girl! this means the world to me — and that nugget really landed for me too. when confidence becomes something you have to afford, it quietly narrows who gets to feel it.
I love these insights. I’m reading this sitting on an airplane and literally thinking about how reinventing myself through my wardrobe this year allowed me to reclaim myself. It was nothing short of magical. And, it definitely wasn’t safe.
Something was lost for me in the COVID years. A disconnect between who I was becoming as a woman in my 50’s and fashion scraping bottom in an endless sea of athleisure. I couldn’t find my voice.
This year I felt a seismic shift. A return to sleek but choreographed dressing. I like to call it fussy dressing, but it looks effortless. I delighted in buying scarves, belts and stockings. I felt my personality emerge.
Coincidentally, a couple of years ago, because I wasn’t seeing anything I liked, I launched my own line of women’s staples designed to be paired to make dressing effortless. Think blazers, button downs and the like. We even offer capsules because most women were struggling to simplify but still look great. Everything you’re saying tracks with almost all of the feedback I received from the women I engaged with. Their lives are complicated so they don’t want their wardrobes to be.
jennifer — thank you so much for taking the time to write this! i felt every word of it. truly.
what you shared about reclaiming yourself through clothes — and that it wasn’t “safe” — resonates deeply. the energetics of style have followed a really similar arc for me, too. my own relationship with clothes had a hard shift this year when i moved back home from utah and lived in my grandma’s basement for a few months. in that quiet, i found myself getting dressed purely for me — heels strutting around the house with absolutely nowhere to go. no audience, no occasion. just identity, accessed through clothing again.
it reminded me how often style isn’t about being seen — it’s about remembering who you are. reading your reflection felt like confirmation that this isn’t isolated or generational or personal failure — it’s collective, and it’s meaningful.
p.s. i LOVE that you’re leaning into personality with scarves, belts, and stockings. i just picked up a few brooches and some colored tights this week myself — so consider this a note from your style sister all the way in cincinnati, ohio.
We are definitely style sisters - I love it!!! I was lost for a while until I realized that the outside no longer matched the inside. I forgot about the power of self creation and expression through clothing. I started having fun again. Playing and layering and draping. Mixing colors and textures and prints. If you want a great inspiration, check out India Beaufort on Instagram. I truly believe her passion and happiness was the reminder I needed to start enjoying dressing again.
see - added confirmation of our style sisterhood. india is one of my favorite people i follow on instagram! what's your handle? i'll follow your journey there, too :)
so interesting! Made me think about how excited I was as a kid to be grown enough to wear sexy high heels to my big corporate job. Now that I’m actual grown I regularly google options for a flatter, more comfortable and dependable work shoe. I keep a pair of heels under my desk for show but they are collecting dust atp. MYYYY how times have changed!!
briana! i see you 🤍 and honestly, i support whatever feels right for you — no rules, ever.
buttttt i have to say… maybe try the heels just once sometime soon. not for the job or for show. but my god, the strut hits different, and clothes really can carry energy when you let them.
i just want you feeling powerful in whatever way makes sense for you. love you to the moon + back!
Amazing. Being comfortable equating to the safety of not being judged.
I wonder how and if social media/mass of influencers has had an impact. In a time where women are supposed to feel more comfortable and capable, social media is constantly showing us ideals -what is right, what is wrong -that are harder to avoid or steer away from than it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago.
oh, i totally hear you — it’s been such a double-edged sword for me.
on one hand, social media has given me access to so much inspiration. there are people i follow who are pure joy — truly energizing, not draining. and i struggle less with what's “right” or “wrong” (read: i’m a picky ass b*tch).
but on the other hand, there is this constant pressure for more — more buying, more novelty, more keeping up. and i can feel myself aging out of that cycle. not because i care less about style, but because i care more about intention.
that tension feels like such a big part of what’s changing. and i like it :)
it wasn’t explicitly discussed, though in one of the later single-select questions i ask how purchase behavior is shifting (i.e., whether people are buying more or less out of desire versus obligation). that said, the results don’t point to a purely stance on overconsumption — a lot of what surfaced in the open-ended responses is driven by financial constraint more than ideology.
definitely something i’m excited to explore more directly in future surveys — it’s been very top of mind for me lately. let me know if you recommend any good reads on this in the meantime :)
Oh my god… confidence should be expansive but instead it’s expensive. This was FASCINATING
girl! this means the world to me — and that nugget really landed for me too. when confidence becomes something you have to afford, it quietly narrows who gets to feel it.
big hugs :)
This is so interesting! Every concept resonated with me but I haven’t put those thoughts into words. Thanks for sharing!
thank you so much, aman — that means a lot to hear!
i’m really glad this gave language to something you were already feeling. more soon 🤍
I love these insights. I’m reading this sitting on an airplane and literally thinking about how reinventing myself through my wardrobe this year allowed me to reclaim myself. It was nothing short of magical. And, it definitely wasn’t safe.
Something was lost for me in the COVID years. A disconnect between who I was becoming as a woman in my 50’s and fashion scraping bottom in an endless sea of athleisure. I couldn’t find my voice.
This year I felt a seismic shift. A return to sleek but choreographed dressing. I like to call it fussy dressing, but it looks effortless. I delighted in buying scarves, belts and stockings. I felt my personality emerge.
Coincidentally, a couple of years ago, because I wasn’t seeing anything I liked, I launched my own line of women’s staples designed to be paired to make dressing effortless. Think blazers, button downs and the like. We even offer capsules because most women were struggling to simplify but still look great. Everything you’re saying tracks with almost all of the feedback I received from the women I engaged with. Their lives are complicated so they don’t want their wardrobes to be.
Can’t wait to read part two!
jennifer — thank you so much for taking the time to write this! i felt every word of it. truly.
what you shared about reclaiming yourself through clothes — and that it wasn’t “safe” — resonates deeply. the energetics of style have followed a really similar arc for me, too. my own relationship with clothes had a hard shift this year when i moved back home from utah and lived in my grandma’s basement for a few months. in that quiet, i found myself getting dressed purely for me — heels strutting around the house with absolutely nowhere to go. no audience, no occasion. just identity, accessed through clothing again.
it reminded me how often style isn’t about being seen — it’s about remembering who you are. reading your reflection felt like confirmation that this isn’t isolated or generational or personal failure — it’s collective, and it’s meaningful.
p.s. i LOVE that you’re leaning into personality with scarves, belts, and stockings. i just picked up a few brooches and some colored tights this week myself — so consider this a note from your style sister all the way in cincinnati, ohio.
can’t wait to keep this conversation going :)
We are definitely style sisters - I love it!!! I was lost for a while until I realized that the outside no longer matched the inside. I forgot about the power of self creation and expression through clothing. I started having fun again. Playing and layering and draping. Mixing colors and textures and prints. If you want a great inspiration, check out India Beaufort on Instagram. I truly believe her passion and happiness was the reminder I needed to start enjoying dressing again.
see - added confirmation of our style sisterhood. india is one of my favorite people i follow on instagram! what's your handle? i'll follow your journey there, too :)
so interesting! Made me think about how excited I was as a kid to be grown enough to wear sexy high heels to my big corporate job. Now that I’m actual grown I regularly google options for a flatter, more comfortable and dependable work shoe. I keep a pair of heels under my desk for show but they are collecting dust atp. MYYYY how times have changed!!
briana! i see you 🤍 and honestly, i support whatever feels right for you — no rules, ever.
buttttt i have to say… maybe try the heels just once sometime soon. not for the job or for show. but my god, the strut hits different, and clothes really can carry energy when you let them.
i just want you feeling powerful in whatever way makes sense for you. love you to the moon + back!
Amazing. Being comfortable equating to the safety of not being judged.
I wonder how and if social media/mass of influencers has had an impact. In a time where women are supposed to feel more comfortable and capable, social media is constantly showing us ideals -what is right, what is wrong -that are harder to avoid or steer away from than it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago.
oh, i totally hear you — it’s been such a double-edged sword for me.
on one hand, social media has given me access to so much inspiration. there are people i follow who are pure joy — truly energizing, not draining. and i struggle less with what's “right” or “wrong” (read: i’m a picky ass b*tch).
but on the other hand, there is this constant pressure for more — more buying, more novelty, more keeping up. and i can feel myself aging out of that cycle. not because i care less about style, but because i care more about intention.
that tension feels like such a big part of what’s changing. and i like it :)
ps: i love you! ❤️💋
Thank you for sharing this, it was a really insightful read! Out of interest, was overconsumption discussed/ flagged as a factor impacting choices?
thanks so much, annabel!
it wasn’t explicitly discussed, though in one of the later single-select questions i ask how purchase behavior is shifting (i.e., whether people are buying more or less out of desire versus obligation). that said, the results don’t point to a purely stance on overconsumption — a lot of what surfaced in the open-ended responses is driven by financial constraint more than ideology.
definitely something i’m excited to explore more directly in future surveys — it’s been very top of mind for me lately. let me know if you recommend any good reads on this in the meantime :)
hugs!