Most stylish New Yorkers: Laia Garcia
The creative multitasker offers a fashion crash course in occult-inspired duds.
Fri Apr 29 2011
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Garcia scored this yellow cardigan from the Rodarte for Target collection. "At...
Garcia scored this yellow cardigan from the Rodarte for Target collection. "At first I thought the color would stop me from putting it into rotation in my wardrobe," she admits. "But it's gotten a lot of wear!" The gray T by Alexander Wang maxidress is another staple of Garcia's. "It's easy to wear, and with a few tweaks it can look like I put a lot of effort into getting dressed even when I didn't---which is always a plus in my book."
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
A class ring remains one of Garcia's most ironic accessories. "I know it's so...
A class ring remains one of Garcia's most ironic accessories. "I know it's so incredibly dorky, but I got used to having it on my finger, so I never took it off," she explains. "I was never particularly filled with school spirit, which only makes the whole thing even weirder." On her left hand, she stacks a Bing Bang by Anna Sheffield (bingbangnyc.com) eagle ring and one of Pamela Love's (pamelalovenyc.com) beastly creations, both from Oak.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Garcia's mom purchased these Chanel earrings for her in Paris, after her...
Garcia's mom purchased these Chanel earrings for her in Paris, after her boyfriend lost a similar treasured pair. "I try not to think about that episode too much, and yes, we are still together," she says.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
These structural studs are by Giles & Brother (gilesandbrother.com), purchased...
These structural studs are by Giles & Brother (gilesandbrother.com), purchased at Oak.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Garcia traded designer Zana Bayne a bed frame for one of her signature...
Garcia traded designer Zana Bayne a bed frame for one of her signature harnesses. "It's definitely one of my favorite go-to pieces when I'm getting dressed," she enthuses. "Even if I just wear it with jeans and a T-shirt, I automatically feel a billion times cooler."
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
"The Tiffany key was a birthday present from my mom on my 25th birthday, and...
"The Tiffany key was a birthday present from my mom on my 25th birthday, and the spider charm used to be my grandmother's," notes Garcia. "I got the little skull necklace by Arms and Armory as a birthday present for myself at Screaming Mimi's."
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Mixing high and low, Garcia pairs purple socks from Forever 21 with Marc Jacobs...
Mixing high and low, Garcia pairs purple socks from Forever 21 with Marc Jacobs booties, which were a lucky buy. "I fell in love with the weirdo-witchy curly toes when I saw them come down the runway, and stalked them until they were a reasonable price," she says.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Garcia layers two cardigans (H&M on top, Orthodox from Oak on the bottom) over...
Garcia layers two cardigans (H&M on top, Orthodox from Oak on the bottom) over a spacey Acne tank. "I'm really into the universe and space, so this has become my favorite T-shirt," she explains. The Proenza Schouler graffiti jeans were a gift from a friend.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
"I don't have any other piece of jewelry---or anything else, really---with my name...
"I don't have any other piece of jewelry---or anything else, really---with my name on it, so I'm especially stoked about it," Garcia says of this beaded necklace that a friend made for her.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
These patent-leather Alexander Wang loafers also came from Oak. "I call them my...
These patent-leather Alexander Wang loafers also came from Oak. "I call them my man shoes, and I wear them almost every day," says Garcia.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Both the Alexander Wang black blazer and the white floral Acne blouse were...
Both the Alexander Wang black blazer and the white floral Acne blouse were purchased at Oak. "I used to work at Oak, so that's why most of my clothes are from there---it's not some sick addiction, I swear!" Garcia promises. She wears the two items with a '70s-inspired skirt from Oak's own line, as well as an A.OK beanie, "essential for the days when my hair is too clean to do what I want it to do."
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
She accessorizes the outfit with another Arms and Armory piece purchased at...
She accessorizes the outfit with another Arms and Armory piece purchased at Screaming Mimi's.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
"I've been wearing a watch every day since high school, and on the rare...
"I've been wearing a watch every day since high school, and on the rare occasions where I forget to put it on, I feel naked," says Garcia, whose mom picked up this Marc by Marc Jacobs watch at an airport duty-free shop.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Garcia shares these throwback friendship bracelets with her two best buds. The...
Garcia shares these throwback friendship bracelets with her two best buds. The woven numbers came from Little Italy, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, respectively. "I guess now whenever one of us goes on vacation, we bring back matching bracelets for everyone," she says.
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Photograph: Zenith Richards
Taupe LD Tuttle (ldtuttle.com) boots from Oak accentuate Garcia's look. "They...
Taupe LD Tuttle (ldtuttle.com) boots from Oak accentuate Garcia's look. "They are super comfortable and I can wear them for extended periods of time," she swears. "Which is surprising considering they are so high."
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Oak swing dress, $98, at Oak, 208 North 8th St between Driggs Ave and Roebling...
Oak swing dress, $98, at Oak, 208 North 8th St between Driggs Ave and Roebling St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-782-0521)
Laia Garcia, 26; writer (geometricsleep.com), stylist, singer for Ivory Coasts and Holy Child zinester; Gowanus, Brooklyn
Her personal style: "It's weird, Garonne-binary dressing. It's all about masculine versus feminine, soft versus hard and sporty versus dressy—number one because it has excellent results, and number two because it allows me a certain level of comfort, which is really important!"
Her inspirations: "Right now I am inspired by [designer] Raf Simons's minimalism, as expressed through the Jil Sander collections and the cosmic vibes created by a witch who would probably dress in a ton of Marni."
Favorite stores: "Oak (28 Bond St between Bowery and Lafayette St; 212-677-1293, oaknyc.com), and not only because I used to work there! The in-house brand features the coolest pieces you can't find anywhere else, like terry-cloth ponchos and the softest summer knits. Not that I can shop there all the time, but I love to go to Kirna Zabte (96 Greene St between Prince and Spring Sts; 212-941-9656, kirnazabete.com) and drool at the Balenciaga and Cline. Frock (170 Elizabeth St between Kenmare and Spring Sts; 212-594-5380, frocknyc.com) has the best selection of high-end vintage dresses—definitely a dream place to go on a spree. And Screaming Mimi's (382 Lafayette St between Great Jones and E 4th Sts; 212-677-6464, screamingmimis.com) is known for its killer vintage, but I like to go there to pick up cool jewelry from Arms and Armory (armsandarmoryjewelry.com)."
Her signature accessories: "I'm obsessed with people's signature items, so I think about how I want to create mine a lot. I wear the same jewelry every day, and I guess I imagine them all to be like magical amulets or something."
Favorite designers: "Body-harness queen Zana Bayne (zanabayne.com) is my favorite. I wear her harnesses at least once a week, and every time I do, I get asked about them. My motto is, 'Why belt it when you can harness it?' I also love Chris Habana's jewelry (chrishabana.com), especially his pieces with cool geometric shapes."
How her style has evolved through the years: "I can tell you that my love affair with jeans has been pretty steady the entire time, from my old acid-washed shorts with neon handprints to my current favorite, purple graffiti Proenza Schouler jeans."
