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.
Last night I was out with some girlfriends at a restaurant/bar in Santa Monica and eight women in their very early 20s all walked in together wearing, I shit you not, the exact same outfit. Wide jeans, leather bomber jacket, platform uggs, and crop tops. It was astounding, like it was a uniform. I asked my nanny about it when I got home, she’s 27, and she was like, “Oh yeah, it’s a trending look on TikTok.” I had no idea.
Similar things can happen when your style is influenced by, say, California in the 60s, or Y2K. It’s easy to make it a uniform, not in a way that makes getting dressed any easier, but more in that it lacks originality or individuality - it becomes a costume.
So I’m looking at that this week, the idea of having a reference, but also personalizing it and keeping it modern.
does this really well - she references 50s glamour, but always through a distinctly Jenny lens. This might not be how she does it, but I think of the reference (or style icon, or trend, etc) as a loose net to filter things through, rather than a defining set of rules. This also lets you re-wear more of what you already own, and helps ensure that any ~vibes~ you buy in to don’t end with the season.And while Beethoven’s dad is my reference, this same basic kind of principle can be applied to any style. In keeping with that reference, Lauren Hutton’s style also gets caught in the net, even her night out style, less denim and khaki, more clavicle and Halston. Harrison Ford, obviously, even Dries van Noten, for his nods to classic sportswear and collegiate style. Zooming out, there’s something about Junya Watanabe that also fits, though Thom Browne is too tidy and precise. All of this is highly personal, but I’m hoping that in walking you through my process, you’ll be able to apply some of it to yourself.
I’m also attempting to take a shopping fast through January and February (at least) and not buy any new clothes. I did need a new pair of walking/running sneakers, so I bought those, but I was having pain from an old stress fracture in my foot from my last pair, so… it was a necessity. But I’m deep in the exercise of re-wearing what I already have, and rediscovering things I forgot I had.
Also, if you want to shop the market pics from this a bit easier - here they are!
Anyway, here it is:
Ok, so this is fairly literal and straightforward. Men’s pants, men’s shirt, blue blazer (this one is perfect, but so expensive, here’s a less $$$ option and another one too), and a very New England feeling ball cap (try this one from Earl Earl shop!). I think if I’d paired it with my loafers, or something like a Boat & Tote (which I do love of course) it would veer into costume territory. It would feel like a literal version of that original inspiration more than my take on a concept. But with the sneakers (I painted them almost ten years ago, and still love them), and the flipped down waistband, it feels more personal. Neither of those are major additions, nor are they entirely outside the realm of the starting point, but they help a lot. I bought these men’s Row trousers the season before they made the pair with the already flipped waistband, and I’ve never felt more validated when I saw that in the next collection. These give me diaper booty bad, but I love them. They made a women’s version without a flipped waistband this season that are also excellent.
Then, for fun, I put on the Michigan scarf my husband got for my son at the Rose Bowl two weekends ago. I didn’t go to Michigan, he did, but I like it. It feels a bit too on the nose here, but I think I might actually wear it like this. I felt just the right balance of silly & cool. Finally, adding in my (very much second hand - check Rebag) neon orange Hermés bag nodded to the classic feel, but gave it some much-needed color and flavor. I love a classic bag in an unusual color, especially this one because it’s Hermés orange.
I remember about a year ago, when I really fully committed myself to this newsletter, writing about how I hate things that are “classics with a twist,” because the twist is usually an ugly zipper or cutout or unnecessary puff sleeve or ruffle. But this is basically exactly that - except the twist is a personal touch. Personal shoes, jewelry, idiosyncratic accessories that make your style yours. So carry that idea around in your pocket.
Slightly less on the nose, but in my opinion, still of the same universe. Here’s what I mean about Junya - so much is drawn from the classics, that even though it’s a very tilted version of something familiar, it’s still familiar. That Loewe cropped Barbour jacket from last spring is similar in concept, to me. I’m usually not really a skirt person, because I’m not much of a feminine dresser. My style is so men’s- inspired, that it has to be right kind of overall silhouette and vibe - skirtwise & stylingwise - for me to be able to make it make sense. Which is where this excellent jacket comes in - I borrowed it for a recent event with Rosetta Getty and it is just…so perfect… It’s very collegiate, very 80s preppy guy, but also very 80s macho slimeball in a way that is so horny and luxurious. It gives a lot of what I’ve been wearing a bit of an edge without being “edgy” necessarily. This jacket + the skirt take the initial Charles Grodin concept just a bit further and into different territory than the first look, but again, you can still tell they’re in the same universe/part of the same family.
And now - for all my snowy dad-ness, I have always loved sequins and glitter, and I doubt that will ever stop. I love the dark green of this one from Soeur, but it does feel very holiday. But with that very precise navy blazer (zero slouch here), the most classic prep school-girl cardigan, and boyish oxfords, it reenters back into Grodin’s territory. BUT! With just the cardigan and the skirt, it’s a completely different thing. You really need the layer in the middle to break it up, bring it back down to earth, and make it feel a bit more personal. And then if it was just cardigan, skirt, and blazer, it wouldn’t feel right either - a little blah or too much of a carbon copy of Jenna Lyons era J.Crew. Anyway, consider the picture on the right as proof that it really needs all the layers for it to work.
So anyway, that’s a slightly exaggerated demonstration of dressing to a reference, but doing these little exercises and keeping these things in mind as I shop, or edit my wardrobe.
And once again, here are all the shopping picks in one tidy spot.
THE END!
This is why I have fallen in love with Substack (and your newsletter)! I’m interested - no, fascinated - with how women develop and progress their style. What they choose, but more importantly, HOW they put things together.
Btw, love the Beethoven reference. I lean into a cross between Rene Russo in Thomas Crowne Affair and Cate Blanchette in Oceans 8. Anytime I need inspiration, I rewatch!!
O my goodness Laurel you’re in my head... I grew up w a Westchester (CT adjacent) Dad.. & as LA has gotten chillier I’ve gone FULL CT dad 🤦🏼♀️😂😂
I have a bunch of his sweaters/I adopted cords a few years ago so mine are very “worn in Dad”.. the loafers, Shetland sweaters.. we have so much of his classic garb.. that my boys & I carefully share/parse.
Tho they r in 30’s so hard stares may ensue during a “handoff” w a discard ... & “mom. It’s a VEE-neck”
Quel horreur
Xo