Siena Uyenoyama (way-no-ya-ma), January’s fashionista of the month, has been one of my close friends since 2014, and so I’ve had the pleasure of watching their style change over the years. This interview was…a little more chaotic than interviews I’ve done in the past, but Siena shares a lot of their hot takes on fashion that I find to be really intriguing.
Amelie: When did you start getting into fashion?
Siena: Ok, so as a child, I was a very avid wearer of pink. Elementary school up until about late 7th grade, I was strictly set on plain colors, and I would only wear plain t-shirts, plain running shorts. I hated jeans. In 7th grade, I was struggling to find my style so I basically copied my friend’s’ styles, including yours [Amelie’s], [and other friends]. I decided they did not fit me. In 8th grade, I entered a very aggressive emo stage, in which I wore a lot of alternative clothing, including fishnets to school… It was a time. And then over the summer, I got into lots of patterns, and I was like, “hmm, I really enjoy showing off for validation in front of my friends in school by wearing cool clothes,” so that was that.
Amelie: What three words would you use to describe your current aesthetic?
Siena: …
*Enter Lily Katz*
Siena, to Lily: Wwhat three words would you use to describe my current aesthetic?
Lily: Grandpa… but in a cute way.
Siena: That's like, six words.
Lily: Well… Cute Grandpa Aesthetic… Chic Grandpa Aesthetic.
Siena: Wh- Ok, let’s just go with chic… Chic Grandpa.
Amelie: Chic Grandpa… okay. What are your favorite colors/patterns to wear?
Siena: I love to wear green. I’m having a thing with yellow lately, which is why I got these, *gestures to bright yellow converse* and lately I’ve been liking to wear plaid and more geometric patterns.
Amelie: Who is your favorite fashionista/fashion inspo?
Siena: Amelie Zosa.
Amelie: Aw, that’s so sweet, thank you.
Siena: Or Orli Kadar.
Amelie: That’s… so facts.
Siena: And Ava Gauthier…
Amelie: Valid. Do you have a favorite type of clothing to style?
Siena: Spring clothing! But that’s bad, because I’m buying a lot of pants for winter, but I’m not gonna be able to wear them in the spring because they’re hot… but I’ve been buying a lot of skirts lately, I think styling skirts is fun, and I like spring because you can wear jeans and skirts, like it’s not too cold or too warm to do either of those things.
Amelie: How do you deal with trends? Do you stray away from them or try them out?
Siena: Hmm, okay, so last year, you know the fairy grunge trend?
Amelie: Uh huh.
Siena: I kind of attached myself to that, and then I like, tried to stick with it over the summer, ‘cause I was like, “no, I am not a trend follower, I will pick one aesthetic and stick to it.” I hated it so much. So I started anew… I don’t really know what the trends are right now… ok remember the coconut girl thing? I hated that. And the Danish pastel? I don’t think I’m a trend follower, but I think if I like something that’s trendy, I will buy it, and then wear it for as long as I would wear a normal piece of clothing that wasn’t trendy.
Amelie: That’s valid… Funky socks, yes or no? Can you incorporate fun socks into a good outfit, or-
Siena: I’m literally wearing rainbow unicorn socks right now-
Amelie: You didn’t let me finish the question!
Siena: I’m literally wearing unicorn socks, they’re the comfiest thing ever, I’m an avid collector of funky socks, I have unicorn socks, I have multiple pairs of cat socks, I have squirrels kayaking socks, I have gummy bear socks-
Amelie: But are they a part of a good outfit, or are they just for fun?
Siena: Of course [they’re part of a good outfit]! They add flare, even if no one sees them. You can just… flip up the pant real quick, and be like, “hey, here are my socks.”
Amelie: What is your take on thrifting?
Siena: I love it, I think that it’s a very good, sustainable equivalent to $200 SheIn hauls. I think that if you go thrifting… like, if you’re extremely wealthy and you go, try to limit it a little bit more. Obviously people who are middle class can go, but we should also make sure we’re not taking a ton away from people who are underprivileged.
Amelie: The last question is not related to fashion, but if you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?
Siena: I’ve been very into Ireland lately. I think it would be a fun place to live- I like the whimsicality of it, I think I would like to live in a small college on a wind-swept bluff in Ireland, with two cats, with it being like, two miles away from a nice, large town, where I can go get my groceries and eat a full block of parmesan cheese each day.
Amelie: That's very elaborate, thank you. Thank you for letting me interview you!
Siena: Good night.
Amelie: Good night… they say at 3pm.