Hello! I’m late, in a very non fashionable way. It’s been a busy few weeks. Not in the “I’m so busy!!” (But actually I’m getting a pedicure and realigning my chakras) kind of way. More like, I was having a full-on boxing match with time itself. If you saw a girl flapping down Wilshire on Friday looking like a busted pigeon with garment bags for wings—hi, that was me.
I had approximately three minutes to get dressed this week. In total. But there’s a strange magic in wearing what you know: In anchoring yourself within the pieces that know how to hold you. As a kind of armor, or maybe a hug. A hug can be good on those long days.
Big shoulders (primal real estate for shlepping), Also, a boat shoe with ankle support (words I never thought I’d say?) These pants are light and comfortable but still say, ‘I got dressed with purpose today’.
There are curated, covetable moments in the life of a stylist—yes. But rest assured, that’s maybe 2% of the job. What you don’t see is the schlepping of 50 pounds worth of ‘maybes’ through 90-degree heat, strategizing silhouettes on the fly, hunting down a magenta neoprene bodysuit in Santee Alley on a Saturday with no time to pee. (eight of them, GO!) These moments don’t make the grid—not because they aren’t real, but usually because our hands are too full to capture them.
I wore a uniform for the first 14 years of my life. While I absolutely loathed it, a uniform also served as a coat of armor. (I was never popular in grade school, this was one less reason to stand out). It was also just…easy. In a way, it embedded this idea of a ‘capsule wardrobe’ in me. (There seems to be a trending distain towards this idea, but personally, I just think we’ve misunderstood it).
While I don’t believe in uniformity, I do believe in rhythm. The kind that comes from familiarity—the light weight trousers with a great shape, the easy to throw on tee that works with everything.
My uniform lately has been a variation of the below:
A capsule isn’t about restriction. It also isn’t about buying the same sweater in three color-ways just because ‘it works.’ It’s about strategy, building a uniform of your own. It’s the quiet system you’ve curated over time, how you keep your style intact when the schedule isn’t. The real F in effortless isn’t fashion, or flair.
It’s Familiarity.
Next time you’re playing around in your closet, gather all your familiar wardrobe friends. Combine them with pieces less-so. You’ll be surprised at what you discover.
Takeout box here.
Serra x