The Dirty Truth: A Q&A With Sahar Dahi
Meet the girl behind The Dirty Truth. Sahar Dahi talks fall style, hot takes, high standards, dating icks and the shoes and bags she’s taking for a spin this season.
Patent heels. Knee-high boots. An it-girl who tells it like it is. For our fall campaign, we teamed up with Sahar Dahi to build a shoot around what she does best: sharp style, unfiltered advice and new-season pairs worth taking for a spin.
Known for her unapologetic honesty, loyal online community and sexy-yet-polished fashion POV, Sahar helped bring The Dirty Truth to life, from the new arrivals she helped style to the takes only she could give.
The day after the shoot, the social girls kept the conversation going over brunch and mimosas, naturally. We talked fall outfit formulas, dating icks, friendship, manifestation and why protecting your peace never goes out of style.
Get to know the girl behind the campaign.
Q: How would you describe your personal style?
Sahar: I would say it’s a mix of a lot of things. I definitely lean more toward comfort. I don’t like wearing anything uncomfortable. But I would say it’s simple, girly and classy.
Q: What’s your go-to fall outfit formula?
Sahar: I think the fun part of fall is tights. Anything with black tights, I feel like I start there. Whether it’s a skirt or a dress, I love pairing it with tights and boots. That’s my favourite fall look, for sure.
Q: What’s a shoe trend you think people are sleeping on right now?
Sahar: I really like mesh shoes, specifically the ones that look like netting. They’re airy, they’re comfortable, and you can style them with a lot of stuff. I like it. Let the dogs breathe.
Q: What’s a trend you’ll be wearing on repeat this season?
Sahar: Polka dots. I love polka dots. I think they’re so cute, and I’m so happy they’re back!
Q: Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed?
Sahar: Overdressed, for sure. Because if you’re overdressed, that means you basically just look better than everyone. But when you’re underdressed, you can feel embarrassed, because you’re like, “Damn, I look worse than everyone.”
Q: What’s a fashion lesson you learned the hard way?
Sahar: Just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it’ll look good on you. We’re not all meant for the same trends. Certain trending styles only work for certain people or certain body types, and that’s okay. Find the one that works for you.
Q: You’ve called yourself a master manifester. What’s the craziest thing you’ve manifested, and how did you make it happen?
Sahar: If I just think of something, and think about wanting it, the next thing you know, I have it.
For starters, every time there’s a concert I want to go to, even if I don’t have tickets, I write it down in my calendar as if I’m going. Then within a couple of days, somehow, tickets land in my lap.
Even this campaign we’re doing, I always thought, “I really want to be the face of something.” I didn’t know what yet, but I just thought it. Next thing I know, it happens.
Q: What’s your stance on chasing versus attracting?
Sahar: I think anything you have to chase will run away from you. I don’t believe in chasing too much.
Of course, I think you need to work toward the things you want. But when something is meant to happen, it won’t feel like you have to destroy yourself trying to get there.
And when something’s not happening, it’s redirection. It’s telling you that maybe that wasn’t the path you were meant to take, and you’re supposed to find something else.
I just think everything works out how it’s supposed to be. Try for the things you want, but not to the point where you’re chasing and getting nothing in return.
Q: What’s your most controversial dating take?
Sahar: I’m a very big believer in “if they wanted to, they would.” I know a lot of people hate that, but it’s true! If you wanted to, you would.
But also, some people are incapable of giving you what you need. And when you’re in that position, you need to be able to walk away.
Q: What’s a dating behaviour that immediately gives you the ick?
Sahar: I have two really big ones.
First, when they don’t ask you any questions about yourself. This isn’t an interview. I’m not here to just listen to you yap about your life all night. I don’t care. Ask me questions back. This is how you date. You get to know each other.
My second ick is insecurity. I think the person you’re dating should be your biggest cheerleader. They should be excited for you. If your success makes them insecure, that is not your person. You’re going to end up constantly having to coddle them every time something good happens for you.
Q: You consider yourself a girl’s girl. What’s one way you hype up your friends, and one way you love to be hyped up?
Sahar: I know this is a controversial opinion, but I think it is important for your friends to be openly and publicly hyping you up. When you’re posting your stories, your pictures, and what-not, I think it’s weird when your friends don’t like or comment on what you’re putting out there! That’s giving hater vibes, in my opinion.
When my friends and I post a thirst trap picture on our stories, we’re always spam-commenting publicly on the story or the post. Hyping up my friends publicly, whether it’s online or in person is my biggest thing.
Q: Do you think that honesty is always the best policy in friendships? For example, if a friend asks if their outfit looks good, are you going to tell the full truth?
Sahar: I think it is. I’ve gotten in trouble for this a couple of times, but my stance is that if you’re asking for my opinion, you should be ready to hear the truth.
That said, I do believe in the five-minute rule, though. If they can’t fix it in five minutes, don’t say anything. If they got something done to their face, and there’s no way for them to fix it for at least six months, maybe don’t tell them they look like shit, because that’s going to hurt their feelings.
But if they ask, “Do you think this outfit looks cute?” and I don’t think it looks that cute, I’m going to tell you, “Maybe switch this,” or “Maybe try a different pant with it”, something like that. I won’t ever say, “It looks bad,” but I will give suggestions. I believe in honesty, but you can still be kind about it.
Q: You talk a lot about protecting your peace. What does that actually mean to you, and how do you protect it in your day-to-day life?
Sahar: For me, protecting your peace is literally doing whatever you need to do to protect your sanity and your mental wellbeing. I want to feel calm. I don’t want the constant up and down emotions. Growing up is loving neutrality.
I used to be such an anxious person who needed to know everything, like what people were saying or what was going on. Now, if it’s going to stress me out and I don’t need to know, I’m okay not knowing.
It also means cutting off people who threaten your peace in any way. If someone is stressing you out or making you feel unlike yourself, get away from them. Protect yourself. Block them if you need to. Protect your peace.
Q: You’re not afraid to tell it like it is. Have you always been unapologetic, or is it something you had to learn?
Sahar: I think it’s something I had to learn, for sure. I wasn’t always tell-it-like-it-is. I was a people-pleaser for the majority of my life; I kept to myself and was very quiet.
But I learned that you’re better off being honest than lying or not being upfront. When you lie or aren’t honest about something, it piles up so much that it becomes a stream of lies.
Just be honest in the beginning, and everything works out on its own. It’s better to apologize if you hurt someone’s feelings than to apologize for lying or not being direct about something.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self, in fashion or in life?
Sahar: I would say don’t take everything so seriously. When you’re younger, you overthink everything and feel like every decision is going to be this huge deal. The school you choose, the person you date, what you wear, what you like, it all feels so big in the moment.
Now I’m like, “Who cares?” Wear what you want to wear, do what you want to do and like what you like. Most of the things you stress about won’t matter in five years.
I wouldn’t change anything I did because everything led me to where I’m at now, and I’m content with where I am, and who I am today.
--
And that’s The Dirty Truth. Shop the Sahar-approved fall styles and keep taking notes from our girl @saharrooo on Tiktok and @sahardahii on Instagram.
