Chriztina Marie

1. Who is Chriztina Marie? 

Hey HEY! First, thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down and chat today. My name is Chriztina Marie; I am the owner/founder and artist behind Eagle Rock WERKSHOP. I’m just your average creative-workaholic-female-entrepreneur with big dreams … when I am not wearing all the administrative hats needed to keep my small business afloat, you can find me either working on new art for WERKSHOP or playing with my Etch A Sketch.

2. How do you define fashion and or style? 

I think that fashion has really evolved in the age of the internet. Instead of people being told what is trending, they can now pick and choose what to wear to best represent their personal style and comfort like never before. Just because tiktok says that side parts and skinny jeans are out ~ it doesn’t mean you cannot find them. We’re living in a world where people can express themselves like never before – and to me, that is what fashion and style is all about. It’s about feeling good and confident, inside and out. 

3. What influences your style? ie travel, work, movies, magazines, social media trends, celebrities, color, etc. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “We’re all 100 monkeys on an island?" The general idea is that once an idea reaches a certain number of people, it’s eventually adopted by all. You’ll slowly start to see things appear here/there and then eventually it becomes unavoidable… 

Because of that, I think that influence comes from everywhere and cannot be pinpointed to any specific source. When I am designing a new collection for WERKSHOP, I just let my heart guide me. My most recent collection features honeybees and red pandas. The honeybees make me feel safe/secure; probably because my family had honeybees growing up, and I would help extract the honey. The red pandas make me feel cuddly/cozy, ‘cause they’re so dang cute! So my emotions definitely guide me most of the time. 

4. How has your style evolved? 

Oh gosh, my personal style is constantly evolving. In the early days of WERKSHOP, I would create these big “billboard” style art pieces and then print a single image across the leg. For example, my Sugar Skull artwork is one gorgeous/giant digital painting of a face on the thigh. It is exciting and attention grabbing. My more recent designs are leaning toward smaller, more intricate details… instead of one giant Red Panda on the leg, my new artwork has small clusters of little pandas playing on abstract trees. From far away, you cannot tell what it is… but as you get closer, you can see all the details and it comes to life. It makes the leggings more mature while still retaining that youthful whimsy that defines WERKSHOP. As for overall looks, I absolutely love combining intricate prints with solids.

5. What does your dream wardrobe consist of? 

I would say that my wardrobe consists of mostly leggings (of course) and comfy tops. In the fall/winter, I am usually wearing a pair of WERKSHOP leggings with a chunky cashmere sweater during the day (and then I just take the sweater off when I hop on my spin bike at night.) If I am not wearing a sweater, you can probably expect to see me in a lightweight drapey top with a leather jacket. I’m a huge fan of layers this time of year.

I used to wear a lot of dresses, and I have been feeling that shift lately… because of that, I have started designing a dress for WERSKHOP and also have a tennis skirt (with pockets!) slated to hit the site in early 2022! As I have gotten older, the most important thing to me is comfort. So I usually only wear things that are soft and comfy ~ life’s too short to wear uncomfortable clothing. I think you can look sharp and not have to sacrifice comfort.

6. If you were to give fashion advice to your younger self what would it be? 

Oh, snap. Hmmmm, I am not sure. I was a skater kid growing up. My uniform mostly consisted of giant JNCOs and oversized t-shirts. It’s not so much my style anymore, but I don’t think I would have done anything differently growing up. I guess the one thing I wish I would tell my younger self would be to lay off the tweezers, lol! I, like many kids in the 90’s, was a victim of over-tweezing and there are a few photos where my eyebrows look razer-thin. Thank goodness they grew back! 

7. How important is it to be body positive and to appreciate the skin that you're in? 

I think that it is so incredibly important to love yourself, accept yourself, and always strive to be the best version of yourself. Self-doubt can be utterly crippling and spill into all facets of life. If you aren’t happy in your own skin, it’s not only hard to be happy in a personal relationship, but it’s also hard to find success professionally. Feeling insecure and bad about yourself could prevent you from taking risks that could catapult you to the life you dream of. The truth is that every single person is unique and special… and it’s so much healthier to focus on the things that make you feel good about yourself. 

8. What do you love about jewelry? What is your absolute favorite is it earrings, necklaces, etc. 

Ahhhh, I am always wearing so much jewelry! Most of the pieces I wear every day are incredibly sentimental to me and make me feel closer to my family. My favorite jewelry to wear would be rings. I usually stack them and wear 3 or 4 on each hand. I work with my hands a lot, so it brings me joy to see the sparkles while I work. As for individual/favorite pieces, I have a ring that I inherited from my grandmother when she passed. It’s not fancy – no diamonds or gemstones, but I remember her wearing it my whole life and whenever I see it, I think of her. I also wear the aquamarine ring that she gave me for my first communion when I was 7 or 8 years old; it’s wild that it still fits after 30 years! 

9. How do you incorporate accessories and jewelry into your daily looks? 

I have my jewelry staples that I never take off (my sentimental rings as well as a necklace with a custom made pendant of my logo for WERKSHOP,) and then I like to have fun with bracelets, earrings, and usually throw on a mala around my neck. If I could wear 100 necklaces at a time, I would! One thing that I love to do is mix yellow and rose gold. I genuinely love the way they look together. Today I am wearing rose gold earrings, a yellow gold necklace, and mixed rings… and I am on the hunt for a new everyday bracelet! 

10. What are your non-negotiables... What must you have / wear / do? and what are your, “I’m never ever doing or wearing that”? 

Well I am definitely never going to over-tweeze my eyebrows again, lol! But I think that may be my only non-negotiable for personal style. I like to experiment and try new things. I’ve had blonde hair, red hair, pink hair, purple hair… long hair, short hair. I even had a soft mohawk for about a year (that was fun!) I don’t like to take myself too seriously and am open to trying new things.

As for fashion, I think the only trend I will forever sit out on are super low-rise jeans. Even when I was in college and 1.5” zippers were a thing, I never felt comfortable in them. Low rise jeans and midriff/crop tops were never and will never be my thing.

11. Tell us why you choose fashion and style. So what we mean by that is, we don’t have to dress up, we don’t have to adorn ourselves with jewels and embellish with accessories, but we do, we choose to… why do you? 

When I take the time to coordinate an outfit, it makes me feel more confident in myself. It gives me the energy boost I need to really go out there with a fresh and positive attitude. The way you dress is the way you present yourself to the world… and I definitely don’t want the world to think I am a hot mess. Ha!

12. What’s your favorite fashion/style quote or mantra? 

The only thing that really comes to mind is something a teacher used to say a lot in college. He would say, KISS (or, “Keep it Simple, Stupid”)

I think that is why I love to pair one fun and playful print at a time with solids and essentials… ‘cause I want to show my personality, but I also want it to be curated in a way that isn’t overwhelming. I very rarely wear too many clashing prints and colors at the same time. Or, If I am going to wear a large statement piece of jewelry, I want all the attention to be on that one piece. So my clothing will be super understated and simplistic by comparison. 

13. How and where can people connect with you? 

I can personally be found on Tiktok by the handle @chriztinamarie (https://www.tiktok.com/@chriztinamarie) My Tiktok account has become a fun little escape for my Etch A Sketch Art. (Etch A Sketch is a bizarre form of meditation for me. I just zone out and draw on auto-pilot, and it is such a welcoming escape from the daily grind…)

For all things WERKSHOP, I can be found at www.werkshop.com , https://www.instagram.com/werkshop/, and https://www.facebook.com/EagleRockWERKSHOP. 

 

Thanks for sharing your story, Chriztina! Jewelry passed down from a loved one is so special; it's amazing that you can keep a piece of your grandmother with you and wear it everyday. 

XoXo Golden Stories