Featured Blog - We Have No Style

If you're a regular member of Chictopia, an online fashion community, then you've probably spotted these two best friends around the popular site. From their unique style, personable posts and charismatic attitude, it's hard to ignore the stylish duo from We Have No Style. I couldn't help but be intrigued by Iris and Daniel; so much so that I had to get the inside scoop of fashion, style, friendship and life from these two. Be sure to read the full interview below and stop by their blog and Chictopia page for even more information.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you live and about your blog.

We’re Iris & Daniel, best friends, and we both live in San Diego, CA. We’re in our senior year of high school. Our blogs (Chictopia and Blogspot) are a joint-blog format in which we showcase our style and fashion interest in a way to channel our creativity through a collaborative way as best friends.

What shared experiences have you two had that brought you closer together? 

Daniel - We share way too many experiences to even think about a select few. The fact that we are always together and are always talking to each other really brings us close because we have similar hobbies and interests; we can bounce ideas off of each other very easily. Our shared experiences basically encompass our entire lives.

Who, in your opinion, is the most underrated designer (living or dead)?

Iris - I think an underrated designer is Rachel Comey, I really enjoy her styling from the hair to the shoes. Really great work that doesn’t seem to garner amazing amounts of attention.

What are your passions?

Iris - My passions are editorial photography, beautiful places and my inspirations. I think that being inspired is one of my true sources of happiness and really gives me an ability to become creative. I love photography and hope to work in the field of fashion photography when I get older.

Daniel - I am passionate about the thought process behind fashion and the ideals of different designers. I think the branding, image and specific output of a certain house or artist is really important and interests me greatly. I am also passionate about good fashion for everyday and believe that style should not be sacrificed for the good of the average societal norm.

Describe your personal style and its influences / inspiration. 

Daniel - My personal style is a dramatic take on everyday wearable. I love to mix masculine and feminine pieces together to create a fashion forward look. I love Givenchy because they mix masculinity, femininity, iconography and drama in a way that is so effortless and unique. I feel that those ideals really exemplify my personal style. I live to be comfortable and even though my style probably looks a bit over-the-top to be comfortable, I usually will avoid wearing pieces that will overly constrict me. I am usually always at a conflict between two opposing styles, I like to call it 'fashion-bipolarism.' It’s always between a more dramatic and opulent style and a minimal, classic, and conservative form of dress. I think that very ingredient in my personal taste is what sets it apart from others.

Iris - I really love ladylike looks and vintage pieces. I like to style them in a way that is quirky but simple. My style is always classic and pretty but never over the top. I grab inspiration from so many different places. I love to look at editorial styling, runway fashion, street style and different vintage photographs of women with style. For designers, I love to look at the classic beauty of Chloe, London elegance of Burberry, sweet girlishness of Miu Miu and playful classicism of Stella McCartney. I’m not big on trends but I would never completely ignore fashion. I think a big part of my personal style is my hair, which is usually never fixed and is always messy-looking. It really enforced the effortless ease I want to exude in my style. I’m always put together and dressed up but I don’t ever enjoy looking stuffy or formal.

If you could wear only one pair of shoes for the next year, what shoes would they be?

Iris - My shoes that I would wear everyday for a whole year would be a pair of vintage tan brown leather boots from the 80s. I feel that they can go with anything and the pair I own have already been worn to death and are basically unwearable right now.

Daniel - Anything black and tall, whatever it is. Probably black suede TUK creepers, mine are broken right now and I don’t know how I’m dealing with it.

What’s your number one favorite item in your wardrobe?

Iris - My favorite dress is this Forever 21 cream lace dress because I wear it so much. I got it for this important event and someone else ended up having the same one but it was fine because we styled it completely different. It has sentimental value because I’ve worn it so many times, there's even paint stains on it from painting a mural for the school play. Most others would stop wearing it just because of that but I think it looks even better because of them.

Daniel - My black blazer stands out as the piece that I wear the most. I love it because it’s so versatile and it’s from the women section of H&M. I really push the ideal that discrimination when shopping shouldn’t be apparent at all. It fits me much nicer than any of their men jackets and also was half the price. The only thing I don’t really like about it is the bright blue lining inside but it’s forgivable because of the fit and usefulness.

What is your favorite era of style?

Daniel - I feel that the 1960s really speaks to me as an era of style. The sleek lines, androgynous edge, and bold graphic designs are such an inspiration. I love the simplicity of the 1960s mod era. I also love the drama and variety of styles that the 1980s is defined by. Both eras have a sort of futurist and theatrical feel to them in completely different ways and I really respond to them.

Iris - My favorite era of style would be the 1950s and 1970s. My style is so obviously influenced by the full skirts, cinched waist, and ladylike looks of the 50s era, and it always stands out as one of my biggest influences. The 70s free flowing looks, amazing colors and femininity really attract me to that time of style.

What one musician/song/CD has had the most profound effect on you?

Iris & Daniel - It’s going to sound really uncool but who cares? Anyway, we met each other in fourth grade but became very best friends in middle school during 8th grade. We were really close before that but we became inseparable by being introduced to the Jonas Brothers around that time. We both loved the music and were basically obsessed. I think whenever you have such a strong connection with a common interest, whether it be fashion as it is now, music, movies, or anything else, it can really bring friends closer than they are.

What can't you live without? 

Iris - A camera! I can’t live without a camera, capturing moments in time and beautiful interesting shots is amazing to me. I love to take photos, whether it be fun random shots or interesting well thought out ones. I usually carry around Daniel’s camera because I prefer his to mine, and I love looking through the viewfinder and seeing something that inspires me and hearing the shutter click.

Daniel - I can’t live without fashion and an interesting point of view on dressing, I feel that clothes encompass such a large part of our everyday lives and that perception that comes with how one dresses is really affective upon how they act and perceive themselves. I believe that my interest in fashion and style has really changed my perspective and point of view, as it has gotten much wider and more open to new ideas. So, although it is quite a superficial answer it has really changed how I see the world.

What has been the most useful piece of advice you've ever been given?

Iris - The quote, “You don’t hate people, you just don’t like being around them,” is one of the most interesting and inspiring to me. I feel that although it does not hold a typical sense of advice, I took it as one. I am a unique thinker and most people cannot see through my point of view and it makes it easier to just execute my ideas alone instead of being with a collective in which my ideas would be incorrectly filtered out.

Daniel - I can’t think of a single piece of advice I’ve really found amazingly useful, I think it’s because I don’t really ask for much advice and people don’t really seem to give it. Although, last year a teacher told me to never lose who I was or compromise my self-concept for anyone else which really reinforced my ideas about how I view life.

When are you happiest?

Iris - I am happiest when I am around good people who support each other and myself in a way that is completely friendly and unconditionally loving.

Daniel - I am happiest when I’m having fun, that sounds really general and broad but I can be happy doing just about anything as long as I’m not bored. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? 

Daniel - I hope that I have graduated college and learned a lot about topics that interest me such as history, art, fashion, photography and design. I’m not sure where I would be career-wise or where I would be living in 10 years but I’m sure that I plan to become completely immersed in what I enjoy to do and am passionate about.

Iris - I think I’m going to be a bum, just kidding. I hope that I’m not a bum, I don’t think I would enjoy that very much. Hopefully I'm doing something I love at that moment and in a creative way. I would never want to pursue anything that would not allow me to be creative and have to do a rigid working job and schedule.

 Be sure to visit We Have No Style 

with love. 

badley