Never not dressing for the in-between

+ finding abundance in restraint & what I'm excited to wear this fall

Oct 04, 2024

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Friday.

Can’t believe how many times I’ve walked through this neighborhood only seeing cookie-cutter constructions. Switching from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset really changes your perspective because today, after the hurricane that thankfully spared us, I noticed some fallen branches from the same trees I drive by every day—the few left after our neighbors quickly blew them away (or had someone do it for them) so as not to ruin the pretty facades and preserve the appearance of normalcy.

I picked up enough pretty branches to make an arrangement at home.

When I lifted my head from the ground while scouting for more branches, I saw Clemencia, an immigrant woman working on one of the houses being built around the corner. I was immediately drawn to her hot pink socks under her purple leggings, the utilitarian belt bag styled in a way that Lotta Volkova might, and the checkered shirt, reminiscent of look 1 from The Row’s Spring 2025 show.

She saw me and greeted me in Spanish. Game recognizes game. I returned the Buenas and we chatted for a bit.

I told her I write a little fashion blog and would love to take her picture because I loved what she was wearing. She immediately smiled, accepting the compliment without a trace of self-doubt. She asked if she should take off her belt. I told her absolutely not. She posed against the light. The men working at the site laughed, “ha ha now she’s going to think she’s a model”, they said. She glanced at them and then proceeded to face the sun. With the sunlight shining on her face, she posed again. With a big, gorgeous smile.

Borders are quite the concept.

The ones we construct, dividing Clemencia from her roots.

The ones nature draws, sparing our neighborhood from hurricane destruction by a hair.

The ones we invent constantly, in our minds.

Monday.

I walked into my closet to negotiate how much I want to blend in today. How much I want to assert my individuality. How much I even want to think about identity. It does get exhausting.

My clothes offer the illusion of invisibility when fading into the background is all I want. They give me all the conspicuity when all I want is to be seen and heard—loud and clear, categorically and vehemently. My friend Nicole wrote beautifully about this duality of fashion, its constant invitation to both hide and reveal. What to wear to go volunteer at a school as an introvert? What to wear to that field trip with all the moms from my daughter’s class? What to wear to see the same moms again at drop-off?

Inhabiting the border through clothes is embedded in the immigrant experience. The border, while imaginary, has very real effects on the psyche. Stylistically speaking, the border manifests as an inability to locate myself in a specific aesthetic, leaving hybridity as the only space I can fit comfortably. Visually, it looks a lot like what Miuccia Prada offered in her most recent Miu Miu show—an integration of many disparate facets.

As much as I try to stay grounded in something specific (feminine! classic! sculptural! chill!), I can’t help but always find myself in the in-between, in the interstices, refusing to draw hard lines. Sometimes looking for practicality, sometimes for a fantasy that proves its elusiveness time and again.

Most of the time, just looking for beauty.

Tuesday.

I started a no-buy today, October 1st. I want to see where my style goes within the boundaries of what is already in my closet (something internal) and stop seeing it as something out there (external) to be acquired— a void to fill, an empty promise of finally arriving to the perfect style.

Is personal style something you arrive to or a never-ending quest? How to recognize a genuine quest for self expression from shopping dopamine hits?

Wednesday.

Realizing that I probably have all I need sounds to me like the opposite of scarcity mindset. Isn’t it ironic that abundance could eventually be found in limitations?

Below are some things from my closet I’m excited to wear just to remind myself I’ll be fine without that Dries skirt from spring 2016 that I found last night.

1. Practical and sometimes redundant layering:

**Since the Phoebe Philo x Céline days, pastel yellow and red has become one of my favorite color combinations**: Satin pastel yellow Tibi pants under my dad’s old work jeans and an old Sylvia Tcherassi leather belt I got in Cartagena. The sweater is a great cotton one I found on Amazon **(please DM me if you need any links).**

**A Miu Miu (but also @nho_journal) layering inspiration:** Lacoste navy polo shirt and button-down underneath, both from Jeff’s closet, By Malene Birger wool flared pants via TRR. Nylon striped button-down for texture and print but also just in case I get cold. Flip flops and brooches to tone down the preppiness.

Worn with a thrifted jacket, old Tibi sandals to add some shine, *La Deeply Shallow* logo hat.

**Inspired by Rabanne’s practical layering and color story:** Dapper Dan x Gap sweatshirt, COS bermudas.

2. Cobalt blue:

**Cobalt blue and pastel yellow (also a favorite)**: Amazon cotton sweater, cashmere striped sweater, Tibi satin pants, Oakley flip-flops.

**Cobalt blue and earth tones**: My grandaunt’s coat from the ‘70s that she altered (she was 5’1'“ just like me), Nike hat, Jeff’s belt.

**Cobalt blue and leopard print**: COS t-shirt, Nike hat, Talbots leopard cotton skirt.

3. This classic vintage pillbox with low-rise jeans:

Vintage pillbox, H&M semi sheer tank top, the jeans I stole from my dad which I think offsets the very classic/feminine energy from the hat.

4. Redundant belting and THE shiny top I was looking all over my closet (and finally found in my kids’ room):

**Double belts as seen on Miu Miu, Hodakova, and of course @nho_journal:** shiny silver top (similar here), mixed with golden chain and leather belt, (here is a vintage pearl belt with a golden sun, a rhinestone one, a spring 2025 MiuMiu-like one, one with rhinestone flowers, one with silver flowers reminiscent of Miu Miu, a golden mesh one, and this other mesh one also very Miu-Miu). My dad‘s jeans, shiny silver kitten heels.

**The shiny top unnecessarily worn as a belt/apron**: Nanushka silk shorts via TRR (a very Dries-que sequin version here in XL, and here in M), shiny silver kitten heel shoes, and H&M semi sheer tank top.

5. Shiny top + utilitarian jacket as seen on Prada etc.

**You have seen this trick already**: Nanushka bronze silk shorts, Unisa silver flats, jacket I kept from my grandfather (20 years old so technically vintage) over the shiny top.

6. Knee-length shorts with long coats for FL winter or button-downs for FL fall:

Nanushka shorts (some fun motorcycle ones from Bally on TRR, these mini ones from Dries via TRR with fun florals, and these incredible Vivienne Westwood via TRR) H&M coat from last year, Naturalizer flats.

**Textures matter**: nylon+ silk+ leather. **And color does too**: Silver and Bronze, saturated blue and red with metallics.

7. Jackets and coats adorned with flowers, brooches, belts etc.

Thrifted jacket, turquoise belt I found at Ross but here is a vintage one for a great price and another one, Zara denim skirt.

My grandaunt’s pearls and another belt for that Miu Miu double belt look. Here is one with seashells very Chemena Chloé. I really love how the details on this belt contrast the men’s jacket.

H&M mens’ coat with my brooches (here is a Taxco one, and this 9.99 one that looks like the ones Miu Miu just showed in Paris, and also this rhinestone one), dangly earring, Tibi boots I got on their website outlet section.

Flower satin brooch from Amazon (similar here), Polo Ralph Lauren bermudas.

**You know I love a cocoon and a Willy Chavarria inspired silhouette**: perfectly pressed khakis are very important for this look: it’s part of Willy’s vocabulary and personal story growing up in a Mexican household where his family would press their clothes as a symbol of elegance. In my Latin family, even the bedsheets would be ironed when I was a kid.

Chaotic knots and imperfect tucks:

**Something I wore last week to pick my daughter up from school:** Sylvia Tcherassi leather belt, Kule top, Homme Girls boxers, Zara oversized top, my dad’s old work jeans. Boxers peeking out is now cool and being done by Prada etc. but remember in the 90s when urbanwear was ignored and stigmatized by major brands?

**Inspired by Polo RL’s latest collection navy and yellow look**: Tibi circular sweater, COS navy barrel leg pants, Kule striped shirt.

**Also noteworthy: little lace details.** Old Urban Outfitter top (a slip dress very Chemena’s Chloe here and also here), Matteau fishermen pants (I found the short version of these pants in size M on TRR, and here in size L). utilitarian canvas bag from Amazon (here is a vintage mesh one that I would get if it wasn’t on a no-buy) worn with a very old leopard J. Crew belt

**You’ve probably seen the “bikinis as bras” all over the runways but never forget Rosie Assoulin’s spring 2016 collection living rent free in my mind:** Rosie Assoulin surfer pants (similar here size 4, similar in size 6, , Negative underwear henley worn over a lace cami, DIY beaded necklace I tied to the pants’ strings for extra chaotic knotting.

Red lip + dangling earrings with capri leggings + button-downs for real life:

Clemencia wears hot pink socks with legging so I tried mine with a MAC Habanero coral red lip.

If you’ve stayed until this point, thank you. It was a lot but I told you i’m in an abundance mindset and don’t have the chill to do part twos or save anything for later.

More next Friday.

Laura <3