If you look deep into the crowds of kids, young and old, you may notice some of the most eccentric students with fascinating styles. From an array of different colored hair to trendy clothing and much more, this is all what helps make Lincoln diverse.

From spring neutrals to vintage 80’s and 90’s, there is much to be seen in the halls of Lincoln stylewise.

Even deeper are the stories and experiences these students hold, which unlock their motives as to their eccentric fashion choices. From a European-inspired world traveler to a German teacher’s story of trying to fit in with the rest of the staff, each and every individual has a story to tell.

For these select few, a thin layer of polyester or leather counts as armor shielding them from the everyday trials high school chuck at them. Whether it’s the school’s vintage store roamer of a teacher or the sweet girl with the chunky pink Docs, their styles distinguish them from their 1,800 peers. What makes you sui generis?

Powerful in pink

Chances are if you see a girl with bouncy blonde hair, a thrifted baby pink tank top, bell-bottom jeans and spiked Doc Martens, it’s Chris Smit. The sophomore takes her fashion inspiration from the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. Her staple is a mass of pink and glitter, 90’s era clothing , but an outfit is never the same.

“Sometimes I feel kind of edgy. I mean I have black bell-bottoms, which is hilarious,
Smit explains. “I feel like there’s two sides to me which does really reflect my mood. When I’m happy I wear pink and sparkles and when I’m feeling down, I dress down.”

Peers haven’t always understood her high-fashion statements.

“I cannot tell you how much of a loser I was. I wore the worst clothes. Besides that fact, I always did feel a little fashion-forward. Looking back, I wasn’t always super girly but I was bold in the sense of being an outcast. That wasn’t always trendy,” Smit says. “I’ve gotten made fun of for having pink clogs on and just the big statements I’ve had like my spikey Docs and my bell-bottoms and stuff.

“I’ve always kind of been the odd one out. Especially now, I still get teased and judged for being so out there. It kind of sucks because fashion really helps me cope with everything that’s going on in my life, but I generally try not to let myself get down whether it’s because of my clear bag or pink spiky shoes or my bellbottoms. Hell, I mean I even have parrot shoes that got made fun of. But I like being different from everyone and being out there.”

Un chapeau makes the hipster

Otto Portzline wasn’t always a hat man. Influenced by French culture, a student famous among the staff and scholars of Lincoln, Portzline redefines “hipster.”

Dressed in his tan leather jacket and entertaining socks, all topped off with a different hat almost every day of the week, Portzline draws ideas from international culture and puts that into his own outfits.

“My hats make my style mine. I started wearing them when I came back from France in fifth grade where I saw a lot of people in these kind of hats. I would see someone wearing something interesting and I try to emulate it,” Portzline says. “When I was younger I never really had a sense of style, and then in 5th grade I went to France and that influenced me a lot.

“There’s this store I usually go to in Seattle and I also acquire caps and fedoras from

places I’ve visited. I have a couple from Austria and one or two from France. They come from all over.” Like most teens, Portzline also gets his fair share of hats, clothing and shoes from local vintage shops around Portland, such as Red Light on Hawthorne, or Living Threads on Taylor.

Teenagers who stand out often get pushed down by less creative classmates with little  tolerance for people who break the mold.

“People ask me dumb questions about how I dress and why I dress like I do, but I honestly couldn’t care less.” Portzline says. “I’m sure people generalize me and make fun of me but I’m not aware of it.”

Through the weird looks and irrelevant questions regarding his fashion preferences, Otto Portzline is a symbol of being oneself, and most of all, insanely unique hats.

Vintage, with a touch of Bavarian style

Meet Andrew Duggan, as if you could miss the man in in the tweed vest, bowie and ever-changing facial hair. He’s Lincoln’s one and only German teacher and one of the best-dressed faculty members. Some even say he dresses like a substitute teacher you’d see in an 80’s movie.

“I mean I do like to be dressed up at work at least,” Duggan says with a smile on his face, “You know, ties, jackets, vests, blazers and nice shoes mostly. The occasional bowtie here and there.”

Goodwill and Buffalo Exchange supplies his wardrobe with inexpensive but high-quality blazers and jackets.

With tweed from $12 to Pendleton wool for only $7, Duggan knows how to snatch a deal. Duggan often shares the best vintage stores around Portland with the teens he teaches, but many of his bowties, tweed vests and slacks are gifts from his mother.

Unlike many of those with eccentric styles, Duggan always looks put-together. He started teaching at 24, one of the youngest educators at his workplace.

“People would mistake me for a student so I started wearing a tie. It made a distinction.”

Duggan’s most eminent items are his German flag bowtie and alternating facial hair styles. His most treasured are his plaid “golf pants.”

“When I wear something crazy like my plaid pants, I have to say my inspiration is a former colleague of mine, Bobby Hart. He would never be afraid to wear what he wanted to work.” Duggan explains. “Teachers who have been here for a long time say, ‘Hey, Bobby Hart pants!’ when I wear mine.”