Sarah Donofrio is the Fashion and Print Designer of One Imaginary Girl. Inspired by combinging wearbility without commercial restrictions, Sarah infuses a colourful and creative point of view to drive style, rather than conforming to it. Who does she dress? Sarah says everyone, “from effortless Copenhagen style to the clean and bright French girl to the eclectic east and west, there’s a style for whoever you imagine yourself to be.”
I was lucky to meet Sarah through the lovely ladies of Studio Fitzroy (of whom I’ve met most of my favourite fashion friends). She has since on to participate in Project Runway’s latest season, and is opening up her own boutique in Portland! You can visit her well-curated e-store here. She came back to Toronto for a few days before the polar vortex hit and talked a little fashion and astrology at the Gladstone Hotel.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
I have always had a strong trend intuition and passion for music. I would put together looks for myself based on whatever musical influence I was feeling that day. Like, oh, this striped dress is very Parallel Lines, so today I’m Debbie Harry, etc. I wanted to do more than just style or put things together, I wanted to design my own striped dress, and know everything about the anatomy of what makes the garment special. Design is how I bring my personal style and trend savvy to the public, and when I see people wearing and loving my clothes, I know that I chose the right career.
How would you describe your style in 3 words?
Wreckless mood mixer
How did being on Project Runway influence who you are as a designer today? Getting casted to participate in such a widely reputable, national competition was just another check box that told me I’m legit. Of course, you should never care what people think of you and all that, but, when you are presenting something from your head to the consumer, the opinions of others should definitely be considered. The fact that I was good enough, out of thousands of applicants, to have my work shown around the world, was a great indicator that I should keep going with my intuition, because my decisions and my designs put me on this stage.
How often do you check your horoscope?
To be honest, I don’t seek them out. I get curious when I see my friends post their horoscope to Facebook, and then I take a look at mine. It’s funny because once I read one, I wonder why I don’t check them EVERY DAY.
When you do read your ‘scope, where do you get it?
My favorite horoscope medium is a fortune cookie! I have a sweet tooth and a love for San Francisco, where the cookie was invented, and the short prophecy/factoid always makes me feel a bit less guilty for eating sugar. The accuracy of those things is often shockingly spot on.
What do you like about being an Aquarius?
Aquarians are strong leaders and independent thinkers, which goes hand in hand with design and trend setting. One thing I’ve heard about my sign, Aquarians are strong leaders and independent thinkers, which goes hand in hand with design and trend setting. One thing I’ve heard about my sign, and it’s definitely true about myself, is that we are versatile and never bored. As in, there are certain looks and pieces that are definitely “on brand” or a signature of mine, but my daily look changes. I enjoy large, bright prints as much as a good head-to-toe black ensemble.
What do you dislike about being an Aquarius?
Passion and fire are words I’ve seen used to talk about Aries or Scorpio, where Aquarius is often described as more “even-keel”. But you can’t be a leader or an artist without fire and drive!
*I looked into Sarah’s moon sign and she’s a Sagittarius, where all of her fire comes from!
