Fashionista Feature: Gathered Lady Charity

Today, we're continuing our interviews with The Gathered Lady staff with 21 questions for our lead editor Charity! 

1. Name/Age/City? Charity Scott. 25. New York City.

2. Describe your fashion style in 5 words. Classic, adventurous, self-possessed, confident, easy.

3. Who are your favorite style icons? Audrey Hepburn, Solange Knowles, Eartha Kitt, Diana Ross, Halle Berry and my mom!

4. Finish this sentence: I can’t help but buy more shoes, shoes and, uh, shoes for my closet.

5. Surprise! Impromptu papparazzi photo bomb in 2 hours! What do you wear? My snug multi-colored Ali Ro dress, L.A.M.B. over-the-knee boots and a really big bracelet. Maybe a blazer.

6. Most expensive item in your closet? Not exactly sure, but I think it’s my Feraud evening gown.

7. If a natural disaster wipes away your entire closet except for 3 pieces, what would you save? My brown suede Prada wedges, my cowboy boots and my Michael Kors animal print trench.

8. Favorite stores to supply your fashion habit? Off 5th, TJ Maxx, J. Crew, thrift stores.

9. Best fashion advice you live by: Dress the body you have, not the body you want. Bonus: Never leave the house without mascara!

10. Worst fashion mistake you ever made: Probably this bubblegum pink dress I bought in college… I only wore it once and thank God there are no pictures.

11. Favorite childhood fashion item: When I was a little girl I loved hats. Brightly-colored brimmed hats tilted slightly to one side. I wore them on Sundays with cream anklets and satin gloves I couldn’t keep clean. I still love a good hat, and am currently shopping for a pair of leather opera-length gloves to go with my favorite suit.

12. Secret fashion look you wish you could pull off: High-waisted pants. Love ‘em… too much booty for ‘em.

13. Fill in the blank: If I were a man, I would wear carefully tailored single-breasted suits and handmade oxfords.

14. What traits make up a gathered lady to you? Which do you have? Generally, I think it’s all about balancing confidence with realism. In fashion, that means knowing how to take a chance and try something new, but also having a clear idea of which silhouettes and trends work for you. In both fashion and life, some days I do better than others, but I usually feel like I have a pretty good handle on things. It’s a constant effort to continue to grow as a person, to work to reach the next goal, to try to learn something new, to find my next favorite pair of shoes. As long as I keep moving forward, I can be happy with where I am.

15. Favorite asset to accentuate? How? My curves. I have an hourglass figure, so I like to emphasize it (and give it structure) with blazers. I push the sleeves up so I don’t look too done.

16. How do you dress your body concerns? Lately, my arms have been bugging me, so I’ve been favoring flowing tops as well as oversized sweaters and blouses. These work best when they show off a little skin around the neckline. I pair them with skinny jeans, feminine, but understated jewelry and sky-high, chunky heels. They can also be belted or layered, so it’s a pretty versatile look.

17. Best fashion steal you snagged: I got my Prada wedges for $100… 90% off!

18. Which celebrity closet would you love to raid? I don’t know if we wear the same size, but I would love to get my hands on Rihanna’s shoes.

19. Lazy day--what are you wearing? My black, fitted maxi, a chunky sweater and cowboy boots. Or an oversized off-shoulder shirt, skinny jeans and cowboy boots. Basically whatever’s clean and my cowboy boots.

20. Fashion trend you want to go away. Are glassless glasses still a thing? If so, it needs to stop. Even if the glasses aren’t functional, they should pretend to be.

21. How has your culture influenced your style? Early on, my love of fashion made me seek out magazines and books on the subject, which had a direct influence on my personal style. Other things--such as growing up in the church, travelling, following hip-hop, living in New York City--have had a less straight-forward, but still important role in how my sense of fashion has evolved. We're constantly consuming and processing information, so it's inevitable that external forces will have an impact on everything from our political opinions to our personal tastes. It's all about putting a unique twist on all of the things that inspire you.