Christina Cheng is a freelance journalist, social media guru and fashion stylist out of Toronto, Canada for fashion, entertainment, pop culture and lifestyle topics.  Christina was able to substantially find her niche as a fashion, entertainment and lifestyle journalist during her time at Shaw Media in 2012 under Global News, Entertainment Tonight Canada, and The Morning Show. She was granted the opportunities to cover and partake in: Toronto World MasterCard Fashion Week, the 54th Grammy Awards coverage, the 84th Academy Oscar Awards coverage, and she was also a guest stylist for a fashion segment on The Morning Show. In addition, Christina contributes as a style writer/editor for Complex Magazine based out of New York City where she drafts weekly news articles. She also holds a position with St. Joseph Media based out of Toronto in the marketing, communications and editorial departments where she works under four magazine publications including: FASHION, Canadian Family, GLOW, and Weddingbells.  

1) How would you describe your personal style?
Someone once described my style to be “very street chic mixed with modern-day hipster and edgy-elegant runway.” I didn’t know how to respond to that but I wasn’t totally against it either. In short, my style is a mixture of everything. Much like my astrological sign and personality, I am a versatile Gemini. I’m a girly-girl and tomboy at the same time. I don’t necessarily follow trends but I’ll always have key, timeless pieces from various trends and mold the old with the new to make each piece look different each time. A lot of my style consists of quality, comfort and hidden gems.

2) What are some of the trends you're crazy about this season?
The athletic-chic look has been done before and I’ve done it for years but it’s a “trend” I just can’t seem to escape. It has become a lifestyle, a comfort zone of some sort. I’ve been wearing Nike and Calvin Klein sports bras everyday as a replacement to crop tops. It’s comfortable, easy to throw on, sexy, cute, and it works well with almost anything — shorts, skirts, boyfriend jeans, blazers, heels, sneakers… You name it! It’s simple yet refined. I’ve also incorporated the “sheer” trend along with it. The see-through/peek-a-boo look is a tasteful tease for summer.

3) What are some staples pieces/accessories in your current wardrobe?
A few staple pieces/accessories in my current wardrobe that I can’t leave the house without are: my gold Nixon digital watch, my mini gold Jesus piece necklace, two vintage (real) gold rings on each middle finger, and a pair of my favorite frames that I have in rotation— two Thom Browne frames and an Alexander Wang cat-eye sunny (owned by Beyoncé and Lady Gaga).

4) As a stylist, how much of your personal style do you translate onto your models?
My personal style doesn’t personally translate when styling various models for various looks per se as each shoot for publication, commercial, etc. has different angles and target audiences. I’m quite versatile when styling clients— I find the perfect medium of their personality, physique, comfort zone and lifestyle with a touch of me mixed in there somewhere. I always try to push their boundaries a tad because you just never know, and most of the time, it almost always works out. It makes all the subtle difference and they’re always left shocked and astonished at what they are actually capable of pulling off. It’s a liberating, humbling feeling when you build self-esteem for whom you style because they take it with them and build a better them out of it. It’s beautiful.

Flare Magazine

5) As a journalist, how much do international/cultural trends influence your style?
As a journalist, international/cultural trends highly influence my ever evolving and versatile style, personality and lifestyle. I’m blessed to have been born and raised in a cultured city like Toronto. A massive chunk of my style is dedicated to high quality materials, and as much as I support my locals, a lot of it comes from Japan, Italy, Germany, etc. A few months back, I walked into a thrift shop and instantly fell in love with an authentic Japanese kimono made with heavy silk and velour. It was twice my size but I couldn’t resist— I needed it in my life! I brought it to my seamstress to design a Balmain-esque piece whilst still incorporating authentic Japanese aesthetics. Another favorite accessory piece of mine that I wear often is a gold headpiece that I made, inspired by the Sri Lankan culture. One other trend I’m intrigued by this season is the “Worldly” trend— Instead of focusing on one locale or culture, designers such as Alexander McQueen referenced everything from Geisha girls to Masai costumes. It's a great way to travel the world while breaking the boundaries through fashion. What a clever way to carrying culture on our backs! 6) Who are your top fashion icons? I’ve got to say my top fashion icon brands are BALMAIN and VERSACE. I’ve been in love with both brands for what seems like forever. As an eyewear stylist, my favorite fashion icon brand would have to be New York based designer, Thom Browne.  

Stay tuned for Christina's next blog post! Keep in touch

www.christinagcheng.com Instagram - @christinagcheng