by Lauren Raziano, Social Media Editor

With warmer weather and the world coming back together, students are ready to show off their special styles on and off campus. Alana Quintero is a sophomore from Puerto Rico studying Childhood Education. Alana expresses her Puerto Rican style but has adapted it to the New York lifestyle by wearing her favorite Jordans with her hoops.

The Quadrangle: How would you describe your fashion sense?

Alana Quintero: I think it’s kind of based on my mood and kind of where I’m going, since I’m from an island, I kind of tend to dress low key, kind of more chill, like maybe shorts or loose pants, a skirt. But then here, I think I switched my outfits pretty drastically. More street style, maybe more chic, depending if I’m going to Soho, I’ll probably put on like my Jordans. It’s kind of based on where I’m going.

TQ: Who recently have you been looking to for fashion inspiration?

AQ: I have to say from influencers like Kendall Jenner, Madison Beer, maybe Haley Baldwin, kind of those icons.

TQ: What is a staple clothing item in your wardrobe?

AQ: Probably my Jordans and my jeans, my jeans are a very necessary thing in my closet. 

TQ: What is your go-to accessory?

AQ: My golden hoops, I always need to have my hoops on. I don’t know why I feel stressed without them, I feel naked. 

TQ: What are your favorite places to get items? Where do you like to shop?

AQ: I would have to say, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom is a pretty cool store like to get sneakers and stuff. I think those would be my main spots.

TQ: What do you predict will be the new Spring 2021 styles?

AQ: I think definitely we will keep going like for throwbacks. Recently I just bought some flair jeans and I think those are going to be very in style. I’ve seen that people don’t use as much skinny jeans anymore, people use more loose mom kind of fit. I personally own, like, two skinny jeans, and like 100 pairs of mom jeans I don’t know why, I just think they look really good based on the trends that are going right now. I think, like, yeah, all of those things are gonna start trending again and also a lot of pop of colors.

TQ: Are there any styles you are sad to leave in the winter season?

AQ: I’m gonna miss wearing my boots, and like my puffer jackets and bomber jackets like my coats, I think I’m going to start to miss them pretty soon.

TQ: Anything you would like to add? 

AQ: I think I would say for everyone to feel free to wear whatever they want, like, forget all restrictions like I mean if you like it and if you think it’s your style just rocket and make it your own. I think no one should have those boundaries.

Alanna Cordero is a freshman majoring in Peace and Justice studies, originally from New Jersey. Her inspiration comes from being Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian and popular musicians like Kalhi Uchis, SZA, and Solange. Cordero wrote in a direct message to the Quadrangle that creativity with her outfits comes from “ Frida Khalo the artist with her bright colors and long skirts and my friends who are in some shape or form an artist, whether it’s the music, fashion, or photography.” 

The Quadrangle: How would you describe your fashion sense?

Alanna Cordero: I really like the kind of early 2000 styles, like the track suits, but then also like the boyish type where like the famous Overbeck jeans the very small tops. I also just really like bohemian style, like very much different patterns, layering, long skirts. And then just a lot of vintage pieces, sustainable fashion, like thrift stores, things like that, very much a collective of everything I see in a day in New York, basically.

TQ: Who recently have you been looking to for fashion inspiration?

AC: Honestly my mom lately.

TQ: What is a staple clothing item in your wardrobe?

AC: A staple item in my wardrobe is a pair of blue jeans from a thrift store called Vintage Twin in Soho. I’ve had these for probably three years and I haven’t thrown them out, my low rise jeans. I very much love low rise jeans, it’s a staple which is my go to favorite.

TQ: What is your go-to accessory?

AC: Go to accessory is definitely rings. I love rings like a bunch of rings, I always wear them all the time. A couple rings my mom gave me from my graduation, and a couple that I just picked up along the way at different thrift stores and ones that my friends had given me.

TQ:What are your favorite places to get items? Where do you like to shop?

AC: I really like the I AM GIA, it’s very much in right now. it’s kind of expensive so pick and choose. But honestly just thrifting, there’s a really good thrift store in my town in New Jersey, it’s called Unique and it has a wide range of options, Or for more Boho style I go to the stores Free People or Anthropology, they have really good pieces.

TQ: What do you predict will be the new Spring 2021 styles?

AC: So new spring style, it’s not really new but definitely long skirts and like maxi skirts are gonna come back but not really tight fitting more flowy and definitely kind of minimalistic, but still layering we definitely tiny cardigans on top of tank tops, not so much your midriff showing, but like the very small part underneath your belly button is going to be like very trendy.

One trend I think is coming back, I actually got one recently, is a tooth gem. I think a lot of people will get tooth gems. Tattoos too, that’s definitely going to be a big trend in the summer, just imprint art on yourself. 

TQ: Are there any styles you are sad to leave in the winter season?

AC: Honestly, I love that like the Northeast came back, I had one the one I have from when I was a kid, I just keep wearing it over and over again. And I feel like it was just kind of like the participants are so I’m kind of sad to see that like kind of go, because I feel like essentially like a staple jacket and Von Dutch, I love Von Dutch, and I feel like the time has passed, like it’s been a moment already with the Von Dutch bags. Also ear muffs, I feel like it’s definitely a come and go type thing, so probably in a couple years it will come back but I love earmuffs, I think they’re so cute.

TQ: Anything you would like to add? 

AC: So I think right now fast fashion is definitely a very big problem, not even within industry, just a trend in general. A lot of people feel confined to wear what’s on their Instagram feed or to buy things from like Shein because it’s in right now. But then they wear it one time and then it’s just sitting in your closet. So think the phrase, fashion fades but style is eternal. Make sure what you’re putting together is something that you’d like; it doesn’t have to be everything that everyone else has on. You can create your own style from deriving from different things. So, to stay true to yourself and what you like to wear because at the end of the day, you’re gonna be the only one wearing it. Everyone’s going to ask you where you got it but it’s your own version of yourself, in your style.