This conversation has been edited for clarity.
Christine Yarde: Emily and Yoli thank you so much for joining us and celebrating Pride with Dia & Co. You are such a beautiful couple and every time I talk to a couple, I have to ask about the love story! So tell us how you met.
Emely Turish: Thank you so much for having us. We’re so happy to be a part of this and celebrate Pride with Dia & Co. So, one thing that we’ve learned from meeting each other is timing is everything, when it’s meant to be, it is. Yoli and I met through a mutual friend. I was at dinner with a friend of mine. And for some reason, my phone sent me a notification saying that one of my other friends who was our mutual friend was across the street at a bar.
So I texted my friend and I said, “I just saw that you’re across the street.” And she was like, “come on over!” And so I closed out my tab with my friends and I went across the street to the bar. I meet up with my friends and we’re hanging out and then eventually, Yoli walks in.
Yoli Vargas: Yeah. And so I walk in, I’m with one of my best friend’s and my cousins. We have a drink and then we see our friend, Tiffany, who’s the mutual friend that we both know and Emely’s with Tiffany. And, I think we all got a drink together. And then that was it.
Later on that evening as I’m leaving the bar, I jokingly say, “Hey, I’m going to add that girl [Emely] as a friend on Facebook.” I ended up requesting to be her friend on Facebook after that, we did not really speak at all.
ET: So my version of the story is, she friend requested me, I accepted and a few months later she posted that she was going to be watching a game or something. We ended up hanging out and we’ve been hanging out ever since then. One day she was creeping through my Facebook, and she tagged herself in a picture of mine from three or four years prior. She was in the background of one of my pictures, mid shot. We go out and we run into people and we know the same people, we’ve been to the same events multiple times, but we just never met. And I truly believe that it’s because it was not our time.
CY: What a beautiful message for all the people out there looking for love and wondering why it hasn’t happened. I know you both are really into fashion and have strong personal styles. Is that something that you bonded over when you first met?
ET: Definitely! When I met her she had a specific style. I’m a little bit more adventurous.
YV: Yeah. The year prior to meeting her, I had lost probably 70 pounds and I was still wearing clothes that were way oversized. I did not wear fitted stuff at all. And since we got together she’s just opened me up to that just seeing her put together outfits.
ET: Now she’ll put together her outfits and then I’ll see her go stand in front of our mirror. And you can just tell that she feels great in it, you know? It was a great change to see that confidence within her and how her fashion has changed.
“And you know, when you start exploring and getting out of your comfort zone, that’s when you’re going to find your unique style.”
CY: You have such a loving aura about your relationship, when you saw Yoli kind of struggling, with her confidence, how did you approach it as a partner? Did you talk about it or was it just something that you kind of let her move through on her own?
ET: So I definitely encouraged her, you know, and I think it’s about coming at it in a loving way. Like, you look great, you know, no matter what size, but maybe try these pants and see how you feel. I think there was a little bit of hesitation. You have to kind of put the idea out there then let that person just kind of do it at their own time. Sometimes, even as if it’s their idea. So, I threw that out there and then eventually, she came around and she did it on her own.
YV: I didn’t feel any pressure. Emely would let me wear whatever clothes I wanted. As long as it was clean and ironed, she didn’t give me any issues with anything that I wore. She was just encouraging like, “Hey, why don’t you try these?” And they were like skinny jeans, I was like, oh, I’ve never worn them before, but okay, let me just try them. And I put them on and, you know, I loved it. I loved the way I felt in them.
CY: It’s beautiful to see the person you love flourish and bloom and become new versions of themself. Emely, you have been a Dia & Co customer and supporter for a very long time. How has Dia & Co helped both of you along this journey of trying new styles and being more adventurous?
ET: For sure. I remember when I first tried on Dia & Co clothing I was actually doing a shoot with a local photographer who had partnered up with Dia & Co and I tried on some white jeans, and white is very hard to do in jeans. They might be a little too transparent, you might see a little bit too much. There’s just so much that can go wrong with white jeans, but I absolutely loved these white jeans, I still have them, I cherish them because they’re just the best fitting jeans. It really helped me to get out of my comfort zone. It’s amazing what an incredible piece can do for your self-esteem. And that’s truly what Dia & Co does.
CY: That is wonderful. And what about you Yoli? What has been your experience with Dia & Co pieces?
YV: Yeah, I recently got this top and it’s a tunic style, button up striped shirt. It’s a little longer and I don’t wear dresses, you know. And it could be a dress or a shirt, it’s versatile. But, I put it on and I’m just like, this is completely out of what I would normally wear, but I felt fantastic in it. It makes me feel so, so good. It’s opening me up to try things that I wouldn’t normally wear and feel good about it.
“I just love seeing her smile and when we’re out there shooting, we’re spending time together, we’re laughing, we’re enjoying the moment together.”
CY: That is so exciting. So now I have to ask this question, who is the brains behind the coordinated outfits and the Instagram photos ?
ET: Definitely me. I love styling, which is not something that I did ever. I think growing up, I always saw things that were trendy or look great on other people, but they were always a size two. And when I would try to wear that, it didn’t translate properly. And now through my blog and my Instagram I’ve really started finding pieces that fit me, fit my body type. I love creating the concept for an image that I’m going to shoot. But all that being said, she [Yoli] is just so helpful, so motivating and encouraging. She takes most of my pictures. I started out trying to take my own pictures with tripods, but it’s really fun to work together creatively.
CY: You know, actually a lot of models’ photographers end up being their significant others.
ET: Which is brilliant. I think that it’s because you feel comfortable with your significant other. I’ve shot with photographers before and while they do an amazing job, I feel most comfortable with her. And I think that translates into the image. And also if I don’t care for something like a specific pose or whatever I’m comfortable enough to tell her, let’s do that again. Or she’ll look at the pictures and she’ll say, “You know, I don’t think this was my best work. Let’s do that again.”
CY: I’ve always had this feeling that pictures come out better when someone who loves you, takes them. What has that experience been like for you [Yoli] photographing her?
YV: I love it. I love seeing her out there and just her confidence and seeing her smile, like her smile is amazing. I just love seeing her smile and when we’re out there shooting, we’re spending time together, we’re laughing, we’re enjoying the moment together. I absolutely love it, even if I’m frustrated with myself because I’m not feeling the pictures I’m taking, she’s very patient with me and talking to me through the whole thing. Those moments that we get to share together I wouldn’t trade that for anything. She just has this energy about her, that she attracts anything and everything. So I love to be behind helping her out.
CY: It’s almost like you have a family business!
YV: Yeah. Our dog is out to shoot with us, so you’ll see him in pictures as well. We all go out there and we have a great time and then she comes back and does her magic with the pictures and posts.
CY: I’m a lover of the whole family working together for the common good. It’s a wonderful thing to have that kind of support when you’re out there doing your thing. Do you guys have any last words that you’d like to share for people who need some style inspiration, or maybe who have made a transition and are not sure about their look right now?
ET: At this point with everything that has gone on and everything that’s still going on we’re constantly changing as people. So don’t feel like this is you, and this is always who you’re going to be, try new things, try new clothes, try new whatever. As much as we look up to people online for fashion or whatever, you need to find something that’s going to work for you. And you know, when you start exploring and getting out of your comfort zone, that’s when you’re going to find your unique style.
Style Inspo
