I am a college student currently enrolled in a university in upstate New York. I am not originally from the area but decided to take the leap from California and experience the East Coast. Safe to say I am loving it! The seasons, the old brick buildings, and most importantly the fashion.
Growing up in San Francisco meant the constant intake of fashion all over the city, specifically at my arts high school. It was quite the competitive scene, as everyone and I mean EVERYONE had to be dressed well. Well in the sense that it wasn’t always about the labels or brands but the personal flare and uniqueness that one could show off in an outfit. This is what led to my obsession with thrifting and fashion.
As an average family in San Francisco, there wasn’t always money to spend on nice new clothing, so my father introduced us three kids to thrifting. At the age of 10, it was quite frowned upon but now it’s the new hot thing to do. “Oh where’d you get that!?” someone would ask, “Oh this…it’s thrifted!” The ultimate response.
Thrifting helped me build my personal style without breaking the bank, as being a teenager trying to figure out which aesthetic I wanted to be was exhausting. First, it was ‘soft girl’, a closet full of pastels and baggy jeans, next ‘dark academia’, mainly sweater vests and long trench coats, and finally ‘90s office chic’, black basic tops and low-rise slacks. A quite lengthy journey that was fueled mostly by the bank accounts of my parents but hey at least most of the clothes were thrifted. And as trendy as thrifting was at its peak (2019), it is still the best way that I built my closet today.
The current (fast) fashion trend on TikTok and Instagram reels is ’90s office chic’, taking much of its inspiration from Carolyn Bessette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, and many more in the early 90s for their iconic ‘to-the-office’ outfits. The outfits are effortless and simply timeless, as they have now made a reappearance in my wardrobe and all along social media. Below are photos of two outfits which I think best encapsulate the ‘aesthetic.’ Usually, dark wash jeans that delicately hide a kitten heel or black boot and finally topped with a simple yet unique black shirt.
Now as simple as these outfits may be, they are also in turn quite elegant. There is something so beautiful in the simplicity of these outfits that turns the focus not so much on the clothes but on the wearer themselves. It’s an aesthetic that complements any person, no matter the labels of the clothing as it’s about the complementary of the clothing. I always think of the saying that wearing labels doesn’t make you fashionable, aka thrifting……And yes, people may say that these looks worn everyday may become mundane to an audience, as they can be viewed as an outfit stripped of its personality. But this is where the fun begins! These are simply templates that I, and others, use to then create an outfit that fits the individual. They are what I like to call ‘the base level,’ from there you then get to build on with clothing items of differing colors and shapes. Take the photo of Carolyn Bessette above, replace it with brown boots and a dark mocha trench coat, and the hair down instead of up, then voilà a whole new outfit! From these ‘inspiration’ photos, you can start to build your own combinations of outfits that work with the clothes in your closet.
For my first article on here, I thought I would write on a topic that has piqued my interest over the last months. Usually, I am not one for writing, as talking seems to be the easiest of the two, but sometimes it’s fun to push outside the box, which is what one should do with their style! Continue to explore and dress, as there are no wrong answers. I hope this article helps uncover a discovery about yourself, for me, it’s the wish that ‘90s office chic,’ stays within the fashion world, as no matter the year it will always be a timeless way to dress.
xoxo,
V
“Dress like you’re already famous”