The last thing Quintessa Swindell wants to do is slow down. Fair enough, given the string of recent projects they've found themselves in. There’s the wind-controlling anti-hero; a reformed shoplifter in a coming-of-age; a scene-stealer in a cult-favorite TV series. Once you're in their orbit, it makes sense why they keep landing these roles. Hard to pin down, equally soft and sharp.
We spent the day with Quintessa, styled head-to-toe in pieces from Nordstrom in New York. The city, for all its tropes, shares that same magnetic essence.
The Edit, Nordstrom’s new highly curated department of sophisticated, of-the-moment brands, reflects a modern attitude towards personal style where pieces live beyond just a single season and the wardrobe becomes a considered personal collection. Quintessa’s picks followed the same logic: an all-white ensemble by Kallmeyer finished with a waist scarf, simple but notable. A belted leather jacket by Nour Hammour that warranted a second glance. "I felt comfortable and as though I could take those looks anywhere," Swindell says. "I gravitated to them for the ease, simplicity, and elegance."
Costuming, for Quintessa, has never been incidental. "There's a certain point where you begin rehearsing in character shoes, and immediately you're thrust into a completely different posture, movement, and tempo," they say. "That's what costuming does, and good costuming, by someone who really cares, can immediately sync the performer into another self. When it's symbiotic, it's pretty magical." Music helps too; a character-specific playlist fully pulls them into another world.
"You can have all the ingredients, but if you don't have the swag to fill the boots, ya ain't going far."
They just wrapped a film where the character's whole look was Timberland boots, a double-oversized T-shirt, and basketball shorts. "So simple," they say, "but it tells me — and an audience — everything we've gotta know."
"I felt comfortable and as though I could take those looks anywhere."
Off hours, their wardrobe leans into old, torn-up workwear, a study in comfort and flexibility that lends well to raising Lil' Mama, their herding dog. Inspiration is found in old movies, the sharp tailoring of the ‘50s, and “from those who imbue a sense of conviction and confidence.”
"I owe a lot to my partner. He's really inspired me to find the authentic version of myself buried beneath what I thought I 'should' look like." The rotation for the fall: an aviator jacket, cowboy boots, the rare strappy platform heel. "You can have all the ingredients, but if you don't have the swag to fill the boots, ya ain't going far."
Speaking of this fall, they're playing with the idea of a trip to Mumbai for Diwali or a return to Thailand. The latter inspired a short film on Muay Thai they wrote, directed, and starred in. It premiered at a festival in 2025 to a packed house, an experience they've called one of the happiest of their life. As for what's ahead? Swindell's not worried about it. “Next trend,” they say, “a pure heart.”
