Meet SheWired’s Newest Tomboy Fashion Blogger: Comedian Lianna Carrera

The Fashion Industry will never be the same now that Los Angeles based comedian Lianna Carrera is at the helm of  SheWired’s Fashion Beat breaking the latest tomboy fashion trends for all those fashion obsessed and the completely fashion lost. Let’s read all about our newest SheWired’s contributor.

Hello Lianna, thank you so much for joining us today.

Thanks for having me! I am honored to be plucked from obscurity and to talk a little more about what is happening with fashion and specifically, to start blogging for all the tomboys who want to look sexy and approachable all at the same time.

Wow, all of this already sounds great. First and foremost, we just want to make it abundantly clear that you are in fact interviewing yourself right now? 

Yes, that is correct. 

Great! Moving on. Did we mention how awesome it is to have you on board? And that you’re already getting a raise? 

OMG, Stop.

In all seriousness, tell us a little bit about how a comedian gets into fashion?

I started my career as a touring comic, hopping through colleges and bars and clubs on three continents. I traveled the world on the backs of gin and tonics and the kindness of strangers and lucking into paying gigs I met along the way. I am proud and mortified to say I looked like shit the entire time. I didn’t really care much past wearing baggy khakis or ill-fitting jeans and whatever shirt I found in a drawer that day. I was, for all intents and purposes, a frumpy ass lesbian comedian. Which is fine, because frumpy ass lesbian comedian is actually just another way to say sexxxy! And let’s be honest, fashion and comedy isn’t something you’d expect to be hand in hand anyway so I got away with not caring a lot. With that said, developing a fashion sense takes time! Do we think Ellen DeGeneres looked like she does now for her entire life? Heck nah. Ellen got herself into spiff shape thanks to some money and some stylists. 

So is your goal to have us all dressing like Ellen DeGeneres?
My goal is to have us all looking like we’ve got money and stylists, even when we don’t.

Lianna, somewhere out there are a whole bunch of lesbians who are like OMG I feel like a comedian (no offense) when I try to tackle fashion, HELLPP!  What would you tell someone who has no idea what their style is? Who has no idea where to start?

Girl, the first thing to do is breathe. Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful just as you are. It’s so important to remember that fashion starts with being comfortable in your own skin. For me personally I wasn’t comfortable in my skin until my ex and I went through a break-up and I subsequently lost considerable amount of weight. So if you are feeling frumpy and lost (and have ruled out exercising, trust me I understand that is difficult), the first and easiest thing I recommend to do to become more fashionable is break up with your spouse immediately. The weight will melt off almost overnight.

In all seriousness, loving your body has more to do with how you feel right now. Regardless of your health goals and where you feel you are in meeting them, it will not be until you are comfortable doing you that you will want to express who you are in your clothing.  It is not until then that you will look at clothes as something that accentuates and not something that hides. Then it’s all about finding what works for your body in terms of cut and style and (here’s a big one) personality.

If like me, you found yourself not knowing where to start or where to begin; I suggest following tomboy fashion blogs (shameless plug here to start with mine), many more of which I will introduce you to here in the coming months. If you see a photo of a style you like, literally drag it to a folder on your desktop and save it. Think of it as creating your own personal LookBook. Figure out your do’s and don’ts this way. This is a practice I continue to do to this day. Once you have saved a series of photos you will start to notice the commonalities in outfits that you are attracted to.  Then, start shopping with intention to purchase pieces to create those looks. For example if you see that you keep saving looks that have distressed black skinnies, then girlfriend, get yourself a pair and start rockin’ em! It sounds simple enough and that is because it truly is.

Another thing I recommend is that people start looking at color palates of the outfits they save. What colors do your favorite looks play with and pair that might get you out of your own box? What patterns do they mix? Keep this up and you’ll see your sense of style evolving and emerging and sexily showing you what is right for you.

How will your own sense of style show through this blog?  

I am a more androgynous identified and so my main passion is tomboy wear. It is such a hot time right now to talk tomboy fashion. From Ellen Page rocking All Saints in Flare Magazine, to Cate Blanchett and Emily Blunt dazzling in their Georgio Armani tuxedo suits in Cannes, to the abundance of lesbian owned and operated fashion clothing lines coming up right now it. It is impossible to ignore the groundswell of new energy and clothing tailored specifically for the girls who have that gentlewomanly swagger in their step.  Not to mention the significance of stylists in Hollywood procuring these looks purposefully for gay and straight women alike– it’s a great time to have a place to commune and be inspired.

This all sounds great. What’s next? What can we expect from your blog?

From Runway looks (read: a billion dollars per item) to Etsy shops (read: more accessible dollars per item) to Menswear and Womenswear (to just inspire), to specific clothing lines aimed at tomboy tailored clothing and accessories (yes, thank you for this). I like to think of this as a blog that will allow a gamut of fashion to inspire the gamut of tomboy in all of us.

Think of this as an offbeat fashion beat from a comedian’s point of view. Because comedy is sexy and fun, so is fashion, but so is just feeling and looking good.

In all things Tomboy Solitude and Swag (ok I’ll work on a better sign off),

Lianna Carrera

www.liannacarrera.com

FOR TIPS & SUGGESTIONS: [email protected]