Sun Devils Wear Prada: Deep-ly Beautiful!!

We've got 6 more days until our Sun Devils Wear Prada Event on February 6th! Buy your ticket here and invite your girlfriends for a night filled with fashion and a whole bunch of fun. Check out the video below and we'll see you lovely face there!

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Say hello to Alicia Canales, a Senior/Grad Student studying Journalism & Mass Communication! Though she loves to report the news and enlighten the masses through media, you'll find that she's just like YOU! Yes, you. We've learned that personal style is just what it implies- personal- so we're so excited that she decided to tell us her very own style story!

How do you describe your current personal style? Who has influenced you the most in your clothing choices?

I've always been a pretty casual dresser. My default outfit is a pair of jean shorts and a nice shirt. I tend to buy a lot of shirts that also work with a pencil skirt or slacks. However, I've realized lately that I don't have many cute, comfy t-shirts. This is a problem when I try to have a lazy day.

I have a couple of influences. It's probably cliche, but my mom mainly influenced how I shop. She's a pretty casual dresser herself. She's also a teacher, so she always had a business casual style. I also like to look at my friends' clothing pieces as well to get ideas on how to create cute outfits. And Pinterest. I steal lots of fashion ideas from Pinterest.

When did your ‘style story’ begin? What was your age and circumstances when you began to shop for yourself and choose ‘styles for yourself? How did you personally feel about who you were at that stage of life?

I probably began shopping for myself somewhere in middle school. I was going through my awkward phase, so I didn't want to stand out. I wore a lot of neutral colors. It got to the point my mom had me invite friends to go shopping with me, so they could tell me to buy color. Seriously.

In case you're wondering, I do buy colorful clothes on my own now! I tend to default on my basic style, so I enjoy shopping with friends. They give me that extra push to try something new when I'm tired of shopping and just want to go home. I wouldn't own some of my favorite pieces of clothing if it wasn't for one of my good friends.

Feeling beautiful with or without makeup is a must!

What is your favorite personal feature and how do you ‘play it up’ in expressing your personal style?

I love my eyes, although I don't do much to them. I really like a basic natural look, so I usually put on just mascara and maybe eyeliner. They kind of stand out on their own because they are pretty dark. I actually didn't own eyeliner or wear eye shadow until two years ago. I've been experimenting with that more, and it's been fun! I like wearing eye shadow, but I tend to lean toward colors that are pretty neutral.

Talk about your experiences shopping in boutiques, Malls or on-line clothing ordering.

While I love going through boutiques, I hardly buy anything from there because of the price. I'm skeptical of online shopping, so I mainly go the mall or fashion outlets. I always go to H&M because I love the styling of their clothing. Otherwise I tend to walk around and go in stores based on if I like what the window mannequins are wearing. Haha, I'm realizing I don't go in with a plan. I should probably start making one. I'm sure that would help cut down my time in the mall.

What are one or two items that are hardest for you to shop for, and why do you think that?

Finding cute shorts is usually a challenge. I'm not a fan of short shorts, but that's essentially what all the popular stores carry. Otherwise shorts with a length I like might be really boring, or look like "mom" shorts.

I have the same problem with swimsuits. I don't care for bikinis, but I also don't want the same swimsuit my grandma would probably wear.

What are one or two items that you enjoy shopping for, and why?

I absolutely love buying blouses. Like I've been saying, I'm big into really cute tops that spice up jean shorts and complement slacks. I'm also a fan of dresses. You can wear them in all seasons, which is great. It saves you time in the morning getting ready because it's one piece. So everyone thinks you look great even though you were really running late or were lazy. Dresses are fantastic.

What do you DISLIKE the most to shop for? Name a few of your least liked items?

Let's see, besides shorts and swimsuits...I don't like shopping for boots. I love boots. I don't love the process of trying boots on. You have to find a place to sit (which there is never much seating in the shoe section) because they don't slip on easily like sandals. Then you walk around to make sure it fits while taking into account if there will be enough room for when you put on jeans, if you can wear thick socks, if you could walk long periods of time in them, what outfits you could wear them with, etc. Same thing with heels. I love heels. They don't feel the same way. I get home and suddenly they're a size smaller or something and cut into my feet. But they're so cute! It's a struggle.

When you shop for clothing, how do you feel about your body? What do you think is the most challenging part of your body to dress and why?

How I feel about my body when I shop varies. Some days, especially if I worked out that week, I feel really good. Other days when I pigged out on desserts the night before, I don't have the best attitude when I shop. I have to make sure I don't critique my body. A lot of times I shop and when clothes don't fit me, I think of the friend who has the body to pull the clothes off.

The bottom half of me is hard to dress. Everything is either too short or is too low. Plus my mom was kind enough to give me her genes that makes it easy to gain weight in my thighs. Jeans and shorts either fit my waist and are too tight around my thighs, or they fit my thighs and are too lose around my weight.