Different hours of different days, you will find unique paths each Boonie takes on King Street. During the weekdays, students are trying to get to class. Families come to eat and shop for their weekend getaway. A street magician brings his hat to set up near town hall.

Everyday the “heart of the High Country” sees hundreds of tabled vendors, shoppers, musicians, students and fashionable faces. Though no one may have yet coined King Street as Boone’s runway, you can’t deny the outfit preparation that goes into a stroll downtown.

Here’s what people are wearing on the beloved main street stretch.

Spending some sister bonding time were Sabrina and Brianna Jones.

Sabrina Jones said she just got out of a long-term relationship and has taken to “evolve her wardrobe.” For her, this means shopping on King Street for the latest fashions. She said in the past that people in her life would judge her for her outfits by asking, “Oh, is that what you’re wearing?” She said she doesn’t want to let that get the best of her anymore. 

Brianna Jones recently went through her closet and threw out almost everything alongside making the decision to shop secondhand. The Jones sisters were shopping at Anna Banana’s on a Monday afternoon.

Sabrina Jones wore a silk hazelnut yellow top on her sister shopping date. She layered necklaces within the open collar, a common trend in Boone per the many jewelry options. Her shirt was tied in a knot at the front, and she kept cool in the summer heat with shorts and Doc Martens to even out the outfit. 

“I like textures. Like fabric textures,” she said. “So I really like satin, and I like knitted things and stuff like that. That’s really what I look for.”

Sabrina’s other half, Brianna, has taken to upcycling. She finds white t-shirts at Goodwill and tie-dyes them to personalize each.

“Just cause, you know, I feel like I’m adding a little personality and style into my wardrobe,” Brianna Jones said.

In the pursuit of body acceptance, she has started embracing herself in wearing high-waisted pants and crop tops, a common silhouette for Gen Z and a far cry from the resurgence of the Y2K low-waisted bootcut jeans. 

Brianna Jones followed this silhouette with simple high-waisted blue jeans and a white tank top with a Cherry Coke logo.

Relationships and transitory periods in our lives can certainly appear into what we choose to wear. This was a common theme for the best dressed on King Street, including Bee Tomson.

To make herself feel better, Tomson has shifted her focus toward outfits of the day for those moments of self love.

“No reason to really dress up, but I just, I wanna feel good about myself especially after like a sh*t last nine months,” Tomson said, coming to tears. 

Her mom’s 90s style is also a big player in Tomson’s clothing choices. Her favorites are plaid, oversized t-shirts, flannels and anything, in her words, “versatile.”

“I’m just trying to settle back into who I am and definitely find myself,” Tomson said.

Also inspired by her mother is Isabella Flynt. Wearing her mom’s skirt, her hippie-inspired look is a fit for App State, even though she attends UNC Charlotte. Shopping at King Street on a Saturday, Flynt enjoys thrifted clothes and treasures pieces gifted to her. 

Her ideal pairing for an outfit includes a “tiny top” and bigger pants. Two of her favorite retailers include Urban Outfitters and Aeropostale. 

Teagan Compton struts down the King Street runway with a more ancient accessory from the Mesozoic Era, fossil earrings. The dinosaur heads dangle above a calf-length white dress and a brown corset at the waist. 

The earrings, made by a friend of hers, are a part of her signature style. She references vintage celebrity photos and women in the Old West as her inspiration.

“I just think some of it’s kind of this sort of body over-the-top stuff I like,” Compton said. 

Channeling her feminine energy, Compton ends off her Western-era outfit with gold flat sandals. 

Next time you take the stage of King Street, keep an eye out for the fashion police. As Coco Chanel once said, “Every day is a fashion show, and the world is your runway.”