By Audrey Miller: Photo Credits to @sulbmclub on Instagram
While interviewing celebrities on the pink carpet for the annual Victoria Secret Fashion Show, stylist Law Roach touched on the subject of affordable luxury. Whether it is in the form of glittery lingerie or a deliciously scented body spray, Victoria Secret has been providing a subscription to vanity through its products, allowing their clientele to feel and smell like the world’s top models.
The term “affordable luxury” was nothing short of compelling to me. I found the idea of people turning to consumerism to compensate for their lack of luxury to be habitual and something I am extremely familiar with. This led me to reflect on the accessibility of luxury and its creative presence at a small school such as Susquehanna University. I’ve seen firsthand how campuses disconnected from major cities are redefining luxury through community, creativity and resourcefulness.
I strongly believe that the true definition of what it means to be luxurious is present on this campus. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines luxury as, “a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort.” Luxury in its best form is a state of being; it is internal, and it reflects a feeling a person has. Whether someone is decked in labels such as Long Champ and Lululemon or an eclectic, thrifted polka dot skirt, luxury is inclusive and knows no boundaries.
This idea is relevant in cultures across the world and throughout time. In 1990, director Jennie Livingston came out with the cult classic documentary “Paris is Burning.” This documentary depicts the New York City Ballroom scene in its rawest form. It explores the colorful, rambunctious ball competitions in which contestants must parade through a room, showing off their costume, which adhered to a very specific category or theme. These balls were outlets for queer Black and Latino people to perform and be themselves. Exclusive celebrity status evolved and provided stages for minorities to have opportunities they lacked in mainstream culture.
“In real life you can’t get a job as an executive unless you have the educational background and the opportunity,” said drag queen and fashion designer Dorian Corey. “Now, the fact that you are not an executive is merely because of the social standing of life… in a ballroom you can be anything you want.”
Documentaries, such as “Paris is Burning,” are significant because they provide honest, real-life examples of people exercising their creativity and redefining what it means to be luxurious and chic despite lacking finances and celebrity privilege.
While the 90s ballroom scene of New York City is extremely different from the campus of Susquehanna University, the value and craving of opulent fulfillment is universal.
This idea of taking advantage of the opportunities presented and working with what you have is present in the fashion and roles students play on campus. For instance, Community Aid, the local thrift store, houses diverse, simple and vintage articles of clothing that students can use to build outfits. As someone who recently was able to purchase $225 black ballet flats for $10, I can say my love for Community Aid is a little biased. However, the ability to access a large and affordable place such as our local thrift store is something we as students cannot take for granted.
The role Community Aid plays on this campus runs deeper than ballet flats. The fashionable and thriving Luxury Brand Marketing Club (LMBC) turns to this store for their annual fashion show. For the past two years, the Luxury Brand Marketing Club has hosted a fashion show, challenging student designers to dress a model with a $50 Community Aid Budget. With the theme yet to be announced, the 2026 fashion show is anticipated to hold double the number of people from the previous year, receiving more funding and support.
With last spring’s fashion show theme being “Reduce, Reuse, Restyle,” the LBMC Board emphasized the importance of shopping second hand. In a promotional video in collaboration with Community Aid, club members highlighted the advantages of shopping sustainably. Both Vice President Mia Linder and student model Ryan Menke spoke about how the fashion show is a testament to the amazing ability people must find a unique piece and create art from it. And Public Relations Chair Diego Marmolejos spoke on the power an outfit can have.
“There is a lot that what you are wearing can say about a person,” said Marmolejos. “It holds the power to express who you are, how you feel, your emotions.”
In essence, the Luxury Brand Marketing Club is a perfect example of color and beauty being accessible to students. It takes the values seen on a New York City runway and translates them to students at a rural college. The ever-stylish President Isabella Fallon started this club in 2024 after she noticed the lack of opportunities for students to indulge in their fashion and sophistication-based cravings. Outside of the annual spring fashion show, the club hosts inclusive events such as charm bracelet making and relevant guest speakers. This club, like the major, is unique and an amazing opportunity for students to exercise their interests in all things luxury.
When speaking to Fallon about the Luxury Brand Marketing Club, she highlighted a key element contributing to the club’s success: its diversity. From a club to the school’s campus, the value of diversity is necessary as it exposes culture and fashion in a vulnerable light. While Susquehanna is very small, it hosts a diverse student population and emulates family-like values, encouraging individuality amongst its community.
This access to luxury is a culmination of authenticity and the resourcefulness students practice, whether it be at clubs or in a thrift shop. As I sit at my desk, Carrie Bradshaw style, I can’t help but reflect on my own journey to personal luxury. Whether it be through a unique sweater or walking through Kurtz Lane with my wired headphones, Starbucks in hand, I am infinitely grateful to be at a school that encourages me to be my authentic self. Luxury is not exclusive, nor is it reserved for a certain social class; it is for everyone, and I encourage all readers to redefine their definition of luxury.