Quad Style: Juliet Lee
Meet Juliet Lee, a third year Sociology major. On campus, she's involved with the Student Alumni Committee, UIBG and KSO. She also a member of Theta and AKPsi.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style varies really from day to day, ranging from comfy tees and sweaters to nice dress shirts. Honestly, if I had to describe it, I'd probably say feminine meets street. I love lace, off-the-shoulder tops, and wedges. But I usually like to pair them with edgier pieces, whether it be a leather skirt or bigger accessories like hanging earrings or chokers.
Where do you find style inspiration?
Much of my inspiration comes from Korean fashion, both from street style and Korean pop. I think I may be partial because much of the fashion is what I like to buy and wear though. If I had to choose specific people though to get inspiration from, I'd say all the members of Black Pink. I also like browsing through the Instagram of Jenn Im (though I don't think I could ever pull off her outfits). Otherwise, if I see someone wearing a cute outfit, I'll take inspiration from that. My fashion is pretty fluid, so I'm not picky about where I gain my inspiration from.
Where do you like to shop?
My current go-to shops are Zara, Madewell, and Aritzia. For basics, I love on-sale Abercrombie (sorry Ashley!). For the past several years, I've gone to Korea once a year, so usually I do a lot of shopping there. I love walking into random boutiques in Myeongdong, Garosugil, and Hongdae, but some of the bigger stores I like there are A Land, Los Angeles Project (LAP), and Style Nanda.
Do you have any fashion regrets?
Haha I have so many from across the years. Our previous EIC, Ashley Xu, always comments on my choice of Abercrombie, so I'd probably have to say wearing t-shirts and sweaters with big, obnoxious logos.
What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?
My relationship to fashion emerged in the end of high school. Before coming to UChicago, I was at an all-girl's school for nine years, where we had a uniform: khaki skirt and white shirt. I had never really explored fashion during this time, so after graduating, I definitely started to rethink what fashion meant to me. I became more interested in how fashion can affect self-presentation, providing another way for me to understand different aspects of myself. I love how different contexts call for different aspects of myself, which I explore through fashion. To me, fashion is not just clothes. I love choosing which accessories, handbags, and shoes to wear, because they add the extra detail that can really put together an outfit.
Why is fashion important to you?
Fashion is important to me because you have the autonomy to present yourself in a particular way that you want. Ever-changing with time and space, fashion is dynamic, and because of this characteristic, there's so much potential there to unpack yourself through this medium.
All images courtesy of Natalia Rodriguez. View her online photography portfolio here.
