Walking the halls of Rosary can start to get a little monotonous as mostly everyone rotates through the same set of skirts, polos, and sweatshirts. However, Juliet Cortes ’23 knows exactly how to spice up the required uniform. Juliet’s unique style is constantly impressing other students. Seeing her styled outfits is the highlight of my day.

All great artists must take inspiration from somewhere, and Juliet derives most of her ideas from Pinterest. She shared, “I spend about half an hour to an hour at most on Pinterest. I actually do have a Pinterest board called ‘school fits’ that has a number of pins that depict old money schoolgirl silhouettes that are mixed with an edgy vibe as well.”  Her edgy, old-money style originated when she started to binge the popular tv series “Gossip Girl” where characters such as Blair, Serena, Audrey, and Monet took their school uniforms and transformed them to fit their personal styles.

Aside from her Pinterest boards, Juliet shared that some of her favorite fashion icons are, “Devon Lee Carlson, Carrie Bradshaw, Susielola, and my mom.”

When asked if she finds it difficult to elevate her school uniform every day, she replied, “No, not really, granted we are able to wear college crewnecks and there are many cute Rosary crewnecks. An easy way of making uniforms more chic comes down to the accessories.” Some of her favorite accessories include “socks, legwarmers, hats, scarves, headbands, and always jewelry.” Each of these clothing items helps her to make the uniform more stylish and professional looking.

Furthermore, Juliet loves how plaid pleated skirts are still in style since we have to wear them every day. We might as well take advantage of these skirts and accessorize them to the best we can to spice up our daily uniforms. Dressing up the uniform is how she motivates herself to be excited for school. Juliet shared, “Personally I get more excited to go to school when I like what I am wearing.”

Some of Juliet’s favorite current clothing trends include: “Bows, midi skirts, Adidas sambas, Bolero sweaters, and chunky pendant jewelry.” Juliet loves following the trends, while also adding her own spin to make her outfits unique to her style.

One of the easiest ways to build a wardrobe is having an assortment of staple and statement pieces. Juliet’s staple pieces include, “neutral color baby tees and classic Hanes socks.” Both of these items can be used on the daily basis and allow the possibility to be elevated in multiple different directions. For example, Juliet uses statement pieces such as a “unique coat or jacket” to transform a simple t-shirt into a stylish outfit. Some of Juliet’s recent statement pieces include, “fitted jean jackets, moto leather racer jackets, and coats or jackets with fur lining. I also have a Penny Lane coat that I am completely obsessed with.”

For any aspiring fashionistas, Juliet shared that aside from the typical Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom, she often ventures into Vintage shops or Poshmark to find unique pieces to add to her wardrobe. Thrifting is also an amazing and accessible option to find some staples or statement pieces.

Juliet has some amazing advice for anyone who wants to spice up their school uniform as well: “If you plan on making your uniform more stylish, then focus on making it more you. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s true; Yves Saint Laurent himself said, “Fashions fade, style is eternal ” personal style is what makes heads turn because no one has seen it before.” You heard it here Royals: just be yourself, and if that means you throw on an old Rosary sweatshirt with some beat-up Converse, then wear it with confidence.

Juliet also wanted to give a quick shoutout to a couple of other Royals that have amazing styles as well. She shared, “I know many Royals with super cool personal styles such as Madison Laughlin’23, Luna Miranda ’23, Kate Rosales ’23, Caroleena Espinoza ’23, Charlotte Jordan ’23, Julianna Ortiz ’23, Emma Silva ’23, Marlie Machado ’23, and Sydney Marie Rosario ’23. Basically, everyone I know serves looks.”

Look out for fashion icon Juliet Cortes in the hallways, her outfits will never disappoint!