Instagram’s best-dressed have one thing in common: they each have a signature style item that they wear more often and better than anyone else. For one person, it could be a string bikini, worn on and off the beach. For another, it’s a standout hat or expertly layered jewellery. Whatever the piece may be, it’s their thing. With our column My Thing, we’re talking with those same experts about that one specific item they have made into their signature — and style unlike anyone else.
Every year, come October, we embrace our wardrobe’s darker side. Leading up to Halloween, bikinis turn into turtlenecks, breezy colours are swapped for moodier hues, and our internal desire to channel Morticia Addams is intensified. But while this is a seasonal phenomenon for many, others, like the 30-year-old Berlin-based illustrator-designer Sonia Lazo, live the witchy fashion life year-round.
“I’ve always been into spooky fashion,” says Lazo, who grew up in El Salvador before, recently, moving to Germany. “It’s been a lifelong affinity for me.” While Lazo indeed gravitates toward graphic skull prints, all-black outfits, and lace-up corsets, what makes their style stand out in the space is their ability to channel the goth aesthetic while infusing colours and Victorian- and Rococo-inspired silhouettes. Think: lots of pink (Lazo’s favourite hue) and pastels; voluminous, child-like dresses; thigh-high socks, bow headpieces; and choker necklaces.
As an illustrator, Lazo likes working with elements from mythology, astrology, horror, and fantasy, resulting in colourful, kitschy art that then trickles into their fashion. Lazo’s style is also influenced by their interest in witchcraft and the ways in which women can channel their feminine power. “It’s beautiful to see women reclaiming a word that it’s been used against them for so long,” they say. (In 2019, they published a book on the subject, titled Witch, Please!: Magical Musings on Life, Love, and Owning Your Power.)
While Lazo’s Halloween-esque style lives year-round, they confess that every October they get especially excited about dressing up. Over the past month, they have shown their almost 150K followers on Instagram outfits ranging from frilly dresses, matching sets, T-shirts, and tights with skull and dead flower prints to vinyl corsets and lace tights: “I definitely feel it a bit more this time of the year.”
Ahead, see how the creative styles their looks from January to December.
Every year, come October, we embrace our wardrobe’s darker side. Leading up to Halloween, bikinis turn into turtlenecks, breezy colours are swapped for moodier hues, and our internal desire to channel Morticia Addams is intensified. But while this is a seasonal phenomenon for many, others, like the 30-year-old Berlin-based illustrator-designer Sonia Lazo, live the witchy fashion life year-round.
“I’ve always been into spooky fashion,” says Lazo, who grew up in El Salvador before, recently, moving to Germany. “It’s been a lifelong affinity for me.” While Lazo indeed gravitates toward graphic skull prints, all-black outfits, and lace-up corsets, what makes their style stand out in the space is their ability to channel the goth aesthetic while infusing colours and Victorian- and Rococo-inspired silhouettes. Think: lots of pink (Lazo’s favourite hue) and pastels; voluminous, child-like dresses; thigh-high socks, bow headpieces; and choker necklaces.
As an illustrator, Lazo likes working with elements from mythology, astrology, horror, and fantasy, resulting in colourful, kitschy art that then trickles into their fashion. Lazo’s style is also influenced by their interest in witchcraft and the ways in which women can channel their feminine power. “It’s beautiful to see women reclaiming a word that it’s been used against them for so long,” they say. (In 2019, they published a book on the subject, titled Witch, Please!: Magical Musings on Life, Love, and Owning Your Power.)
While Lazo’s Halloween-esque style lives year-round, they confess that every October they get especially excited about dressing up. Over the past month, they have shown their almost 150K followers on Instagram outfits ranging from frilly dresses, matching sets, T-shirts, and tights with skull and dead flower prints to vinyl corsets and lace tights: “I definitely feel it a bit more this time of the year.”
Ahead, see how the creative styles their looks from January to December.