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/stīl/ /kyo͞o/ noun 1. a sequence of people with a distinctive appearance 2. A style column for The Sound whereby sustainable style blogger Jennifer Moore (a.k.a. recovergirl) interviews locals with unique style
In this special installment of Style Queue, we talk with 30-year-old Los Angeles resident, bestselling author, and YouTube sensation Grace Helbig, who will read from her new book, “Grace & Style: The Art of Pretending You Have It,” at The Music Hall in Portsmouth on Feb. 4 as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series.
What’s your occupation?
Cross platform entertainer.
How would you describe your personal style?
A well-intentioned mess. I like classic shapes with a creative twist. I love sweatpants and graphic T-shirts. I like to mix trendier more stylish things with sloppier, gender-neutral things.
Which actor would play you in a movie about your life?
I would love Lisa Kudrow to play me. I think she is a really fantastic comedic actress.
Describe an outfit you wore for a special occasion that you really loved.
For my 26th birthday I bought myself a koala onesie. It became the gateway drug to my onesie obsession.
Who do you think has great style?
I think Alexa Chung has great style. When I was writing my style book I read her book, “It.” I really loved it. I love things that are effortless and gender neutral and I think she embodies that.
What is something you love about your body?
I love that my body hasn’t completely failed me yet. Bodies, to me, are such complicated structures and I’m surprised every day that mine doesn’t just break down.
It’s cost effective to buy an oversized men’s T-shirt or button-down shirt and wear it as a dress.
In what ways do you practice sustainable style?
My laziness breeds sustainable style. I hardly do laundry and so I end up upcycling my clothing. A lot of times, I’ll make oversized shirts into dresses. it’s my way of getting two looks out of one thing. I like to do that with men’s clothes too. It’s cost effective to buy an oversized men’s T-shirt or button-down shirt and wear it as a dress.
In your book, you offer the 10 commandments of online shopping. Can you tell our readers your favorite tip?
One of the most important things is to look for coupon codes. If I’m thinking of buying something online I’ll register with a website. If you register with them, they will give you a coupon code. It’s a good idea to create an alternative email address so that all the spam that is associated with registering for those accounts goes in there and doesn’t clog up your inbox. The bonus is that all your coupon codes, shipping, and tracking info for everything you order online is in one email account. It’s all pretty efficient.
I saw in your recent YouTube video that you bought a sewing machine. Do you plan to sew any clothes with it?
I want to. I used to sew clothes for myself in high school. I made my own homecoming dress. I completely forgot about all that until I went into a fabric store the other day and it all came back to me. I want to get back into it because it was really fun and it could turn into therapeutic time offline. We’ll see.
You will read from your new book and be interviewed at The Music Hall in Portsmouth on Feb. 4. What stylish wardrobe items are you packing for our very cold weather?
I haven’t started packing yet but I’m really excited to put together some cold-weather outfits. I think it’s all about the boots. I’m really excited to get my duck boots out and put them to work.
Grace Helbig will read from “Grace & Style” and be interviewed live on stage at The Music Hall in Portsmouth on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $32 and include a copy of the book. Visit themusichall.org.
Top of page: photo on right by Robin Roemer