25 Most Stylish New Yorkers: Yaya DaCosta

Name: Yaya DaCosta

Occupation: Actress

Vintage style: True to form for an actress who can shift roles from steamy scenes (with Mark Ruffalo) in The Kids Are All Right to Shakespeare to Tron 2 for winter, DaCosta has an eye for mixing looks and eras. "I have hand-me-downs that I treasure, vintage from my grandmother or mother. I really like to incorporate old or funky pieces into whatever new things I've acquired."

Project runway: "I know how to sew and I'm not scared to cut things," says the self-described "very handy" Harlem-born New Yorker. "I love altering clothes, and it increases the longevity of a lot of my favorite pieces."

Dancing queen: Comfort is as key as chic in DaCosta's clothes and shoes: "I have to be able to dance, that's the test. There's no outfit cute enough that I'd let it compromise my ability on the dance floor."

"I think when I was younger I probably tried to be sexy and showed a little too much. Now I really believe wholeheartedly that less is more. I like to see a suggestion or a hint of thigh or collarbone or shoulder or hip, rather than just putting it all out there."