For this week’s Student Style Spotlight, I sat down with Arianna Baquerizo to talk about her personal style and what it’s like being a campus brand ambassador for Vera Bradley. This gorgeous second year public relations student hails from Miami and hopes to work in the fashion industry post-college.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I would say it’s kind of developing right now. When I was in high school, like, freshman year, it was just jeans and t-shirts; I never really put much thought into what I wore — until I discovered [fashion] bloggers. I would say [my style is] girly, but not too much. I try to stay simple but still as cute and as up to date with the trends as possible. But like I said, it’s developing. I definitely have been adding different pieces to my closet that I’m excited to wear and I feel like they’re going to build my style brand. But yeah, definitely girly and casual, but always cute.
Q:What made you get into fashion? Is there a defining moment or was it something you’ve always loved?
A: I think it had a lot to do with when I sat down and had to think about what I want to do as a career. I realized there are so many job opportunities within social media and public relations within fashion and beauty companies. I don’t have to be a model to work for them — I can do the behind-the-scenes stuff, and I found that so cool. That made me want to get more into fashion and learn about other people who have these types of jobs or possible careers that I could have.
Q:What are some trends you’re excited about right now?
A: Okay so I love mules shoes. Oh my goodness. I literally just bought two more and I’m so excited about them arriving in the mail. But yeah I definitely love mules.
I love metallics. I have metallic sneakers and so many things with metallic detail. I don’t know if that’s still that big, but I know that in 2017 that was like, the thing.
The people that I follow [on Instagram] are into very feminine blouses and pretty flower prints and I’ve bought a few things like that recently; I’m very excited about those as well.
Q: What’s your go-to outfit?
A: Probably a denim skirt, a graphic tee — I love little statement tees — and probably just sneakers, like Adidas ones. That’s like my go-to casual outfit, if I’m not putting that much thought into it, because I wear that a lot.
Q: Who are your style inspirations?
A: There’s a lot. I love Camila Coelho, she’s like, next-level Brazilian queen. I’ve recently gotten more into Olivia Culpo. She recently came out with a clothing line with Revolve — I love Revolve. There’s these two girls, they’re not as big as these other bloggers but I love their style. One of them is @nitsanraiter, and she’s beautiful. And then her best friend — who I actually discovered first — is @emmaleger. They both have like, West Coast vibes and I love that. They’re so effortlessly beautiful and their style is just very feminine, very fun.
Oh! Also, there’s this girl, Melany Rodriguez — but she goes by her middle name, so it’s @melanycecilia. She’s also not as big of an influencer but she’s so real with her followers, like I message her all the time and she always responds. She has a relationship with her followers and I admire that because in the fashion industry, all of these people that are very big don’t have the time to establish that connection with people. So I find that so cool to be able to connect with her. I love having people like that to look up to, who just get it and are very approachable.
Q: So you’re a campus brand ambassador for Vera Bradley; can you tell me a little bit about that?
A: Yeah, so with Vera Bradley I got very lucky: my freshman year I met up with a friend from high school and she told me that she had this opportunity and I thought it was so cool that she got that [ambassador position]. Then a few days later she messaged me and was like, “hey, they actually want me to find another person to do it with me; would you be interested in applying?” and I was like, “yes, of course!” So I applied, and I got it and it is the best thing that has happened to me in college because I’ve learned so much about branding and social media marketing. That really led me to changing my major, because I used to be a telecom news major. So I really do thank Vera Bradley and that experience for leading me in the right direction because I used to dread going into the newsroom, and I used to love going to my Vera tabling events and doing stuff for them so then I realized like, “okay I shouldn’t be dreading going into the newsroom my freshman year of college. Like, that’s not okay if this is what I’m going to be doing for my whole life.” So Vera Bradley has definitely shaped me a whole lot, and it’s a brand that I’m super proud to work with.
I had so much fun talking to Arianna about her personal style and her experiences as a Vera Bradley campus ambassador. If you’d like to see more of her style, check her out on Instagram, @ariannabaq.