occupation: accessories designer, blogger and student

“I like to feel [that if I were]…walking down the street and my friend called me about a party to go to, [that I would] be ready.” Mario Monroe

I love that Mario walks into class with the secret plan of being dressed in a way that will make people turn around and wonder where he is going. He is always ready for any event that life throws at him, because he is always himself 24/7. Why need a special occassion to turn heads and to care about how you are perceived? It is the unexpected that sparks an attraction to someone, and sparks fly when Mario walks the streets. It’s an understatement to say how inspired I am by his creativity. Everyone these days calls themself a stylist, but few are, in my opinion. It’s one thing to buy everything you want and it’s another to take an African cuff that is too small and wear it as a triple ring. And there’s plenty more from where that came from. Mario makes a necklace out of two charm bracelets, wears sweats with a tuxedo jacket, prefers women’s clothing because there are more options, cuts sleeves off of jackets to wear as fingerless gloves, creates a knit hat by cutting a hoodie, and rocks white after Labor Day. And for me, his army surplus hats (he visits the store three times a week) and classic men’s oxfords (some cut open, some not) add the perfect classic and weighty details to the piles of indigenous bracelets with fur tails and sequin tanks. I can’t even imagine how confined Mario must have been in his high school’s uniform of khakis and black button-downs. I picture DIY madness at graduation day, cap and gown included.

Mario’s blog Leopard Milkshake. If you like Mario, you might also like Malcolm Harris and Nicollette Santos.