Mrs. Schran: Style Icon

We all know the kind-hearted science teacher Mrs. Schran, but have you ever taken the time to appreciate her exquisite fashion sense? If you take a moment to really observe her iconic looks you will notice how unique and refreshing her style is. I asked her a few questions to learn more about what inspires her creative wardrobe.

Of course my first question was what everyone was wondering: ¨Who are some fashion icons you look up to?¨

“I don’t know if there are any fashion icons that I know of. I don’t think of myself as very in the know for what’s in fashion. I just wear whatever makes sense for me,” Schran said. This was so inspiring to me. No matter what’s trending, she just wears what she feels comfortable in.

So where does she find all of these cute and comfortable outfits?

“Let’s see, I got this dress from Wild Berry. I like to shop at small stores in town. I’ve been to Juniper before, but honestly I get a lot of things from Goodwill and I get more than I want to from Amazon,¨ Schran said.

She seemed to have a very relaxed view on fashion, so I wanted to see what it really meant to her. ¨How do you express yourself through fashion?”

¨I guess I feel like primarily I’m utilitarian. So I have to be able to move around in it, and be comfortable in it, and be active, because in a science lab you’ve gotta be active. And, if Im biking to school, I’ve got to be able to bike in it. Also, I don’t do a lot of shopping or spend a whole lot of money on clothes, so I need to be able to maximize its use. So I’m utilitarian that way, but predominantly I would say I wear earth-toned colors, like warm colors rather than pastels or anything like that,¨ Schran said.

She’s so in touch with nature, but how does she apply that to the way she shops, and how can we do so as well? ¨What are some ways students can be environmentally conscious when shopping for clothes?¨

¨That’s awesome, organic fibers, locally small stores rather than big-buck stores. Those are two easy ways to be environmentally conscious. Otherwise, repurpose stores like goodwill. I showed some videos for my Environmental Science class last year and some of them were really eye opening to me. One of them about the cost of two-day shipping from Amazon. So, I have Amazon Prime and I get all shipping free, so I didn’t really think about shipping alot, but the guy in the video was quoted to say ¨You don’t need to get a pair of socks in two days, there’s no rush delivery for that pair of socks,¨ so whenever you  get it and it’s a longer delivery date, they have that now where you can take away the two day shipping and that’s more environmentally conscious because they can pack more into the trucks so they don’t have to make so many drives,¨ she said.

That was so awesome to me. Shipping was something I never really thought about but it can make a big difference. I was thrilled she shared such an interesting way that we can online shop and add to our beautiful wardrobes and be kind to our beautiful earth at the same time.

I had one final question. ¨If you could give one piece of fashion advice to anyone reading, what would that be?¨ I asked.

¨Oh fashion advice? Um, Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in, and be yourself in them because everybody looks beautiful when they are being themselves. It’s so true, its so true. Like, if everybody can be comfortable with themselves. I mean you try to wear something you’re not comfortable in but other people think is fashionable but you can tell that somebody’s not comfortable. But, if you can tell that someone is comfortable it doesn’t matter what colors they wear, what crazy clothes they wear, or what completely normal clothes they wear, they look great, right?¨ She said. I was so happy with that response! This is the kind of fashion icon we should all look up to.

Heidi Schran might be the most kind, humble, and genuine style icon that I’ve ever encountered. Her unique style isn’t inspired by anything but nature and her own creativity. I was so glad she could teach me about such easy ways that I can help the environment when I’m shopping, and gave such great advice about being true to yourself.