FRĒDA WOMAN SERIES: DYLANA + NATALIE LIM SUAREZ
Pinch us we are dreaming. The Suarez Sisters in FRĒDA. Looking fresh and so damn cool. With our Mercer Street store opening in late fall, we couldn’t think of two better women to be this month’s FRĒDA Women while helping us kick off the fall season and getting us in a New York state of mind.
Read on for their thoughts on all things personal style–and some incredible fall fashion inspo.
TALK TO US ABOUT YOU.
DS: My name is Dylana Suarez and I am a content creator and photographer. I started a blog during my last year at UCLA where I was studying literature and interned at Teen Magazine. I knew I wanted to work in fashion in some way in the future, and the blog at the time really helped me connect and break into the industry as it exposed me to the brands I’ve always wanted to work with. I moved out to the East Coast in 2011 to work for Free People at their home office, and I ran my blog and took photos in my spare time. It wasn’t until I made the big move to NYC that my blog took off and I’ve been able to create content full-time since 2014, which is pretty wild! And I get to work with my sister Natalie on a lot of projects, and we shoot each other for all our content. It was something that grew steadily and organically, and I kept getting better and more confident as a creative person with time. I think my drive, curiosity for life and my true love for fashion and visuals got me to be where I am today.
NS: I'm Natalie Lim Suarez. I'm a NYC-based fashion model and editor of Natalie Off Duty, a personal diary of life on set, behind the scenes of my work, travels, how I get dressed, and so much more. I'm also a singer and a dancer and have been performing all my life. Creative expression through fashion and the performing arts is in my DNA. I'm half Asian, half Latina, born in Los Angeles, and with a very ambitious, entrepreneurial spirit that I inherited from my parents. I started my career as a model in Los Angeles, and have been working since I was 15 years old and through college, before being sent to model in NYC, always knowing I wanted to create a business of my very own that embodied what felt like I was born to do beyond the modeling industry. Natalie Off Duty was one of the very first fashion blogs at the time, born in 2009, as a place for me to share my work and passions with the world through an editorial lens that felt elevated, fresh, yet still timeless. I love to storytell through any art form and as a model, I learned so much about creative direction, how I liked to get dressed, and everything in front of and behind the camera. My sister Dylana and I have been working together since day one, photographing each other for our blogs, to then being approached by our favorite fashion brands to photograph campaigns from print catalogs to fashion films and even designing and producing our own products. Working with my sister feels like second nature because we definitely complement one another creatively and just completely understand each other's visions. Even when we were little we were working together, singing together in a band and even choreographing our own dances in school. It's amazing to continue to evolve into such a dream team. We have been partnering with brands around the world ever since! It's been such a wild and fulfilling journey.
WHAT DOES PERSONAL STYLE MEAN TO YOU?
DS: To me, personal style is a reflection of one’s inner creativity, their perspective on life and how one wants to express oneself to the world through color, pattern and juxtaposition. Personal style keeps me in tune with myself and my inspirations. It’s what motivates me to head out the door with confidence. It’s like my second skin. Personal style also makes me feel comfortable, because when I’m dressed for myself I feel most at ease.
NS: Personal style to me is about becoming, feeling, and showing up as the woman I want to be. I like to put on a look that feels timeless, elegant, and powerful, yet there is always a playful element behind the way I get dressed. My personal style feels vibrant and alive.
WHERE DO YOU GET STYLE INSPIRATION?
DS: I get inspiration from so much! Traveling to different parts of the world and noticing the colors and culture all around me, from cinema and especially old foreign films, from all types of music, from the characters I read about in my books, from walking around different parts of NYC and people watching. It really is endless.
NS: I get so much style inspiration from my mom. She's always been so elegant and sophisticated. She can design, sew, and make just about anything. Her incredible eye for both interiors and personal style inspires me in the way I live my life today.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?
DS: I would describe my personal style as effortless, not too overly dressy, 90s-inspired, playful with proportion and always with a good pop of color.
NS: My personal style is very classic and has an elevated New York City feel. It's tailored and feminine with a touch of modern fun and surprise.
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND WHEN YOU’RE GETTING DRESSED?
DS: The first thing on my mind is my mood. Am I feeling more feminine and in the mood to wear a low heel? Or am I feeling more tomboy and wanting to wear something more casual and slouchy with a pair of loafers? This mood changes everyday for me, sometimes throughout the day or for different occasions. Usually, I start with a color that is on my mind, gravitate toward a piece in that color, and build my outfit from there.
NS: When I get dressed each morning, I usually have a million things to do whether it's a meeting or an event. I love feeling elegant and most of all, very comfortable in my own skin. Shoes are so important in NYC. I'm always go, go, go, and on my feet!
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR STYLE ICONS?
DS: Princess Diana. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Jane Birkin. Alexa Chung. Katherine Hepburn. Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City. Romy Schneider. Jackie Kennedy. 90’s Kate Moss.
NS: Lady Diana and the 90s supermodels. There's definitely a touch of glamour in my style that is inspired by the old iconic photographs.
WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR DEVELOPING PERSONAL STYLE?
DS: I would give the advice of looking inward rather than just looking at what everyone else is wearing and trying to copy that. I would tell them to ask themselves some questions. What are your favorite colors? Who is your favorite movie character and what did he or she wear? What makes you unique? When you walk into a store, what is the first thing you gravitate towards? From thinking about what truly interests a person, I think personal style develops most organically. I think personal style is a mishmash of everybody’s personal interests, passions, memories, creativity and storytelling.
NS: To dress as the woman you want to become. It's a mindset of feeling your absolute best and knowing who you are and embracing what makes you so different. Feeling your best is going to give you the motivation and courage to go out and accomplish your dreams.
FIRST (OR FAVORITE) FASHION MEMORY?
DS: One of my favorite and earliest fashion memories was in elementary school, I had this really cool pair of red patent leather sneakers that were very skateboarding style, and I remember wearing them to school with my jeans and I thought I was so cool. A group of girls older than me all complimented me on my sneakers and that made me feel really good about my outfit. It definitely was a memorable fashion moment for me :)
NS: My favorite fashion memory is wearing my mom's vintage Bob Mackie gold dress to sing during my high school talent show. I even had her bring it to NYC and I'm still wearing it to this day!
HOW ARE YOU WEARING…
THE ELBA
DS: I’m wearing my loafers in a very fun and playful way, with a long polka-dotted dress. I love how the loafers and socks feel spunky and tomboy against the more feminine shape of the dress. This sort of juxtaposition is my favorite thing about fashion.
NS: The ELBA loafer is so classic and chic for the fall and I always wear them with a white sock so that they really stand out. For our shoot, I gave it a little twist by adding in a sheer black tight and cute little black mini dress. This is an easy transitional day-to-night look.
THE JADA
DS: I’m wearing this ballet flat in a very 90s-inspired minimal way so that the focus is on the red pop of the ballet flats. I love a chic black blazer and skirt combination with a white collar peeking out. It’s a nod towards office wear, but more elevated more because of the sheer knee highs and the pop of red gives it an edge.
NS: I love my JADA ballet flat in gold with really nice straight-leg blue jeans and a classic white button-down. It's my everyday uniform that feels easy and relaxed, but still so chic.
THE BROOKE
NS: I love the BROOKE boot dressed up with a strapless black evening dress. It feels fun and a bit unexpected, but totally works. This chunky boot is edgy and works so well with the contrast of a really feminine dress.
THE DAHLIA
DS: I’m wearing this in a super easy-going and relaxed way, with a subtle touch of boho with the crochet. This outfit is exactly something I would wear on the weekend to hang with my girlfriends in Brooklyn on a warm yet breezy fall afternoon.
THE LENNOX
NS: The LENNOX boot in crimson red is a piece that I'll be wearing for years to come. It's such a statement piece that works so well with something simple like a perfectly oversized trench coat. It has a vintage feel to it that I love.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NYC…
Store?
DS: McNally Jackson Books
NS: Assouline
Vintage Shop?
Both: Front Street General Store
Street?
DS: Central Park East
NS: Washington Street
Park?
Both: Brooklyn Bridge Park
Coffee Shop?
Both: Almondine
Restaurant?
DS: Cafe Gitane
NS: Cosme
Tourist attraction?
DS: Soho
NS: Chinatown
Activity?
DS: Walking over the Manhattan Bridge during sunset or an afternoon at The Met
NS: Biking
