This summer, my friend Kayla wore all denim to her birthday picnic. “It’s my go-to daytime look,” she told me. “I stole the shirt from my mom, and I wear these $40 sneakers to death.” Inspired, I asked if she’d be up for sharing a full week of outfits, and luckily she said yes…
Shirt: J.Crew, similar. Jeans: Rag & Bone. Shoes: Banana Republic Factory. Sunglasses: Ray-Ban.
“This boat painting is from First Dibs, and it’s my favorite thing I own. It’s five feet tall and was originally $1500. I couldn’t justify spending that much, so I went online and got it down to $800! I can’t negotiate in person because I get too nervous. I come from a long line of Jewish women who don’t pay full price for anything, and my mom and nana would have been like, ‘Come on!’”
Dress: Shona Joy, similar. Bag: Marshalls, similar. Heels: Jessica Simpson.
“This dress is my go-to date night outfit. My fiancé Jeremy and I usually go to dinner at Bar Bête in our neighborhood. I have small boobs and don’t always need a bra, but I can’t have my nipples all over the place. So, I wear these round pasties. ”
“I just got into Jones Road Beauty; I’m a huge fan of their Miracle Balm. For nails, I like pale pinks. I used to bite my nails so much. I was like, it’s an anxiety thing, I’m an adult, I hate it, and my friend was like, get gel polish so you can’t bite it. That was my strategy, and it worked.”
Shirt: Vince. Pants: Abercrombie & Fitch. Shoes: Banana Republic Factory. Roadrunner charm: Take Me With You. Sunglasses: “I stole them from my dad; they’re very old Armani.”
“I’ve been wearing hearing aids since I was eight. When there’s background noise, like at a party, it’s hard for me to hear – the words get garbled. I’d like to be more social in those situations, but it’s tough if I don’t understand what someone’s saying. You don’t want to be the person who is like ‘What?’ ‘Whattt?’” It takes more energy to be in those environments; it’s worth it, but it’s hard.”
“I didn’t tie my hair back until I was 24 because I didn’t want people to see my hearing aids. Now strangers sometimes stare at my ears. It’s fine — maybe they see the little tube and think, What is that, an earring? But it really bothered me when I was younger because I didn’t want people to know that part of me. It’s hard enough to grow up as a girl, a teenager, a young woman, without being different. For a long time, I felt like something was wrong with me, instead of just, this is how I am.”
Sweatshirt: similar. Jeans: Reformation; “they have the best jeans and they’re always on sale.” Shoes: Banana Republic Factory.
“Our dog, Lenny, is the best thing that ever happened to me, besides Jeremy. I told Jeremy I wanted something Lenny-themed for Valentines’ Day, like one of those mom necklaces with their kids’ initials. I wanted an ‘L’ one, and Jeremy was like, That’s insane. Then he discovered these custom pet sweatshirts. I wear mine all the time.”
“As a hobby, I run a bakeshop on Instagram called Shortcrust. I make custom birthday cakes and elaborate floral cupcakes, and I join pop-ups in farmers markets and craft fairs, like the Hester Street Fair and Brooklyn Pop-Up.”
Blazer: Banana Republic, similar OR similar. T-shirt: Reformation. Belt: vintage. Jeans: Reformation.
“I work for NYC’s emergency management agency, and I wear this outfit to the office when I need to look nice. The vintage belt is stolen from my mom — she got it ages ago in Florence, Italy. She’s going to see this blog post and be like, You need to return all my things.”
Shoes: Caron Callahan, sample sale.
“I work in a very male-dominated field, and when I first started, I lacked confidence. I would wait for direction from senior people, even when I already knew what to do. But then I realized, I got this job for a reason, and I work my ass off, and I can trust myself. I’ve had a lot of toxic bosses and absolutely bizarre experiences, but I’ve finally developed the confidence to know when I’m right and when to push, versus when to shut up. Surprisingly, the ability to recognize when I don’t know the answer also makes me good at my job. I work with a lot of subject matter experts, and I’m very comfortable listening to other people. You can’t have every single answer every single time, you have to rely on the team. Everyone contributes something.”
Thank you so much, Kayla!
P.S. More people share their week of outfits, including a stay-at-home mom who loves clowncore and a scientist with a new baby.
(Photos by Julia Robbs for Cup of Jo.)
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