recreating outfit inspo, jealousy, and ootds

it's a wild world, take solace in my yap

Nov 19, 2024

what are people really wearing? (and how to bring your inspo to life)
fashion mood, musings, & OOTDs
closet flow: items added & archived
wishlist (holiday edition)

What are people really wearing?

Reality check at your service 🫡

This is the part where I emerge from the online echo chambers to find what’s cool IRL. Because yeah, sometimes we’re so in touch with fashion discourse that we become out of touch with fashion reality.

This week I went to a cocktail making class with my friend and saw possibly the most gorgeous girl— and for sure the best dressed girl I’d seen that week. She wore a chocolate brown Jenni Kayne Cooper sweater, a matching brown suede bag from Gap, brown suede booties, and bootcut jeans.

similar jeans & boots b/c idk where hers were from

I’ve seen chocolate brown, suede, and this exact Jenni Kayne sweater discussed many times on Substack— So what made this particular IRL outfit stand out? I tried to break it down!

How to incorporate outfit inspo into your personal style

It can be helpful to focus in on what exactly piques your interest about an outfit. In this case, the most compelling part was the interaction between jean and boot. I loved how the jean’s bootcut and slightly baggy shape flowed into the slim, angular shoes. I also liked the combination of traditionally casual, Western/Boho elements— brown, denim, and cowboy-esque boots with more sleek and refined details— deep hues, simple lines, and luxe fabrics.

I was surprised by how much I liked this look given my recent commitment to straight leg jeans. In fact, I’ve already donated most of my bootcut denim from the y2k resurgence of 2021/2022.

I was less surprised by my newfound desire for a pair of chocolatey brown, pointed toe, suede booties. I love my chocolate brown boat shoes, but they aren’t super practical with the incoming cooler weather. Boat shoes also feel inherently casual, where a sharper toe feels more elegant— and thus an easy way to elevate trousers and jeans. I normally would have wish-listed the shoe style and simply kept them on my radar. But, the thrift gods happened to be on my side.

While selling off some old clothes, I scouted a pair of Miista brown pointed toe suede boots in my size. Counterproductive? Maybe. Kismet? Most definitely. I wasn’t sure if I loved them but for $8 they seemed a low-risk, temporary option at least. In general I don’t believe in buying placeholders. However, if you can thrift one for cheap, it’s a great way to test drive a piece and whether it works for you before investing in a nicer version.

Also important to note— a very similar style of Chelsea boot was popular ~10 years ago! This means there’s a wealth of GREAT high quality secondhand options (like this, this, this, and this).

After finding the shoes, I knew I had to recreate the inspirational look.

Step 1: don’t get set on exact duplication

My only brown knit is more cropped and round than the Cooper, so instead of trying to match color, I sought a similar vibe: cozy, trendy, and slightly country. My Rory Gilmore lambswool fisherman’s sweater fit the bill perfectly.

Step 2: iterate

I first tried pairing the boots with my Free People Jane Birkin-ish jeans but I felt a little too Western.

Luckily, I have this delusional idea that my giant Brandy Melville collection of yore will some day soar in resale value. So I was also able to dig up a pair of bootcut jeans. I’ve never quite loved how they fit me, but the silhouette was a perfect match to my inspo so I gave them a whirl.

The sweater’s length covered the top half of the jeans, eliminating my least favorite part of their fit. The slight heel of my boots also turned them from too long into the perfect length. I absolutely adored the end result!

Since I didn’t have a chocolate brown sweater to match the boots, I chose my brown leather tote instead. I had found the original cocoa-centric outfit inspo a touch matchy-matchy anyways. I topped off the look with my fragrance tester of the day— Byredo’s Mojave Ghost.

Some takeaways

Inspo fits can be a great way to break out of a style rut or ideate new combinations from an existing wardrobe. They can also revive a piece you don’t love because maybe because you just don’t know how to style it. E.g., my Brandy bootcut jeans— which I literally had not worn since 2021.

Additionally— IRL inspo reigns supreme once again (vs. Pinterest/Insta/etc). Is this because in person, it’s easier to tell what really makes an outfit? E.g., the boot/jean combo in this case. IRL you can also see how an outfit moves in a way that pictures rarely capture. You can feel its texture and absorb its aura. I also think IRL can be a better barometer of whether you actually like an outfit. Online it’s hard to differentiate epic outfit from just pretty picture of a pretty girl in pretty pieces against a pretty background.

Fashion Mood & Musings

New YouTube obsessions

Though I just belabored how IRL sightings can jump start your style, I’ve also really been enjoying Phoebe’s videos on fashion. She distills style thoughts in a way that makes me go— YES! Most recently, she talked about why you hate your outfits— Switch your mentality from “I could style this and make it look cool” to “I am in love with this, and could also style it with my existing wardrobe”. Your closet satisfaction will soar (I know because this was literally ME a few months ago).

While I love Substack, sometimes you just want background noise while bopping around so I crave smart, insightful, and relevant (audio/video) style discourse. Unfortunately such content is rare on Youtube and/or hard to find because of the platform’s sucky algo. E.g., I’d listen to Mina Le content all day but there’s only one of her 😢

You may or may not be aware of my perfume obsession right now— regardless, I’ve been enjoying Dr. Claire’s entertaining and educational videos. I particularly love her scientific and fact-based tone. Also Claire doesn’t take sponsorships so I don’t have to worry about ulterior motives.

Jealousy, jealousy

I’ve been feeling especially jealous recently, which sucks because I wanna be one of those people who only feels joy from other peoples’ success. Easier said than done.

I try to remind myself that jealousy is an endless, vicious cycle. Fall too deep into envy and nothing ever seems good enough. There’s always someone out there more successful, better dressed, and cooler than you. Practicing gratitude is a reliable counter too.

But when self-help feels well, unhelpful, what can you do? Lean into it. Instead of pushing it down, use jealousy as a compass to figure out what you want and where you want to go in life. Jealousy can be an early alarm bell that you should redirect your focus/goals.

Then maybe shut your laptop, take a breath, and have a hot cocoa because life can be oh so hard sometimes.

And it’s up, and it’s up, and it’s up

I can’t stop pulling my hair back and putting my hair up! This might be specific to me and my sensory issues, but I despise having hair in my face. My recent default easy and cute ways to make it GTFO include: claw clip, chopstick, messy bun, and messy braid(s).

Case and point, my past week’s OOTD pics:

Closet Flow

Items Added: 2

This week I thrifted navy blue Nili Lotan Shon pants for $35. Look! I’m finally a legit fashion Substacker now 🤪
I usually despise navy blue. Usually. But when a pair of Nili Lotan barrel pants in your size show up for 1/10th their usual price, you have to take it as a sign from the universe to expand your (color) horizons. Plus, I’m a long time barrel-supporter who, reluctant to spend $$ in a trend, had yet to add the silhouette to their closet.
Brown suede boots thrifted for $8 (see above).

Items Archived: too many to count

I finished up my closet reorg from last week and finally dragged a bunch of sh*t over to Crossroads for $45 (in trade) and to the X-change for $30 (in real dolla dolla bills). Unfortunately that means I can’t remember what all I archived, sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

P.S. that means I technically net profit via my closet flow this week!

Wishlist State of the Union - Holiday Edition

While I would normally show you a flow chart of my wishlist over the past week, I’ve instead opted for my actual holiday wishlist. But TLDR— I paired down last week’s wishlist because I was reminded of how much I don’t like or need more stuff.

If you happen to have a picky, aesthetically-inclined, waste-hating, practical, spicy minimalist in your life perhaps you may glean some inspiration here.

UNIQLO HEATTECH. The only items of clothing on my wishlist right now are thermals.
My new fav deo
Machete hair accessories
Comb that will hopefully come back in stock one day
Because damn is Oatly Barista expensive and hard to find
headphone dongle so I can be a wired It Girl on all devices

But real talk though, I’m lucky to have everything I truly need and don’t crave more stuff. Save the environment and buy less because all I really want for Christmas is you! And to escape the corporate rat race. And a puppy.

On that note, thank you for reading 🥰 It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I hear that my friends/family read and enjoyed one of my posts. It’s also been so fun meeting and interacting with other uber cool Substackers these past few months!

Your time and words warm my little Grinch-y heart.

xx Audrey