Meet Faye! Omg Faye...
Not only is she gorgeous, Faye is a qualified tender cherub. She's a song writer, vocalist, model, consultant, and dog mom of the cutest Jude (featured in most every photo).
It took me about a year, or so to finally meet her and I'm so glad we made it happen! I slid into her dms to lock in a date to shoot; Faye so graciously welcomed me into her cozy-chic, HLP bungalow home/studio, where she writes and records her music. AND if your lucky like me, she even serves delicious natural wine. We talked about all of our favorite brands, after realizing we had the same buying habits, and taste in STUFF...we talked connection, boys, and about the beautiful relationship between Mediterranean diets and extra dirty martinis, while I ogled at her wearing sets from our latest drop THE BARNEY COLLECTION. See/read our convo below:
1) What’s your process for getting dressed everyday?
Because my day-to-day tends to fluctuate with modeling, music, and my consulting work, my process is often based on my commitments for the day. It often feels like choosing “what version of Faye do I want to be today?” or “which version of Faye do I have to be today?”
2) What do you feel the most beautiful wearing?
Pieces that are sexy *and* comfortable and honor my curves. Over the last 5+ years comfort has become way more important to me. The bottom line is: if I don’t feel comfortable, physically, mentally, and emotionally in what I’m wearing then the feeling of beauty is absent.
3) Is there a relationship between music and fashion? How do they connect for you ?
Absolutely. Music and fashion are my two most important forms of self expression. The marriage between the two has always been apparent to me. Music influences fashion, fashion influences music.
4) Who/ what are your biggest music influences and inspirations?
Ooof! That’s difficult because in the end it’s a weird hodgepodge of everything I’ve ever loved. Lately, a lot of my inspirations are friends. They’ve helped me realize my dreams are in reach and have humanized the idea of an “artist.” Someone who comes to mind is Anna Wise. She’s unapologetic. I’ve been in awe of her voice, music, and artistry since 2010.
5) What do you look for in a garment before making your purchase?
Comfort, quality, versatility, and the fit. When brands spend the time and resources to fit their garments to various body types it shows. Over the last year I’ve learned quite a bit about the product development process and It’s something I’ve grown to deeply appreciate.
6) What does sustainability mean to you?
Holistically, a practice that supports ecological, human, and economic health. When personally applying that to fashion, I’m trying to be way more intentional with what I purchase. I often ask myself:
“Does this fill a void in my closet or am I buying the same thing again?”
“Why do I want this?”
“Does this have multiple uses?”
“Is this something I can see myself wearing in various settings and occasions?”
“What does this brand stand for?”
Ultimately a “who, what, where, when, why” approach. I want to make sure what I’m buying is intentional and not impulsive or purely driven by a trend. I think if more people asked themselves these questions when making a purchasing decision, we’d see a lot less of the detrimental effects of fashion on the environment.
Follow Faye!
Faye is 5'9" and wears a size L in the tops, and size XL in bottoms and dresses in The Barney Collection.
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R: How do you decide what you're going to wear everyday?
T: The weather and what movie I recently watched and was affected by. or even what music I'm listening to. I dress into my moods constantly.
Meet Ariel Monroe! Actress, model, and owner of Lovebug Vintage. We met Ariel at the Los Feliz Flea, where they set up shop every Saturday. They sold me a kelly green ribbed tube top and their all around angelic vibes. I had to start following for more of their curated vintage collection and heavenly aesthetic. We got together with Ariel for some Sweetgreen in the garden plus a joint (perfect combo I know). We talked about clothing, sustainability, community, and the color orange. Read our mini interview below:
R: How do you decide what you're going to wear everyday?
A: I usually go about it by looking outside and feeling the temperature. Depending on the occasion or what I’m doing for that day helps me with the deciding factor, but no doubt about it I’ll be wearing some vintage that’s interchangeable from day to night.
R: Why do you choose to work in fashion? What's your favorite part of fashion? A: It’s a safe space to express yourself and it just kinda fit naturally. I’d have to my favorite part in fashion is the artistry of the garments for sure. Fashion has to be funky or you’re not doing it justice.
I had the pleasure to sit down with Karla (as I normally do), in her newly zhuzhed garden. Karla was just finishing up trying on all of her (mostly hot pink) clothing for an instagram story sale when I arrived, so I ran back out, to grab a bottle of wine from our fav women owned shop, Vinovore. I came back to Karla and Ruby, still zhuzhing the garden, and some Krispy Rice + a bottle of Love You Bunches + tectates + truck tacos later, we finally get down to fashion!
R: How do you decide what you’re going to wear everyday?
K: My Gemini energy kicks into gear first thing every morning, there is always a duality to the way I do things. Some days I wake up and know I’ll be getting my hands dirty, which is most days when I’m working honestly, and I’m excited for that.
When I start the morning in my work state of mind, I think of what I have to do throughout the day and make my first choice based off of my first activity -- whether it’s yard work or kitchen prep, I go for something that's not precious. I still make choices fluidly enough so that whatever I’m wearing can transition throughout the day or be a pulled together look with the simple addition of a little lipstick. My work uniform usually consists of a tank top and work pants that I wouldn't be upset getting a bit of wear and tear in. A Pansy bra to hold my titties up and an ARQ tank, or a sports bra, a pair of Ben Davis trousers, or vintage Levi’s to rough it in, and a beat up pair of Nike Cortez. I do still try and protect my clothing so I throw on an apron and do the best I can!!
If it’s not a work day, I dress for my mood. I listen to music non stop and whatever genre/era I’m listening to the most heavily guides my look. Especially when I’m by myself, music feels like my partner. I lean into whatever energy those artists are feeding me that day and dress to that. Lately it's been a lot of soul and blues, so things that feel really luscious and sly, which stylistically for me translates to lots of silk and leather and bare skin. Yet, sometimes the vibe is an old punk band shirt and trousers and that’s just my day there and then. Also, just how you can put about any 80’s synth-y billboard hit to Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer (try it, it’s insane) you can put just about any one of my looks over a pair of black leather square toe + heeled boots.
I consider myself a bit of a chameleon when it comes to my fashion choices, and beyond the jams the inspiration for that is in just about everything I see. For example Ruby, my dog, just binge watched Emily in Paris ~I was just there for support~ and now I can’t stop with the beret!
R: What do you look for in a garment before making your purchase?
K: My whole entire life has been dictated by my budget, which is why I’ve always thrifted -- even before it was the socially conscious thing to do. I have always had to thrift because it's what I and my family could afford. I don’t always know what I’m looking for and I find joy in going blindly into vintage shops and finding that one thing that sings to me. When I’m doing that sifting I’m usually seeking out high quality materials like silk, leather, cotton/canvas, linen, non cheesy satin + lace, or something that's structurally sound. I’m looking for things that I can tell had a life before me finding it, and will keep giving life through my use of it.
In my older adult life, I have finally accepted that I am allowed to buy new clothing too. It was difficult for me to get to that point though, because clothing has always been such a luxury for me -- something that I want, but don't necessarily need. I'm at a place now where I’ve allowed myself that luxury, so I really read into a brands ethos: I like to know where they’re sourcing from and make decisions based off how they’re making the clothes, how they’re paying the people who are making them, and I question whether the clothing is contributing to the problem, or whether it is a brand that is finding solutions.
R: What do you feel the most beautiful wearing?
I feel the most beautiful when I put on something that’s just for me. Anything that I don't have to do any dirty work in makes me feel beautiful because I've made the choice to wear something special and I don't have to think about it getting destroyed. Usually that turns into some variation of a lovely dress, or a delicate vintage blouse plus a bangin pair of shoes ~ anything I can wear just for the sake of wearing, I feel beautiful in.
R: Who/what are your biggest fashion influences ?
I try to immerse myself in visuals often, so my fashion choices are definitely guided by art, art books, painting, visuals/media with strong color ways that I'm connected to at the moment and that add something to the narrative of how I feel and how I'm representing myself. I’m also so inspired by the people around me! I take cues from my friends who dress so beautifully and confidently. When I see people making bold choices and pulling off things that I would initially be too afraid to try, it really encourages me to take a chance and make a similar choice myself because I’m so in awe. Seeing the homies and people around me make big statements through clothing totally inspires me to try new things when I dress.
R: Is there a relationship between fashion and food? How do they connect for you?
K: As a chef I know I must be seeing food differently than someone who doesn’t cook creatively. I can break it down like this: The manipulation of ingredients/materials into a wholly new form is art. Therefore food is art. The manipulation of textiles/materials into a wholly new form is art. Therefore, fashion is art. So they all really play together within the same realm. Anything I do stylistically in food can certainly be translated into another creative or aesthetic space. The things I cook, just like anything else that I make, become a visual representation of myself and my ideas. I hope that any dish I create mimics some of my style choices, and that those choices are felt beyond just the flavor. The connection really does come down to stylistic choices. For me, style is a solid bridge between food and fashion.
The way I style a plate and the way I style myself is wholly connected to whatever I'm feeling creatively and emotionally. Any sort of project or research that I’m working on at a given time is also what gets reflected in the food I create or in the things I'm wearing. I think that subconsciously I choose to leave whatever style I’m operating in very open ended, and that’s because I’m working within my realm at that moment and I'm always changing what that means to me.
Karla is wearing Robbie in Neon size XS, top by backbeat.co, shoes by LOQ, necklace by Glen Parks. Follow her on instagram @karlasuberopittol, and @chainsawla
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