In the first MN Street Style column of the new year, we visited a gothic pop-up sale hosted by two local vintage stores, Vampire Vintage and Exhumed & Reborn, in the Wild Hare Collective salon space.
Sari Lashuay
How would you describe your personal style?
Alternative, goth-leading. It depends on the day honestly. Sometimes I have a more vintage aesthetic. I like frills, black, lots of black detail and accent pieces.
Where do you find style inspiration?
Genuinely it’s just kind of everywhere. Within the community for sure, like this top is from a clothing exchange at Pilllar Forum Cafe & Bar. I go to Ground Zero Nightclub and I see people out there. And doing my own research for my own brand helps with that, too.
Does your brand influence your personal style, or does your style influence your brand?
Surprisingly, neither but both at the same time! When I was in college I did a lot of fairy, Renaissance-core outfits but I wear a lot of black. I like the flowy, the whimsical, but it’s less how I dress. The pinks and cutesy pastels aren’t my aesthetic, but that’s what I was designing in college. I don’t understand how that fits in but that’s just a part of my brand and my brain and how I grew up going to Renaissance festivals a lot. I like the girly stuff, it’s just not my aesthetic. I get intrigued by designing it.
What’s your philosophy of accessories?
Oh, all of it. I have an accessory bin where it took me 12 minutes to find this belt because it was in my leather accessory bin. I have a metal one and sunglasses bin. For Christmas, my mom got me an earring turnstile so I can see all my earrings. I have kiosks all around my house filled with accessories and shoes. Accessories, accessories, accessories. If you’re not accessorizing, what are you doing?
Do you have certain accessories you wear every day?
I’m a toddler teacher, so I can’t accessorize as much as I want to but I keep my piercings in. The kids will touch them but they’re very gentle and delicate with them, shockingly. I’m surprised they don’t get ripped out. On a weekend, I’m wearing what I can: purses, shoes, earrings, bracelets, dangly things—all that.
What’s your process of picking out an outfit if you have no idea what to wear?
This is fun to explain, but if you’ve ever seen Clueless and the computer she has that puts outfits together, that’s my brain. I know what I have and I put it together; this outfit took five minutes.
How do you elevate a look?
I’ll usually pull out the layers like a stocking or tight. If I’m going out I’m doing frills. I have a puffy dress that I describe as a loofah dress, all black. I have coats, capes, crowns, dangling chains [to dress things up].
Where are you shopping to find alternative pieces?
I shop a lot at Time Bomb, a vintage place here. There’s a lot of vintage and thrift stores here that I like. I have a lot of Hot Topic because I got the [employee] discount there for a long time, but a lot of thrifted [pieces] overall.
Do you have any style related goals for this year?
Shop local more, specifically.
What’s your advice for someone who wants to dress more alternatively but doesn’t feel super confident about it?
Honestly, just go for it. There was a time when I was in middle school I wanted to be more "regular," because I’ve always been more out there, different, extra. I was into Monster High [dolls] as a child and [the motto] “Be yourself. Be unique. Be a monster,” is something that resonated with me. Even when I was trying to [fit in] I was like, “That’s not who I am.” I surrounded myself with people who have this style and slowly got into it. Every baby bat starts somewhere, Hot Topic is usually where you start. Pinterest, too. And join some Facebook groups.
Cindy Matos-Omana
How would you describe your personal style?
Definitely dark. I only wear black, I don’t have any color in my wardrobe. I like chains, lots of silver. I don’t want to say “goth,” but it leans a little bit more toward that. More alternative fashion.
How long have you had this style?
All my life! I was a scene kid in elementary and middle school so I think I feel like it’s still the same alternative vibe but it’s just evolved.
Where do you find style inspiration?
Maybe musicians? The artists I listen to and how they dress.
Where do you shop to achieve this style?
I do a lot of small business gothic brands, Forest Ink and Mary Wyatt London. Small brands where the quality is really great—never SHEIN or those kinds of stores. I pay a little bit more [for clothes from small businesses] but it’s worth the quality.
If you wake up one day and have no idea what to wear, what’s a go-to outfit that’s never steered you wrong?
I like a cropped band T-shirt, my skinny jeans, and I’ll throw on a flannel. That’s my go-to, it’s an easy and simple vibe but comfortable and still cute. [I’ll wear] a big, chunky choker, too, and my big boots, always.
Thoughts about accessories?
I don’t think you can ever have too many. I think layering a bunch of different things works great. You can wear the same base, but with accessories, it’s a whole different outfit.
I have a lot of chokers from small businesses, like this one [I’m wearing today] is from a girl in Minnesota.
While your store, Vampire Vintage, and your personal style are similar, how much do they influence the other?
I’m a hair stylist here [at Wild Hare Collective] and then I run Vampire Vintage with a sale every two months. I came here because this was the only gothic, alternative [style] salon. I think there’s maybe one or two others around, but that’s what drew me to this place. I was like, “This looks like my bedroom!” I want to work somewhere where I enjoy going every day, where I feel like this is me. So yes, I think I’ve taken a lot of influence from here because the owner of the salon has an amazing decked out goth house. Her and I will send things off Facebook Marketplace and be like, “Oh my god, did you see this?” I think my style, Vampire Vintage, and this salon all intertwine.
Do you have any style related goals for yourself this year?
I think I actually want to wear more skirts and dresses. Dressing more feminine. I feel like sometimes with that grungy style, with the big boots and the harder stuff [it’s more masculine], but I think I want to wear more skirts and dresses.
Advice for someone who wants to start dressing more alternatively, goth, and grunge?
Own it. Don’t worry about what other people are going to think because you’re always going to have someone that doesn’t like what you’re doing, but do it anyway. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. I think some people think that the goth brands are more expensive, but a lot of it is DIY. You can take a shirt and shred it up, take tights and shred them up. You can make your own chain link belts. DIY a lot of it and do what you like.
Mariah Madrid
How would you describe your personal style?
Recently, in the last few years, I think my style has been more gender fluid. I like to dress very feminine, but then other times I’ll dress very masculine. It’s all over the place. I used to be very goth—only all black for many years—but then I decided I wanted to play with my style a little bit. Like, if I wanna wear red today, I’ll wear red today.
I decided that every day of 2026, I’m going to have an outfit. I’ll do makeup and put it all together so I can wear every single piece of clothing that I have.
Where do you find style inspiration?
A lot of different things. Working with music production and touring with all these different artists, I see a lot of crazy ideas from the crowd. I work mostly with EDM, so there’s a lot of fun colors and bright styles. But actually going around and being on tour, I’m meeting a lot of new people and learning about different cultures, different styles. And I can then show up and wear these cool earrings because I can't wear anything else [at work], but I can still be myself with these earrings.
Where do you like to shop?
Well, I just shopped in [my friend] Cindy's closet today. But I thrift stuff…and I get stuff sent to me from my grandma all the time. She’ll send me a sweater she doesn’t wear anymore and I’ll make it my style. I have stuff from tours, band tees. I try my best to not buy from fast fashion as much. This outfit, I’ve had for like five years. I’ll mismatch it and stuff.
I sew some of my own clothes, too. And my grandma will tell me, “Hey, I found this old sweater of your grandpa’s” and I’m just like “sure, I’ll take it” and I can make it into something.
What’s your philosophy of accessories?
Growing up, my mom and grandma always pushed for me to have accessories. To always have earrings, rings—and I hated accessories. Now, I’m like, “All right, I love earrings.” I have a lot of fun earrings, like these Furby earrings that I just love to wear…I always have to make sure I have at least a set of earrings and a necklace.
I used to work for Lush, so all the little [product] knot wraps I'll use in my hair…and I’m Native so I have a lot of jewelry that is beaded and made by our tribe that I’ve gotten from my grandma or bought at powwows. I try to wear those, too. And my purse; I think it’s so fun to do something with the purse.
My friend’s mother has a very aggressive form of cancer. One time I visited her and took her out for breakfast in Las Vegas, and she made me this [black] scarf. She said, “I know you love lace and you love black,” so now I use it as a bag accessory.
What’s your go-to, everyday outfit?
I always wear black, because working in live music you’re always wearing black. That’s the show-ready outfit. I’m always wearing leggings and a hoodie, I just have so many black hoodies. I wear Doc Martens consistently. My go-to when I’m not at work or doing something related to work: Juicy tracksuits. I have like five of these. Some days I’m like it’s a Juicy-fit day. I feel like a Beverly Hills, 2000s Paris Hilton. I mean, I have bigger dogs—not a chihuahua—but I feel like that’s the vibe.
How has your style changed over the years?
I think now that I’ve gotten older… I’ve just really come into my own style. I’m really accepting who I am as a person: really accepting that I’m queer now, accepting that I’m different.
What advice would you give others trying to find their own style and dressing how they want to dress?
I’d say be yourself and feel what you want to feel…If you want to wear something, just fucking wear it. If I want to wear a skirt in goddamn 10 degree [weather], I’ll wear my leggings with it. Think about [an outfit], what you want to do with it, and actually do it. I try not to think like, "Oh no, what if [this outfit is] not the vibe?” I’m never the vibe. I’m always going to go and wear whatever the fuck I want to wear. You can like my outfit, you can not like my outfit. You can think I’m doing too much, and I’ll be like, “I feel good, I feel great in this outfit.” I don’t need somebody else to tell me [that].
