Women's History Month March 18, 2020
Women’s History Month: The Power of Friendship
by LARKIN
The following is an interview I did with my dear friend, fashion designer Paola Hernández, for her Women’s History Month newsletter. As a companion piece, I interviewed Paola for this site. You can read it here.
Paola: Meet my very good friend Larkin Clark, a woman who inspires me. We first met in NYC in 2013, when she was an editor at the women’s lifestyle publication, DailyCandy. That year was a critical time in my life. Not only was I relocating my brand from Mexico City to NYC, but also the year I got married. What I love most about Larkin—who now works in photo and film production in addition to her work as a writer—is the way she tells stories through photography, words, and her personal style.
Thank you for sitting down with me, Larkin. I really want my friends to know more about you.
Larkin: It’s an honor! As you know, you inspire me as well, both as a woman and creatively.
Paola: When you were a child, what woman did you think represented the epitome of womanhood, and why?
Larkin: I’m an only child, so I spent a lot of solo time with my mom growing up. She was my first creative inspiration and represented the epitome of womanhood to me from a very young age. She has an amazing sense of humor, isn’t afraid to speak her mind, and has always had impeccable style. In fact, about half of my wardrobe today is from my mom’s vintage collection! She never shies away from bold patterns or colors, and has always gravitated toward timeless silhouettes. Her signatures were—and still are—red lipstick and big hair, which have become two of my style signatures, too.
She also impacted my early ideas of what it meant to be a working woman. When I was little, she’d pick me up from school and bring me back to work with her for the rest of the day. I was enamored by the “office lifestyle” she had, which seemed so different than our laidback home life. The fact that she got dressed up every day and came to this special space filled with grown-up things like files, books, and typewriters seemed very powerful and glamorous. She always told me I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up—even President of the United States. I didn’t go that route, but I’m glad I was told early on that it was an option because it kept my mind open to a wide range of possibilities for my life path.
Paola: How is your womanhood depicted in the stories you tell?
Larkin: As I get older, I find that my personal meaning of “womanhood” is constantly evolving, and that impacts how it emerges in my storytelling. In my early 20s, for example, I was very fascinated by the ingenue archetype and female sensuality, so my personal styling and many of the scripts I wrote and portraits I took reflected that. I was still coming to terms with shedding my girlhood and longed to be seen as beautiful, powerful, and in touch with my sexuality.
In my 30s, I feel those things inherently instead of hoping for them to be a part of what other people perceive of me. My focus is different. It’s not so much about creating a “character” that fits a particular description as it is about finding a deeper sense of truthfulness—whether that’s in an image, a moment between people, or the words I’m using to describe something.
I am more interested in other women’s stories—how they relate to their bodies, define success, navigate health issues and tragedies—and am becoming more comfortable with sharing my own experiences. Creatively, I used to feel as if I needed to work alone in order for a project to truly feel like it was mine. Now, my most rewarding experiences are frequently those on which I’ve collaborated with other women.
Paola: Speaking of other women, are there any you look up to today?
Larkin: I lived in New York City for eight years before moving to San Francisco, and one of the most incredible gifts I walked away with was the group of women I befriended during that time.
Don’t get me wrong, there are incredible women everywhere and I am lucky to call many of them my dear friends and inspirations. But New York women are a special breed: They are passionate, direct, whip-smart, and hustlers in the best way possible. And when you find your tribe, they are your ride-or-dies for life—women who will go to extreme measures to make you feel loved when you are alone, be your champions when you can’t be your own, and model self-care and professionalism so you can go out in the world safely, bravely, and boldly. (They will also tell you when your outfit looks like terrible and you need to change before leaving the house—which is always appreciated, in my book.)
I may not live in NYC anymore, but it is the place where I learned from other women how to become a woman in my own way. I am forever grateful—and proud—of that.
Shop the story: Navy Intarsia Sweater, Navy Knitted Poncho, Navy Chunky Sweater. Available at paolahernandez.com.
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Styling: Larkin Clark wearing Paola Hernández
Photography: Ashley Batz
