Who is Manya Scheps? What's her bag? More importantly, what's in her bag as she pedals away from her favorite thrift store? We knocked on her door with camera in hand, and demanded full access to her closet, underwear drawer included. Since Manya hadn't done laundry in a while, we decided to stick to the. less intimate items. As we scoured her mostly recycled wardrobe, we asked how each piece reflected her lifestyle, which Manya defines as "rock and roll in a harsh realm."
We began with the basics: her favorite color. "The lightest green, like the green after you brush your teeth. Like a really subtle green - a kick in your shin kind of green." How subtle can a kick in the shin be?
We figured this one-of-a-kind green would be Manya's choice for her bridesmaids' dresses, but this fashion dictator had her own plans: "They'll be wearing flesh-colored bodytards, or maybe they'll just be naked with makeup on, so it just looks like they're wearing flesh-colored bodytards."
We asked for a visual example of the latter, but received a definite no. Manya hates being naked, and can't understand those of us who like to walk around naked when home alone. She's afraid she'd see herself in the mirror and think, "Oh my God, there's a naked person in my house! What is going on?!"
It was clear that no one was getting naked that day. So we sent Manya to the little girls' room to do a locker-room-style change-up into her favorite outfit. She emerged wearing a short yellow jumpsuit that fit her perfectly - especially the tasteful wedgie that the just-too-small getup caused. The outfit was covered in jazzy '80s graphics of Manya's favorite things: ice cream cones, mix tapes, and bikes.
Speaking of bikes, Manya has an orange fixed-gear, and it has a major influence on her style. "Every decision I make is based solely on riding my bike," she says. In her list of essential items, she includes her spandex bike shorts and her USA Olympic Team sneakers (because only they fit into her bike's shoe clips).
Among Manya's style icons is Nicaraguan revolutionary Sandino. But when asked to choose between his sensibility and that of her favorite dictator ("Condoleeza Rice"), she says she "typically prefer[s] dictators to rebels." Manya sees herself as a fashion dictator, not only because she's "a lot better looking" than all of her friends, but also because they "idolize" her and hang out with her to "be around greatness." Since every hardcore dictator needs a little bling-bling, Manya says that hers would be a fake eye made of - you guessed it -"gold. Solid gold."
It was time to get down to the vegan meat of things. We were dying to know the current trend Manya despises. She recalled two: "crazy high waist pants and super short American Apparel skirts." She mused that the trend abusers "must think they're redefining traditional beauty," but the duds, however hip, "never have and never will be flattering." When in doubt, throw it out!
What is our plucky maven's prediction for fashion? "In the future, everyone will dress like me. You can quote me on that one, boys"
