Anna Shea is a senior environmental studies major from Verona, New Jersey. She is a founding member of Students for Justice in Palestine, a member of Bread and Roses Collective and a Production Shift Leader at the Davis Center. She also runs the popular TikTok account @sibunanna.

THE CYNIC: Tell us about the look.

SHEA: I would say that this is my new favorite look that I started wearing over break. I really like wearing these leg warmers over these tights that I got for my Halloween costume — my Patricia from “House of Anubis,” Halloween costume. And this skirt I got at H&M like a bajillion years ago. I stopped wearing it because it’s really short but when you’re sitting inside all day you can wear whatever you want! The sweater is from Goodwill. I think it’s fun to wear like, a big-ol’-thing.

THE CYNIC: And the accessories?

SHEA: Oh yes! I got these earrings at a place in New York, like a fancy craft store sort of thing. And this necklace I found at home from my childhood and I never wore it because what child wears a necklace? Anyways, the scrunchie I got at Claire’s. 

THE CYNIC: Describe your style in a nutshell.

SHEA: I don’t think it’s really tied down to anything. I feel like a lot of the time the things I wear are inspired by things that I watch and then I’ll just wear that outfit over and over again until I’m exhausted of it. I’m just inspired by a lot of the things I see.

THE CYNIC: Give us an example.

SHEA: In the movie “Sing Street” there’s a character I’m really inspired by, Raphina. It’s like an 80s thing, which I think had a lot of cool fashion. So I’ll wear these shoes with jeans, which gives you a nice long leg look, with my kimono and a black turtle-neck. Then it’s a nice, stylish look and it reminds me of her.

THE CYNIC: So apart from the characters you look to for inspiration, who or what else has influenced your style choices throughout your life?

SHEA: I feel like it’s never really one thing. But there was this one influencer, @natweaves, back in high school that I started doing the party-pony because of. I’m always trying new things with my hair but prior to that I hadn’t really. I also took a trip to Ireland before I started high school, and I’d say that was a formative thing for me fashion-wise. I bought a leopard print sweater and that was when I felt like I really got my style. Because obviously, who dresses good in middle school? But after that trip I just got a vision in my head of what I wanted to wear. 

THE CYNIC: What does “style,” or the way you present aesthetically, mean to you?

SHEA: I feel like coronavirus as a whole has really changed my perspective on fashion. Before I would just wear whatever to go to campus or go to class and on the weekends I would wear what I wanted. This summer I realized that I’m just sitting around doing nothing, I might as well wear whatever I want because it’s fun. Since then I’ve been loving how I can wear skirts and dresses whenever. I kinda like how coronavirus makes it so I can do that any time of year. It’s like weather doesn’t exist.

THE CYNIC: Is there anything else impactful that we didn’t get to?

SHEA: Something I enjoy about the clothes that I own is that I have a lot of things that I bought recently that I like to pair with stuff that I’ve had for a really long time. I don’t really get rid of the clothes I don’t wear, I just leave them in New Jersey. I don’t think I’ve donated a clothing item in like forever because I’m just too attached to all of it. And I think it’s cool when you take something old and find a way to make it new again. Like, I had to stop wearing this skirt, but now I can wear it again!