Influenced
By the chicest plaid suit, the studded belt of my dreams… and capris?
If you’ve been with me for a while you know that I have a deep appreciation for fashion creators. This translates into an overflowing Instagram folder of the best outfits ever, which I dip into regularly when I’m browsing
, adding to my ongoing wishlist, or in need of some styling inspo.To paraphrase
, screenshots of other people’s looks can help reconnect you with your wardrobe. I thrive on seeing what other people are wearing: it always gives me new styling ideas, which in turn creates wardrobe longevity and makes me appreciate each piece in my closet that much more.Side note: I’ve been wanting to write this post for months, which meant working on my 2025 goal to get more comfortable sharing pictures of myself. Over the past two years I’ve learned that the best things can happen when you step outside of your comfort zone. This is your call to try the one thing that’s been slightly terrifying you. Maybe it’s sharing a selfie, maybe it’s starting your own Substack, maybe it’s making time to pursue something that you love. There’s no better time than now to try.
The Influences
These three looks have influenced my personal style, bringing secondhand pieces into my closet and refreshing what I already own. Most of this inspiration isn’t new. In fact, the first image is from February 2020, a lifetime ago in so many ways. Which loops back to the topic of last week’s post exploring what makes an outfit timeless or trendy. While there’s a thread of maximalism and trend in each of these influences, there's still a way to make each outfit work for 2025 you (or even 2035 you).
Influenced By: A Plaid Suit
This plaid suit worn by the endlessly chic Jen Azoulay has been sitting in my inspo folder for a casual five years, right around the time when my wardrobe aspirations went from finding the perfect slouchy suit to wearing sweatpants like it was my job. In 2021 I was getting back into the groove of getting dressed again and blithely bought a recycled polyester blazer1 from Zara influenced by Jen’s stellar look.
My brain hadn’t quite caught up to pandemic-era revenge dressing, and I didn’t buy the matching pants. I’m still kicking myself for passing them up, and they’re the only Zara item I still regularly scour resale sites for to this day2. I had a brief moment of joy last year when I thought I found the matching pants on ThredUp, but they turned out to be a different plaid and my search continues.
How I styled it: My quest for these pants sparked an app idea for my MBA program - one designed to help people track down the “one that got away” since in search of on Poshmark isn’t quite it. I wore my blazer and pants together for the pitch as a storytelling moment and several of my classmates said they didn’t realize that the plaids were different (all very kind, clearly not Virgos). Feeling emboldened, I kept going and wore my mismatched suit to moderate a panel for Women’s History Month and a new outfit was born.
Influenced By: A Studded Belt
Have I told you how much I love Sapna Rao’s style yet? If you aren’t already following her, I highly recommend running to her Instagram and the Luxe Gen vlog. When I saw this studded belt outfit last year, I immediately went into studded belt overdrive. I finally found my dream belt this year, but it kept going to my The RealReal graveyard since this style goes fast even though it’s consistently on the pricier end. I was finally able to snag it last month and it’s been practically glued to my body ever since.
How I styled it: My interpretation of this outfit is more casual, paired back to my favorite preloved Ganni blazer and jeans, although my mismatched plaid suit is next. If you’re contemplating this belt, its best feature is that the holes go around the entire length so you can wear it wherever you want (Exhibit 1: Fashion Notes below). I’m currently twiddling my thumbs waiting for a generous person to consign the black colorway since this is clearly a case for multiples being worth it.
Influenced By: Capri Pants
I have a complicated relationship with capri pants since I wore these the first time around and do not have any fashionable memories associated with them. I tried to block capris out when they started bubbling up in 2022/2023, and was doing a phenomenal job, but then this outfit from the incredibly stylish Géraldine Boublil popped into my feed and I thought maybe?
How I styled it: Buying a pair of capri pants was not part of my wardrobe journey, but giving my ancient Gap Fit capri leggings new life was. I started slow by wearing these with a sweatshirt, oversized blazer, and sneakers. Then I notched it up with a statement belt and footwear like my poor little mesh shoes, and now my capris have become a semi-regular part of my outfit rotation.
Fashion Notes
Truly the best experience, thank you
:And the best Substack IRL:
Maximalist little library walks give me life (along with SFPL’s annual library tote):
Me and my long-awaited Isabel Marant belt doing things:
Nosy merchant poll of the week:
That’s it for this week, thanks as always for reading! I’m so curious about who influences your style the most - is it a fashion creator, a friend, or people you see on the street? What’s your most recent outfit that was inspired by someone’s styling that you admire?
I was in the early stages of understanding circular fashion and thought that buying recycled fabrics from a fast fashion retailer was sustainable (wrong on both counts). And if you need a laugh, please click through to my old Pinterest content.
If anyone comes across the matching pants to this blazer, I would be eternally grateful for a heads up.
That was so fun, Tina! I love the mismatched plaid, and I have a grommet belt similar to yours that I have had for almost 20 years.💕
Chic, chic, chic!