parallel universe - styled by susy

archeologist in training and buyer, susy displays her inner world on the outside through clothing. this multifaceted beaconeer digs up her earliest fashion memory and discusses the inspiration behind this edition of styled by

describe your style...

i wear a lot of vintage clothing. i like to have fun with outfits, but i also need them to be practical - i need to be wearing shoes that i can walk and run in, and clothes that i can move in. i guess the style i aim for would be “adventure chic.”

earliest fashion memory?

when i was about five i had a pair of sparkly jelly sandals. i wore them to my town beach, into the water. the tide pulled one of them off my foot. i was so upset because they were my favorite shoes, so of course i looked all over for it. i was about to give up when i felt something in the water brush against my fingertips. i pulled it out, and it was a jelly sandal - just like mine, the right size too - but strangely enough, it was for the wrong foot. i guess someone must’ve lost their jelly shoe that day too, but it was so trippy. i wonder if the other kid who lost their shoe (or maybe it was me in a parallel universe) ever found my sandal.

what meaning do clothes have for you?

i love that clothing is an opportunity to display your inner world on the outside. i usually let my feelings dress me for the day - sometimes i’ll want to feel complex and mysterious, and i’ll want to wear something complicated. sometimes i like dressing flashy. more often, it’s something simple and practical, like a good pair of jeans, my favorite boots, a t-shirt. i’m always wearing something that makes me feel a certain way. clothing evokes a lot of emotion, and i love to play with that.

what was the inspiration behind this shoot?

i love cemeteries because they’re designed to be peaceful and contemplative, and i love the sense of history. sometimes i like to picture what life was like for those who once lived where i am now. i’m from new england, and there are a lot of old colonial graveyards around. i loved spending time in them. there’s a classic epitaph that goes: “reader beware as you pass by, as you are now, so once was i, as i am now, so must you be, prepare yourself to follow me.” it sounds really morbid on the surface, but it’s meant to inspire you to self-reflect, to live fully and well. there’s nowhere like a cemetery to remind you of how alive you are.

outside of buying what are you up to these days?

i’m really interested in archaeology, and this summer i’m going to go on a dig in south america. i’m also in the process of going back to school for anthropology.

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