Street Fashionista: Cristina Schreckengost

contributed photo

Grey is the forgotten one, the redheaded stepchild; grey is like putting Baby in the corner, and no one puts Baby in the corner. We shouldn't misplace grey because grey is optimistic. For on even the greyest day, the sun still shines through.

Grey is neutral like Switzerland. Grey is wise, for we all go grey as we age and with age comes wisdom. Grey can be spelled two ways – black can't do that. It's soothing, too. Grey is literally color without color, thus grey is really deep, man.

But fashionably speaking, (that's why we're here, right?), grey is easy to wear, and everyone looks fantastic in it. It's a tone that is fun to work with because it can be manipulated in many ways, added to, given color, played with.

Some of my favorite grey items include heather-grey T-shirts – long and short sleeve – a pale grey wool scarf (find: Chan Luu's scarves), a cashmere sweater, grey suede boots, and the grey wool military jacket. Big smooch! The classic gentleman wears the grey suit – be it pale, charcoal, or heathered – it's divine. And I do swoon over a guy in a heather grey sweatshirt, as its always been a favorite.

Fun ways to wear grey: The greatest thing about the neutral tone is you can add gradient to your wardrobe by wearing many shades. A pair of pale grey trousers with a charcoal grey sweater, breaking it up with a mustard-yellow knit cap or wool scarf (my favorite color combination is yellow and grey – it's sings), which is killer look – thoughtful yet refined.

Grey and white is lovely too; the combination screams fresh. Grey and red are always a classic stand by, as well as grey and black. One can get very creative with accenting grey.

Get bold and try a black-and-white-striped scarf with a grey outfit or a black-and-white-patterned blouse with a grey pantsuit. Guys, stay a little safer with tonal accents. A grey suit with a white button down and pigeon-toned tie is really sleek. One thing you don't want to do is wear one shade of grey all over; it's too much.

Remember, fashion is what's happening now, and style is what is internal (I think Coco Chanel said something like that once). So listen to the little stylish voice inside of you – it says wear grey leather pants (no, it doesn't… yes, it does).

Who: Cristina Schreckengost, blogger, mostlyclothes.com

Where: Tranquil City, Erie

Why Cristina: She nails the grey scale. She keeps it casual by wearing black leggings but adds the graphic sweater and cozy socks for interest. Her necklace is unexpected and cool, which beckons to her chic personal style. Her on-trend spectacles in blue add the begging of color that grey seeks. Also, it totally helps that she's freakin' cute as heck!

The Goods…

Describe your style: I would say that my sense of style is somewhere along the lines of "Euro Geek." My outfits are put-together without being overly formal.

Favorite items in your closet? A heather grey MANGO sweatshirt with studs and rhinestones on the shoulders. A pair of black and white galaxy printed leggings from PAC SUN. A denim mini skirt that goes with everything from A.P.C. My collection of schoolgirl skirts from American Apparel that have become my uniform – no pun intended. Lastly, my drawer full of thigh-high tube socks and knit knee-highs because they are so essential for layering with dresses and skirts in the winter.

Current fashion obsession? I am starting to drift away from fashion trends and focusing on what is personally interesting to me. I like clean designs that make a nice shape. I've been falling back into a primarily more grey scale wardrobe as well. It's fun to keep an outfit simple and then accent it with a really great graphic print.

Tell us about your fashion journey. It started with my love of blogs. What I learned was an innate sense of forecasting trends. When you constantly look at fashion you love, you begin to recognize trending patterns and popular styles. After discovering my passion for design, I decided to start my blog Mostly Clothes. I went to school for fashion photography, so I had that under my belt, and what started to emerge was my love for writing. I never thought that it could be something that I got so much pleasure out of let alone something that I would be good at.

If you could shoot for any magazine, which publication would you choose? This is hard! Oddly enough I don't think it would be fashion. I would rather write about fashion or style editorial pieces. I would love to shoot for Food and Wine. I am equally as passionate about food as I am about fashion, if not more so.

What has been Erie's most fashionable moment? For me, Erie's most fashionable moments can be found in any unique individual's sense of comfortable style within his or her own outfit. I think it's important for people to let others know when they like what they are wearing. It always feels good to witness a compliment and it instills encouragement in other fashion risk takers. Those moments that inspire onlookers are what I consider to be the most fashionable.

Favorite fashion icon? Grace Kelly. She reminds me to be a lady.

You can check out Cristina online by visiting mostlyclothes.com and etsy.com/shop/mostlyclothes. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest at pinterest.com/mostlyclothes and instagram.com/mostlyclothes.
 

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