Fashion Week: Meet Liz of Schmatta Matters!

All photos property of Liz.

I am celebrating one year of Fashion Forward Fridays this week by hosting fellow Pittsburgh bloggers for Chels & the City Fashion Week. I started Fashion Forward Fridays because I wanted to prove to GQ that Pittsburgh is a fashionable city, despite their mention of our city being the third-worst-dressed in America. So for the past year, I've been randomly stopping people on the street to ask them their thoughts on fashion and Pittsburgh and feature them on this blog! Since this Friday marks the one year anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to host Fashion Week?

If you've been following along with Fashion Week here, than you know that each day I'm featuring a Pittsburgh fashion blogger and to top off the week, a giveaway sponsored by ModCloth and Heinz History Center focused around vintage fashion is also going on. (You can enter below.) You have already met Sarah of Coming Unstitched and Zoe of Pittsburgh in Polka Dots, but today, you're meeting Liz of Schmatta Matters.

Liz has a unique style that I admire and I cannot help but think that she's fabulous, in a more classic way. I love how she mixes feminine and masculine styles together to make flawless outfits. But what I like most of all is that her choices seem specific to her and a wardrobe she has created. Clothes that are mass produced are sometimes hard to make "your own" but I think that Liz is always able to make something seem fresh and uniquely hers.

For this week, I sent all of my selected Pittsburgh fashion bloggers the same list of questions I typically ask the fashionista's I find out in the city, but this week I'm letting their responses speak for themselves. Here's what Liz has to say...

Where are some of your favorite places to shop?
I try to mix it up between Nordstrom, J.Crew, and thrift shops like Avalon Exchange. I try to invest in the clothing I buy and not waist money on "fast fashion" from Forever 21 or H&M. I'm pretty particular about what I'll spend my money on.

How would you describe your sense of style?Trend conscious, equal parts masculine and feminine, and layers 

What are some of your favorite fashion trends right now? 

High waisted with crop tops seems fresh now after so many tunics and low slung jeans. I'm thrilled to see the return of single sole pumps which are so much more elegant than a platform. My absolute favorite new trend is matching prints on top and bottom which is both modern and retro. 

What is some advice you would give to someone who is looking to amp up their style?Stop buying things to go with what you have in your closet. Buy things based on your visceral reaction to them. 

GQ named Pittsburgh the 3rd worst dressed city in the nation - do you agree/disagree and why?

I don't think that's a fair generalization. You can find a multitude of inappropriately dressed people in any city. I've got to believe Pittsburgh isn't the only place where you can find men wearing football jersey's to dinner. (Although we may be the only place you find women wearing them haha.) My only real qualm with the 'burgh is we seem to be a little behind the trends. I'd like to be able to find more quality pieces that are also on trend.  

Where did you get the pieces you are wearing in your photos?

The suede jacket is Maje, I got it from Bloomingdales in New York City. The blouse is Carven which I got a great deal on at Saks Fifth Avenue; they have fantastic sales. The jeans are Hudson and are treated to look like leather, I got them from Bloomingdales during a separate trip than when I bought the jacket. I have trouble buying more than one item at a time. My shoes are Jeffrey Campbell which I bought online from Free People.

Why did you start fashion blogging?

I went to college for Chemical Engineering and felt like the only place for me to express my thoughts about fashion and style was getting dressed in the morning. I needed an outlet for something that truly consumes my brain, so it feels great to be able to dump my thoughts into an online forum.

I love her advice of not buying things to go with the rest of the stuff in your closet. I always just buy pieces that I like and figure out what they "go with" later. Pretty much, I just like that she said that because it justifies my shopping habits that no one else seems to understand haha! Thanks, Liz! Be sure to enter yourself in tis week's giveaway, sponsored by ModCloth and Heinz History Center and stop back every day this week to see the rest of the Fashion Week bloggers! Have a great day!

 

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