Quad Style: AK Alilonu
Hey, readers. I'm AK. I'm a third year majoring in Computer Science and Public Policy. I'm a member of UChicago's chapter of Common Cause Illinois, a student group that's working to get big money out of state politics. I don't have a lot of free time, but when I do I use it to cook
How would you describe your personal style?
My girlfriend says it's kind of preppy, which is fair, but I don't like the connotation. It's casual and colorful and really cheap, and I think I do that on purpose because you shouldn't have to be a try-hard to use clothes creatively.
Where do you find style inspiration?
I'm a history buff and I like how people dressed in the 1960s and 50s, particularly black people. So I'm a fan of old shoes and button-downs and suit jackets and parted hair.
I'm wearing a jacket I got from a thrift shop in Nashville while I was visiting a friend. I've got one of my cardigans on, and one of my favorite shirts from a department store in Phoenix, where I'm from. The rest is off Amazon, but I'm trying to phase that out.
“... you shouldn’t have to be a try-hard to use clothes creatively.”
I'm wearing what might be my favorite jacket out of the two I wear; I got it at a thrift shop here, along with my pants. The shoes come from the thrift shop in the same place where I was visiting the same friend.
Where do you like to shop?
Thrift shops, almost exclusively now. The older and further South, the better. Amazon is bad for workers and bad for the environment, and I'd rather no longer support that.
Why is fashion important to you?
Adopting a style is like posting to Facebook. You don't have to, but if you're going to, you better have something to say. I want people to look at the way I dress and feel like I'm living life on purpose. I think everyone wants people to think that about them.
I picked up my watch out of a Walmart years ago, and my girlfriend gave me the bracelet last year.
“I want people to look at the way I dress and feel like I’m living life on purpose. I think everyone wants people to think that about them.”
How do you select what to wear for a day-to-day basis?
I don't have a ton of time in the mornings, so I try to make it as mindless a task as possible. All my socks are different colors, and I wear them in the order they're stacked. So I just have to match the color socks to the pants, and that to the shirt.
Favorite item in your closet?
My oxfords. They're old, durable, and go with almost anything.
All photographs courtesy of Andrew Chang.
