Style Perspectives: Clariza Alvarez, Bowties and Caviar

Q: Who or what has been the greatest influence on your style?

My mom, the weather, and my mood (laughs). My mom because she taught me all the basics growing up. My mom is really chic when it comes to her clothing choices. She’s a smart shopper and, to this day, I still get major accessory envy whenever I see her. As for what influences my styling every day the strongest, definitely the weather and my mood. All of my close friends know that I’m obsessed with checking the weather and as for mood-influenced decisions, I like to wear what makes me happy and what makes me feel most like myself at that very moment.

Q: What inspired you to start Bowties and Caviar?

My job requires me to sit in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day working on websites, apps, etc. for other people/companies. Starting a blog was a way for me to create something for myself and enjoy.

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced starting out?

I think the biggest challenge for me in the beginning was getting past the fear that no one would be interested in reading anything I posted about. There were so many times I would post and then fall out of writing for a few weeks at a time because of it. Eventually I had to just remind myself that I built this blog for myself and it shouldn’t matter if I have 5 views or 5,000 views in an afternoon as long as I’m having fun with it. I’ve been having a blast ever since!

Q: How has living in the DC area influenced your style?

Living and working here has definitely increased the number of collared shirts in my closet. While I love a good well-pressed collared shirt, DC has made me become more creative with my clothing choices. Rather than conform to rigid and generally boring dress codes, I’ve found ways to take those rules as challenges and work in and around them to style my outfits for my 9-5 and make them my own.

Q: How would you describe your current style?

Currently I’ve been obsessing over mixing opposing styles to create my looks. I tend to find myself reaching for girly pieces and tough pieces or vintage and modern at the same time when I’m figuring out what to wear and instead of choosing one or the other, I find ways to marry the two. Not only does this help me make use of everything in my closet, it also keeps me falling in love with pieces I have over and over.

Q: What are your can’t-live-without hair, makeup, and fashion items?

The one hair product I actually use in my hair every day before I leave the house is Bed Head’s Headrush Shine mist. It gives me just enough shine and smells wonderful, but it doesn’t feel like there’s anything in my hair, which I love.

Over the past year I’ve been getting more minimal with my makeup, but the one thing I can’t shake is eyeliner. I’ve been using Benefit’s They’re Real Push-up Liner, and it’s become my favorite eyeliner to date. Oh and sunscreen: eyeliner and sunscreen! As for fashion, I never leave the house without a watch on. Other pieces I wear every day: a ladybug necklace I received from my boyfriend and 4 rings that were gifts from my parents.

Q: Bowties and Caviar has a great feature called “Pug Life” dedicated to your pug, Presley. How did you decide to get him involved?

Bowties and Caviar was meant to be a fun personal project where I could share my interests and it just didn’t feel complete without adding my partner in crime, Presley, especially since he’s usually sitting next to me every time I write! Plus I feel like he’s more popular than I am on my Instagram account, so it was only right he had a section of his own on Bowties.

Q: What’s next for the blog?

I’ve been doing a lot with fashion, helping promote local DC brands, attending events, and sharing my favourite music selections of the moment lately. I’m planning on posting more recipes again, favorite items/products, as well as sharing more of my travels on the blog. I never anticipated Bowties gaining as many readers as it has in the past year, and I don’t want it to feel detatched from me or too routine like a job. I want to keep it as close to me as I intended for it from the beginning, so sharing more of myself will definitely be happening… and more adventures, too!

–As told to District Style. Check out Bowties and Caviar on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Bloglovin’.