The Coronado View On…Style
by Samantha Bey
From clothes to home décor, your surroundings can be vibrant forms of self-expression. Here’s how several Coronadans express their personal style.
“Part of having style is learning what works for you and what doesn’t. In a world of ‘fast fashion,’ making choices has become harder and harder because we are inundated with encouragement to buy more, more, more, when instead we should be making smart choices about buying selectively. Style is about knowing your body and dressing for who you are now — not who you want to be or who you could be if you lost five pounds. It’s not about chasing trends but about picking pieces that you love and know look good on you.” ~ Conni Jespersen, owner, Art in the Find
“As a visually creative person I love being able to express myself with the clothes I wear. Of course it’s fun to add pops of color — and floral prints are my jam — but more importantly, comfort is key. When I’m comfortable, I’m happy — and that’s the best accessory you can wear!” ~ Grecia Leon, visual merchandiser
“My style comes from surrounding myself with things that bring me joy and invoke vibrant memories of my travels. Through my love of art and interior design, each eclectic piece is unified by the colors of the Amalfi coast: lemon, sea foam and navy. Carefully curating pieces from my experiences, intermixing them and making them my own treasures influences my home, my art, my fashion, and my culinary creations.” ~ Anna Woerman, artist and digital arts teacher at Coronado High School
“Style is personal. As an interior designer, everyone asks me, ‘what style do you do?’ My answer is that it’s my job to execute the personal style of our clients! Whether you realize it or not, you have your own style. It’s taken me years to really know what I will always gravitate toward and never get tired of. Sometimes it takes someone to guide you in finding that for yourself, or sometimes it just takes time and seeing a lot of trends go in and out to realize what you consistently like. Just like fashion, trends and fads come and go, but style is timeless. There is nothing wrong with liking what is trendy; just make sure you implement the hot new trends in small doses, or into things that can be easily switched out, such as pillows, lamps or paint, so that your home doesn’t have a big ol’ time stamp on it.” ~ Jessica Tompane, interior designer, J. Hill Interiors
“At a certain age, you stop worrying about what other people are wearing and just start doing what makes you happy. There’s a whole rainbow of colors out there to play with, so why not have fun with it? My favorite thing about dying my hair blue is the way it connects me to others, both young and old. People just respond so positively to it everywhere I go. I’ve found now that the more bizarre I look, the happier I am! I’m 70 years old and having the time of my life — and I think my style reflects how much fun I’m having.”~ Dolores Forsythe, artist & designer, d Forsythe Jewelry
“For both clothes and cocktails, style is all about balance with a touch of individual flare. A well-fitted suit with a contrasting-colored shirt is simple and timeless; I add a colorful pocket square for that extra touch. A great cocktail needs the same: a balance of simple, quality ingredients with a noticeable garnish that makes it special. To me, an Old-Fashioned is the well-fitted suit of cocktails. It’s crisp, clean, and with so many bourbons, whiskeys and bitters out there, you can mix and match a wide range of flavors to please any palate. There’s something about a double Old-Fashioned glass with a big ice cube and a bright orange peel garnish that exudes classic style.” ~ Ryan Drushel, assistant food and beverage director, Loews Coronado Bay Resort
“I’ve studied the designers of Hollywood’s Golden Age. (I wrote a book about Adrian, one of the era’s greats who designed for Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and many more.) Men back then — take Fred Astaire — usually chose their own clothes for a movie. He always had great sense of style. He wasn’t the best looking leading man but he dressed to impress, and had signature elements to his style, like wearing a tie instead of a belt. By Steve McQueen’s time, designers got involved in dressing the stars. Still, a good costume designer worked with their client to design or select costumes that fit their personality. McQueen was the king of cool. He could wear white Levis, a baseball cap, and a tanker jacket or a Glen Plaid three-piece suit and look equally comfortable. But more than the clothes, he had a way of holding himself. In this day and age, it can be hard to find something that says ‘you’ when everything now is mass produced and images everywhere convey what to wear. But what you wear and the things you surround yourself with should reflect who you are, so I say pick something different for the mix – vintage maybe.”
~ Christian Esquevin, pictured at an exhibition of his Hollywood movie costume design sketches at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum in Los Angeles
“The key to styling the perfect event is planning ahead. We like to start a Pinterest board dedicated to the look and feel we are going for at least one month beforehand and then start ordering décor and party favors online and from local shops to make sure we will have everything we need well in advance (which helps keep the day-of stress-free). We are big fans of photo booths — you can set up your own by hanging a backdrop and setting out props so your guests can take fun photos themselves. The day before the event we start getting place settings together, making flower arrangements, and any last grocery shopping that needs to be done. The day-of we like to make sure all beverages are on ice well before the event, decor is set up, and then a few hours before we start the food prep so everything is super fresh. Starting early makes for a smooth, stress-free and stylish event that even the hosts can enjoy.” ~ Jessica Nicolls & Karyn Frazier, interior designers and owners, Bungalow 56
“Of all the things you can adorn yourself with, a good education never goes out of style. A degree goes with everything!” ~ Layla Zbinden, recent UC San Diego graduate, masters student, grant writer, and teaching assistant at San Diego State University
“The tattoo style I specialize in is known as ‘American Traditional,’ which originated in the early 19th century and was popular in major port cities like San Diego (usually it was either military or rebels getting these tattoos back then). The designs have clean, bold lines and bright colors which people really like, so the style has grown in popularity since then, even here in Coronado! I love to see people so passionate about their interests and experiences that they want to make it a permanent part of their self-expression.” ~ Isaac Combs, tattoo artist, Chapter One Tattoo
“Style should always be fun, flirty and bold. And the key to pulling that off is confidence. Don’t be afraid to take risks when it comes to mixing prints and accessorizing – it’ll make you stand out and show aspects of your personality without having to speak. I love to blend casual and glamorous, like leather pants and Nikes, or ripped jeans and some killer heels. Oh, and every wardrobe definitely needs a classic jean jacket.“ ~ Natalie Falletta, aesthetician, Natalie Falletta Skin Care
