Vandy’s most fashionable freshmen: Austin Konkle

Welcome to the first edition of my new series: Vandy’s Most Fashionable Freshmen!

Every week, I’ll be interviewing and snapping flirty pics of one freshman with impeccable style. If you want to be next week’s Most Fashionable Freshman, keep up your outfit game and maybe I’ll catch you werkin’ it on your way to class.

Or just send me bribes.

This week, I was lucky enough to score a lunch date with Vanderbilt’s dreamiest, blonde-haired bombshell. That’s right, we’re talking about the kid who accepted 74 online applications to be his date to the annual Commons Ball.

He’s also the same kid who almost won $20,000 for constructing an entire suit out of duct tape and wearing it to his senior prom. And just to top things off, he was valedictorian in high school.

Needless to say, Austin Konkle is a legend. If you don’t believe me, read on.

What message are you trying to send the world with what you wear?

I’m trying to be like, “Look at me, but don’t look too hard because that would make me uncomfortable.” I want you to see that I’m confident in my clothing choices. That I’m ready to take on the day.

That I’m willing to be brash and assertive if I need to be, but at the same time, I’m ready to cuddle and enjoy the more intimate things in life.

What single piece of clothing could you not leave your dorm without?

Well I wear flip flops almost every day. Even when it’s raining. The psych professor apparently made fun of me in front of the entire class last semester about my poor clothing choices.

My feet just feel so trapped, so constrained when I have on shoes. They need liberation, and my flip flops allow me to do that.

What is your least favorite girls’ fashion trend?

I’m not sure if I like the midriff showing. I disapprove. I always believe that modest is hottest.

The less skin, the more seduction in my opinion.

What is the biggest fashion mistake a guy can make?

The biggest fashion mistake is thinking that jeans and flip-flops is wrong. It’s always a jean and flip-flop day. If it’s a fall day, if it’s a spring day, it doesn’t matter.

My legs might get a little chilly, but my feet still want to show off their assets.

Boxers or briefs?

It depends on you activities for the day. Boxers say, “I’m a teen, I’m in college. Don’t be afraid to rock me whenever you’re going out for a night on the town”.

Really? Guys wear boxers on nights out?

Oh absolutely. Sometimes just boxers, nothing on top of them. If you’re feeling a little risky, you’re feeling a little frisky, that’s when it’s time to bust out the boxers. But when you’re strolling around campus, if you have a lot to do that day, maybe you’re running a marathon later, you wouldn’t want to go with boxers because they ride up.

Once they get above the belly button, that’s when you need to reassess. You should say to yourself, “This morning, I did not determine well enough what I was going to be doing today.”

At this point in the interview, a few star struck girls inched their way over to our table to interrupt and ask Austin, “Are you the duct tape prom guy?” To which Austin reluctantly replied, “Yup, that’s me.”  

He went on to confess something that’s been bothering him, “A lot of people don’t know my real name. They just know me as duct tape prom boy. I want a new identity.”

What was involved with the whole duct-tape-prom situation?

Well, I was involved. Also, 52 rolls of duct tape were involved. It ended up looking dope, but it took three horrible months to make.

We ended up getting 4th in the competition, so we didn’t win the cash. We tried getting on the Today Show but apparently we weren’t important enough.

How do you apply what you learned from the process of creating your own clothes from duct tape to your everyday wardrobe?

I realized that your clothes should reflect your values. I like to stick together with my friends. It’s all about forming bonds.

It’s all about adhesivity.

And so, that’s how I truly felt when I was wearing my suit. I was like, this really represents me. This represents me and my friends. This represents bonds that we have forged over years and years of camaraderie that can only be broken with a pair of scissors.

What do the scissors represent?

Oppression.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone who’s trying to up their fashion game?

Don’t be afraid to go big or go home. But you also need to recognize when you need to go home. If it gets to the point where you’re getting condescending looks from people on campus and maybe some snickers as you walk by, that’s when you know it’s time to go home.

You want to ignore the haters until there are just so many you can’t ignore them any more. Until it becomes like a whole throng of haters. We don’t want a whole throng of haters, just a small collection of haters that can motivate you. Once it’s like a whole congregation, that’s when you know you have a problem.

A few testimonials from those who know this fashionable freshman best: