was a lot more bold in the past, explaining how she would wear “a lot of sparkles and way too many colors. I was pretty cringey.” Ferson, on the other hand, said, “I would wear 2X on top and 2X on bottom.”

Another thing that changed for both of them was the amount of money they would spend on themselves while shopping for clothing. “I have a spending problem, and getting my first job made it worse. Once I start, I don’t stop. It’s like an addiction,” Carbiener said. Ferson was also quick to call her spending habits “outrageous” and that she “would definitely spoil myself with all my clothes.” 

Both women have made it very clear that they find fashion an incredibly important way of expressing themselves. Carbiener said, “I can’t wait to graduate and watch my clothing change even more. It’s exciting.”

CAPS teacher Chris Wood said dressing appropriately can lift up students’ moods and make them feel more cleaned up. “Dressing professionally and taking care of yourself will help you in the long run. It teaches associates to take care of themselves and practice good hygiene, which increases their mental health overall.”

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