Wear is She Wednesday: Sam Tennant

From the windy city of Chicago to the Big Apple, comes actress and vegan activist Sam Tennant. I was initially drawn to her instagram which offers a refreshingly honest look into her life; a mix of her style, the way she sees the world and what she stands for. Perhaps most refreshing however, was that her interview revealed how comfortable she is with her eclectic style.

In a world that loves to box everyone in, it's inspiring to see girls like Sam fearlessly experimenting. Keep reading for her thoughts on antique night gowns, sustainability and being an empath.

1. How would you describe your style?

I would describe my style as a French prairie girl meets Rachel Greene meets your grandpa's closet. With an added dose of 70s/80s fabrics and colors. I love my style because it is all over the place.

2. Where are your favorite places to shop and why?

My favorite places to shop are any local thrift store! I am from Chicago and the best thrift stores I have ever been to are the Village Discount Outlets we have there. You can get a whole new vintage and unique wardrobe for literally $20. Most of my clothes are from there. In New York, where I live now, I love Beacon's Closet and Goodwill, even though they're both a little pricey. The gems I find there are worth the saving up! I also love Outdoor Voices and Paloma Wool although I'm still saving to score on some pieces from Paloma Wool 🙂

3. How did you discover your personal style or are you still discovering it?

I think we all discover our personal style throughout our lives, it is never solidified. In terms of my style currently and what I'm drawn to, I think I really found it through thrifting and eliminating fast fashion out of my life. By thrifting most of my clothes, I am able to put together outrageously eclectic outfits in whatever style I feel like wearing that morning. One day I'll wear an antique night gown with vintage new balances, and another day I'm wearing disco pants from American Apparel with heels and a tube top. I love that I am able to incorporate so many sides of myself into how I present myself to the world through my style.

4. Do you have any current favorites? (podcasts, books, songs, etc?)

My current favorites right now would have to be The Cut on Tuesdays Podcast, and the Daily podcast by the New York Times. Also I have been listening to a lot of Talking Heads and Joni Mitchell. I am about to start on the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and I am super excited about that. My favorite book I have read recently though would have to be The Empath's Survival Guide by Judith Orloff. It helped me develop so many coping strategies for overstimulation and how to separate your own individual emotional life from the overwhelming world's ever conflicting energies in a healthy way.

5. Aside from style, what other hobbies or interests do you have?

I am an acting major at NYU, and theatre is my greatest love and passion. I also love history and anthropology. In addition I am vegan and I also am very passionate about ocean conservation and general environmental sustainability and am working towards living a better low-waste lifestyle. I work for a company called The Wally Shop based here in NYC, and we provide zero-waste grocery delivery services to Brooklyn and Manhattan, and working here has opened my eyes to how much waste even grocery shopping takes up alone in our lives. So I'm very passionate about creating a more sustainable lifestyle.

6. And the bonus question I like to ask everyone before they go: What’s something you’re really proud of right now?

Something I'm really proud of is my ability to empathize. Although I identify as an empath which can be really hard and detrimental to the self sometimes, I love it. I love feeling connected to my emotional body and being able to have that capacity to understand people.

You can find Sam on her Instagram @sammitennant or on her YouTube channel!