It’s not hard to admit that on any given day, my personal style almost constantly resides in the late ’80s to early ’90s, where Revlon’s Toast of New York shade of nude is mandatory and long, flowing A-line skirts in “serious” shades are aplenty. Shoulder pads do not terrify me, and I have a horrible compulsion to clutter my desktop with screencaps every time I watch an episode of Twin Peaks or a late ’80s romcom. My vintage Pierre Michel black leather flats, thrift store watches (that may or may not actually keep time) and mismatched, sometimes garish, always clunky gold costume jewelry salvaged from the bottom of my mom’s jewelry box are also staples.
Because of my aforementioned love of all things career woman (and because of my secret infatuation with my school uniform as a former Catholic schoolgirl), I took inspiration from the Junya Watanabe fall 2015 ready-to-wear show for my look. This show explores the junction of mathematics and nature, centering on a, “Soft yet rigorous organic architecture.” This nexus of human geometry and that of a garment’s own angular architecture is embodied in a dark twist on the classic honour roll student’s heavily starched collar and patent leather dress shoes.
In my look, I combine this show’s bold hijacking of the classic schoolgirl look with the pre-digital sensibilities of my mom’s early ’90s wardrobe. My shirt is a thrifted loose fitting silk men’s shirt, with an eccentric and disoriented Alice in Wonderland-esque print and an asymmetrical front side. I stole the skirt from my mom’s closet (duh). It’s a high-waisted polyester/crepe pleated skirt that ends a few inches before the knee. My hairstyle was achieved in 30 minutes with simple velcro rollers and a bit of gel on damp hair, blow-dried. If your hair is super straight (which mine is) I definitely recommend keeping those rollers (or curlers) in all night. Once you’ve achieved the perfect wave like Winona Ryder sports in Heathers, get crazy with your earrings, pop on some pointy leather flats or bad girl school shoes of your choosing and go break some rules! Or, just hit up lecture looking as though you have the capacity to.
Get My Look: 1. A tube of your favourite nude lipstick. 2. A classic leather and gold analogue watch. 3. A high-waisted pleated schoolgirl skirt.
