HOT Style: Meet Shane and Elif

Spotted strolling down Alexandra lower park, Hastings. Shane and Elif: ‘smart, comfortable and mash-up style.’ HOT Style-Seeker Claudine Eccleston reports.

Shane and Elif were hurrying into town, so Shane sent me this by email.

What brings you to Hastings? Where do you live?
I live in Hastings along St Helen’s Road, and this is my fiancé, Elif – she is originally from Turkey and is here on an educational visa which expires in November, so she must return to Turkey for the foreseeable.

Shane is an aspiring animator – photo by Claudine Eccleston

How do you usually spend your time? What do you do? Job? Fun?
I enjoy animating and building my portfolio as a professional animator and playing video games.

Elif spends most of her time building up her illustration portfolio.

Where do you usually buy your clothes?  Why?
I tend to buy most of my clothes online or at a tailor’s, as your common stores don’t tend to have what I like to wear.

Elif purchases her clothes from anywhere and everywhere: H&M, Primark, vintage stores and charity stores, anywhere that has something that catches her eye.

How would you describe your style? Talk me through your outfit.
My favourite clothes are suits, three-piece, Prince of Wales, tweeds, absolutely any suit that catches my eye and looks either smart or vintage.

Elif on the other hand doesn’t have a favourite style of clothing or style, so you could say she pioneers her own mash-up of a style.

Where do you get your inspiration for your look? Do you have a favourite designer?
The inspiration for my look  would have to be simply the way people used to dress in the 1920s-40s; lovely, well-cut suits, fedoras, full-length coats. It just seemed like a much smarter time.

Elif is here studying on a visa. She is soon to return to her home country of Turkey – Photo by Claudine Eccleston

Elif doesn’t have any inspiration as such, she just sees someone on TV or on the street and thinks, “Hey, I like that,”and attempts to replicate it with clothes she feels comfortable in.

If you were to give style advice, what would it be?
If either of us were to give style advice, it would probably have to be to wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. Many people come up to me and ask, “Do you always wear suits? How can that be comfortable?” This is when I reply, “I think they look smart and as for how comfortable they are, they are very. I don’t find t-shirts to be comfortable at all and suits are.”

Shane is an aspiring animator and currently studying at East Sussex College, University Centre in Hastings. He’s trying to get some local commissioned work. Check him out or follow him on shanelemaranimates.weebly.com, twitter.com/shaneanimates, instagram.com/slm457/ and 
linkedin.com/in/shanelemaranimates/.

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