Chic People: SonjaG
As many of you know, I am a huge vintage clothing nut. Who could be a more befitting and chic person to interview than a fellow retro fashionista? SonjaG is the perfect “go-to” vintage bella! EIU trendspotting favorite, her outfits are always feminine and flirty (she frequently sports the full-skirted 50’s look) with touches of quirkiness and 21st century creativity. What’s not to love about this girl?
1. Q: How did you hear about Chictopia and why did you decide to join?
A: I had known about Chictopia for quite some time before I joined. I had seen blogger’s links to their Chictopia pages, and even though I have been obsessed with fashion forever, I only just decided to join this summer. Originally, one of my best friends persuaded me to join Lookbook, but I thought it was unfair that you had to have an invitation to join. Instead, I chose Chictopia and I could not have been happier with my choice. I love that it is accessible to everyone, and that there is such a positive energy that supports the site as a whole.
2. Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a member of Chictopia?
A: It’s amazing how much support and optimistic enthusiasm surrounds the site! Chictopia allows fashion, an otherwise potentially harsh field, to be welcoming to everyone and their own tastes, and embraces the community instead of making its users feel like they have to mold to certain trends and styles. I feel like Chictopia is made to cater to its users, and not the other way around, which I love so much about it! It’s great to be able to go to one website and see a multitude of different styles, fashions, and most importantly people, and be inspired in all kinds of different ways.
3. Q: How did you get interested in fashion and outfit blogging? What did you dress like as a little girl, and how has your style transitioned over the years?
A: My first day of high school, I decided fashion was going to be my ultimate outlet for self-expression. It made me depressed to see the monotonous styles of every girl around me, and I could not understand their need to look like one another. I decided I would stand out by looking to the past for interesting trends that I can potentially revive. Even though I got a lot of looks, it ultimately paid off by senior year when I won “Most Unique Style” in senior superlatives. Even though I had been obsessed with fashion since the days I stole my mother’s heels and hand-tailored dresses and played dress-up, high school is when my fashion “epiphany,” of sorts, had happened.
I had all kinds of phases with my style. I did the grunge look two years ago, and before that I was very into more bohemian looks, and a mish-mash of other things in between. Now I think I have finally found my own unique style, by picking and choosing items of all sorts that I simply find beautiful, and finding creative ways to pair them together.
4. Q: We love your feminine, vintage-inspired look! What is your favorite decade for vintage clothing and why? When did you first start becoming interested in the fashions of the past?
A: Vintage definitely is my only way to go! To be honest I don’t feel comfortable if I’m not wearing it! I think that every single decade since the 20th century is special in its own way. I love the 30’s and 40’s for the eternally classy and feminine looks that came from them, and am constantly inspired by that energy. I am definitely partial to the 50’s though. Lots of my vintage numbers are 50’s dresses and I just can’t get past the gorgeous cuts and patterns that came from that era. The 60’s are always fun; I turn to 60’s clothing when I am looking for something more playful, like a lace flower skirt with green polka dots in between. The 70’s offered lots of gorgeous lengths and beautiful materials, especially in skirt forms, and the 80’s brought about gorgeous heels in fun colors. I love the 90’s too, especially because I was actually lucky enough to live in them! I think I got obsessed with vintage clothes around the beginning of high school too, and my first round of inspiration came from my mother’s closet—-the owner of many fabulous custom-tailored suits and dresses. I feel like by wearing vintage, I am reinventing the times in which I was not fortunate enough to experience!
5. Q: Do you prefer to buy your vintage clothing online or from “real life” shops? Which shopping venue is better?
A: It depends on what I am looking for. If I want to shop vintage and get a wide array of inspiration I go out to my favorite vintage stops both in San Jose and San Francisco. Thrifting always turns up several gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces as well! I am also a buyer at Black and Brown in San Jose, and buy a lot of vintage from our sellers which simultaneously lends me lots of inspiration from pieces I see go over the counter. Otherwise, the internet is my haven. When I have a piece in mind, I go straight to the computer and usually can come up with lots of pieces that I just have to have!
6. Q: Do you have any fashion inspirations or style icons?
A: My mom in her twenties, during the 70’s. She had impeccable taste and all of her clothes were handmade by her aunt and uncle who were
professional tailors. I love collecting pictures of her during those years and keeping them on the wall in my room to refer back to when I am uninspired. Otherwise, cities inspire me…I love that different cities hold different aesthetics. Some days I will feel the urge to visit one of them, and if I can’t, I dress in a style similar to it (Parisian chic, Seattle grunge, etc.). Other than that, other Chictopia users are always inspiring! I always look forward to checking out the style gallery every day to see not only what people are wearing, but also what is going on in their lives!
7. Q: What is your favorite color to wear and why?
A: I like to experiment with lots of different colors, but I always love burnt orange shades and navy blue. Those two are fun, yet always classic, and even perfect for fall!
8. Q: What’s your number one favorite item in your wardrobe?
A: This changes often, but I will always, always love my two vintage 50’s dresses with lace bodices, calf-lengths, and chiffon skirts. I feel like I don’t have a care in the world when I wear those!
9. Q: Your hair is always so adorable. How do you get such perfect ringlets? Can you give us some advice on how to style our hair this way?
A: Thank you! I do notice I get lots of comments on my hair. It’s natural! I wash it every other day, let it air dry, and add just a little bit of mousse to keep the frizz at bay. Not sure about how to help others get similar hair, because I am a total ditz when it comes to hair, but I suggest a curling iron or even trying out good old fashioned curlers after a shower!
10. Q: To what fall trend are you most looking forward? How do you plan to incorporate this fashion element into your own wardrobe?
A: I really like all of the camel shades, army greens and various browns that are big for fall. I plan to wear lots of cardigans and striped vintage skirts in those shades, paired with thick tights in obscure colors, like mustard, cappuccino, and chocolate brown. I wore nothing but black tights last fall, and I’m ready for a change this year! Fun colored tights are my way to go, as well as coats in fun colors, too. I just found a canary yellow coat that I picked up at work and I can’t wait to pair it with a vintage swingy navy dress with white lace trim. This fall, I don’t want to shy away from colors and stick to black. I want to continue playing with colors, no matter what the weather brings!
1. Tighten Up
2. A Dress of Time
3. Pumpkin Spice
4. Melting Pot-
5. Falling Days
Visit her Chictopia blog for more good old-fashioned loveliness!
~Pink_Champagne
More on my blog, PINK CHAMPAGNE People:* SonjaG
As many of you know, I am a huge vintage clothing nut. Who could be a more befitting and chic person to interview than a fellow retro fashionista? SonjaG is the perfect “go-to” vintage bella! EIU trendspotting favorite, her outfits are always feminine and flirty (she frequently sports the full-skirted 50’s look) with touches of quirkiness and 21st century creativity. What’s not to love about this girl?
1. Q: How did you hear about Chictopia and why did you decide to join?
A: I had known about Chictopia for quite some time before I joined. I had seen blogger’s links to their Chictopia pages, and even though I have been obsessed with fashion forever, I only just decided to join this summer. Originally, one of my best friends persuaded me to join Lookbook, but I thought it was unfair that you had to have an invitation to join. Instead, I chose Chictopia and I could not have been happier with my choice. I love that it is accessible to everyone, and that there is such a positive energy that supports the site as a whole.
2. Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a member of Chictopia?
A: It’s amazing how much support and optimistic enthusiasm surrounds the site! Chictopia allows fashion, an otherwise potentially harsh field, to be welcoming to everyone and their own tastes, and embraces the community instead of making its users feel like they have to mold to certain trends and styles. I feel like Chictopia is made to cater to its users, and not the other way around, which I love so much about it! It’s great to be able to go to one website and see a multitude of different styles, fashions, and most importantly people, and be inspired in all kinds of different ways.
3. Q: How did you get interested in fashion and outfit blogging? What did you dress like as a little girl, and how has your style transitioned over the years?
A: My first day of high school, I decided fashion was going to be my ultimate outlet for self-expression. It made me depressed to see the monotonous styles of every girl around me, and I could not understand their need to look like one another. I decided I would stand out by looking to the past for interesting trends that I can potentially revive. Even though I got a lot of looks, it ultimately paid off by senior year when I won “Most Unique Style” in senior superlatives. Even though I had been obsessed with fashion since the days I stole my mother’s heels and hand-tailored dresses and played dress-up, high school is when my fashion “epiphany,” of sorts, had happened.
I had all kinds of phases with my style. I did the grunge look two years ago, and before that I was very into more bohemian looks, and a mish-mash of other things in between. Now I think I have finally found my own unique style, by picking and choosing items of all sorts that I simply find beautiful, and finding creative ways to pair them together.
4. Q: We love your feminine, vintage-inspired look! What is your favorite decade for vintage clothing and why? When did you first start becoming interested in the fashions of the past?
A: Vintage definitely is my only way to go! To be honest I don’t feel comfortable if I’m not wearing it! I think that every single decade since the 20th century is special in its own way. I love the 30’s and 40’s for the eternally classy and feminine looks that came from them, and am constantly inspired by that energy. I am definitely partial to the 50’s though. Lots of my vintage numbers are 50’s dresses and I just can’t get past the gorgeous cuts and patterns that came from that era. The 60’s are always fun; I turn to 60’s clothing when I am looking for something more playful, like a lace flower skirt with green polka dots in between. The 70’s offered lots of gorgeous lengths and beautiful materials, especially in skirt forms, and the 80’s brought about gorgeous heels in fun colors. I love the 90’s too, especially because I was actually lucky enough to live in them! I think I got obsessed with vintage clothes around the beginning of high school too, and my first round of inspiration came from my mother’s closet—-the owner of many fabulous custom-tailored suits and dresses. I feel like by wearing vintage, I am reinventing the times in which I was not fortunate enough to experience!
5. Q: Do you prefer to buy your vintage clothing online or from “real life” shops? Which shopping venue is better?
A: It depends on what I am looking for. If I want to shop vintage and get a wide array of inspiration I go out to my favorite vintage stops both in San Jose and San Francisco. Thrifting always turns up several gorgeous, one-of-a-kind pieces as well! I am also a buyer at Black and Brown in San Jose, and buy a lot of vintage from our sellers which simultaneously lends me lots of inspiration from pieces I see go over the counter. Otherwise, the internet is my haven. When I have a piece in mind, I go straight to the computer and usually can come up with lots of pieces that I just have to have!
6. Q: Do you have any fashion inspirations or style icons?
A: My mom in her twenties, during the 70’s. She had impeccable taste and all of her clothes were handmade by her aunt and uncle who were
professional tailors. I love collecting pictures of her during those years and keeping them on the wall in my room to refer back to when I am uninspired. Otherwise, cities inspire me…I love that different cities hold different aesthetics. Some days I will feel the urge to visit one of them, and if I can’t, I dress in a style similar to it (Parisian chic, Seattle grunge, etc.). Other than that, other Chictopia users are always inspiring! I always look forward to checking out the style gallery every day to see not only what people are wearing, but also what is going on in their lives!
7. Q: What is your favorite color to wear and why?
A: I like to experiment with lots of different colors, but I always love burnt orange shades and navy blue. Those two are fun, yet always classic, and even perfect for fall!
8. Q: What’s your number one favorite item in your wardrobe?
A: This changes often, but I will always, always love my two vintage 50’s dresses with lace bodices, calf-lengths, and chiffon skirts. I feel like I don’t have a care in the world when I wear those!
9. Q: Your hair is always so adorable. How do you get such perfect ringlets? Can you give us some advice on how to style our hair this way?
A: Thank you! I do notice I get lots of comments on my hair. It’s natural! I wash it every other day, let it air dry, and add just a little bit of mousse to keep the frizz at bay. Not sure about how to help others get similar hair, because I am a total ditz when it comes to hair, but I suggest a curling iron or even trying out good old fashioned curlers after a shower!
10. Q: To what fall trend are you most looking forward? How do you plan to incorporate this fashion element into your own wardrobe?
A: I really like all of the camel shades, army greens and various browns that are big for fall. I plan to wear lots of cardigans and striped vintage skirts in those shades, paired with thick tights in obscure colors, like mustard, cappuccino, and chocolate brown. I wore nothing but black tights last fall, and I’m ready for a change this year! Fun colored tights are my way to go, as well as coats in fun colors, too. I just found a canary yellow coat that I picked up at work and I can’t wait to pair it with a vintage swingy navy dress with white lace trim. This fall, I don’t want to shy away from colors and stick to black. I want to continue playing with colors, no matter what the weather brings!
1. Tighten Up
2. A Dress of Time
3. Pumpkin Spice
4. Melting Pot-
5. Falling Days
Visit her Chictopia blog for more good old-fashioned loveliness!
~Pink_Champagne
More on my blog, PINK CHAMPAGNE
