For this edition of MN Street Style, I attended two Minneapolis events: Art-A-Whirl in May and the Stone Arch Bridge Festival in June. Here are three fashionable folks with some style hot takes, advice, and cool clothes.
Jonathan Castillo
I found Jonathan, a mechanical engineer, and his partner, Paris (featured below), shopping for earrings from one of the many Art-a-Whirl vendors. Because of Paris’s job as a pharmaceutical representative, the couple get to travel (and shop) all over the world. Individually, Jonathan and Paris each have their own style, but fashion is a shared affinity.
How would you describe your personal style?
Jonathan: It depends how I feel during the day. And depending on the environment that we are going to be in. I take that into consideration. I have different styles. You see this today, but tomorrow, I would present something different to you. Something always trendy and classy. Less is more.
Paris: I think “freedom” would describe his fashion, freedom of expression. It’s not conventional; it’s unexpected… It’s all freedom, but still has a direction with his jewelry, how he wears his hair.
Jonathan: And masculine. I have a little bit of a feminine side, but not too much. Like, yes, I am gay, but there has to be a balance for me.
Where do you like to shop?
Jonathan: I don’t like to invest a lot of money in order to look super nice. I think you can have a couple of pieces to combine together into an elevated outfit without spending a lot of money. I like Zara and some other designers I go to depending on where we go: Chicago, New York, or Minneapolis.
Do you have a process when styling an outfit?
Jonathan: I really don’t, it just happens! For example, before we got here, I helped [Paris] with his outfit. He does a really good job on his own, but I really enjoy picking his outfits. I was picking his outfit and then picked mine, but I didn’t like this at first. I thought something was missing, so I switched some things. I’m telling you this because no, it’s not like I have a formula that I am aware of, but I wear things that just pop on me. I don’t even know, it just happens! It always works.
How do you pick an outfit everyday?
Jonathan: I think that I have a lot of clothing but I tend to mix it up again, like I said, depending on how I feel that day, how I want to project that, and where I’ll be. Like today, we are in an art environment that is inspirational and I have room to dress like this because I think people, like you, will appreciate that. If I’m going to the supermarket, I won’t dress like this, but I do want to look trendy.
Speaking of that, thoughts on current trends?
Jonathan: So many things can be tight, but it’s got to go. An intention to dress [in my style], at least to me, is the sense of curiosity. Like clothes where you can see you have a good shape but you still don’t really know, it’s a mystery.
Paris: He likes the wide leg, barrel pants. Any cotton, light, flowy fabrics he likes. Just things that aren’t form fitting, just loose and form fitting. Clothes that aren’t so tight, but free. He told me when we first met that he doesn’t always like to wear underpants—it’s just freeing!
Are accessories important to your style?
Jonathan: I don’t really have a lot of accessories, but earrings I guess. Today, I’m trying to find unique but conventional earrings. I have a long neck so I’m trying to find long, simple ones—not round.
Paris Mullen
How would you describe your personal style?
I think I would describe it as avant garde. I love furs, messing with texture, and different fabrics are fun to play with, like mixing leather with fur. I also enjoy simplicity. A black suit with a colored stripe through it someplace, like the pant leg. I’d say avant garde, but tailored with a conservative twist. I just feel like clothing is an internal expression of oneself. It’s talk, but my mouth is not moving.
Where do you shop to achieve this style?
I haven’t gone out and shopped aggressively in a long time. Second hand stores and thrift shops. I love Saks on 5th Avenue or Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom. Boutique stores, like this one in Chicago called NOTRE, I love. Cram Fashion in Chicago is another one.
Here in Minneapolis there’s MartinPatrick3—expensive, but still great. Jaxon Gray if you’re looking for basics. I do like high end, name brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton shoes.
What’s your approach to styling an outfit every day?
Some days I get up and hurry, put something together and not think anything of it. I’ll get tons of compliments. But other times I can really think about it, and no one says anything. It’s interesting how that works.
But is there a formula? I’m sure there is, I just don’t know how to identify it. Sometimes I will build around a piece, though. Let’s start with a sweater or shirt that I like and build around that. What pants are going to go with this? What shoes? What belt? Just depending on what look I want to convey.
Do you find inspiration for fashion from anywhere or anyone?
My grandmother was always fashionable. That set the tone for me being conscientious and aware, executing fashion, being intentional before you leave. I grew up in church, so it was like a fashion show every week, even for the children. I guess, it’s being thoughtful about what you’re wearing to church out of reverence for God. But also, it was to impress others. Family and church are inspirations for sure.
Nothing in my closet feels right today, what should I wear?
I have a friend that said if you never know what to wear, even though fashion and style has changed so much, a white T-shirt with jeans is great. You will never go wrong with that. A good fitting white T-shirt, V-neck, or crew neck and a nice pair of jeans? You’re good to go.
Nandin Ganjoloo
Nandin’s bright top and unique pants stood out along a very busy sidewalk at the Stone Arch Bridge Festival this past weekend. Her Saturday afternoon look was a testament to her style: restricted during the week, more free on the weekend. Nandin is a graduate student and works full time in a lab where her personal style takes a pause to abide by uniform. So she chooses to be intentional about what she wears on the weekends, dressing something up even if the occasion doesn’t call for it.
How would you describe your personal style?
I like colorful and comfortable, those are my two big ones. And interesting. I like to keep it interesting.
Where do you shop for clothes?
My two mains are Depop and, if I’m not thrifting, Fashion Brand Company.
How do you choose what to wear every day?
I have a lot of restrictions on what I can wear everyday, but I have my basics, go-to outfits. They’re always colorful and comfortable, like long pants and long sleeves. I always wear my necklace and have a few earrings that I always go through. Those are constants, but my clothes are always changing.
On the weekends, I put effort into making my outfit fun [in a way] that I normally can’t do at work. I like to make it an occasion, even just going somewhere mundane. If I can, I like to dress it up.
Could you pick a favorite piece of clothing you have?
Oh, yeah. It’s a green mini dress by the Fashion Brand Company. It’s my all-time favorite dress. It’s for special occasions.
What about your outfit today?
It’s [been] strange weather recently so I have these pants with a lot of holes in them, they keep it breezy. And a linen long sleeve so it keeps me warm but not too hot. I have my big Baggu because my water bottle can fit in it.
The pants are from Fashion Brand Company, directly off their website. And this is a linen Uniqlo shirt that I got from Depop. I don’t remember where I got my Baggu but it was probably Urban Outfitters.
Do you have any burning opinions about current trends you love or hate?
I mean, what even are the current trends? They happen so fast! Just trends in general, I think people cycle through them a lot. Trends are happening but people are also aggressively getting more and more into thrifting—which is my preferred way of shopping.
I think it takes an active thought process for you to think about if [a certain piece of clothing] is something you actually want to get. Is it actually practical? Will I actually wear it? Or, is it just because I think other people also like it? It definitely takes me some time to look at the things I want to buy and assess if it’s really something that I want or if it’s that I’ve been made to think that way. I think trends are OK, people can like different things but I think people need to be very mindful of their purchases.
