Confessions of a Relapsed Fashion Editor
Or: Help! I'm in a Style Rut
Picture it: New York City, fall of 2019.
I had just been named the editor-in-chief of Fashionista.com – a literal dream job – and my schedule was packed. Industry events, press previews, after work drinks, international fashion weeks: approximately six months of non-stop reasons to get dressed, to put on a fun little outfit and flex my style muscles.
I probably don’t have to tell you what happened next. I traveled for fashion month in February 2020, and then what was supposed to be a short two week break from the office became a two year work from home scenario. And then in the summer of 2022, I made that situation permanent by jumping into the deep end of freelance work.
In many ways, that has been a dream. I make my own schedule, I have plenty of time for self-care in whatever form that comes, I can work on my personal projects alongside paid work. I don’t have to be in a Slack, I don’t have to leave my borough, I don’t have to get dressed….
That last one, though – that one has become less fun as the novelty has worn off. It turns out, I miss having reasons to put on a fun little outfit. At the end of this summer, I realized I had let those style muscles atrophy.
I was officially in a personal style rut.
Entire weeks have gone by where I haven’t changed out of sweats. My therapist would have good reason to believe that I am surgically fused to my Gators hoodie. And there’s nothing wrong with that, to be clear, but…it doesn’t feel like me. I feel disconnected from a part of myself that used to seem essential. Then, when I go to get dressed, those skills are rusty: does this top actually go with this skirt? Am I buying this because it’s trendy, or because it’s actually something I would wear? For that matter…what would I wear these days?
So, going into the fall, I decided to try and exercise those muscles again, at least a couple of days a week. You know those outfit posts I share to IG stories? That’s what those have been. I want to discover what my personal style is these days, to reconnect with that joy of getting dressed.
I decided I wanted to go public with this self challenge, which is why I’m sharing this now. (Candidly, I filmed this video all the way back at the end of September and only just now worked up the courage to share it.) I figured, in our current world of hybrid work and freelance life, maybe this feeling would resonate with some of you, too.
We’ll see how it goes! I have some plans for 2025, so I hope you’ll stick with me on this journey.
I love this!!