tastemakers

Becka Diamond Was Wearing Velvet Before It Was Trendy

Becka Diamond is an aspiring actress, D.J., sometime Nylon music reporter, and self-professed clothes collector — a compilation of pursuits that has prompted fashion glossies and bloggers like Vogue and Who What Wear to deem her an industry “It” girl. The Boston native first drew photographers’ attention last year, when she started popping up at fashion shows decked in dramatic sequin, leather, and velvet looks by designers like Balenciaga, Balmain, and Rick Owens. “I really only go to the shows of designers that I like,” she says. This season, that tallied seventeen. With future ambitions ranging from mixing fashion-show soundtracks to designing her own line, Diamond is unlikely to be relinquishing her front-row seat anytime soon. We chatted with the Lower East Side local about Fashion Week, vintage shopping, and the addictive nature of leather pants.

Who are your favorite designers?
My favorite show this season was Altuzarra. I was dying for every piece that came down the runway. It was Catwoman meets Nightmare Before Christmas meets Nick Cave.

Where do you like to shop?
I collect vintage rock T-shirts, and my favorite vintage store is Narnia. I have a Sisters of Mercy T-shirt from the eighties and a Grateful Dead T-shirt from the seventies. I’ll wear it until it’s in shreds.

What’s your best recent find?
I found a vintage Harvard hoodie at Neal Mello in Williamsburg. It has little rips in it, which is a prerequisite for me; nothing too precious.

How would you describe your personal style?
I’m inspired a lot by Patti Smith, David Bowie, and old Vivienne Westwood. I’m not afraid to wear something that’s completely insane. For Jen Kao’s show last month I wore a perforated suede bat-wing minidress with a hood and over-the-knee black boots.

What’s your everyday look?
I wear leather pants like jeans — my favorite pair is from Balenciaga. They’re so comfortable that now wearing jeans feels kind of scruffy. Then I pile on jewelry from Eddie Borgo and Pamela Love.

What’s your closet like?
I used to have a dressing room, but I just moved to the Lower East Side and had to cut my wardrobe in half. It was kind of sad, but it felt good in the end. It’s easy to get dressed in the morning when you love everything in your closet.

What trends are you appreciating now?
Everyone showed velvet for fall, which I’ve been wearing forever. Now I’ll be able to get it at Topshop instead of spending $500 on a pair of velvet leggings. I loved the mix of bright red with black and white at Givenchy for fall. I thought I’d never wear red, but it’s starting to look fresh again. I just started wearing red lipstick, which feels very strange.

What trends are you ready to see retired?
Those boyfriend jeans. I just feel like it looks so sloppy, and most of the time they make you look bigger than you are. I don’t wear loose bottoms ever unless they’re Rick Owens chiffon pants.

What are you saving up to buy?
I’ve been spending money on records more than anything right now; I have thousands of them. Soon I’ll start saving up for fall clothes. In the summer I just end up wearing shorts and T-shirts.

What should every woman have in her closet?
A great fragrance elevates everything. I wear Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle. You could be hung-over and wearing a dirty T-shirt, but if you spray something on, you just feel more put-together.

Becka Diamond Was Wearing Velvet Before It Was Trendy