The Look Book

Mila, Sandra, and Tara Erer, High-School Student, Store Owner, and College Student

In New York, everybody is a sample of style by themselves. You see very few clichés.

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By Amy Larocca
Published May 21, 2005

(Photo: Jake Chessum)

What are you doing today?
Tara: I go to Columbia for film school, and my family is visiting from Istanbul. My sister wants also to come to college in New York. Sandra: So we’re shopping in Soho and having lunch at Blue Ribbon. We come visit Tara twice a semester.

And what are you wearing?
Tara: My parents own stores in Turkey, so almost everything is from the store. It’s called Acqua Verde. The coats are Nolita RaRe—that’s an Italian brand. My mother’s coat is not from Acqua Verde, it’s Marc Jacobs. Having the store has made us all progress more because it is very daring and very unique.

Would you ever want to open a store in New York?
Sandra: I would love to. This is where there’s the fastest-evolving pace in fashion! I love it most when people run in all directions in the mornings with their coffees in their hands.

Do you all share clothes?
Tara: At home, we have only one closet for all of us. Not literally—our closets are in separate places—but there is no distinction.

You’re wearing the same Converse sneakers. Does it ever bother you to match?
Mila: It doesn’t bother me, because when we actually agree on something, we really enjoy it. She got them from Miami; I got them from New York, at Active Wearhouse in Soho.

Sandra, do you worry about your girls being alone in New York?
Sandra: Not at all. Istanbul is a diverse and exciting city, so I can understand why they like it in New York. And don’t forget, “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.”

What are the major differences between Istanbul and New York style?
Sandra: In New York, everybody is a sample of style by themselves. You see very few clichés. In Istanbul, there are not so many creative styles, more clichés. But young people in Istanbul learn very fast—usually they need to see it worn on someone before they dare. That can create monotony.

Do you think Turkey should be in the European Union?
Sandra: Definitely. It is the bridge between Asia and Europe, and the population is 60 percent young.