Samantha Elise started Instagramming her outfit photographs only for enjoyable whereas in highschool in Missouri. Folks took discover, and she or he’s now working as a stylist in Chicago. “I’m lastly attending to a spot the place I can rejoice who I’m and what I do,” she says. “It feels liberating.” Right here, Samantha shares 5 seems to be she wore in per week and talks about ballet, rising up adopted, and the place to seek out excellent blazers…
Shirt: Everlane. Sweater: ASOS. Denims: Madewell. Glasses: Jimmy Fairly. Watch: “hand-me-down from my mother.” Purse: classic.
“I name this my ‘no-fuss uniform.’ The denims are unfastened, so I can eat fortunately. It’s layered, so I can put on it in plenty of areas, like a museum the place the AC is blasting or with the sweater thrown over my shoulders outdoors if it’s hotter.”
Vest: Madewell. Pants: Bare Wardrobe. Glasses: Jimmy Fairly.
“You’ll be able to put on a vest by itself or over a T-shirt or turtleneck. Simply mess around and embrace the trial-and-error of determining what feels good. I don’t know anyone who comes up with their favourite outfits the primary time they put one thing collectively.”
“My sister drew this window tattoo. It exhibits my house in Boston, the place I lived for six years whereas dancing for the Boston Ballet Faculty. I danced ballet from age three to 19. I cherished it for a very long time, however the transition from doing it regionally to dancing for an organization was surreal. It’s just like how the media portrays it — very intense and aggressive. The entire environment felt like Black Swan.”
“I wore a leotard eight hours a day, six days per week. The one time I placed on actual garments was Sundays, my time without work. I’d put collectively outfits and go folks watch. Boston has a ton of faculties, so I’d see cool, inspiring streetwear. I additionally noticed folks strolling round in refined workplace put on, like wonderful fits and attire. It felt so totally different from St. Louis, the place the garments leaned in direction of consolation, like sweatpants and Uggs.”
Tank: Madewell. Skirt: Madewell.
“I’m adopted, and as a child, I believed quite a bit about my identification. My entire household is white, apart from my different adopted sister who’s Black and Puerto Rican. And ballet is a predominantly white house — I used to be the one Black lady throughout my time on the Boston Ballet Faculty. For the longest time, I used to be actually quiet as a result of I couldn’t work out the place I belonged. However I at all times expressed myself by way of garments.”
“You understand that TikTok video of horses running free on the beach? That’s how I felt the second I finished dancing. About two weeks after leaving this system, I chopped my hair off. To fulfill the corporate uniform requirements, I’d needed to warmth practice my hair, which left it broken. I additionally began getting tattoos and dedicated to dressing myself each single day. Again then my #1 factor was resisting something pores and skin tight. It felt too just like a leotard, and I wished nothing to do with that.”
Blazer: thrifted. Shorts: Dissh. Poplin shirt: Gap Factory. Loafers: Dole.
“I love a superb blazer — they immediately make me really feel assured. The most effective place to get them is a thrift retailer. I’ve discovered classic Ralph Lauren blazers for $5! And at all times search the boys’s part. Males’s blazers are the most effective as a result of the shoulders are enormous; they add drama and really feel so stylish.”
“As a child, I shopped for garments at Goodwill with my mother. It felt like an enormous treasure chest, and every part was inexpensive. In center college, I’d discover patterned blouses with huge shoulder pads and pair them with my Jordans. My #1 thrifting rule is to by no means skip an aisle. Nowadays, I wish to stroll in with a playlist that’s at the very least an hour lengthy. Then I’ll hearken to it as I comb by way of each single piece of clothes. It feels therapeutic.”
Shirt: Goal. Denims: Madewell, similar.
“While you perceive denim washes, you can also make denim-on-denim look easy. I wore this outfit 50 occasions this summer time. Folks suppose it’s a set, however the denims are Madewell and the highest is from an previous Goal collab that I discovered on Poshmark for $10. Nonetheless, as a result of they’re each a medium wash, they work collectively.”
“I’m an intuitive dresser. Earlier than selecting my garments, I check-in with myself. If I’m not assured, I’m going to placed on one thing that helps me really feel assured. And people items change over time. For some time, I cherished bolder items, like fire-truck crimson pants. However right now I wish to put on impartial colours with unfastened silhouettes. They simply really feel like me.”
Thanks a lot, Samantha! You might be great.
P.S. More people share their week of outfits, together with an architecture professor with a pink power suit and antique dealer with the best button-downs.
(Pictures by Kendra Lynece for Cup of Jo.)
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