Last Thursday, The University of Minnesota’s art and literary magazine, The Tower, held its annual release party at the Weisman Museum of Art.

Full of poems, short fiction pieces, photography and art of all media, the magazine drew only the most chic to the galleries.

As one attendee put it, “Every girl on campus with bangs was there.”

With the event taking place on an uncharacteristically sunny day and starting just before sunset, bare legs and open-toed shoes shyly made their first appearances of the season. 

Luckily, this didn’t stop the array of fabulous jackets from staking their claim as the event’s most coveted piece. Summery shoes and warm shoulders? A perfect pair. Like art and literature. And magazines.

The Tower is beautiful, I don’t want to try to overshadow it. But here are some of the outfits that made the night even better:

Katherine Spaeth

Retail marketing sophomore at the University of Minnesota

What she wore: Buffalo Exchange top and jacket, Zara pants, Harley Davidson shoes

Can you tell Spaeth is a retail marketing major? Can you tell she works at Buffalo Exchange? You bet you can — she exudes style. And taste! Pairing an oh-so-summery cropped white peasant top with vertical stripes (“Beetlejuice” pants!), Spaeth’s take on the Canadian Tuxedo was made even better by her blue-tinged hair. Coachella WHO?

Rosalie Uggla

Anthropology and gender, women and sexuality studies at the University of Minnesota 

What she wore: Free People shoes, Realisation Par dress, Wilfred Free sweater, Sezane bag

One of The Tower’s poets, everything about Uggla was elegance to a T. So of course she mentioned embracing imperfection and classic garments when asked about her outfit inspiration. Mixing patterns, snakeskin and stars were perfectly broken up by these classic time-honored pieces. A leather bag, silky hair, perfect lip gloss, red nails. She’s a gallery gal; there’s nothing else to it.

Celeste Dornfeld

University of Portland psychology graduate

What she wore: Adidas shoes, House of Vintage Portland dress, Loft earrings, vintage Hudson’s Bay jacket

Honestly, we’re mad about this dress and jacket, the two pieces we want more than anything that will never be ours because Dornfeld is an amazing shopper. Can you imagine how glorious the moment was when she found this jacket at an estate sale? And the dress is all one piece. Maybe we should eliminate the idea of a “pop” of color; going all out seems best. 

Cavy Brennan

Biochemistry senior at the University of St. Thomas

What he wore: Tommy Hilfiger shirt, Topman jacket, Winter Park gift store tee, vintage pants, New Balance shoes

Supporting his girlfriend’s freshly published art, Brennan thought about going with just a button-up. Luckily, he threw on a jacket — because “art gallery!” Pairing his look (simple pieces tied together elegantly with a trench) with the season’s best accessory — a copy of the The Tower— Brennan could’ve been anyone. A poet himself, a gallery owner, a scholar. But he’s the boyfriend of a fabulous artist — maybe the luckiest role of all.