When you meet Shelly Shellhorn, you might imagine that she wakes up to a closet full of costumes and chooses who she wants to be for the day. But after a few mere minutes with her, it’s apparent that this 26-year-old fashion lover is just being her authentic self. As a manager and vintage tee specialist for the Buffalo Exchange located in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, Shellhorn has made this her living. Not only that, but her position at the Denver store has allotted Shellhorn to gain access to unique and, sometimes rare items that come across their buying stations.

After working at Buffalo for so many years now, it’s no surprise that her wardrobe has become one of the most unique and colorful closets we’ve come across in years. With true and genuine efforts, Shellhorn has made fashion much more than an archive of stuff. Rather, it’s become a venue for her to express creativity and inspire others to be their authentic selves. So when the time came to run another “303 Style Profile,” we knew exactly who to reach out to. Shellhorn’s personal take on fashion is refreshing, drawing influences from everything to her mom and music, it’s apparent why this girls style is one in a million.

303 Style Profile – Buffalo Exchange’s Wild Child Shelly Shellhorn

All Images by Noah Berg

All Images by Noah Berg

303 Magazine: We love your personal sense of style, tell us a bit more about your life story and background on how you got into fashion.

Shellhorn: Well, I have my mom to thank mostly for the way I look! She was always dressing me in crazy weird stuff up until I was able to do it myself. She always encouraged me to be as spooky and wild as I wanted to be and that people who gave me shit were too boring to try and impress anyways haha.

303: Who or what inspires your style? Have you always dressed the way you do now?

SS: Aside from my ma, I would have to say that music and horror movies are what inspire me to dress the way I do. I was picked on in school for having a “bad” haircut and wearing dumb t-shirts, but to tell you the truth I’m glad for that. I never wanted to fit in with all those crummy kids in school anyways! I want to do, say and wear whatever makes me happy and if some people don’t like it that’s fine by me.

Shelly in a metallic orange one piece paired back to black.

Shelly in a metallic orange one piece paired back to black.

303: If you could raid anyone’s closet who’s would it be?

SS: Hmm, great question. If I were to raid anyone’s closet I would probably pick either Rod Stewart’s or Alice Cooper’s. I love all that 1970s glam stuff and rock n’ roll as well as old ’77 punk rock bands (Ramones, Dead Boys, New York Dolls etc.) so I think that shines through with the majority of my outfit choices.

303: What are your absolute favorite pieces in your wardrobe. What kind of significance do they hold to you?

SS: My favorite pieces are mostly costumes honestly! I have about 10 jumpsuits on deck that are outta sight. I also have about 200 badass vintage tees that I could go on and on about but I’ll save that for later. These things are significant to me because I know that most of this stuff is one of a kind and I take a lot of pride in knowing that.

303: Tell us about your vintage t-shirt collection

SS: I started collecting vintage t-shirts at a fairly young age. I think my first one was a Loverboy tee that was given to me by my aunt and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It paid off because I quickly became the Vintage Tee and Leather Expert at Buffalo Exchange.

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“If I had to define my style in three words it’d be young, loud and snotty!” – Shelly Shellhorn

Shellhorn proves that fashion looks best when having fun.

Shellhorn proves that fashion looks best when having fun.

303: Tell us a bit about your tattoos, since they seem to be very important part of your look.

SS: Well my tattoos are all based around stuff I enjoy or things that I think are funny. I’ve got a lot of music themed tattoos ( Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Alice Cooper, KISS etc). But I’ve also got some monster ones as well as a Twilight Zone tattoo. Soon enough I’ll be looking like a full blown comic book! Haha.

303: What is your opinion of the Denver fashion scene?

SS: I think the Denver fashion scene is evolving more quickly than it was a few years ago which is great. It’s nice to see people coming out of their shells a little bit! I love working at Buffalo Exchange because I get to see and meet a lot of new and exciting people who have been here for years and new comers as well. I think in just a couple of years we’ll see a huge difference in the Denver fashion scene with everyone staying true to their own, unique looks.

A "sugar daddy" candy top pairs well with metallic, deep red leggings.

A “sugar daddy” candy top pairs well with metallic, deep red leggings.

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Shellhorn adds a preppy flare to the biker chick look with a polka dot scarf.

Red shorts and a snake skin body suit make for the ultimate party look.

Red shorts and a snake skin body suit make for the ultimate party look.

Shellhorn in front of a mural by local artist Molly Bounds at her place of work.

Shellhorn in front of a mural by local artist Molly Bounds at her place of work.