Eliana Martinez
This Northwestern student (and former Jeune Otte intern) TALKS STYLE, SCHOOL, and our new womenswear collection
JO: How would you describe your style?
ELIANA: My style is definitely a mixture of more basic trendier pieces–like biker shorts and big chunky sneakers, things like that–mixed with vintage or pieces that are meaningful to me.JO: We love how the images from your photoshoot turned out! What was your favorite piece?
ELIANA: I had a few! The one thing that I was like, ‘this feels so chic’ and I loved is the Newman Jacket. It has this one cute button that is so 60s. My favorite outfit to try on was that coat and my red cowboy boots. I also loved the Lou Pants 'cause it literally felt like wearing sweatpants. If I was looking at a rack of clothes, a pair of tailored pants would probably be the last thing I would go to but the tailoring is great and the material is so nice. That was the piece that I was most surprised by–I wouldn’t think I would want to wear them but I totally do. In terms of what’s most wearable, and what I’m excited to have and wear the most, would probably be the Lindsey Blouse. It’s sheer with– it almost looks like an Elizabethan–collar when you tie it up. It’s the kind of thing I know I could wear a million ways–out to dinner or even going out with a cute little black bra-top underneath. Jeune Otte: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU GOT involved with Jeune Otte?
ELIANA: [*JO co-founder] Elise Bergman is my neighbor. She moved onto my street a couple years ago and our neighborhood is super close-knit and almost like family. This past summer, I was having a really hard time finding a summer job just because of like, life [laughs] and Elise offered me the opportunity to help her out with JO.JO: Are you interested in clothing design as a career?
ELIANA: I love fashion and dressing up but I’m studying cognitive science at Northwestern and I think I’m going to do more like an MBA or law school post-grad. So I’m going a totally different path than the one Elise went down. But I’m definitely more motivated than before to be involved in entrepreneurship or startups, seeing [Jeune Otte] come to life. I’ve never thought that would be something I’d be interested in but [this internship] has had an influence on me and what I can foresee in my future.
JO: Is the women’s line different from the clothes that you and your friends wear?
ELIANA: I like to be comfortable, that’s my main thing, but I also love a little pop of something girly and I think Jeune Otte is the perfect addition for that… but I think it’s a little more elevated than what’s marketed to young adults. There’s kind of a transformation going on in shopping right now, where it’s becoming so normal to see things exactly tailored to what your personal style is and what reflects the people you follow on social media. It’s really easy to enter a bubble of style that’s what you’re seeing on your Instagram feed. And that can make it really easy to shop but it’s also harder to see things that are a little bit different or pushing you to find pieces that are out of your comfort zone. So I think that’s one thing that makes me excited for this line, because it’s not the stuff I would usually buy but I think wearing it at the photoshoot [showed me] these pieces could be really well integrated into what I’m usually looking for. JO: This is your first year at Northwestern and we can’t imagine it’s been a typical transition with the pandemic in full swing. Do you feel like you’ve missed out on something?
ELIANA: Definitely yes, it’s so not normal and it sucks but it’s also like it is what it is. I mean, [the first semester] wasn’t “college,” there weren’t parties and stuff like that, but I think I definitely experienced the life and maturity change that you experience when you go to school even though it’s in a totally different way. Thank you Eliana! See more pieces from our debut Collection for women here!