Social Studies: Eduardo Anaya

Preen & Chic blogger Eduardo Anaya has his cousin, Mayra Alvarez, to thank for his love of fashion and beauty.

“She and I were always together,” says Anaya, who moved 11 years ago to Sarasota. “It’s like Zara (Barrie) and I now. We would do grooming rituals, cleansing masks and talk. We love late-night trips to CVS, buying four or five magazines, passing them around and admiring things. From there, it built on.”

Anaya says he and Barrie are constantly obsessed with keeping up-to-date on beauty essentials.

“We believe Moroccan oil is the elixir of life,” Anaya says with a giggle. “There are some things we just cannot survive without, like the daily microfoliant from Dermalogica.”

We pulled Anaya away from his job at Simply Spoiled Boutique to gain some insight into this fashionisto’s lifestyle and beauty must-haves.

BT: You’ve been stopped by TSA. What’s inside your bag that is more than 3.4 ounces and that you cannot live without?

Eduardo Anaya: Fekkai Pot de Crème (gives your hair a tight curl), Kate Summerville facial cleanser (it’s a big one) and the Art of Shaving.

BT: If you could trade closets with someone, who would it be and why?

Eduardo: Christopher McConnell. He’s got great taste, he’s got really good labels and he’s willing to take the risk. He is bold. I love his Hermès belt, his Gucci tote …

BT: What’s your morning routine?

Eduardo: You know you’re busy when you cannot exfoliate. I try to wake up early, but always hit snooze. As soon as I jump up, I have to hit the shower because I’m already late. Right now, I’m using a brown sugar scrub and a coconut body moisturizer from LaLicious.

BT: What do you splurge on?

Eduardo: Most people don’t know this, but I have to have designer deodorant. Cartier, Chanel, YSL, Dolce. I don’t like the smell of Axe or any drug-store deodorant.

BT: What’s one item in your closet you can’t live without?

Eduardo: Wow, that’s hard. I have a few. I love my black short shorts — everybody’s seen me in those. There’s this very thick, dark-chocolate brown sweater I wear during winter — I call my chunky knit — and it’s long, down by my knee. My white-linen Ralph Lauren Blue Label dinner jacket that’s so fitted and so tailored. I like that it’s safari-inspired. Oh, and this beautiful Georgio Armani sweater I also love for winter.

BT: How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Eduardo: Eight.

BT: Who is your latest fashion crush?

Eduardo: Karl Lagerfeld — he designs for Chanel and Fendi and has his own line. He’s a genius. He does maybe 12 collections a year. Everything he wears, I love. Tom Ford — he started with Gucci and now he has his own line. His perfumes are the best. I like Marc Jacobs because he went from dorky to hot. He used to wear glasses and V-necks and now he’s full of tats (tattoos). My latest girl crush is Daphne McGuinness. When Alexander McQueen passed away, she owned so many of his gowns that she gave them to The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) for the exhibit they did on him.

BT: What’s the trick to Sarasota style?

Eduardo: Between my friends, we admire people who do something different and who are willing to do something bold, like Zara’s spiked shoes or my short shorts. But I think that Sarasota mostly likes the cookie cutter. As long as it’s designer, people don’t really express themselves as much. Whatever is in the catalogue, that’s what they’ll wear.

BT: What trend should be removed from fashion?

Eduardo: Designers were doing a lot of tied leggings with busy computer-based prints, especially for spring. They were full of color and they look great on models, but on the everyday American — not so much.

BT: Do you wear skinny jeans?

Eduardo: I do wear skinny jeans. I like things that are fitted. That’s one of the biggest problems I’m finding — there aren’t enough fitted clothes.

BT: Where do you shop?

Eduardo: I’m really excited about the girls from Influence (St. Armands) starting a men’s shop. I shop at Juno and Jove — their products are so soft. I’m a big person with fabric, and I like that they have good texture. I’m not a big shopper. When I find things I like, I will purchase them, but I’m not one who goes off with $2,000 and buys things every weekend. It’s cool to look at the trends and translate them to what’s in your budget. All of those trends, not only are consumers looking at them, but people who develop all these other lines that are cheaper. Whatever the biggest trends are, you’re going to see them in six months at Forever 21 and H&M.