I’ve always admired Rachel’s way with vintage, so when I first started this blog I took some pictures of her with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. The images didn’t come out as well as I wanted, so I never used them. In the end, I’m glad I waited.

Rachel works as a bartender, lives in the Tenderloin and is inspired by streetstyle. She likes mixing pieces that look like they would never work together, or taking things that someone else might find ugly and making them cute. She says, “I pick things to wear that have a story.”

Rachel is inspired by books and memories. Right now she’s reading A Moment in the Sun by John Sayles, which she describes as “amazing.” She also loves McSweeney’s (A Moment in the Sun is one of their books): “I’m pretty much in awe of that whole operation.”

When I asked Rachel what she values, she said, “People who go through something difficult and find a way to not only get through it, overcome it and make it part of their story, but allow it to add to the richness and beauty of who they are.” Which makes sense, given her mantra: “Interesting is beautiful.”

For more pictures of Rachel (and other stuff), don’t forget to check me out on Tumblr.