#Stylish

By RJ Walters
Photography by Jordan Randall and Jon Sierra

We asked our Instagram contingent (follow us at @lakelandermag) to tag the most stylish locals they knew. Nearly 500 comments, with loads of fire emojis, flooded in. Here’s a taste of just of some of Lakeland’s social media fashion influencers.

When Ciara Liebl walks into a room—or into the sanctuary of Family Worship Center, her home church for several decades—she radiates a bright cheer with outfits that match her motto, “Less is never more!”

The professional makeup artist and 2011 Lakeland High School graduate says she loves dressing up, but as a busy mother of two (soon to be three) girls, Sundays are the only consistent day she gets dressed to the nines.

Growing up, Ciara’s mom wasn’t into fashion but she supported her daughter’s love for it, and Ciara recalls playing with lipstick at just 2 years old. Her love for style continued to blossom through high school, when she had a realization after doing her friend’s makeup for a wedding.  

“When I was finished, she gave me a tip, and I looked at it and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head that I could make money doing makeup,” she said.

For the past decade, she has been doing just that. Through her business Ci.Beauty (cibeauty.co) Ciara offers makeup for brides and bridal parties and she does makeup and hair for commercial photoshoots for companies that include Spectrum, Publix and Indie Atlantic. 

She describes her personal style as funky, colorful and cheerful. She proudly rocked a pair of bold Zenni Optical glasses during her shoot, and her favorite dress—the sand-colored lipstick dress that is featured—is from the Lakeland boutique Monkee’s. 

On Sunday’s, her daughters, Lilly and Lucy, follow their mom’s lead, but Ciara jokes that her days of picking out their outfits has sadly come to a close.

When Ciara Liebl walks into a room—or into the sanctuary of Family Worship Center, her home church for several decades—she radiates a bright cheer with outfits that match her motto, “Less is never more!”

The professional makeup artist and 2011 Lakeland High School graduate says she loves dressing up, but as a busy mother of two (soon to be three) girls, Sundays are the only consistent day she gets dressed to the nines.

Growing up, Ciara’s mom wasn’t into fashion but she supported her daughter’s love for it, and Ciara recalls playing with lipstick at just 2 years old. Her love for style continued to blossom through high school, when she had a realization after doing her friend’s makeup for a wedding.  

“When I was finished, she gave me a tip, and I looked at it and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head that I could make money doing makeup,” she said.

For the past decade, she has been doing just that. Through her business Ci.Beauty (cibeauty.co) Ciara offers makeup for brides and bridal parties and she does makeup and hair for commercial photoshoots for companies that include Spectrum, Publix and Indie Atlantic. 

She describes her personal style as funky, colorful and cheerful. She proudly rocked a pair of bold Zenni Optical glasses during her shoot, and her favorite dress—the sand-colored lipstick dress that is featured—is from the Lakeland boutique Monkee’s. 

On Sunday’s, her daughters, Lilly and Lucy, follow their mom’s lead, but Ciara jokes that her days of picking out their outfits has sadly come to a close.

Abdiel Gonzalez still remembers getting weird looks walking around the Florida Southern College campus in the early 2000s. He was in fact wearing skinny jeans, a trend that had not quite landed in Lakeland that Abdiel was an early adopter on. “I remember people being like, ‘What are you wearing?’”

Two decades later, people might still be asking that question, but with a tone of admiration and curiosity for the Hawaiian born Lakelander who calls his fashion sense relaxed and resort inspired.

Gonzalez is the business development and marketing manager for Haus 820, and he is no stranger to branding and storytelling. 

As a youngster he was immersed in commercial dance and theater, and he even made an appearance in Disney commercials.

He also knows the retail industry inside and out, having worked for Hollister, Urban Outfitters, and most recently, online eyewear giant Warby Parker.

His extensive experience and network has drawn the interest of apparel brands over the past year-and-a-half, and he is starting to work more intentionally on his Instagram account, @abdielgonzalez.

Before a recent trip to the Dominican Republic with his wife, Kristy Scott, and friends, he bought a statement-making stallion emblazoned set of pyjamas (the photos say it all) from UK brand Desmond & Dempsey, whose slogan is ”from bed to barbecue.”

Gonzalez said he is drawn to light fabrics, and he likes to play with volume and different width tops and bottoms to keep things interesting.

Everyone’s definition of “cool” is subjective, but sometimes you just have to respect someone’s game because of the caliber of other people who clearly are.

In 2014, Nova and April Jaquez were hired to do choreography for Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Ronde Barber’s retirement party at Raymond James Stadium. The Hall of Famer liked their vibe and energy so much that he made sure they were able to stay the entire evening by covering their flight expenses to their next work gig—where April was doing makeup for the WWE show Total Divas in New Orleans.

Fast forward nearly a decade and the Lakeland couple is no longer jetting across the country. Their focus centers on their almost 2 year old son, Warrior, the crown jewel of their family after nearly eight years of struggling to have a child. 

Their style though? It’s not your typical “mom and dad” wardrobe.

April, a 2006 graduate of Lakeland High School, says she “played it safe” with her style for many years, but as the world opened up for her as a professional dancer—including a stint with the Orlando Magic—she started trying new things, and found joy in re-mixing outfits.

During her shoot with The Lakelander she proudly showed off her Dollar Tree sunglasses and expressed that style is about far more than recognizable logos and hefty shopping budgets.

She said Nova’s style is “definitely free spirited,” and he jokes that he learned from his mother and two sisters that women’s clothing sections usually have more and better options.

“If you have the confidence to rock it, why not?” he said.

Nova grew up in New York, the son of Dominican parents. He brought his fashion flair to Central Florida, and it’s normal for people to take a long gaze at what he’s wearing.

“The question we most often get is, ‘Where are you going?’ and I’m like, ‘Umm, I’m going to the mailbox to get the mail.’”

Their passion for style over the years led to them starting their business Crossbreed (@wearecrossbreed on IG) where the couple offers everything from hair and makeup to professional choreography to photography and videography.

When Taylor Ard arrived on set she was donning a lkld girl shirt—a design popularized by her accessory and apparel company East of These. She then confidently strutted in front of the camera in a chic southern boho dress, before changing into a rocker t-shirt that she cloaked in a formal black jacket.

Such is life for a mom of three boys who admits many days she resorts to the “yoga pants and t-shirt” look, but who is also the face of a company known for beautiful fabrics and classy designs.

She said growing up her family didn’t have a lot of resources and she spent a lot of time shuffling the racks at Goodwill. That experience taught her how to identify diamonds in the rough and piece outfits together.

She was raised in Charleston, S.C. so it makes sense that she loves boots, and she also leans into “classic things” and 70s fashion.

Since the official launch of East of These in 2020, Taylor’s local profile has continued to grow, and you will often find her at Catapult and Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market. But if you ask Taylor what it’s like to be seen as a local influencer, she will tell you she’s still getting used to it.”

“It’s very humbling to think people view me as a style trendsetter.”