"NO MORE PARTIES IN L.A." A QUICK CHAT WITH SOPHIA ALVAREZ
DIEGO PUTTO: What’s that one party you won’t forget for the rest of your life? Who was there and what was the vibe like?
SOPHIA ALVAREZ: I prefer dinners that last way too long.
D.P.: What’s the most expensive juice you ever bought? How much did it cost and where did you get it from?
S.A.: Erewhon always has a $23 celery band-aid for my decision-making, which I use less for the health benefits and more for accessorizing.
D.P.: One thing you love and one thing you hate about both LA and NY?
S.A.: My favorite parts of both cities are also the things I hate. I love how isolating LA can be until I need more interesting extrinsic stimulation. I love how collective NY can be until I need to think. My admiration and disappointment in both cities strike some balance.
D.P.: Do you think LA’s creative scene is still at its peak, or has the energy shifted elsewhere?
S.A.: In my experience, creativity in Los Angeles is more consistent than in other cities. When great things spark— which is admittedly sparse— their potential is handled differently than in places with constant creative turnover (destination art schools).
D.P.: What’s the most underrated party city or scene that people are sleeping on?
S.A.: Probably my living room. I mean that literally— someone is always sleeping on my couch. Jasmine Johnson recently said my couch should be in a gallery.
D.P.: If you could design your signature scent, what would it smell like?
S.A.: Margiela Fireplace, but it lasts forever.
D.P.: Do you think styling is more about creating a character or amplifying someone’s essence? Or is it both?
S.A.: Neither? Maybe both? This is different for everyone, changing depending on what’s in front of you, how you see, or your materials. While there are a few people who will always inspire me with an idea or direction, I have one imaginary character that I am constantly rebuilding and refining, regardless of any person. I can only really obsess over one thing at a time, adding it to whatever I’m working on.
D.P.:What’s your ultimate survival kit? Name three things you never go without.
S.A.: Lipstick, lip stain, lip liner.
D.P.: What’s your take on nostalgia in fashion – are we reinterpreting it, or just living in a recycled loop?
S.A.: I understand nostalgia and its unrelenting charm: dreamy, comforting, consistent, manipulative, marketable. Nostalgia acts quick and positionless, unable to exist without recycled stimuli or be effectively itself through true interpretation. I hate that it is used to profit off your most basic sentiments. I think we’ve moved closer to anemoia; where interpretation stretches to the length of your imagination, where your potential to reach originality is greater. My real take starts with who is successful or less successful at ‘filling in the blanks.’ But I’ll save that one; I’m talking way too much for someone who has/will break my own rules.
D.P.: What’s the one trend you wish would make a comeback, and one you wish would disappear forever?
S.A.: I don’t think any trend is off-limits. I love Herve Leger. I usually hate legwarmers.
D.P.: If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
S.A.: My favorite color looks horrible on me— ultramarine blue. Always down for a long-term challenge.
D.P.: EarPods (with cord) or AirPods? Who’s on your playlist right now?
S.A.: Fakemink running through my wires as we speak.
D.P.: If we were to live the rest of our lives using only one Social Media, what would be the one of your choice?
S.A.: Whichever one comes next.
