I make bold statements and that can be polarizing, but for the most part I think it works in my favor. Hell, I don’t even know til I’m fully dressed and ready to walk out the door! I’m a notorious chameleon so you just never know which version of me you’re gonna get. I’m never the same woman two days in a row, so I dress according to my mood/vibe each day, whether for work or for play. My guests say that my style is “fun and eclectic,” “bold and quirky like a reformed roller derby bitch but make it fashion,” “body-positive, fashion forward performance art.” Their words, not mine, haha. Women from my heritage don’t get a lot of say when it comes to representation, so I knew it was up to me to represent myself. I decided when I was a kid that I was gonna be a hellion and buck the system in as many ways as possible, mostly by how I presented myself to the world. I suppose I would describe my style as bold, eclectic, body-conscious and boundary pushing. But I think most of the bartenders that I know all dress really cool to be a bartender you have to be a creative, and creative people have cool style.īartending for the past seven years, Amina Camille can now be seen serving up tropical fare at the Dromedary Urban Tiki Bar in Bushwick. Each bar has their own style some of them even have uniforms. There are different styles of bartending, like in fashion it all depends on which kind of bar you work in. What do you think are some misconceptions people might have about how bartenders dress? Since I moved to New York, my style has changed, because you can’t go to the beach and go straight to work here! Here you have to look FUN and the season helps a lot to have different looks. I don’t think that bartending is about how you look-it’s about how good you are in what you do.Īt the beginning, when I started bartending at the Broken Shaker Miami, I started to wear a lot of brand T-shirt and tropical vibes. But I think I get good tips because I always give a good experience to my guests. And gross.Ī lot of people like my style and I always get nice compliments. That we wear all black to be stylish - it’s because we’re FILTHY! And sweaty. What do you think are some misconceptions people might have about how bartenders? My uniform that I’ve developed (thank you Judi Rosen NY, Breaking Hearts and Burning Rubber et al for the stylish and functional dream clothes) really helps me maintain a vibe that I’m comfortable with. Plus, I’m commuting in NYC, so I always feel compelled to Look Good. Am I going out after work? Will I be seeing a cute crush at a regular spot? Gotta dress for all of it. Also, working in NYC is a lot like living here-I’m never less than half an hour away from home, so I always leave prepared for everything that might come my way. It’s funny to look back and remember that I used to wear long floral skirts to work-and also tight little ones! I was definitely going through a regrettable hippie phase when I lived upstate. How has your style changed since when you first started bartending? Ooof, yes! This used to be really huge when I was first bartending-I was at a dive bar where I could totally dress up in tight skirts and dresses and I remember once getting an $18-dollar tip on a $2-dollar beer because I “looked good in that dress.”īut I found myself being objectified no matter what I wore-whether I was in an oversized hoodie or a little dress-and a customer once threw Chex Mix at my ass when I was working in high-waisted denim shorts and an oversize men’s shirt. Has how you were dressed ever affected your tips or customer interactions in any way? Also, I always have to remind myself to find my hoops before I leave-I feel completely naked without them. Most people would likely be surprised by how much energy goes into what looks like a basic black on black ensemble, but it’s important to me that I look put-together, that my outfit be comfortable and not distracting, that I feel confident about how I look. There are so many factors! I’m thinking about where I’m working, what my shift entails (do I have to pull mats that night? use bleach? how fast do I expect to be moving?), how I’m feeling (bloated? should I wear a bright shirt to distract from my low energy? etc) and how long I’m working - that always affects my footwear. Getting dressed for work is a constant balancing act. What do you think about when you’re getting dressed for work? For life? I think my customers mostly think the same-my regulars make fun of me when they see me in anything other than black. Utilitarian, New York, a little punk rock. How do you describe your overall style? How would your customers describe it? She works at Proletariat, As Is, and The Well. Ari Kellman, 27, has been bartending for six years.
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