Taking Style Inspiration And Making It Your Own

I describe my style as "Connecticut Dad in the 80s" but it's not as tidy as that.

Last week, I was talking to someone and described my style and aesthetic preferences as Connecticut Dad in the 80s. A human version of a vintage LL Bean catalog, 80s volvo, prep distilled through the lens of practicality rather than status. More or less, Charles Grodin in Beethoven. Beethoven’s dad, essentially.

I’ve always liked having a persona in mind for seasons or years at a time while shopping and getting dressed, I find it helps me stay on track and not buy things that won’t actually work. Those references have varied wildly over the years (my Teen Vogue years were mostly inspired by what my then-boss Eva Chen wore, my later years in magazines had an eclectic, kind of Italian sexpot vibe), and I think it’s similar to the way a lot of people get dressed but reference runway trends, TikTok trends, etc. The tricky bit here is making it your own, and if your style north star is vintage, making it feel modern - making it all not feel like a costume. It’s also a nice way to think about inspiration without becoming a literal copy of the original source material.