Liz Sunshine 5 MINUTES WITH
25th Feb 2015
We sat down with our Walk Tall Influencer and photographer, Liz Sunshine from street style blog, Street Smith, to find out what Walk Tall means to her, the key to great style and how to feel comfortable in front of the camera!
Personality is the key to so much in life, it’s who we are. It’s what we love. And it should always be how we dress.
What does Walk Tall mean to you?
Walk Tall to me is all about empowering women to be confident within themselves.
Why did you want to be in the brand campaign and be a Wittner Walk Tall Influencer?
Working with women every day, I love making them feel special. Whether it’s someone I’ve met randomly on the street or on an organised shoot, people are constantly telling me they take terrible photos. Being able to make these women feel comfortable and confident is something I pride myself in every day. The Wittner Walk Tall campaign really appealed to this side of who I am and of Street Smith, it was a very easy decision to be involved.
Your personal style in 3 words?
Classic – I like to buy investment pieces that I can wear all the time.
Confident – maybe from making mistakes before and realising it’s not the end of the world. I always feel confident in the choices I make and what I wear every day.
Minimal – very much a fashion buzz word at the moment. Minimal to me is about being effortless, simple, classic and not too overdone. It’s the less is more approach.
What has been your journey to achieve your personal style and feeling confident?
I think I’m definitely someone with a very short attention span, over the years I’ve chopped and changed and tried new things. My personal style today is still broken into two parts, there is my “everyday” style, which is based on buying beautifully crafted practical things that I can wear over and over whilst out shooting. This part of my wardrobe is a little more about following the conventional style agenda.
Then there is a part of me who gets so hung up on just being fun, wearing lots of colour and clashing prints, breaking rules and trying new things. I have friends who often say what the hell are you wearing, but that’s half the fun of it. When you can laugh at yourself and not take fashion too seriously, this is what I think confident style is – even if you don’t always get it right.
The key to great style is….
Having a great personality. Personality is the key to so much in life, it’s who we are. It’s what we love. And it should always be how we dress.
How many pairs of shoes do you own?
I own about 35 pairs… though I’m not sure if that’s a lot or a little.
My signature scent…
I have two. I currently love Chanel Gardenia. But I always love Diptyque Oyedo.
What are your 3 favourite styles from the Wittner AW15 collection?
The Rory heel is perfect for all the fashion events I attend – they always up an outfit and make a style statement. I also love the Itsy over the knee boot it’s so chic. The confident feeling you get when you pull them on makes them a real power shoe. It is so important to have a comfortable flat in your wardrobe. The Holt flats are perfect for when I am running from job to job or working at an event, more importantly they are as soft as slippers.
4 must-have shoes for every woman’s wardrobe?
Sky high black points. Detailed black flats, either a sandal or a slip on. A statement heel for when the rest of your outfit needs a little lift. And a good sneaker – preferably white – just for those days in between being fabulous.
I recently splurged on…
Shoes…. But I’m not saying how many pairs.
Your guilty pleasure?
Right now pinterest… lol. It takes up all my spare time. Or possibly strawberry ice-cream.
My favourite cocktail
Cosmopolitan – very Sex in the City right!! But seriously this is the one girly drink my husband will have with me and it makes him a very cute drunk.
What do you love most about being a street style photographer?
Meeting new people every day and working outside every day in different parts of this city I love.
How do you make people feel comfortable in front of the camera?
I don’t love being in front of the camera myself, so I totally understand people reservations about being photographed. Normally we just have a conversation and I snap away and direct them a little. The more I do this, the more they kind of relax and forget I’m even shooting them. Being relaxed is the key to looking good.
What’s next for Street Smith?
There are so many exciting things in the works for Street Smith, but my main aim for 2015 is to cover more events, more fashion from the streets and more influencers. These are the aspects of my job I love the most and can’t wait to shoot more of.
You just had a baby, congratulations! How will you manage it all?
I’m not 100% sure yet, but I think he’ll just have to get used to working with me.
Image Credit: Street Smith