You may have seen him grace the pages of MODE magazine, or performing on stage with Sláinte or the B-sides, but no matter what he’s doing, he’s true to himself. Andy Meeker, FCRH ’25, is a uniquely special person, in that he has the ability to look effortlessly cool, regardless of what his day holds. On this cold and cozy Sunday afternoon, he sports a classic loungewear look. However, there’s more intention than what first meets the eye.
Today, he’s wearing a black graphic tee and a pair of Fordham University sweatpants as he catches up on homework and hangs out at home.
“This shirt is special to me because I think it’s a cool graphic tee but also I’ll just wear it when I’m hanging around the house because it’s really comfortable. I just love the colors in it and I can wear it with anything. Even when I was putting on this, I was thinking, ‘Oh, the red in the shirt goes with the sweatpants!’” Even down to the socks, Meeker thinks about color matching, which seems to be an important part of his relationship with fashion.
“There’s usually some intention color matching wise,” he said while describing what goes into picking out his outfits. “I think I’m sublimely influenced by the ’90s, the long hair and collared shirt or layering with a white tee.”
However, every day and every occasion can look different for Meeker.
“I definitely dress for what I’m doing. That influences my mood and how seriously I take things. If I’m just hanging out in my house, like today, or going to dance or a cappella practice, I’m definitely going to be thinking about comfort first.”
When asked to describe himself, Meeker used the words creative and caring but notes that on a first glance, some people may feel differently. “People have said I come off as intimidating at first, but I think that’s just because I’m nervous,” Meeker said. “I think it can have something to do with how I dress, especially lately because I’ve been into darker clothes, denim, carabiners, flannels, that kind of thing.”
As people get older and move to new places and try new things, it’s natural to shift their taste. That can definitely be seen in fashion and sense of style. And it’s only right that as we grow, how we like to present ourselves does as well.
“Recently, accessories have influenced me a lot more. In high school I played with makeup more, but haven’t as much recently, so I’ve been using accessories more as an outlet for that self-expression.”
For Meeker, recent accessory must-haves are rings, earrings and hats — especially baseball hats, which are his go-to way to spice up an outfit when running out the door to class.
So often before leaving the house, we think about how others are going to perceive us. However, the intention behind Meeker’s outfits comes from within rather than external pressure.
“I try to push back against thinking, ‘I want people to think I’m cool with this outfit.’ My intention is for my outfits to serve me the most, that’s why I’ve been wearing more graphic tees that I love, but I still get influenced by trends; like, I’ve been loving the earth tones,” he said.
I think we can all learn something from this line of thought. The bottom line is that what we wear should be a reflection of who we are and that we’re wearing it because we love it and feel good. And the first person’s footsteps that I want to follow in are Andy Meeker’s.
