As our physical workspaces evolve, so does the way we dress. Work Style explores what we wear to work today—and why.
Who you are: Alejandro Cerecedo
What you do: Senior fashion account executive at PR firm Another Company
Where you work: WeWork Reforma 26, Mexico City
Alejandro Cerecedo always goes for bold. “My coworkers expect that one day it’ll be a crazy print, and another day it’ll be a really bright pink,” says the senior fashion account executive of his long-sleeve collared shirt collection. “What I do is based on creativity, so the perfect way to express myself is always through my clothes.”
Cerecedo’s been at the PR firm Another Company for a year, supervising labels such as Tory Burch, Burberry, The North Face, and the Mexican brand Benitos Santos. When it comes to his own style, he hesitates to label it because it changes on a whim: “Sometimes I like a preppy vibe and I’ll wear a sweater from H&M (I love them for key pieces) with formal pants and my Frankenstein-inspired Prada shoes. But I’ll also go rocker.” This, he says, usually involves a YSL biker jacket and some creeper shoes. We caught up with the chic chameleon during the start of Mexico City’s Fashion Week.
Q: What’s a “normal” day like for you?
A: I do not have normal days. Sometimes I could be at my desk doing weekly reports, or I could be attending an event with the most important key opinion leaders in Mexico City. Today I’m working on the seating chart of Benitos Santos’s fashion show for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico City.
Q: Let’s talk wardrobe. What factors into your decisions about what to wear?
A: My emotions and the climate are really what affect the way I dress day to day. Here in Mexico City, the weather changes a lot. You will leave the house and it will be sunny, and then leave the office and it will be raining.
Q: Tell us about today’s outfit.
A: This is an everyday look for me. The patterned denim jacket is Calvin Klein. They make the best selection of denim jackets because they always give them a fun twist. I have another one from their collaboration with Off-White that’s bright yellow on one side and all denim on the other. It was a gift from my parents last Christmas. They really know me well. If you see an amazing denim jacket or a crazy print, it’s for me! I love this one because I can also wear it as a shirt, like I’m doing today. The dark blue jeans are from Bershka, which I love for my body type. I have really long legs, so they fit me right. And super-skinny stretch is the only style I buy.
Q: Do you have any other body-type tactics for styling?
A: I always wear oversize tops—denim jackets or sweaters—because they give me proportion and turn me from a rectangle to a triangle.
Q: Socks or no socks?
A: Socks, but all my socks are white, and I mostly don’t like them to show. I always roll my jeans and leave space so you can only see the ankle.
Q: Do you have any other fashion dos and don’ts?
A: I don’t use accessories. No rings or bracelets or hats. I don’t even like sunglasses. It covers too much of me! Less is more. And when I wear a button-down shirt, it’s buttoned all the way up.
Q: Does what you wear to work differ from what we’d find you in on the weekend?
A: No. I use the same clothes for work and on the weekends. I’m not the type of person who will dress differently if I’m going for tacos or to a club or to work. I dress for myself and how I feel no matter what I’m doing.
Q: Do you have a power wardrobe or pieces you pull out when you need that little something extra?
A: Just attitude! It’s the best to use with any look.
Q: Do you have a “one that got away”—something that you almost bought but didn’t, and now forever regret it?
A: On my last trip to New York City for Fashion Week, I tried on a red leather jacket in a vintage store in SoHo. I felt like Michael Jackson from Thriller in it. I didn’t buy it because I wanted to search around first. When I went back it was closed, and I was leaving the next day. But it was amazing, and I regret not buying it.
Q: Who do you get your style inspiration from?
A: I love watching people when I’m out. I always wonder how they put their look together. Like, if they were just rushing and grabbed something, or if they spent time to really make it work. Here in Mexico, people use a lot of prints and colors without thinking if they match. And even if they don’t match, the whole look still makes sense. So I get inspiration from the lady in the market as much as I do from singers like Troye Sivan and designers like Kim Jones and Nicolas Ghesquière.
Q: Is there a vibe that’s uniquely Mexican that you love?
A: You know the word “kitsch”? I think here in Mexico people are really kitsch, and that’s what I love most about the Mexican fashion culture.
The watercooler:
- Book you’ve read over and over again: A Clockwork Orange
- Last great film or TV show you watched: the Netflix series Monarca
- Favorite workday lunch: tacos al pastor. “And if you get them without salsa, they’re not tacos!”
- Favorite Instagram account: @dnamagazine
Sara Lieberman is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Her writing appears in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, and more.
