Quad Style: Nehir Sahinoglu

Hello hello! I am Nehir Sahinoglu from Istanbul, Turkey. I am a second year economics and psychology double major (hopefully). I am in The Chicago Maroon Marketing Team and in Women in Business, and I am the new social chair of the Turkish Student Association (so look out for fun events to come!). I like cooking, but I like eating more. I enjoy discovering new, aesthetically pleasing places, so I love traveling and getting to know new cultures and mixing those with mine. I like appreciating and creating art, and I do pottery and ceramics. Oh and also, I love fashion, and I try to play with it in my own style. 

How would you describe your personal style?

This is a tough question because I don’t really have a control over my style. In fact, it kind of controls me. I feel like my style genuinely reflects my personality. My style responds to my feelings, taking them as a starting point and branching out from them. My style is spontaneous and crazy: I like to match seemingly unrelated colors, patterns, and silhouettes and to create a cohesiveness from them. I sometimes really like dressing up as a 16 year old boy, that’s why my closet is full of my dad’s jackets, shirts, etc. When I feel like being “girly” I make sure to add a little something of my own to the classic feminine style. That sometimes happens to be my dad’s old ties as belts, or vintage sunglasses or  accessories. In general, I go simple with tops and leave the emphasis on my pants and shoes. I really like to mix and match the vintage and the futuristic style. I think that’s one way to have control over time. 

I’m wearing Marc Jacobs pants with a Zara turtleneck. The jacket that I’m wearing is my dad’s old jacket. My boots are from Massimo Dutti. My belt is from a vintage store in Galata, Istanbul. I bought my ring from an antique jewelry store in Grand Bazaar, Istanbul.

 Where do you find style inspiration?

I honestly feel like I get inspired from everything. If I really like a piece of clothing, my outfit idea forms around it. If I feel in a certain way, let’s say boring, I try to spice up my day by wearing more fun clothes. I look at Vogue, Man Repeller (Leandra Medine Cohen), whowhatwear and many other pages. If I were to name a person, I would say that Alessandro Michele really inspires me. I not only appreciate his sense of fashion but also his aesthetics in general. He has a different creative eye. 

Where do you like to shop?

This one is also hard because I shop everywhere. I would say Zara, AndOtherStories, Urban Outfitters, Uniqlo, and Asos are my classic, safe to-gos. Other than that, I love vintage shops because I always find more unique pieces with character at those. My favorite is to shop from little boutiques that only exist in one or two places. I feel like this is a more common thing in Europe. For shoes, I can’t choose my favorite brand but I can say that I started to develop this obsession over Coach boots.

I’m wearing Vakkorama (a store in Istanbul) pants with a Zara crop top. My jacket is from Topshop (rip). My boots are Doc Martens. Again, I got 2 of my rings and my earrings from an antique jewelry store in Karakoy, Istanbul. The ring that im wearing on my middle finger is actually a nail pitting.

Do you have any fashion regrets?

I don’t think anyone can have fashion regrets because fashion is all about trying and seeing what you like better. Just like everyone has a unique personality, they also have special styles. In this sense, my one fashion regret would be limiting myself in the past. I used to dress up to impress others rather than making myself feel confident and good in my clothes. When I got rid of this fear, that’s when I started to experiment with my style.

I used to dress up to impress others rather than making myself feel confident and good in my clothes. When I got rid of this fear, that’s when I started to experiment with my style.  

What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?

Of course it did! Honestly, I wouldn’t say that I had a “style” 4 years ago. I just wore what I thought was popular at the time, which didn’t help me reflect or explain myself through clothes. I can’t say that I have the best style or whatever, but at least now I know that fashion is my daily form of art that I express myself with. Dressing up is what takes me out of bed and gives me the enthusiasm to go through the day. 

I can’t say that I have the best style or whatever, but at least now I know that fashion is my daily form of art that I express myself with. Dressing up is what takes me out of bed and gives me the enthusiasm to go through the day. 

How does the style or culture of fashion in Turkey compare to that in the US/Chicago?

I feel like the sense of fashion in Turkey is more European than the US. In Turkey, at least from what I have observed, people put more effort and emphasis on little details that complete the look. Something very little like a jewelry or belt can really elevate the outfit. In Istanbul, I feel like people put looks over functionality, and dress not to just spend the day but also to look as they feel or want. One bad thing that I can say about Turkey is that people fear more from the others’ judgements, so I think the US better provides the chance to express and discover yourself via fashion. 

Why is fashion important to you?

I feel like when my personality started to settle, I didn’t realize this until my style changed. I truly think that fashion helps me to understand who I have become. I sometimes have a really hard time connecting with myself, but fashion offers me the way out! 

I truly think that fashion helps me to understand who I have become. I sometimes have a really hard time connecting with myself, but fashion offers me the way out! 

Photographs courtesy of Maddie Parrish.