Quad Style: Zhenru Zhou
Meet Zhenru Zhou, third year PhD student in the Art History department. She enjoys swimming, painting and traveling in her free time.
What are you wearing for this shoot?
A folk-style dress from Chinese Turkestan, a long jacket from Zara, a long coat from the London Frog, a nylon scarf and two hair-wraps from Northwest China, heatech pants from Uniqlo.
How would you describe your personal style?
I don’t know if I have a style. Typically I wear a mixture of old and new, ethnic and generic, similar or complementary colors, but mostly cheap.
Where do you find style inspiration?
Weather forecasts, seasonal colors, people I meet, and mural paintings that I study.
Where do you like to shop?
Folk costume markets when traveling, Uniqlo when in Chicago, Taobao when in China. Sometimes I get old clothes from my mom and friends.
Do you have any fashion regrets?
I used to buy too many new clothes before I knew I could wear second-hand things. [I also regret] not being able to give away an old piece of clothing whenever I would get a new one.
What is your relationship to fashion? Has it changed over time?
When I was in my teens and early-twenties, I wanted to look good. When I was in my mid-twenties, I wanted to look unconventional. Now that I am in my late-twenties, I neither want to look good nor be unconventional, but I don’t know how to shed those identities!
Why is fashion important to you?
Fashion and style are not important to me, but realizing the artistic potential of my clothes and actualizing a personal response to their cosmic vital energy are meaningful [to me].
All images courtesy of Amelia Frank.
