Growing up in Puerto Rico, I adopted whatever look was trending in the San Juan neighborhoods where I lived. This included skinny jeans, off-the-shoulder tops, cross-body bags and lots of ballet flats. It wasn’t until I was in high school in the early 2010s, when I started reading blogs like Sea Of Shoes, Man Repeller, Lovely Pepa and Song Of Style, that I realized I didn’t have to dress like everyone else. me. I scrolled through photos of people around the world showcasing their personal style on Lookbook.nu, learning how to style knee-high socks, Chelsea boots and doll dresses – all items that weren’t fashionable on a Caribbean island. – in what for the first time felt like an authentic expression of my fashion taste. While you could definitely see the common threads, there was a sense of freedom and experimentation that allowed those creators – each capitalizing on hard-to-find items, emerging trends and fashion subcultures – to ditch the trend for looks their unique
