Behind The Blog: Girl In Menswear

Girl In Menswear

THIS week we go Behind the Blog with Sophia Marinho de Lemos from Girl In Menswear and we find out exactly why (when she has such fantastic style) she still owns some thigh high PVC white boots that she just can’t throw away…

Name: Sophia aka Girl in Menswear

Blog address: www.girlinmenswear.com

Where else can we find you? On Twitter @girlinmenswear and Facebook at GirlInMenswear

Age: Too old to be wearing the lime green hot pants I own

When did you start your blog and what topics do you cover?

I started my blog about a year ago, when I had just started going out with my (now) boyfriend. I was staying at his house most nights and trying to avoid doing the walk of shame into work on a daily basis (people notice when you’ve worn the same top three days in a row). As a consequence, I started wearing items of his clothing – the occasional t-shirt or sweater, but he’s 6”4 and I’m 5”1, so I had to be creative with how I “styled” them; the blog was kind of born from there.

I recreate menswear trends, say the mankle or double breasted monk shoes, and style them on myself using a mix of men’s and women’s clothing. I also feature menswear designers who have original items that aren’t available in the ladies aisles and there’s the occasional brain dump of a girl who crushes on boys clothes in there too.

Why makes your blog unique?

My blog features menswear trends styled on a girl, that’s pretty unique I think!

Who are your favourite other bloggers?

I love the guys from Cavemen (thesecavemen.com), Mr Flyy (martellcampbell.com) and Les Freres Jo (les-freres-jo.blogspot.co.uk); they all have truly individual styles and a unique tone of voice. I’ve recently gotten hooked on En Brogue (www.enbrogue.com) – I love discovering a new blog that makes you chuckle.

Tips for other bloggers?

Selfies are awesome, but people build relationships with you the blogger. It’s your writing style and your personality that will keep people coming back for more – a blog should be more than just a photo of you looking badass, although the occasional badass photo is good too!

What’s the hardest thing about blogging?

What’s hard about blogging is that you need a lot of self motivation to stick with it, even when it feels like no one is reading your work. A blog can be a fulltime job if you’re trying to engage on twitter, facebook, instagram etc. The platforms available to you can feel endless. It takes time and dedication, but if you love it and you’re doing it for yourself, then it can be one of the most rewarding hobbies out there.

Girl In Menswear

Which cool and quirky celebrities style do you admire?

Clemence Poesy, Anne Catherine Frey, Miroslava Duma and the Olsen twins.

Who are your favourite cool and quirky fashion designers?

I don’t know if I would describe my taste as ‘cool’, but at the top of my designer covet list are Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow from Public School, the darlings of British menswear Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton from Agi & Sam, Emma McIlroy and Julia Parsley from Wildfang and Fifi Hallstensson from GANT Rugger.

If you could travel anywhere in world, where would it be?

Up there with dressing in boys clothes, is my love to travel. I’m going to be spending the next six months dividing my time between Stockholm and London so I’m looking forward to exploring Sweden properly – I’ve heard great things. In addition to that? India, Japan, the Chilean Fjords and Mozambique – I could go on…

Most embarrassing moment on a date… ever?

I went on a date to a festival and was feeling bold enough to pass on the porter-potty (loo) queues and head over to the urinals armed with my cardboard Shee Pee. Let’s just say you need to practice with those things. There was no disguising the marks on my stained pale yellow shorts, and no jumper was big enough to cover up the mess I’d made. Try explaining that to a date. Am still mortified.

Make-up item that you can’t live without?

I would love to know more about beauty products but it’s not my forte! However, I love a bold lipstick courtesy of MAC, they give a lick of femininity to a masculine style.

This time next year we won’t be able to stop talking about…..? (musician, designer, artist.. whatever is the next big trend)

Mt. Wolf – ethereal vocals coupled with electronic folk beats. I will eat my (bowler) hat if these guys don’t make it big.

Girl In Menswear

My most spontaneous moment ever was…..

I think by nature I’m pretty risk adverse, although I’ve just decided to relocate to Stockholm on a whim which is pretty spontaneous I think?

My worst crime against fashion was….

Oh dear, there have been more than I would like to admit….I still own a pair of thigh high white PVC boots that are pretty vulgar, but I refuse to bin them until I’ve worn them at least once. Any trashy parties coming up you guys want to invite me to?

Have you ever cried after a bad haircut?

Yeah many a time, although I normally manage to hand over the cash before I bawl instore. I once dyed my hair dark brown but it went khaki coloured, and then when the hairdresser tried to brighten the colour it went grey – and not in a cool, edgy way. Turns out the silver fox trend is one menswear look I can’t rock – pity really.

What is on your Spotify ‘most-played’ right now?

I’ve just went to Glastonbury where I saw Sergio Mendes so I’m revisiting Brazilian musicians such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Seu Jorge and Bebel Gilberto – I love a samba beat, always puts a smile on my face.

Want to be featured? Email angharad@pillowmagazine.com and tell us why we should go behind your blog!

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