Twins

BY GINA PEPITONE

What you wear has the power to express your character and encapsulate your identity. We all have style, it’s just a matter of finding it. But for twins, whose lives are already so intertwined, this proves to be easier said than done. In the case of Savannah Phillips-Falk, 19-year-old potential Film major here at Vassar College, and her fraternal twin, Olivia Phillips-Falk, who attends Bard College, the two try not to let their relationship interfere with their individuality. 

When Savannah and Olivia were younger, their mother Lisa Phillips, who’s also the director of the New Museum in Manhattan, used her artistic eye to dress her daughters in different clothes and colors based on what suited them best. Unlike the classic stock photo of twins in identical outfits, the most they would match was for the sake of convenience, like having the same pair of pants or shoes. Any other clothes that were the same always had to be a different color. 

“Throughout our entire lives, my sister would wear pink and I would wear blue… for some reason I always wore blue,” Savannah mused, adding with a coy smile and a slight shrug, “Well, personally I think blue is my color.” 

Fast forward to middle school, Savannah dabbled in the tank top layering trend, but mostly stuck to the matching sweat suit look. She liked the idea of being a girly tomboy and confessed with a hint of amusement, “I distinctly remember thinking that jeans under like a summer dress was a really good look.” 

Olivia, on the other hand, gravitated towards athletic clothes. Her staple outfit usually consisted of leggings, a thick strapped tank top, and Ugg boots. Like most middle schoolers, Savannah and Olivia were just beginning to find their own sense of style. 

After graduating from eighth grade, Savannah and Olivia went to different high schools where they began to independently develop their own fashion sense. At Savannah’s new school, there was an unspoken style code among the girls. They would all typically wear mom jeans with a crop top and the trendy shoe of the moment. As Savannah put it, your typical “basic bitch outfit.”  

For the first part of high school, Savannah focused on fitting in, shopping mostly at American Eagle Outfitters or Brandy Melville. Careful not to over dress and attract unwanted speculation for her outfits, Savannah stuck to clothes she felt comfortable in that were also accepted in her school’s social circles. At one point, she recalled buying rose gold Sperry’s because Youtuber Meredith Foster owned a similar pair. While she wouldn’t think of wearing those shoes now, Savannah was at a point in her life where she experimented with clothes worn by people she admired, including those of her twin

“I always thought that my sister was much more fashionable, and I feel like she started developing her own sense of style a little bit faster than I did,” Savannah admitted. “And I also think this was because her friends in high school were more artsy and a lot more into fashion as opposed to mine who weren't really.” At this point, Savannah borrowed the occasional sweater or pants from her sister, but she would reimagine the articles and style them to seem more flattering on her body type. 

Leading up to college, Savannah felt most fashionable when she wasn’t in school, as she felt freer to be creative and more innovative, independent of social speculation and judgement. Because of this, Vassar was liberating for Savannah. In a more fashion-conscious community, she doesn’t feel as worried about over-dressing. As she put it, “[Vassar] has allowed me to embrace what I truly want to wear and allowed me to grow creatively.” 

And although it took Savannah a bit of time to catch up, both twins have gained the confidence to express their unique selves through their clothing. Since going to Bard, Olivia has only grown more into her thrifted, artsy style. Her most current look is throwing on some scrubs with a hoodie and either her trusty Nike Air Force 1 or hiking boots. 

When it comes to how Savannah dresses now, her fashion style is all of the above. She gravitates towards unique pieces found at vintage or thrift stores. When asked to describe her own look, Savannah reflected for a moment. “A smattering of quirky-artist meets high fashion put-together business woman/film director,” she declared before adding hastily, “also farm girl.” 

Savannah is confident in the wardrobe she has cultivated, thoughtfully selecting her outfits each day. She no longer cares if people judge her avant garde clothes. “Fashion is, of course, an expression of self, so regardless of if I’m super confident in myself, why not be confident in the things that I like to wear? I think I’m awkward and quirky in a good way, hopefully—” she broke off into a light hearted laugh, “and I think that my clothes kind of convey that.” 

Since they were kids, Savannah and Olivia have always been their own person, expressing as much through the different clothes they’d wear. But, Savannah confessed mischievously, it’s still not beyond her to steal away to her sister’s closet and repurpose some of her clothes by adding her newfound stylistic twist.