Style to Admire: Sarah Clark

I'd like to introduce a new feature to my blog called Style to Admire.  In this section I'll intereview fellow fashionistas about their personal style.

For this first article, I'm so excited to chat with Sarah Clark of Sweaterandapen.com 
I like Sarah's style because it has a very classic feel with a modern edge, and her outdoor photos are stunning.
  

Bleu Avenue:  Hi Sarah, thanks for talking with me.  Tell us how you became interested in fashion?

Sarah Clark:  For a long time, I wasn’t interested in fashion at all. I was a t-shirt and jeans type of girl. Truthfully it was laziness on my part. I already had to get up at 5:30 every morning to catch the bus and I didn’t need another reason to get up even earlier. So, I just slipped on whatever was clean and comfortable. I think maybe I was in eighth or ninth grade when I finally started to pay more attention to clothes. Most days I still stuck to my casual jeans and tee but I started to dress it up a bit with a few accessories. 

     

    It’s funny, for years and years I absolutely hated the color pink. It was way too girly for me. Hah! Now, light pink is one of my favorite colors. My wardrobe is basically skirts and dresses—such the contrast to my closet in elementary and middle school. 

    Also, I think another way I became interested in fashion was through my art. When I was a little girl, I would always draw little mannequins and then later dress them in beautiful wedding gowns. A little girl always dreams of her wedding you see, and I wanted to design my own wedding dress. I still have some of the drawings somewhere in my attic. As I grew older, I started to draw other clothes, such as sundresses and blouses. I think it would be fun to be a designer. I’ve attempted actually sewing clothes myself—I got a sewing machine this Christmas—but I have yet to create anything that I would be proud to wear.

B: I wholeheartedly encourage you to use that sewing machine.  My daughters have started bringing their fashion drawings to life that way.  I never got the hang of it, but they've taken to it like ducks to water, so they're currently teaching me to use it.  

You are also a photographer.  Has the marriage of these two interests helped you to hone your skills?

SC: Yes, I am a photographer! Honestly, I never really considered fashion and photography together. My parents are photographers and they are the ones that kindly photograph my outfits for the blog.

B:  Your photos are so lovely.  Who are your style icons and/or what are your favorite places to shop?

SC: Ooooh! I’m so glad you asked that question! I am a major thrifter. One of the main thrift stores that I shop at is my local Plato’s Closet. If you bring in top brand clothes in good condition, they will go through them and possibly purchase some from you. They pay—in cash—a certain percentage of what they will sell that item for so that they can make a profit. I have been able to do this countless times and then use that money to purchase new outfits. They have great deals. 

    Another store that I completely love is ModCloth. I have more than a thousand items on my wishlist from there but I have yet to purchase one. I’m sure then when I finally do, I will love it. I have several style icons that have inspired some of my outfits. I have been following Rebecca from The Clothes Horse for awhile now and she was one of the main reasons that I decided to start my blog. Our style’s are somewhat similar and we’ve chatted a little bit through email about blogging. She is so sweet :) Another is Susanne Waglen. I adore her style and the girly vibe about all her outfits. The fact that her entire wardrobe is made up of all pastel colors makes it seem like they all come straight out of a fairytale.

B:  Ahhhh, pastels, you're so right about them.  I wish they loved me as much as I love them, but most of the time I just can't pull them off.  

   On the subject of styles where the feeling isn't mutual, I remember when everyone was wearing those ultra-low rise jeans and they looked terrible on me.  I hated them (or rather I hated my body when I was in them) so much that I switched to buying boys jeans until that trend was over.  Are there any past fashion fads you really regret being a part of, or current trends you wish would go away?

SC:  I know that skinny jeans have been in style for quite some time now. I wear them myself and couldn’t imagine wearing any other type of pants. I’m not sure when this fad will end or how we will look back on it—with embarrassment or not—but I know that everyone loves them nowadays. Okay, now a trend that I am not very fond of… I think one is probably overalls. I’m not sure what all the craze is about but I just don’t see it. But that’s not to say that it doesn’t look good on some people. Another blogger that I follow can pull them off magnificently. I think it’s all about your personal style and what best suits you.

B:  When I was younger I could never find clothes that fit me well.  I also loved a certain style that is all wrong for my shape, and even today I hate doing my hair.  So, I've had to learn (and am still learning) to overcome a few things before I could really find my way.  Are there any areas like this in which you struggle?  Any advice for women in the same boat?

SC:  I struggle a lot to find clothes that fit me, especially pants and shorts. Skinny jeans always look great around my calves, but always seem to be too tight around my thighs. Ugh! It’s frustrating. Also, there are some shorts that I would love to wear but no matter how I try them on, they don’t look good on me. Have you ever picked up something off the rack and thought, ‘This is so cute! And it’s totally my style! Eek! I must try it on.’ ? So you try it on and then—oh. It doesn’t look quite how you pictured it in your head. I cannot count how many times this has happened to me. And no matter how adorable the short or skirt or blouse or dress is, I just can’t bring myself to buy something that doesn’t look absolutely amazing on me. 
    At first, I used to get so irritated because of this, but now I’ve come to realize that maybe it’s a good thing. Instead of having an overflowing wardrobe of tons of clothes that look meh, okay, on me, I have tons of clothes that make me look amazing! It will take you awhile to find out what best suits you and your body type, but when you do, you will feel so much better knowing what you’re looking for. For example, I recently learned that high-waisted shorts flatter me much more than normal ones do. And so with that information, I

 always keep my eye out for high-waisted shorts when I am shopping now. 

    And my advice is this: be yourself. And surround yourself with honest friends and family. You don’t know how good it feels to have an honest opinion about your hair or outfit or makeup. You don’t want someone who tears you down, no not at all, but you need someone who you can ask whether your hair looks better up or down. They shouldn’t be afraid to be honest. And you have to take the criticism with the praise. One time, I was wearing an outfit that I was so excited to wear out that night and I asked my dad his opinion on it. He said he liked it but he didn’t think the shorts that I was wearing looked good with the rest of it. I didn’t have another pair of shorts that matched and so I changed into an entirely different outfit. At first his opinion was unwelcome—even though I had asked for it—but then I accepted it and I’m glad that I did change. 

    And also, my last piece of advice is for a day out shopping. Girls, when you try on a new dress in the changing room and look at yourself in the mirror, if you are not absolutely head over heels in love with the way it looks on you… don’t get it. I have learned this through piles and piles of unworn clothes tucked away in the back of my wardrobe collecting dust. 

B:  That is some of the best advice I've heard.  Thank you so much for sharing that with us.

You can also find Sarah's work at http://sarahamber.com/ and check out her style gallery on ModCloth.com