61: Soft serve summer

and whimsical textures and colours that invite dreaminess

I distinctly remember a conversation in high school wherein a friend declared my style as “soft”. At the time I took complete offence, reading into the word soft as meaning weak, delicate, and prude. I had refused a few defining trends of the 2010’s, namely overfilled brows, baking makeup, peplum anything, chunky sneakers. As a result, I had been deemed by my fellow adolescent peers as soft.

In retrospect, she wasn’t wrong - I seemed to forgo anything that was angular. And I felt that I didn’t necessarily need to convey my personality through anything considered “edgy” or loud. The style simply didn’t resonate. I wish I could tell my younger self that it was okay.

It wasn’t until I discovered Stella McCartney for Chloe, watched Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Virgin Suicides (and literally every Sophia Coppola film), that I found a reconciliation between softness, dreaminess, and sensuality. I felt more connected to clothing items that were ethereal and wispy. I reckon it’s from having a wild imagination, from maturing a bit later, from enjoying solitude, from spending summers entirely outside. And now, over a decade later, I’m grateful for that mentality.

I think the following video, though about beauty, sums up what I’m trying to say:

I think what I’m trying to get at is that it’s still beautiful to be soft. And I’m exploring that in my summer dressing particularly through texture. Softness can be a silhouette and an attitude, but it can also mean sheerness, lace, chiffon - anything gentle and plush. And those textures - there’s a sensuality to them.

The sheen of satin and the contrasting black lace of this DISSH top soften the edginess of this leather jacket and the crispness of these trousers. Softness doesn’t have to exist mutually exclusive of textural elements considered edgy.

I love subscribing to and reading Talia’s Substack (worth paying for, trust me!), and she has such a great theory on visual weight in a space. Essentially, having a variance in visual weight lends balance and makes a space feel complete. Irene Kim (김애린) translates this particularly well in her style ethos with her seasonality grid, I was struck particularly by this post last year on levering negative space and certain textures to give an outfit levity. A key takeaway for me was that raffia bags can, in fact, be worn in spring, and they actually look pretty incredible with a long trench or a leather jacket.

A reminder of the above sentiment! Kallmeyer trench, Lié studio bag, and Jenni Kayne shoes. Who cares if I’m wearing anything underneath all that!

Earlier this month the addition of lace and texture looked something like this:

I’m sorry to report that the top is, indeed, from Zara. But the paper-like texture and whimsical rain drops on this Chan Luu duster are divine, especially paired with my favourite Era pants, Jamie Haller kitten heels, and Khaite clutch.

or like this:

Never deny the power of a good crochet trim. I love this Sera Studio skirt, layered over my most worn Theory trousers and Frame tshirt, and the bag is from The Row (I love this one from Liffner that has a similar shape). The necklace, a Chan Luu piece I made at a workshop last year, adds another nice textural element.

Layering textures for variance in levity is excellent and all when the weather ranges between 10-20 degrees Celcius. But then we enter summer months, and we start to shed as many outfit components as possible in the interest of comfort. At least, I do. This is why I’ve been leaning so heavily into multi-media garments, or pieces that incorporate lace, crochet, and the beauty of a good trim to add embellishment and frivolity with minimal extra garments involved. Maximum efficiency!

Heat prevents our brain from making informed decisions on how to dress. We’re concerned only with staying cool (or getting a tan, such is the case with me unfortunately. With loads of SPF). This year, I’m making it my personal vendetta to avoid (as much as possible) the temptation to forego style this summer by means of considering textural levity in my looks. But with summer, the goal is to remain visually interesting with minimal layers.

I mean, how good are these Aflalo capris. Here is a dynamic outfit comprising only a single layer. No bra necessary. Also deeming this the Tank Top Of The Year. Shoes are Jude (you’ve seen me wear these in just about every post), and bag is Ayllon.

Rather than shying away from the texture, what if we just really leaned into the Chloe by Stella McCartney or Southern Gothic of it all? Lace, ribbon, the works? The result for me was this look.

This also feels very contemporary Wuthering Heights. The top is Zara, skirt is old Acne (similar here), and these are my most worn kitten heels lately

I feel, in a very inverse and loose way, tied to this look:

Source: Pinterest

Or perhaps you live in a more casual city and the frivolity of the above look extends beyond your comfort capacity. Or maybe the heat is just too extreme. How about the following:

And so on.

The conceit of this is that with each of these outfits, I feel wholly myself, and still feel a sense of my personality shining through. I feel a sense of softness and delicateness with each look, and yet I still feel like I can be “hot”.

Some other whimsical and dreamy considerations:

• I’m dreaming of artwork by Gabriela Mifsud. Her colourful and elegant paintings are gorgeous and feminine while still remaining classic. I hope to have one hanging up behind my couch!

• This playlist and much of Sarah Kinsley’s discography has been on repeat!

• These daisy-dotted glasses from one of my favourites, Laguna B glassware

• This piece in Porter magazine about the death of the dinner party (don’t be misled by the headline. We’re talking about the death of stuffiness!)

Happy fairy girl summer!