An Interview with Deena Marie Manzanares

First a quick apology; I haven't blogged in the last week because I went on a wonderful first wedding anniversary trip with my husband and as soon as I got back, I caught the flu, which makes you look like crap. Although I could technically look that bad when I write about fashion, that feels like a cop-out to me. Even Instacare without my makeup was just painful. Anyway, today I got as far as showering and putting toenail polish on, so I think I'm ready. If anyone has tips on how to look gorgeous when they're sick, please send them to me at fashiondaisyblog@gmail.com and I'll include them in a future blog.
My interview subject today is one of my best friends and was head bridesmaid at my wedding. I met Deena when I first moved to Utah and was working at Salt Lake Acting Company; she was auditioning and doing shows there. She is is a professional actress who trained with the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School and Juilliard in NYC. She models and and has appeared in high profile runway shows, shoots and pin-up. She's also a popular You Tube personality who entertains with the sketch comedy and impressions she writes and performs.
Please don't take this the wrong way, D., but she's one of those girls that when I first met I thought might be a little bit mean because she is shocking beautiful and has the most impeccable style 24-7. But the amazing thing about Deena is that she is also one of the most loving, down-to-earth, loyal people I have met in my life. Her beauty on the outside is truly reflected on the inside, which is rare.
Deena is currently appearing in Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale" with The Sting & Honey Company at the Rose Wagner; go to arttix.org for tickets. It runs through Saturday, Sept. 29, and then she is temporarily moving to NYC.
When I was combing through (and styling) my brain for ideas for the blog, the person that came to mind that I most wanted to interview about her unique look was Deena Marie. So here we go:

So it's obvious you have great style, can you remember the first outfit or piece that you absolutely could not live without?
A pink tutu! It's not so much a memory as what I've seen in pictures and been told by family. I was around three years old. It was always on, be it my waist or my head. What can I say? I must have figured it went with everything! I'm also told I played dress up every day and changed my outfits multiple times. I do remember I liked to feel dolled up, fancy, like a princess. Any kind of gown or long skirt, preferably pink, I was drawn to. I also spent time sitting with a towel wrapped over my legs and feet, which was my mermaid fin. Obviously.

I had a couple pink frilly party dresses, one at five and another at eight that I was particularly obsessed with. Picking out my birthday party dress as a little girl was, what I thought, the most important thing in life. After Christmas, of course. When I was little if I went to a play date and the other little girl had some good party dresses to play dress up in, that was the stuff dreams were made of!  

Over the years I have been known to fall in love with certain items and wear them way too much. I have multiple drawers and three closets overflowing with clothes (I know, I know) and only manage to wear maybe 10% of it. I have favorites. I am picky about materials too. I remember while I did love clothes from day one, if it was at all itchy or stiff material I could barely stand it. To this day I won't buy it no matter how cute it is if it isn't soft on my skin. I know by now it will never get worn. I also hate long sleeves if they're tight. Too confining.  

Deena Marie

What was your style like as a teenager? Any fashion disasters?

Oh boy. I am both cringing and feeling nostalgic. Your teenage years are definitely for fashion blunders! I was really into the Spice Girls, particularly Posh Spice. I had my hair cut in a bob just like hers. I wore huge platform shoes all the time. The bigger, brighter, funkier the better. I had a closet full of sequins, silk, feathers...oh boy. I wore a lot of makeup and this often meant glitter. For me, less was definitely not more. More was more! I am laughing out loud. I always had elaborate prom dresses. I still have them all and have surprisingly (or maybe not too surprisingly) found a reason to wear most of them again.  

Deena Marie top right standing.

What style tips did your mum or dad give you that you keep to?

Well I'm still drawn to frilly pink. I'm a girly girl at heart. I still love a good party dress. I was my own woman from the start, however. I didn't consult anyone for fashion advice other than maybe Posh Spice and Gwen Stefani.  Even in seventh grade I was sneaking the shorter skirt I'd been forbidden to wear to the school dance in my backpack and changing in the bathroom. Sorry, mom and dad.

How did your sense of style develop to where it is today?

Oh boy, life and fashion are always evolving to something else. I am a different person all the time, and I do pay attention to trends. So I guess I'm a combination of the product of what's currently hot, my own taste, what's comfortable and what flatters me. At the moment I love peplum shirts, bright colored pants, mint green nails and anything floral. I need floral leggings and universe leggings asap. Americana, grunge, spikes and studs. Things are all about to change for fall though, so we'll see what I'm into by next month! While I do follow fashion and keep up on trends, I never want to look like a copy of everyone else. I have never been one to play it safe. I've tried, and it doesn't feel authentic to me.

How would you sum up your attitude to fashion in one sentence?

Whatever looks like Deena Marie, to me.  Trendy, a little edgy, a little off. The more off, elaborate, or original it is, the more comfortable and like "me" I feel. 

How do you know what looks good?I think I've gotten really good at this as far as knowing my shape and proportions.  You have to be honest with yourself and know what you can and can't pull off. You hear designers say just because something is trendy or you love a certain shade doesn't mean you should wear it, and it's so true.  Pass on the one you feel you have to force, embrace the one that you truly know feels great.  You have to experiment with when form fitting works in your favor or against and same goes with anything flowy.  This is all very specific to each person. If you don't do it right, you do yourself a great disservice. You have to learn what slims, what shows off, and how to give illusions. I've learned my body very well. I know where and when I want things to hit hips or waist, when heels work best (If you have bare legs I'm a huge fan of nude heels, you'll slim and lengthen like crazy).  

Like any other girl, jeans are always the hardest. We all have to search, search, search, for the ones that fit both thighs and waist, at the same time, the best. It's hard, but can be done. Don't settle when you're buying jeans/pants. You won't wear them and you know it. You won't feel comfortable, so keep on looking.  Branch out, shop where you haven't shopped before. You don't always have to buy the super expensive jeans, either. I used to work in a boutique in NYC where I helped women find the pair of $200 + jeans that fit them best. Often, they'd have to tailor them anyway. You'll be surprised at the gems at Target. I've ended up wearing cheap jeans and pants far more often that when I used to have a closet full of True Religions, Rock & Republic and Sevens.

Mossimo jeans and sweater from Target. Cat eye classes from Urban Outfitters and fringe bag from Tai Pan. 

What are your favorite stores, including online?

At this point in my life I have no shame in telling you that my closet becomes more and more entirely made up of two stores only. Forever 21 and Target. When I worked retail in NYC and locally at Nordstrom years ago I was buying what I was selling.  It was normal to spend $300 on a pair of red oversized Dior shades. And believe me, they were beauties. Until I dropped them on tile and they broke. That combined with all the jeans I was telling you about that just weren't being worn enough, I realized how silly it was to invest in trends. At an inexpensive store I can get more, experience has proved that I wear them more, and if I don't? Well it' s much easier to see you're only out $25 vs. $200 on a pair of pants. I can buy a few pairs of $5 sunglasses and not be devastated when they've broke. I love when Target gets a designer line for cheap.  

However, I do have to occasionally go to Urban Outfitters (which I love and want one of everything the second I walk in), Bebe and Nordstrom. And never underestimate the power of Nordstrom Rack! 

And your fashion icons?

I don't know if I have one? I just know what I like and what I want to embody on any given day. The thing is, clothing is art. It is costuming. One day I might want to be a pin-up and the next a hippie. So I don't know that I have a specific person.  I mix in bits of inspiration from some, but I really just do my own thing. I like when Kate Bosworth is doing the 90's grunge thing. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for the 90's. Kirsten Dunst is an effortless, slightly messy beauty, Lana Del Rey is an amazing throwback bombshell, and Dita Von Teese is the epitome of glamour. I think Zoe Saldana always looks perfect. I'm loving when Pink and Miley Cyrus wear their hair big on top to show off the shaved sides. Angelina Jolie and her nearly all black or nude wardrobe. You just can't go wrong with black. Black always has been and always will be a favorite staple. I told you I'm all over the place! Recently I've been re-inspired by little pixies like Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy since I've cut my hair short. I'm obsessed with Michelle Williams' hair.   



Deena Marie, styled by Deena Marie,

  Shorts, top and boots from Forever 21.  Photo courtesy of Lauren's Photography.



What designer would you like to be dressed by?
The late  Alexander McQueen. Zac Posen. And what girl doesn't want to wear an Oscar de la Renta dres? 

What look should readers rock for fall?

Unicorns. Seriously. I just bought this unicorn cardigan from a super cute online store called Ruche (shopruche.com). I saw another unicorn button-up sheer shirt on the Forever 21 website (forever21.com) last night too, in pink and mustard. I've also been told there is a similar unicorn cardigan locally at Q Clothing.  

Questions for Daisy or Deena? Mail fashiondaisyblog@gmail.com.

Wardrobe by McKell Maddox. Makeup by Karl Geiger and hair by Chaunsey L. Hildebrandt. Photo courtesy of Cat Palmer.



Urban Outfitters dress, shoes from Payless.





Wardrobe by Pretty Macabre.  Makeup by Scotty Vaughn Day and hair by Tyrel Knight.  

Photo courtesy of Renee Keith of BellaOra Studios.

Styled by Deena Marie. Hat from Forever 21. Dress from Urban Outfitters, boots from Dillards. Photo courtesy of Laruren's Photography. (Deena adds: "I love a cat eye and a pink or red lip. That's my go to.")