How I Shop: Lola Tung

We all buy clothes, but no two people shop the same. It can be a social experience, and a deeply personal one; at times, it can be impulsive and entertaining, at others, purpose-driven, a chore. Where do you shop? When do you shop? How do you decide what you need, how much to spend and what's "you"? These are some of the questions we're putting to prominent figures in our column "How I Shop."

The last year has been quite the whirlwind for Lola Tung.

The actor's first-ever acting role (the leading one at that!), in "The Summer I Turned Pretty," the hit Prime Video drama based on the Jenny Han novel series of the same name, made her an overnight star. The native New Yorker has been posing for magazines, walking red carpets, sitting front row at fashion week — and, eventually, went back to set for season two, which finally premieres on July 14.

American Eagle was one of the first brands Tung worked with after "The Summer I Turned Pretty" came out. That partnership has continued to grow in the year since, along with her profile and the roster of fashion companies she has relationships with. (She's also appeared in campaigns for Coachtopia, traveled to Paris Fashion Week with Balmain and dined with Chanel.)

"It's evolved with my style," she says of her relationship with American Eagle. "They have a very collaborative energy, which has been really great because I've been able to be a part of [the process] when we're shooting the campaign videos and stuff like that. It's a brand that I have been shopping since I was in middle school, so it was really cool to see how they've evolved as my style has evolved, too. It's been so fun."

For their latest endeavor, Tung poses alongside cast mates (and on-screen love interests) Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno for a back-to-school campaign that marks the launch of a "The Summer I Turned Pretty" capsule, which is inspired by the series and its summer feel.

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Like countless other people who grew up shopping at American Eagle, Tung has many memories attached to the retailer. ("I remember I was very into florals in middle school, and I had this beautiful long-sleeved flowy dress — I've always loved a good flowy dress — and it was my staple nicer outfit when I want it to look really cute for a school dance or an event where I had to be a little more dressed up.") She's also a self-described denim girl, so it's still a go-to for that — when she's not digging into her mom's vintage stash.

Ahead, Tung reflects on how growing up in New York shaped her approach to style, her favorite looks from the past year and more.

"[My style] is kind of funky, a little bit of '70s inspiration and [whatever] I'm feeling in that moment, on whatever day. It changes, but my heart is still in every single outfit. I wear a lot of jeans and T-shirts and sweatshirts and sneakers. I love a good jean — a flared jean, a baggy jean, anything comfortable.

"I was in Wilmington, when we were filming, and I thrifted a pair of jeans that I wear all the time. I have a pair of American Eagle jeans that I got on one of the shoots that's like the perfect baggy jean that I had been looking for — like loose-fitting baggy jeans that I couldn't find anywhere. I have a lot of jeans.

"I used to have these jeans that [my mom] got when she was in New Mexico or something in the '90s. They were loose-fitting and had like flower embroidery all along the butt. I loved them. They were so cool. I wore them until I ripped a hole in the butt of the jeans and I couldn't wear them anymore, but they were the coolest ever. I felt like the coolest kid ever. I still haven't gotten rid of them. I refuse to.

"The day after I booked the show, I bought myself a ring that I wear all the time. The stone just fell out, but I'm going to try to fix it because it means so much to me. It wasn't even super fancy or expensive, but it just meant so much because I was buying it for myself after I had booked this job. It felt like a special moment.

"I love wearing color, but I've been also doing a lot of solid black looks, which has been really cool and chic. I have access to a lot of clothing that I didn't have access to before and a lot of brands that I didn't even think was a possibility, to work with them. I feel so, so fortunate. It's made me more willing to try different things. I've always loved trying different things and having some aspect of my outfits be a little funky or artsy or edgy. This has pushed me to go even further, because I have the ability to, which is the coolest thing in the world.

"I went to the Balmain Paris Fashion Week show, and I wore this very loose, bright red polka-dot look with these super high brown boots. I was like, 'I don't know how this is going to look on me — I've never worn something like this.' And it ended up being one of those looks that I still think about to this day and that I don't regret one bit.

"It was my first time ever in Paris. I took French in high school, so I was very excited to be there. That felt like such a huge milestone.

"[The Bach Mai gown I wore] to the Gold House gala was one of my favorite looks as well. It was something that I'd never done and always wanted to do — a more loose, silky look. I felt like a princess, so that was really fun.

"The first season premiere look will always have a special place in my heart. I loved it, and I felt like I had so much control over this huge exciting look. It felt so me.

"I've learned a lot about a bunch of Asian-American designers that have amazing, amazing pieces, like Philip Lim, Bach Mai, Calvin Luo and Ashlyn. It's just been so cool to learn about all of that because it really interests me.

"It's so much fun to get to experiment and not just have access to these brands, but also to be able to talk to so many people who are into fashion and who are so encouraging of trying different things, because it doesn't always have to be something expensive. There's so much good stuff that you can find thrifting or secondhand.

"[I love that] there's so much freedom to just express who you are through your clothing without judgment. That's another thing that I've learned so much from now being part of it: The whole world doesn't have to love it — if you love it and you're feeling it, then that's really special.

"I don't think I took anything [from the set of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty,' just in case they had to hold onto them for future reference. But it was really interesting to find the places where my style and Belly's style overlap, and then the places where we're different. I wouldn't say we're exactly the same — we're pretty different because it's a very different setting: She's constantly on the beach, and I'm usually in the city for the summer. But I loved her bracelets and her jewelry, because I felt like it was such a specific marker of where she was in her life. I remember being at sleepaway camp and making so many bracelets and having my arms, like, covered in them.

"I loved watching the head of costumes, Jess [Flaherty]. It was so incredible [to see her and] Jenny bring their visions together and curate Belly's closet. There's so much meaning behind each look, and I loved getting to collaborate a little bit.

"I always felt like I could express myself through my clothing, and this is because of my mom, which I'm very grateful for. I've followed some of the trends, because that's just naturally what happens, but I think my specific style always peaked out through whatever trend I was doing.

"Being in New York City, walking down the street, I see inspiration. I'm like, 'Oh my god, I've got to ask her where those flare jeans are from.' The inspiration is everywhere.

"[I get inspiration from] old pictures of my mom when she was younger. She saved so much of her stuff and passed it down to me and my sister. She's so cool. She's always [given me] that encouragement to wear what I want and find my own style.

"I don't even know what my vibe for this summer is going to be. I feel like it's, again, comfortable. I have some Mary Jane Doc Martens that I've been very excited to wear. I got them at one of the American Eagle shoots. I love this collared '70s-ish neckline — I've always been drawn to that era of fashion. I remember watching 'That '70s Show' and loving every single outfit."

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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