The renovated Union Station opened last July, and for the past year, it's been the hottest spot in town. When we dropped by last week, we spotted local stylist and Pac Sun visual merchandiser Violet Kayaga with a hot look that suited her surroundings. "I'm from the U.K. originally, but I moved to Denver when I was ten," she says. "I get inspiration from so many random places. I get inspiration from menswear and from Rihanna. I don't have one strong style reference; I kind of just make it up as I go."
Kayaga's favorite colors are black and gold, and for a very simple reason. "I like to wear black and gold because I look good in them," she says. Here she wears a gold waist belt with a black dress; she's also added a violet braid to her hair. Her black-and-white strappy sandals have a gold medallion, too.
Her favorite accessory is also black and gold. "I have this really cool steam-punk gold pin that this guy custom-made for me, and I don't wear it too much," she says, "but it's my favorite thing in the world to wear." Here she shows us a variety of her gold jewelry.
Says Kayaga: "My aunt always said, 'Dress every day like you're going to meet your worst enemy.' I took that to heart." says Kayaga. Although she shops for fashion mostly on the Internet, at places like NastyGal.com and TopShop, she also loves consignment shops like Buffalo Exchange. "I like random little online brands and websites," she says. "I shop at Free People, so I really just shop everywhere."
"I would ultimately like to have my own consignment shop where I can sell my own designs," she continues. "I would like to do image consulting for brands and artists. If I stuck with visual merchandising, I would like to work for Saks or Anthropology; they are the mecca of the visual-merchandising game. "
Always stay fresh in your best black-and-gold looks, Denver.