THE GIRL WHO CROSSED THE MEXICAN BORDER FOR FASHION |
Petite, sassy, and elegant, Sasha Leon is a 22 year-old stylist, fashion blogger, and journalist whose curiosity has allowed for her wisdom to span beyond her years. A refined young Mexican gal, who doesn’t really like going out, preferring old movie screening nights and endless evenings of deep tumblr scrolling than blowing all of her cash on drinking. “Probably why I don’t have a boyfriend” she says apathetically. She sips on red wine, holding the glass with poise as she flicks her mysterious brown eyes up at the ceiling, thinking about how she likes to define style.
“Style is the freedom to like ourselves”, says Leon, confessing that it wasn’t until she stopped giving a shit that she became comfortable with herself. Perhaps why she likes to follow bold and confident style icons such as Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller, and Alexa Chung, admittedly her girl crush. We sit in a small, dimly-lit wine bar in San Francisco’s financial district. She has just left the dot429 office, the style and culture LGBT-edged online magazine, where she is interning as an editorial assistant. Here she accomplished her first ever interview with renowned fashion journalist and author, Dana Thomas. “I was so scared” she says, “thank god it was over the phone so she couldn’t see me scribbling my notes everywhere.” Leon is currently completing her bachelors degree at Academy of Art University in fashion journalism herself. She writes everyday, at home, on the bus, wherever she is.“It’s so important to develop your own style, you can’t depend on a teacher to tell you everything about writing. You have to read a lot, learn too for yourself, figure out your own unique voice, you really have to do that first.” Photo: stylewormbysasha.com
|
Leon is stunning, natural; she prefers natural beauty like that of a French girl, Jane Birkin is an icon of hers. She describes herself as not conservative at all, but her clothing is, her most risqué move is not wearing a bra. I haven’t really seen anyone pull off elegant and sporty so well, she wears high-waisted, vintage mustard yellow trousers thrown on with a cream t-shirt and a pair of dirty Adidas Samoas, managing to look effortlessly chic. Her green highlights are only temporary, admitting to dying her hair as a way to get over a mini crisis; a self-defined DIY problem solver.
Photo: stylewormbysasha.com
Leon knew she wanted to be in fashion from a young age. She was born in Los Angeles, though she lived in Mexicali, Baja California until the age of nine where she would purposely skip school, crossing the border just to take fashion design classes. Discovering though that she hated sewing, and knowing that all of her friends wanted to be doctors and lawyers, it took her a while to figure out what area of fashion to emphasize in. Her inherent love for reading and writing made choosing fashion journalism a no-brainer. She regrets not listening to her gut instinct on occasion; Leon already visited the fashion capital of Paris at age 18, visiting some friends who were studying there, but unfortunately didn’t open her eyes to the beautiful clothes. She giggles, “the only fashion I saw was Lanvin for H&M!” Timidly, she puts her finger to her matte red lip.
We share a charcuterie, topping up our wine glasses. She tells me she tries to eat organic, non-GMO, especially no bar food. Except from The Wayfare Tavern where they serve organic fried chicken. “I read a book once, ‘Unleashing the Power of the Female Brain’ that totally changed my view on health. I grew up eating tacos”, she laughs, “spicy foods have fucked me.” Sassy, and quite endearing, Leon tells me that if she does go out, she likes Molotovs. I think, a grimy bar for an elegant girl. Meanwhile, she answers her phone in Spanish, all I can understand is ‘Que?’, she lets out a giggle with a little pinch of her nose before she ends the call, “sorry, my friend just wanted to invite me to an art show.” Though hating it at first, this is why she loves San Francisco. It’s small, diverse, and has an arty, open-minded crowd. She stops me now, asking where I’ve traveled, “I love to hear people talk about their experiences” she says. We then enjoy a long conversation about our adventures. Leon’s next destination she hopes will be Berlin. Hearing that it’s like the SF of Europe, she excitedly tells me, “if you go there, you’re never gonna come back.” As we came to the end of our Cabernet bottle, I decided to call it a night; Ms. Leon spontaneously carried on to the art show. |