Style rooted in the individual’s body. That’s what I like.
Frida Kahlo. Besides her art, we recognize her for her fashion choices. She was often captured wearing a corset or a huipil. She decorated the corsets, painting flowers and animals onto them and inviting us into her subconscious. Over time, she became a style icon, leaving us to imagine the why behind her choices. Maybe she wore traditional clothing to honor her Mexican culture. Her boots could represent defiance.
Actually, the corset supported her spine. The long skirts hid her legs, which were different lengths from her contracting polio at age six. Frida thoughtfully picked out every fashion piece, determined to express her spirit, yet they had practical purposes as well.
I loved the knee-high socks a coworker would wear to work, often paired with a skirt or a long dress. Long socks weren’t in style at the time, yet she looked effortlessly cool. When I told her I liked her aesthetic, she revealed she wore compression socks because of a medical condition. At first she wasn’t a huge fan of them, but she began to enjoy imagining all the different combinations she could make.
Fashion as an extension of a person’s unique form. That’s the style that sticks with me. It’s the friend who has to wear her hair in a bun to focus, otherwise her ADHD would force her to endlessly play with her hair. It’s Stevie Wonder’s glasses or the chunky sneakers my friend wears because she prefers to cover her brachymetatarsic toes. The simple materials of a person sensitive to textures. My friend who wears headbands under winter hats so as not to ruin his braids. The person who wears sunglasses because they’re sensitive to the sun.
My bunion and flat feet don’t want me to look chic. Those fierce, classic pointy pumps that make everyone look amazing? Not an option for me. I’m finally podiatrist-age, well, in my thirties, and the podiatrist prescribed me comfortable shoes only. When I walked into the shoe store for the elderly, the salesperson convinced me to buy the very shoes he was wearing. Great, me and somebody’s uncle are matching. What would people say about me? She’s a software engineer, the gray New Balance look makes sense for her. She must be a tomboy. And I won’t shout, I’m just tired of being uncomfortable!
Often, I paint my clothes to cover up the mysterious stains that appear. People stop and ask me if I’m an artist. I don’t have the heart to disillusion them by admitting I’m just dirty. I think there’s a part of them that needs to believe their story.
I used to be unable to separate fashion from its industry. The fashion industry felt like one big marketing ploy that made us consume beyond our means and mindlessly follow trends created in marketing meetings. The money and time needed to keep up seemed too frivolous compared to this one, precious life.
But God, I love a good story.
And as much as I don’t want to admit it, I love humans even more. I adore the different shapes our bodies take. I’m delighted by the peculiarities of our buttery brains. I think style and stories have always been married—that someone’s style begins with staying true to their unique needs, and the world, eager to understand, makes up the rest. Style rooted in an individual’s body forces us to admit that we are also art, and Frida Kahlo knew her body was a canvas.
Thank you to The Branches journal for publishing this piece in their Spring 2026 issue.
Let me know what sentences stuck out to you, or how this piece landed.
My Creative World
There’s nothing like the choreo debut! My dance team just debuted this season’s choreo at Alvin Ailey World of Dance show and our company student showcase called Azimuth. Azimuth combined afrocarribean styles like salsa with traditional Indian dances like bharatanatyam, an electrifying combination. I hadn’t seen these styles mixed before Baila Society and Navatman dance companies decided to collaborate.
I got to read “Alchemized Style” at The Branches launch event in Central Park, alongside the other featured writers. It was refreshing to meet strangers writers at the park.
What I’ve Been Reading
I fled through Red at the Bone because of Woodson’s poetic sentences. One of her chapters begins with the sentence, “I too am singing America that morning in September.” Woodson captures three generations of a black American family and a mother who ended up not wanting to be a mother.
I started Lena Dunham’s memoir, Famesick because of my intrigue of a writer who began writing and starring in her own TV show at 23. My recent fascination with TV writing continues.
Veronica Polanco is a software engineer and hybrid storyteller who weaves words, code, art and dance to tell stories. Born in Washington Heights and now living in Brooklyn, she sees NYC as the ultimate playground for creativity. Veronica views dance as a joyful rebellion—she currently trains with Baila Society in AfroCuban, Salsa and Latin Hustle. Her work has been featured in publications like The Acentos Review, Ranger Magazine and AMPM Gallery Fall 2025 show, “OLEAJE.” She’s an active contributor to the Dominican Writers Association.
Such a good read! Staying true to yourself is a great foundation for fashion and "the world will fill in the rest". I really liked that. And the "I'm just dirty" made me lol Keep on writing!
Loved this! 💝 I appreciate the honesty behind all the different style choices made by your subjects. Congratulations 🥳on the publication, btw. While I am here, I may as well confess that I wear headbands and headscarves to cover up my alopecia when I wear my hair in a high ponytail or bun. But now the scarves have become a collection item and I just love stocking up on them.