Samantha Elise started Instagramming her outfit images 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 have a good time who I’m and what I do,” she says. “It feels liberating.” Right here, Samantha shares 5 appears she wore in per week and talks about ballet, rising up adopted, and the place to search out good blazers…
Shirt: Everlane. Sweater: ASOS. Denims: Madewell. Glasses: Jimmy Pretty. 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 a number of areas, like a museum the place the AC is blasting or with the sweater thrown over my shoulders exterior if it’s hotter.”
Vest: Madewell. Pants: Bare Wardrobe. Glasses: Jimmy Pretty.
“You possibly can 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 residence 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 liked 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 ambiance 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 off. I’d put collectively outfits and go folks watch. Boston has a ton of schools, so I’d see cool, inspiring streetwear. I additionally noticed folks strolling round in refined workplace put on, like wonderful fits and clothes. 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 lots about my id. 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 all the time expressed myself by means of garments.”
“ that TikTok video of horses operating free on the seaside? That’s how I felt the second I ended 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 needed nothing to do with that.”
Blazer: thrifted. Shorts: Dissh. Poplin shirt: Hole Manufacturing facility. Loafers: Dole.
“I love blazer — they immediately make me really feel assured. One of the best place to get them is a thrift retailer. I’ve discovered classic Ralph Lauren blazers for $5! And all the time search the boys’s part. Males’s blazers are the perfect 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 a giant treasure chest, and every part was inexpensive. In center faculty, 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. As of late, I wish to stroll in with a playlist that’s at the least an hour lengthy. Then I’ll take heed to it as I comb by means of each single piece of clothes. It feels therapeutic.”
Shirt: Goal. Denims: Madewell, comparable.
“Once you perceive denim washes, you may make denim-on-denim look easy. I wore this outfit 50 instances this summer season. Folks assume it’s a set, however the denims are Madewell and the highest is from an outdated 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 liked bolder items, like fire-truck purple 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’re fantastic.
P.S. Extra folks share their week of outfits, together with an structure professor with a pink energy go well with and vintage seller with the perfect button-downs.
(Pictures by Kendra Lynece for Cup of Jo.)
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