He walks down the hallway to his first period. Rather than the familiar scuffling of Vans or Nike shoes, one can hear the steady clicking of heels.

Numerous students at the high school choose to dress in clothes meant for a different gender than that which they are assigned, due to comfort, but also as a means of expressing themselves.

According to junior Basya Klein, a member of the fashion club, this type of fashion has emerged recently for a variety of reasons.

“I think a lot of it is the gender expression element of it, but also becoming more progressive, and a lot of boundaries are being broken in terms of what we wear,” Klein said.

Klein said the recent rise of this fashion can also be attributed to real-life events and society’s advancement .

“With everything that has been happening politically and all the new movements that are going on, society is always progressing. So, I think that it’s just another part of that,” Klein said.

According to sophomore Caroline Davis, who primarily dresses in masculine clothes, this type of fashion boosts her confidence and is more comfortable than clothing traditionally designed for women.

“It’s just super comfy and I feel more more confident in a way,” Davis said.

Junior Richard Lee, who dresses androgynously, with clothes such as heels and leggings, said that he dresses this way for comfort as well as fashion.

“I would say, why I wear it is just because I don’t want to limit myself just to men’s clothing,” Lee said. “Just because it’s bland, it’s not the best. Usually, I just go for what I feel comfy in.”

Klein also believes in not having strict guidelines around dressing and how it can act as an expression of one’s character.

“Unless it’s for like a religious reason, I don’t think anyone should have to dress a certain way at all. Clothes can express your personality in different ways,” Klein said.

According to Davis, she doesn’t receive a lot of disapproval for her fashion.

“I don’t really get a whole lot of comments about it. I’m not the most feminine person that there is. It’s just part of who I am,” Davis said.

Lee said that multiple times he has received judgemental comments from his peers surrounding his fashion choices of heels and leggings.

“I have some friends that don’t think I can walk in heels, but then I walk in heels better than them. In the past, I’ve had some friends talk to me about [wearing] leggings, but what problems do you have with them? I usually just ignore things,” Lee said.

Lee said he does not appreciate negative comments on his clothing.

“It’s distracting and inappropriate,” Lee said. “If you’re distracted by it, and others aren’t, then you should check yourself before you check others.”

Though Davis said that she does not often receive comments about her style, she tries not to pay attention to the few critiques she does get.

“I don’t really care what people think about me. I tell them that I think it’s super comfy and it looks better than what they’re wearing,” Davis said.

Klein explained how the concept of gender should not limit people to how they dress.

“Oh, I think it’s dope. I mean, gender is a social construct and I think it makes no sense, so why should there have to be specific ways that different people dress?”  Klein said. “I don’t think anyone should have to dress a certain way at all and clothes are fun and trying out different things is fun and can express your personality in different ways.”