Her Style is a bi-weekly article on Southern New Yorker, showcasing one fashionable woman styling a current trend of her choice, accompanied by an interview with her on fashion, beauty, career, and more!

Daphna Ben-Ari is a Brooklyn native, FIT alumni, and assistant planner at Barneys New York. Her feminine and trendy style perfectly fits her empathetic and caring personality! 

I met Daphna while studying abroad together in college, and we instantly clicked as sisters (and not just because everyone thinks we look like twins!)

Her Israeli-Jewish heratige is very important to her, and she talks more in her interview about some of the values that her religion and culture instilled in her, as well as her beauty mistakes as a teenager!

Read on to learn more about Daphna 

How would you describe your style?

Working in fashion, it’s easy to get caught up in all the new trends. However, it’s fun getting new clothes and trying different styles every so often. I would describe my style as classic with an edge of trend. I love classic, preppy looks for work: headbands, trousers, blouses, etc, yet I also love to mix in a print or two, maybe a statement earring, or a bold lip! On the other hand, I love to mix trends like snakeskin jackets, mom jeans, and fun earrings to keep things fresh and interesting! When I was younger, I always imagined going to work dressing up, and wearing heels. As I’ve grown up I’ve realized that’s not always realistic, and heels hurt! I’ve realized that expressing myself and having fun while dressing doesn’t mean I have to be uncomfortable, and it also helps that sneakers are now trendy!

What are some of your tips on mixing prints?

I love mixing prints because as fast fashion is growing, everybody is wearing the same things, and I want to change it up! I think there is a stigma about mixing prints and looking like a clown, or at least that’s my stigma. My go to rule for dressing is typically every outfit can have four solid colors, and the best way to mix prints is to mix a monochromatic print with a colorful one, this way the monochromatic print helps the eye not to get too distracted or caught up on what’s going on with the rest of your outfit. But really if you are feeling it, just do it! Fashion is all about self expression and if you are feeling adventurous in your #OOTD, then just go for it!

What's one piece of style advice you wish you knew when you were younger?

Less is more (not when it comes to prints!) but especially when it comes to eyeliner! In high school I think everybody was experimenting back then, I just wished I listened to my mother when she gave me advice on makeup. Of course, I did not listen as we never do because we think our parents aren’t cool. But there was definitely no need for intense amounts of black eyeliner under my eye in middle school and high school! We all have got to learn what works for us and what doesn’t and I have finally gotten my beauty routine down. A small winged black liner and two strokes of mascara, and I’m good for the day! 

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How do you think your family’s Israeli-Jewish heritage has shaped you as a person?

My dad was born and raised in a small community in the south of Israel. He ended up marrying an American women (my mother) and together they moved to New York, back to my mom’s hometown of Brooklyn to live the American dream. Knowing that my dad left Israel to give his children the American dream makes me strive to achieve my dreams. Moving to another country is hard, but the greatest thing about being Jewish is the local and global community that we have. Wherever I go I always feel welcomed by the Jews in that city or country. Whether it be when I studied abroad in Italy, and went to a weekly meal at the Rabbi’s house in Florence, just to spend time with other jews from around the world, or traveling to Paris on Rosh Hashanah and eating a meal at the Parisian Rabbi’s home. I love feeling a part of something greater and feeling accepted, so that’s how I treat my coworkers, peers and friends! I never want anybody to feel left out or not part of the group. I think the best way to treat others is how you want to be treated, and those are the values I live my life by. 

What are you passionate about right now?

I’m super passionate about educating myself on the economy and stock market. I think the stock market is fascinating, but truly convoluting so I read the Morning Brew, which helps me understand day to day economic news and follow a bunch of companies on Yahoo finance. I also invest in the stock market so I need to check on that daily. I not only follow fashion companies but health care and technology companies as well. Those are the most important sectors in the market in my opinion because technology is the future and we all need health care! I also use Finviz, which is a stock screener that helps me pick out which stocks I should invest in next! What truly got me interested in the stock market was the crash of 2008, it’s so crazy how this one ‘thing’ in our society controls the entire job market, our living situation, and how the entire economy of the world is feeling. If you are interested but don’t know where to start, I suggest downloading yahoo finance, and start following companies that you know/ like. Start reading their daily articles, and find out what is going on in their companies, and of course read the Wall Street Journal and The Morning Brew. 

I hope you loved seeing how Daphna and I styled the print-mixing, and learning more about her! If you want Her Style delivered to your inbox, you can get it here!

xoxo,

Audra