"Life means nothing without flair," Caroline Cima '10 proclaims. As a member of the rugby team and Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, Caroline is always eager for flair-wear occasions. Not that a Dora the Explorer costume needs an occasion.
How would you explain flair to someone who has no connection to Dartmouth?
Flair is something you wear that has either a unique story or a unique expression of a character, of a perception, of a memory, of an organization. Just something that seems like it might embarrass you at first, but at the end of the day, kind of makes you feel free.
What's so wonderful about flair?
The good thing -- no, the great thing -- about flair is that it pushes limits. Flair is a form of self-liberation, as cheesy as that sounds. What it comes down to is the ability to wear something that you might not wear on a normal basis, but in that moment -- because you designate it as flair, because of this tradition, because it's a symbol of pride -- it becomes okay. In our highly competitive, regimented system and schedule, flair is our way to be silly. With flair, we don't base our opinions of ourselves on what's appropriate or what's fashionable or what people consider the norm. The best thing about Dartmouth is the number of people here who aren't the norm. So it's great. I think we should all wear flair more often. There should be a Flair Day twice a term.
Only twice?
If it was more than twice a term, people would be cavalier about it. They'd half-ass it. Twice a term, people would go all-out.
What is your flair collection like?
I have two flair boxes -- one's in our house's storage and the other is right in the middle of my closet. Let me see -- Lots of animals, lots of super heroes, lots of onesies. Oh! Spandex. I love spandex. Bright colors, patterns or just normal athletic spandex -- I will wear spandex on any given occasion. For no reason. All the time. But yeah, mainly onesies, spandex and animal stuff. [Laughs] It sounds like a weird, weird sex craze.
How and where do you acquire your flair?
My favorite way of acquiring pieces of flair is, of course, as a bequest, because there are stories and relationships behind them. On my own though -- Walmart. Last week my friend and I got up early to go to Fort Lou's for breakfast. I was driving, and before it even processed in my mind, I had pulled into the parking lot at Walmart. I literally pulled in, realized what I had done and said, "Oh sh*t." I only have one instinct, and it's to drive to Walmart! Where else? There are so many web sites, gems that everyone should know about. Jumpinjammerz.com has great, great onesies. You can get them in argyle, camo, leopard print. Anywhere that people might consider to have hand-me-downs, like Goodwill or antiques stores, have great flair. They sell great old lady dresses and prom dresses and stuff that the ordinary person would overlook but that you know are hidden treasures.
How often do you wear flair?
I'll find any excuse to dress up. My friends and I had a bet going over sophomore summer to see how many days I could go out at night without wearing any normal clothes. I lasted about five weeks. I would say out of the past six times I've been out, five have been in flair. And for Halloween, I didn't plan ahead -- I never order costumes. The best thing is going to CVS, hitting up the toddler section, seeing what I can make work. Freshman year, I wore a toddler's Dora the Explorer outfit. It was ripped in several places, but still intact, backpack and all. It comes in handy often.
What is your single favorite piece of flair?
I don't know if these count, but I wear these glasses without lenses on a regular basis. It started as this thing for some party. I went to CVS and thought, "I really want these glasses. With my argyle sweater, I'd be the best old man!" So I popped out the lenses and low and behold, they framed my face perfectly! I started wearing them regularly. It wasn't even a fashion thing or to be cool, it was just, "Let's see how people react." It's so funny to see how long it takes people; I see the look in their eyes when they're trying to discern if there's a reflection. Or they'll just do a slow poke. I've gotten so much shit about them, but it just prompts me to wear them more. Also, this sounds like something that someone would say about lingerie, but when I wear flair, I don't wear it for other people. As much poking around as I get for the no-lens glasses, they make me smile every time I look in the mirror.
As an art history major, do you think flair is artistic?
I think flair can definitely be a form of creativity, a form of thought, even artistic thought. I think the best thing about flair is that people make it personal. People reveal a lot about themselves when they actively decide to be unique by giving their flair character.
Are people treated differently while wearing flair? Do they act differently?
If you go out in flair, you get more ass than you'd ever expect! It's not just that you become more confident in flair, it's that other people see it as more of a challenge. It makes things interesting. It just makes people go crazy. If you add flair to any given situation, it will often be an excuse for people to do out-of-character things confidently, sometimes borderline carelessly. The results can be the most hectic, chaotic, fun, memorable occasions of your Dartmouth career.
How much will you miss flair when you graduate next year?
Who said I'm saying goodbye to flair when I graduate? There's no need to give it up! And I won't. Period.
