Ciara Ahern has classic, whimsical style, passion for Cleveland

Did you grow up in Cleveland?

Yes, mostly. My family is from Ireland. I spent my summers there. I spent a year there between high school and college and a year after college. It reinforced to me the importance of education in order to get a good job. In Ireland, I worked odd jobs, took acting classes, bartended and even sold makeup door-to-door, six days a week in the rain.

Are you happy to be back in Cleveland?

I am super passionate about Cleveland, and I wanted to do more in our community. I've been at Adcom since April and my work allows me to be more focused on Cleveland. Before Adcom, I was in a public relations role with another company. I traveled a ton and worked on big global companies. The big reason for my move was to be able to work with a focus on Cleveland, especially with so many exciting things happening here -- and to work with the folks helping to turn the tide is great.

You have a bike helmet, did you ride here?

Yes. I'll ride my bike almost anywhere until there is snow on the ground. I base my outfits in colder weather on the fact that I want to wear boots. I'll wear leggings and dresses or tunics. In nice weather, I will ride my bike with heels on.

It's wonderful that Cleveland is becoming so residential.

I lived downtown at East Fourth and Euclid in 2012. I never saw dog walkers or joggers. There was no one around on a Sunday. It was sad. When I am downtown now, I've seen an exponential increase year over year of people walking dogs and even babies in the neighborhood. It means people are living here.

You mentioned the Cleveland dining scene, do you have favorites?

We eat out a lot. My boyfriend is restaurateur and urban planner Sam McNulty. We probably cooked at home once in the first seven months of knowing each other. We've probably eaten at 95 percent of the restaurants within 10 miles of downtown. I like Lolita, Luxe Kitchen & Lounge, Spice Kitchen & Bar, SOHO Kitchen & Bar and my favorite is Black Pig. Sam's favorite Asian place is Szechuan Gourmet in China Town. We like pretty much everything.

Do you like to shop?

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I love clothes, but I hate to shop. I am all about quality over quantity. I used to go once a year and buy 10 good things and call it a day. I tied it in with Christmas shopping while buying clothes for family.

Where do you like to shop?

Buy the things that feel good on you and that you feel good in."

I shop locally wherever I can. That was a challenge five years ago. I like Blackbird Fly, Whiskey Grade and Banyan Tree. I'm sure I'll be buying things at the new Geiger's downtown. They have really cool stuff. I love everything I have. I won't buy it unless I love it.

What is your favorite season for fashion?

I would have to say early and late summer when it's not too hot. I like summer dresses. Riding a bike can be a little gross in the hot summer. I have a car. I've used it once since April. The car's dependability is questionable. If I can make it through a winter without a car, I will scrap it. I can take the bus or Uber in bad weather.

How do you describe your style?

I've always been very classic in my approach, and I never get into the trends. I also think I'm whimsical in some ways. If something looks very 'of the moment' I will probably go out of my way to not get it. I like things that flatter people's figures naturally. I don't wear anything that is spandex tight and I don't like things that are too boring. I stay away from the things you can get or see anywhere. I like interesting details like little tucks and flourishes.

Where do you find fashion inspiration?

I look for cool, interesting details. It's the art background in me. I feel like for me clothing is an artistic expression, so if I'm going to bother with it at all why not make it interesting. I studied fine art during high school at Beaumont. I like oil painting. I have a little more time now, I might get back into it.

Tell us something that people might not know about you.

I was born here and I'm a citizen of Ireland. Also, I lived in Spain and am semi-fluent in Spanish, at least I was. Also, I'm a minimalist. Sam is too. I don't have very much stuff and he would probably happily live in a tent in the woods.

Fashion Flash: Ciara Ahern Fashion Flash: Ciara Ahern

Do you have any fashion icons?

One of my favorite movies is "Coco Before Chanel." I feel like a lot of people think of Coco Chanel as all pearls and lace, but if you look at her in the early years she was the anti-stuff person. She hated excessive jewelry and makeup. She was very simple, classic and elegant. She dared to go against the relentless pursuit of stuff. She knew that the more brands you wore did not make you look better. It was a ballsy stance. She knew what she liked.

Are we being trained to think that we are a better person if we have that Prada or Chanel item?

I think that is what we're being cultured into. I've never seen a wildly expensive designer item make someone happier. It inspires jealousy or 'impressed-ness' in that people will either be jealous of your goods or they will be impressed by how much money you spent on it. Those items are never interesting. It never says anything about you other than you have money or someone with money gave you something. Items like a beautiful unique dress are far more interesting and say much more about your style. No one will ask about your dress with a Gucci logo on it. They'll just think, "Wow, that's a really expensive dress." That is where the story ends. We associate those logos with premium and we are taught that premium is expensive, so it must be good. It's very often not good.

What does your wardrobe tell us about you?

I'd say it says that I am practical and a conservationist on one hand. I fix a lot of things myself. I'm practical. On the other hand, I like artsy and glitzy things. I'm half super-strong pragmatist and half artist. Those two things sometimes butt heads.

Are you good about cleaning out your closet?

If I realize that I don't like something and I won't wear it, I'll get rid of it. I only buy what I love and I have an emotional attachment to my clothes. I don't love getting rid of things that I love. That's a good thing since I don't love buying stuff either. I was probably the only woman at the Rock Hall inductions and at a party at the Wolstein's wearing her prom dress. It's not a traditional prom dress. It was a smart buy.

Do you have any fashion pet peeves?

I'm not a big fan of what I call "arrogant wear" when men wear their shirts way too tight and small. Just get one size bigger, we don't really need to see what you ate for breakfast! I also don't like the super high-waist shorts or pants that are back in for women. The cut makes it look like you're butt goes on for miles. It's not flattering.

We do like to see some trends leave faster than they arrived.

I've always done things my way, and I can keep things for years. I think if you dress classic, you'll always look better than passable and you'll never be embarrassed by old photos of yourself in bad trends.

How has your style changed over the years?

It's gotten more feminine. I was a little bit tomboyish when I was a kid. That lasted into my teens. In college I was more collegiate. I wanted to fit in. If you dressed-up too much you looked like you were trying too hard. Now, I veer toward dressy. Once I got into the workplace, I was able to wear the styles that I liked without feeling weird about it. It's evolved as I've gotten more comfortable with myself. It has also evolved professionally. It used to be all about what something looked like, now it's about how well an item wears, travels and feels all day. I'm picky about how things feel on my skin. My things are wrinkle proof. I don't even own an iron.

Where does your sense of style come from?

I think it's inherent. From the time I was 2, I knew what I liked and didn't like. When I was a toddler, I used to like to wear as much gaudy jewelry as possible. I refused to wear pants until I was 7. I liked dresses and frilly socks.

Do you recommend any beauty products?

I am addicted to lip balm, like Chapstick, actually the Burt's Bees version. Sam's brother Cody is a naturopathic doctor. He makes his own lip balm, massage oils and other products. It's the best lip balm. He uses all natural ingredients. We're going to test market it. It's in the early stages. Sam and I prefer to go the natural route as much as we can. Everything we use at home is natural, but I do use bleach for some cleaning. We look for natural products and remedies as much as possible but if one doesn't work, we'll go to the doctor.

Do you have any good advice about fashion?

Buy the things that feel good on you and that you feel good in. Wear what you love. If you wear an unbending, uncomfortable fabric, you'll feel a rigidity about yourself. If you're uncomfortable, you'll come off more terse. You don't have to suffer for fashion. Wear what makes you really happy. The fashion industry is focused on convincing you that you need something, it plays on people's insecurities. People want to be beautiful and in this country more than in Europe they believe that people might think more of them if they have that Prada item or less of them if they don't. It's a lot of pressure. Only get stuff or keep things that bring you joy.

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