I recently wrote about walkable shoes for The Cut, linking below! In addition to these, I also love the Mary Janes from Rothy's. Sooo comfortable and versatile.
I struggle with this hard! I think mostly, because I have a hard time figuring out my personal aesthetic to begin with. I’m swayed a lot by what others are wearing or what others will think of me. I’d love to read how you find/found your style and your thoughts on how to navigate, explore and own one’s personal style!
If you haven’t seen - Allison Bornstein’s 3 word guide is super helpful!! She’s on IG and TikTok and really talks people through finding their aesthetic or style and defining it
I agree! Being a big “jeans and tee” gal, I often find myself thinking that I don’t know how to break out of that formula and feel like a lot of other silhouettes just “aren’t me”? I love a simple/ classic fit, but I wear a riff on the same outfit most days (feeling very not cute about it) and am so stuck with how to break out of that in a way that stays true to myself but experiments a bit with the diversity in my wardrobe. I have invested in higher quality basics, but since they are all in my “safe zone” silhouettes, it doesn’t help!! Any tips or ruminations are appreciated, I’ll check out Allison Bornstein as well! :)
I think sometimes it can be helpful to identify your personal sense of style not just by looking at what you wear on a daily basis (jeans and a tee only tells us so much) but also at what you admire when you look at other people's style. I noticed that almost every time I thought to myself "I like that person's outfit" there was a common theme of what I liked. It helped me realize that my personal style is a combination of what I wear and what I aspire to wear/the style I tend to admire. Maybe this is helpful for you? If you can look at your style icons or people whose style you admire most-- is there a commonality? Maybe you could try to insert some of that feeling into what you wear without trying to copy the items or specific trends verbatim
I never got the notification for this- but thank you for the thoughtful answer!! This idea had been floating around in my mind and you articulated it for me - that framework is helpful and I’ll definitely include it in my future ponderings.
Just want to say I have loved every issue of this newsletter so far and would second the request for shoe content. Also deeply resonate with the need to walk 10k steps in anything that’s going to be on my feet.
This is very wise, but also, sometimes it's fun to be on trend, even if you only wear the thing for 6 months or a year! I have a tiny closet, so whatever I have in there gets worn multiple times a week. That means most of my clothes are worn out after a year, anyway, and it's fun to have one or two things that are ~the thing~ to make me feel like I'm still interesting even though I wear the same clothes every week.
I am shocked by how validating your small bit on shoes you can actually walk 10k in just was. My most recent sandal purchase two years ago were two pairs of steeply discounted Eurosoft sandals and I am enthrallingly mobile come summertime. It can no longer be any other way. I know comfort is relative but I am also requesting a deep dive into the shoe realm, with an extra special focus on truly walkable, wearable ones. I am a comfort shoe convert but this can’t be the entirety of my shoe future, can it?
Great read and insight, Harling! You totally encapsulated how I’ve been feeling towards trends, especially lately. I’m not even on social media yet somehow I still feel bombarded by them. This is not helped by the fact that the trend cycle keeps getting shorter and shorter. I appreciate your thoughts on this and will definitely be consulting The List before being overcome by the inevitable trend tidal wave!
I would love to see a post on what shoes you've found that are both stylish / versatile AND can walk in!!
I recently wrote about walkable shoes for The Cut, linking below! In addition to these, I also love the Mary Janes from Rothy's. Sooo comfortable and versatile.
https://www.thecut.com/2023/04/hey-fashion-friend-whats-the-perfect-travel-shoe.html
I struggle with this hard! I think mostly, because I have a hard time figuring out my personal aesthetic to begin with. I’m swayed a lot by what others are wearing or what others will think of me. I’d love to read how you find/found your style and your thoughts on how to navigate, explore and own one’s personal style!
If you haven’t seen - Allison Bornstein’s 3 word guide is super helpful!! She’s on IG and TikTok and really talks people through finding their aesthetic or style and defining it
I love her approach! I want to tackle my closet using her method
I agree! Being a big “jeans and tee” gal, I often find myself thinking that I don’t know how to break out of that formula and feel like a lot of other silhouettes just “aren’t me”? I love a simple/ classic fit, but I wear a riff on the same outfit most days (feeling very not cute about it) and am so stuck with how to break out of that in a way that stays true to myself but experiments a bit with the diversity in my wardrobe. I have invested in higher quality basics, but since they are all in my “safe zone” silhouettes, it doesn’t help!! Any tips or ruminations are appreciated, I’ll check out Allison Bornstein as well! :)
I think sometimes it can be helpful to identify your personal sense of style not just by looking at what you wear on a daily basis (jeans and a tee only tells us so much) but also at what you admire when you look at other people's style. I noticed that almost every time I thought to myself "I like that person's outfit" there was a common theme of what I liked. It helped me realize that my personal style is a combination of what I wear and what I aspire to wear/the style I tend to admire. Maybe this is helpful for you? If you can look at your style icons or people whose style you admire most-- is there a commonality? Maybe you could try to insert some of that feeling into what you wear without trying to copy the items or specific trends verbatim
I never got the notification for this- but thank you for the thoughtful answer!! This idea had been floating around in my mind and you articulated it for me - that framework is helpful and I’ll definitely include it in my future ponderings.
Just want to say I have loved every issue of this newsletter so far and would second the request for shoe content. Also deeply resonate with the need to walk 10k steps in anything that’s going to be on my feet.
Thank you Grace!! I recently wrote about walkable travel shoes for The Cut, linking below!
https://www.thecut.com/2023/04/hey-fashion-friend-whats-the-perfect-travel-shoe.html
Also just remembered - In addition to these, I also love the Mary Janes from Rothy's. Sooo comfortable and versatile.
Loved this post so much I shared it in my newsletter yesterday :) and your other substack post about fabric content has changed my life. Tysm!
This is very wise, but also, sometimes it's fun to be on trend, even if you only wear the thing for 6 months or a year! I have a tiny closet, so whatever I have in there gets worn multiple times a week. That means most of my clothes are worn out after a year, anyway, and it's fun to have one or two things that are ~the thing~ to make me feel like I'm still interesting even though I wear the same clothes every week.
I am shocked by how validating your small bit on shoes you can actually walk 10k in just was. My most recent sandal purchase two years ago were two pairs of steeply discounted Eurosoft sandals and I am enthrallingly mobile come summertime. It can no longer be any other way. I know comfort is relative but I am also requesting a deep dive into the shoe realm, with an extra special focus on truly walkable, wearable ones. I am a comfort shoe convert but this can’t be the entirety of my shoe future, can it?
"Enthrallingly mobile" = you hit the nail on the head. I recently wrote about walkable travel shoes for The Cut, linking below!
https://www.thecut.com/2023/04/hey-fashion-friend-whats-the-perfect-travel-shoe.html
Also just remembered - In addition to these, I also love the Mary Janes from Rothy's!! Extremely walkable and cute to boot
Great read and insight, Harling! You totally encapsulated how I’ve been feeling towards trends, especially lately. I’m not even on social media yet somehow I still feel bombarded by them. This is not helped by the fact that the trend cycle keeps getting shorter and shorter. I appreciate your thoughts on this and will definitely be consulting The List before being overcome by the inevitable trend tidal wave!
So glad it was helpful!!!