What would you say if someone asked you to describe your style in three words? It sounds simple. It rarely is.
On the evening of April 30, SOTE hosted the first installment of Group Chat, an intimate salon series exploring where personal style, desire, and culture intersect. Facilitated by Lauren Pellerano Gomez, writer, fashion scholar, and creative consultant, the evening brought together a small group of curious, fashion-conscious guests for a conversation that was equal parts grounding and revelatory.
The evening: Guests reflected on the question at the center of it all: what is personal style, and where does it come from?
Through light discovery exercises and open dialogue, the group explored how style forms over time, whether it feels fluid or fixed, and what it means to have a defined aesthetic in a world that moves fast and changes faster. The conversation touched on upbringing and influence, on the difference between dressing and expressing, and on what it means to feel at home in what you wear.
It was the kind of conversation that is rare to find, and exactly what this series was made for.
What is Group Chat?
Group Chat is an ongoing series of in-store events at Spirit of the Earth, Santa Fe's beloved independent boutique at 219 Galisteo Street. Each session takes up a single theme at the intersection of fashion, identity, and culture, guided by Lauren Pellerano Gomez and co-hosted by Sophie Sagar. Tickets are $10 and space is intentionally limited.
Upcoming sessions explore desire and the fashion cycle, the role of sentiment and heirlooms in our wardrobes, and what it means to dress with intention. View upcoming events.
Grab your ticket for the May 12 Group Chat, on Fashion and Intentionality, here.
About Our Host:
Lauren Pellerano Gomez (they/them) is a Santa Fe-based writer, fashion scholar, and creative consultant with an MA in Design History and Theory from Parsons. A former editor at Cultured Magazine and Boston Art Review, Lauren has co-authored two books on fashion and social justice, created work for Google, and collaborated with Reebok, Converse, and Bank of America. Their work and creative projects have been featured in Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, VICE, and Autostraddle. Lauren's Substack, Living Pretty Well, is ranked #44 in Rising Fashion and Beauty. Follow them on Substack at livingprettywell.substack.com and on Instagram @artdykeofficial.
Sophie Sagar, Lauren Pellerano Gomez, Samantha Ruble, and Taryn Border during Group Chat at SOTE in Santa Fe, New Mexico.