Sophie Helf is a writer, a coder, and a double amputee. She also stars in our Bare Legs campaign this summer, alongside some favorites from our Lunya community. With rose-gold prosthetic legs, she sees the world through rose-colored glasses — or maybe that’s not right. She’s just real with a dose of optimism a lot of us could probably use more of. If we hadn’t been luxuriating in the concept of Otium already, we might believe Sophie invented it — she knows how to relax and she knows how to summer, and she’s here to share.
What do you love most about your legs? Don’t be shy.
When I first got my new prosthetics a couple years ago I was asked if I wanted some covers for my legs and opted for some muted rose-gold ones. They get a lot of compliments – they're basically designer legs. No complaints there.
You always look GOOD. What inspires your fashion choices?
Mostly it's a combination of seeing well-dressed people around New York and an admitted obsession with browsing clothes online. My style changes pretty often – I'm currently going with a sort of clean-pressed, loosely-tailored vibe for this summer – but I make an effort to own fewer but higher-quality pieces that I can mix and match regularly.
We’re best friends, in your city this summer, for one day only. What do we do?
We're going to be very lazy and eat very well. Breakfast at Rudy's, my favorite pastry shop in my neighborhood, then a trip to Topos (a nearby bookstore) to do some browsing. A trip to Herbttr Von King in Bed-Stuy to hang out in the sun, and then lunch at Saraghina, which has amazing pizza. Afterwards because we're food-drunk we'll hang out on my roof and rest and catch up while looking out at the view, then make the journey to SoHo for the seafood tower at Balthazar. Once we're stuffed we'll have enough energy to head to Bushwick for a nightlong dance at Bossa Nova Civic Club – I'm obsessed with house and techno music.
Where are you taking your legs this summer? Any upcoming travels we should know about?
I don't have any solid travel plans as of yet but am hoping to go back to London soon – I spent four years there and miss the city and my friends terribly. It would be fun to do a little mini euro-trip while I'm there; I'd love to go to Amsterdam and Berlin and maybe Prague as well. I'm also considering a quick trip to somewhere in the Hudson Valley (I still haven't been to Storm King); although I love New York City it would be nice to be somewhere green.
When’s the last time you really surprised yourself? Tell us about it.
As basic as this sounds, I recently got a full-time job as a coder and am pretty surprised that I have a decent work ethic and that I'm not afraid to ask for help.
What’s your morning routine? Wake and ….?
Weekdays are pretty simple – I wake up (hopefully) around 7, then either have a quick shower or get a pastry and coffee from the little place across the street. Until work starts at 9 I'll make myself a nice breakfast then spend some time reading or listening to music. Then skincare, then getting dressed. On weekends I will just lie in bed until 10 if I'm in the mood – I am honestly pretty lazy.
How about your wind-down in the evening?
If I have the energy I'll go for a walk around my neighborhood to get some excess energy out, then hang out in my room and either read, get some writing done, or watch a movie. Getting ready for bed is pretty simple, I'll do my nighttime skincare routine, get in my pajamas, and just zone out listening to some chill music until I'm ready to sleep.
What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
I don't take myself too seriously and try to be a source of happy, positive energy. I also think I'm really funny.
