I met Stella from doing street photography. I took a picture of her by the end of 2016 I think. Stella is really young but have a very good taste in fashion. I asked her to go on a photo shoot with me.

Here is my interview with Stella.

1. What’s your favorite place on Earth and why?

There’s a cabin up in Dillon Beach in Tomales Bay that my boyfriend’s parents own.  It is such a beautiful place to go all year round, and it’s so quaint and charming. He probably makes it the reason why I love going there though, haha.

2. What made you cut your hair really short?

I originally cut my hair short because I was getting too tired of my long hair. it is naturally very thick and curly, and it was down to my shoulders. Up to the day I cut my hair off, it was always in a bun.  Cutting my hair short was quite on a whim.  I planned on just getting a trim, and my mom also has a pixie and we look a lot a like, so I knew going into it what it would look like.  Almost 6 years later and I have no regrets. It definitely brought out my personality and helped me be myself.

3. What is it like to work in a high-end retail store?

To be honest, it is like working anywhere else.  I have worked in another retail store before, which was a small business. You have your regulars, the crazy customers, the fun stories, and your co-workers. The clientele is probably what sets the tone for any place you are working.  in a high-end store, you definitely need to have manners, and treat them like they are running the show.  Obviously you need to have very good manners with any other retail job, but obviously a small business in Oakland is a lot more lax than Gucci in San Francisco.

4. What is your high school like?

It was very small.  in the school district there were 3 elementary schools that would feed into one middle school and one high school, so I grew up with the same people for 13 years or so.  By the end of high school, everyone had a reputation, and everyone just wanted to leave because we just wanted to get out and meet new people.

5. What is your guilty pleasure?

Nutella.

6. Who is your fashion inspiration?

The Italians.  I do believe that in another life I was Italian.  How they carry themselves, how they dress is so exquisite.  They always put their best foot forward, even if they are grocery shopping.  They will never be seen with sweatpants in public, and neither will I.

7. If you can give people one piece of fashion advice, what would that be?

This is cheesy, but my one piece of advice is to just be yourself.  At the end of the day, there are no trends and no new things to follow.  You can set the trends yourself.  I would also recommend shopping at vintage stores.  When I worked at one, I saw so many beautiful pieces crossing my path, and it really inspired me to incorporate crazy color schemes and silhouettes.  Also know fashion history.  Knowing the history of clothing that you are wearing really makes you appreciate it even more.  I also like to push myself.  Ill have one day a week where I can be really lazy, but I hate it when I start to have that one outfit that I wear constantly.  It feels like a uniform.