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Hopie is a painter and the owner of Block Shop, our favorite bold block printed goods, and the beautiful boutique in Atwater Village here in LA that stocks ER. Through her painting and design, Hopie always brings warmth and a hands-on artistry to everything she touches.
How do you define style and taste?
Style and taste are both about having a point of view and dressing and/or assembling your world in a way that enhances the 'project" of your life, regardless of trends. They create a kind of personal vocabulary, or uniform, that can serve as a shorthand for feeling like yourself and making that self visible.
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What’s a piece of advice you come back to often?
“Be like water.” Which I take to mean: keep moving. Be adaptable, not rigid. Don’t waste energy fighting each obstacle, slight and inconvenience; flow around them. The phrase was popularized by Bruce Lee in a 1971 interview, but the idea is much older, with roots in the Tao Te Ching. If I’m bogged down or fixated by something, this visualization of water finding its way helps me loosen my grip and feel lighter.
How do you approach getting dressed?
I tend to return to the same formula: high-waisted trousers or jeans, a tucked-in blouse or T-shirt, a comfy chunky heel or gardening clogs, and some bold jewelry.
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What did creativity look like in your youth? How does it show up in your life today?
We grew up on a farm and didn’t have TV until high school, so my three sisters and I had to entertain ourselves. Creativity filled the void. We painted murals in the garage, sewed fabric scraps into curtains for our dollhouses, helped my mom in the garden and arranged flowers we cut from it, and put on plays with costumes and makeshift sets.
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By middle school, I was taking adult drawing classes at the local college. My mom would even “commission” drawings and paintings from us for gifts and holiday cards. I was always making something. Aside from a few detours into decidedly noncreative pursuits (including, of all things, a five-year stint in investment consulting), the life I’ve built between Block Shop and my painting practice really feels like an extension of that creative childhood.
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What is something you do for yourself that gives you confidence?
Working hard (and joyfully). I’ve always derived confidence from putting my head down and doing the work I love, rather than wondering whether I can do it, whether it’s good enough, or what everyone else is doing.
What ER pieces are you wearing?
The Salt Cedar Swing Jacket: The architectural shape has so much pizzazz, and there’s something incredibly striking and unusual about a white jacket. The Cornflower Pointelle Henley: I love a fitted top tucked into a wide-leg pant or a skirt. The pointelle makes it feel more special than a standard t-shirt, and this cornflower blue is heaven. The Lemon Hollis Oversized Shirt: No one designs a blouse like Emma. I utterly adore this collar and I love the relaxed, oversized fit.
The Salt Cedar Swing Jacket: The architectural shape has so much pizzazz, and there’s something incredibly striking and unusual about a white jacket. The Cornflower Pointelle Henley: I love a fitted top tucked into a wide-leg pant or a skirt. The pointelle makes it feel more special than a standard t-shirt, and this cornflower blue is heaven. The Lemon Hollis Oversized Shirt: No one designs a blouse like Emma. I utterly adore this collar and I love the relaxed, oversized fit.
Shop Hopie's picks!
