Francesca was one of the first people I met at Barnard and now that we live across the hall from each other, I’ve come to appreciate her unique and purposeful sense of style. 

She’s one of those people that I can talk to about anything under the sun: From politics to mental health to makeup, nothing is off-limits with her. I was excited to sit down and talk about her ever-evolving fashion sense, and her perfect denim-on-denim outfit.

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Francesca 101

Name: Francesca

Hometown: Pound Ridge, NY

School: Barnard College at Columbia University

Year: Junior

Major: Urban Studies with a Concentration in Race & Gender, Minor in Environmental Science

Let’s Talk Fashion

Who or what inspires your style? “I’d say definitely a mix of children’s aesthetic and those chic grandmas with purple hair and giant bohemian scarves on the subway who you look at and you’re like ‘that’s what I want to be at 75.’”

Where do you like to shop? “Because I am a big believer in sustainable practices and the clothing industry is one of the biggest polluters, which a lot of people don’t know. I try to buy as many of my clothes used as I can because it’s actually an extremely effective form of recycling. I’m also super cheap so if I can get a t-shirt for $3 and it has a couple holes in it, I’m still happy. You can also find some really unique pieces from different eras and also I love clothing that’s been customized, so things with patches sewn on or hand sewn because I like the historical value in it. That being said, when I do buy new pieces I tend to go off the sale rack at Urban Outfitters, Zara, [and recently I’ve been] taking advantage of the indefinite 50% off sale at Nasty Gal.”

How would you describe your sense of style? “I like to be comfortable but still have a sense of playfulness with my outfits. I used to try to be really edgy and wear dark colors and leather, but now that I have to wear all black as a makeup artist at MAC, I love to play with color and textures in my looks. I’ve started rediscovering the fun of pairing unexpected things together and incorporating pieces that are almost so ugly and weird that they become cute and unique.”