While breezing in and out of the Margiela store on a Saturday afternoon, I spotted Sarah Aoanan, riveting in baggy black leather shorts and a green beret with her shiny long black hair and warm eyes. I did my spiel about shooting her for the site, but it didn’t take much to win her over to our concept. Not only did I nab Sarah A., but she arranged for me to shoot her two best friends at Sarah Lawrence College, Sarah Reifschneider and Sarah S., where they are all undergraduates. Each Sarah possesses a strong, open, and individual spirit, and their styles are all unique from one another.
Sarah A. is a fascinating juxtaposition of ultra-motivated pre-med with a mellow California skater attitude. It turns out she was in Margiela looking for his rendition of the high top. She was born in Seattle and grew up in LA. Understated and classic, she dresses within the context of her environment. When on the west coast, she’s more laid back in her sneakers and baggy cardigans. In New York, she tends towards a more structured style in black leather and detailed blazers.
Sarah R. is an explosion of texture, color, and prints. Born in Berlin and brought up in Israel, her worldly roots are evident in her Missoni hats and indigenous jewelry from all over the world. She sees style as such a creative process that she never throws anything away. A shirt from childhood is now a bandanna. She loves to find people who have her same appreciation for beautiful things and to share those things with them. Eclectic to the max, Sarah R. sees no boundaries with dressing – she makes everything work that anyone gives her.
Glamorous, clean, and in love with African culture, Sarah S. reminds me of a young Karen Blixen from Out of Africa. She was born in Texas and grew up in Switzerland, and you can see the style influence in the Frye boots and innate understanding that European women possess of less is more. Sarah S. is most influenced by her 85-year-old grandmother, who was the “Queen of Jetsetters” in the '60s and '70s. She feels that the most important lesson learned from her was the importance of the basic uniform topped off by one’s individual stamp, like coats and jewelry.
