← Sustain This!
Sustain This!
Do your outfits have this secret ingredient? Breaking down "The Sauce" as a style It Factor & the anatomy of effortless style.
00:34:21
Loading summary
Transcript157 lines
- [00:00]
A
Welcome to Sustain this, a podcast where we discuss mindful consumption, personal style, and the quest for living a more intentional life. I'm Alyssa, a sustainable stylist.
- [00:09]
B
And I'm Christina, a shopaholic turned minimalist. Ish.
- [00:13]
C
And I'm Sina, a color consultant and slow fashion style coach.
- [00:16]
A
Together we will unpack the nuances of what it really means to be a conscious consumer and find more joy in what we have right now. So grab your tea, your coffee, or whatever floats your boat and join us in the conversation. Let's go.
- [00:28]
C
Yay.
- [00:29]
A
Yay. Welcome back, everyone. We've got a really great episode for you today. We have made a discovery. Xander Torres, hope you're listening, because your feed is amazing. Christina discovered you, and you ask an incredible question about style and fashion, and that is, do you have the sauce? Does this outfit have the sauce? We're going to break down this question. We're going to explain it in today's episode. We're going to talk about it. I think we all know we're gonna leave the original TikTok that Christina found that will not only give you a giggle, but will also give you some food for thought with regards to putting outfits together. And, like, what is effortless and what is effortless style? We talk about this a lot.
- [01:16]
B
Yeah. What's a. What's a good outfit versus an outfit with sauce?
- [01:22]
A
Christina did the good Italian hand gesture. So if you're. If you're listening to this. So, yeah, that's it. What? Yeah, that's. You nailed it. Tell me, both of you, what. What do you. I mean, I have thoughts, but what are your thoughts? What makes a good outfit?
- [01:39]
B
Well, maybe we can explain what he means by sauce.
- [01:42]
A
Right, Sorry. I just jump right into it. Okay, so he talks about. So when Xander is talking about sauce, he's talking about sort of an outfit that has personality and authenticity in it and that most. That looks and feels effortless, but, you know, took a lot of effort to put together. He mentions in one of his captions, that was it. Style is a marathon, not a sprint. And I love this. I think it. It encapsulates the whole. Like, it really is a holistic practice, you know, pulling these effortless outfits together. Sure, it looks effortless, but it has so much to do with, like, the constant curation of your closet, the constant, you know, building of your character and self trust and being cool with who you are. I think that's a huge part of having an outfit with sauce.
- [02:34]
B
Sorry, it's just like. But it's so Perfect. I feel like the size is like, it really describes it. So when you look at that TikTok and he kind of. He show this is from a menswear lens, but actually he has a part two that has like, Annie Leibovitz and like other. Other. Other style icons that definitely have the sauce. But it's just about. To me, there's a sense of uniformity in it. It's almost that to me, I'm seeing kind of like a style uniform in it. I'm seeing a lot of effortlessness in it. And Xander kind of talks about it. He touches on it in the sense of there's wear and rewear. It's like pieces that you. You wear and you love that. That kind of become a part of you that you wear so much that we kind of talked about it in it and we touched on it in another episode when we were in Copenhagen together. But we kind of touched about, like, on. On buying, on manufacturing wear and love in your clothes versus doing it yourself. And in a lot of the outfits with the sauce, they seem to have this kind of worn quality to it.
- [03:53]
C
That's what I really like, too. Yeah.
- [03:55]
B
As if you've, like, you know, this outfit, this piece has been a part of your wardrobe and a part of you for years, as opposed to just kind of like buying the eclectic grandpa or that aesthetic off the shelf, that sort of mannequin dressing that, you know, you can. It's almost like you can put be wearing the exact same outfit, but the one. But one has sauce and one feels.
- [04:20]
A
A bit more like a costume in a way.
- [04:22]
B
That's right. Yeah.
- [04:23]
C
And something that you put on for the sake of a picture or something that. Yeah, it looks almost like too perfect and too pristine to be something that you would wear in real life.
- [04:35]
B
Yeah. It almost lacks that. That authenticity.
- [04:39]
C
Yeah.
- [04:40]
A
I like how he also mentioned that a lot of the looks that he was referring to, the looks with sauce, were from a period where people were buying clothing for the sole purpose of, like, for. For their functionality over. Not over their style, but it was really about Christina. Like you said, the wear and the rewear. Like, you're wearing a sweater, it's going to do its job. You're going to wear it outside, you're going to wear it on the boat. It's going to get a snag, it's going to get a stain, and, like, that's fine. It's kind of cool. Which, like, what a novel concept.
- [05:13]
C
Yes.
- [05:14]
A
Sorry. No, but do you know what I mean? Like, we're so precious with our clothes. And we spoke about this in that. Yeah. In that Copenhagen episode about the Birkin, was it Mary Kate and Ashley's.
- [05:26]
B
Yeah. Or a different Kelly.
- [05:27]
A
The Kelly. And it's like, beat up and used. So it kind of goes back to that whole. I mean, that's a whole.
- [05:35]
C
Yeah. I think that episode was called why Don't We Wear Our Clothes to Death Anymore? Right.
- [05:39]
B
Yes, that's right.
- [05:40]
A
Yeah, that's right.
- [05:40]
B
Right. That was such a good one. And I feel like this sort of is an extension of that episode because I think the other thing he kind of mentions about outfits with sauce is, like, there's almost an element of intentionality to it. There's intentionality and effortlessness to it. So it's like, in terms of the item itself, it's a piece that you buy with the intent to live in it, to actually wear it, to not, like, yes, take care of it, but not be so precious with it. And you sort of embrace the creases and the cracks and the fading and how it sort of molds to your body. Yeah. And I think that's kind of like. It's almost like true effortlessness comes with wearing your clothes and wearing them over and over and over again.
- [06:29]
A
Yeah.
- [06:30]
C
Yeah. And not being afraid to wear clothes that, like, show signs of wear. I think we talked about that before, too, that there's a difference between being worn out and simply being worn.
- [06:40]
B
Yes.
- [06:40]
C
And I think social media in general. I know it's so easy to blame, like, influencers and social media in general, like, at the end of the day, you have the power to decide what you do, but there's a lot of pressure on us to look or, you know, for what we wear to look perfect and in great condition. Especially if you are a content creator, I feel like.
- [07:05]
B
To look new.
- [07:06]
C
Yeah, exactly. It's like, there's almost more pressure on you for. To wear things that look brand new, fresh from the box. I don't know. Whereas I'm definitely personally at a state now where I find it more inspiring and more. Yeah, definitely more inspiring when people. When. Yeah, when people just wear their clothes and when you can see the little cracks and the little creases and the shoes and. Because it just. Yeah. It just feels more authentic.
- [07:37]
A
Yeah.
- [07:37]
B
That patina, you know.
- [07:39]
C
Yeah.
- [07:41]
A
I also think the styling of the pieces are important. Right. Because he was looking at. You know, you can't just buy a vintage Levi's and wear it unbuttoned. Like, that is so particular. I forget who was Wearing that look, but that is so particular to a type of person, and we can get caught up in the styling of a piece, and that doesn't feel like us at all. So you also have to. I think that effortlessness or the sauce also comes with not being afraid to inject your own personality into this outfit. By way of styling.
- [08:22]
B
Yeah.
- [08:22]
C
Yes. So then, yeah, I kind of come to think about, like, festival styling. I don't know why that just kind of popped up, but people like, it's. It's kind of like a stereotype that we create. And then it's like, you know, it becomes a whole stereotype and a whole look. And then even though that's not necessarily your style normally, then all of a sudden you feel like you need to dress in this super bohemian festival. I don't know, cowboy boots kind of. I don't know, I just feel like it. We create these, like, stereotypes. And I feel like that's also what he's kind of trying to. To challenge a little bit.
- [09:02]
B
I feel like I don't have sauce.
- [09:08]
A
Christina, stop that.
- [09:10]
B
Oh, yeah, we're an ASMR channel.
- [09:14]
A
Tell us why you think that.
- [09:16]
B
I don't know. I almost. Because I feel like it's like that lived in factor, I think is a little is missing. I have a lot of clothes and they get rotate. Like I haven't worn something out in a while, you know, and so I don't know. I just. I don't know. I don't know what I'm getting at. But it almost feels like. Like I definitely have my style uniform. I definitely have confidence in my style. But it's almost kind of getting to what Sina's getting at. Like that sort of bohemian. Like, is it a bit of a lack of polish that we see in the sauce? I don't know.
- [09:57]
C
Like imperfect.
- [10:00]
A
Yeah.
- [10:00]
C
Like the worn out piece.
- [10:02]
B
Yes, I kind of.
- [10:04]
C
But I think that's also where you need to reassess your style words. Because I feel like sharp is something that's quite important to you.
- [10:10]
B
It really is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're right. You're. Yeah, you're definitely right.
- [10:14]
C
It's not like you're, you know, there can't be any creases in your boots or your bag. Your favorite handbag can't have any scratches. But it's really important that your clothes look in good shape. I feel like anyone can have any of it. Can be.
- [10:31]
A
Yeah, it's.
- [10:33]
C
But it has to be aligned still with like, your style personality. Because the sauce is also The. The re wearing bit and the. The style uniform bit where, you know, it just. It feels like this outfit was, like, made for you, and you're not afraid to. Like, for example, Christina, you've mentioned even today you're wearing a blazer that you know that's part of your style uniform, and it feels like you feel that you're very. What's the word I'm looking for? Like, you're very aware of that being part of your style uniform, and you're very comfortable with that. And I feel like even that is also the sauce.
- [11:13]
B
I feel like. Yeah. And you know what? I feel like the images that he's using, I feel like I can see it, but I almost feel like when I met you guys in person, I feel the sauce. Like, I feel like you have sauce versus, like, on. Not saying that you don't have sauce online, because you absolutely do, but it's just like, I feel like online, there's, like, a bit more polish, and there's a bit more. Something a little, like, squeaky clean to it, I guess. I don't know. But in person is like, when I could see how you move and how, like, you know how when we all talked about how we met in real life, and it's just like, oh, it really comes together. Oh, I really see your style. I really see who you are and your style words and how your clothes complement that. And I feel like sometimes online that's harder to see. I don't know, like, not for you specifically, but just, like, in general. But when I met you guys in person, they got the. They got the groove. They got. They got the cool. Like, there's, you know, I don't know. There's just.
- [12:11]
C
Yeah, because it's more like 3D in real life, whereas online is just flat. There's so many nuances that you don't get when you just look at a picture or you just see a little.
- [12:22]
B
Yeah, yeah. There's something about the movement and, like, the aura that I. Yeah, I was.
- [12:27]
A
Gonna say we've spoken about this before, right? Like, the aura and, like, your energy, if your body, if your clothes are really embodying that. But, Christina, I have a question. Are there. Are there outfits where you feel like you have the sauce and outfits where you don't. Like. Are there outfits where you're like, yes, that nailed it. Like, when you had that. That really deep V with you wore it to an event and, like, the red lip and the blazer and the pant, I felt that was a look that I will, like, remember you in.
- [13:02]
B
Yes.
- [13:02]
A
As being. Having the sauce.
- [13:04]
B
I felt like I had the sauce there because I did feel sharp and polished, but I felt relaxed. And I think there was, like, an element of relaxation to it. And I think, like, you know, the blazer was fitted, the bodysuit was fitted, but the pants were, like, more voluminous and more chill. There was something more chill about it.
- [13:26]
A
So, like yourself.
- [13:28]
B
Oh, yeah, Yeah, I did. Yeah. So I feel like that's. So maybe it is, like an amalgamation of, like, your style words, but the sense of relaxation and sureness, like this sense of surety in yourself. I feel like maybe that's what it is. So it's not this, like, you know, for example, like, every photo that he shared, a guy was like, in a denim shirt and it was like, super unbuttoned and chill and cool and it looks great. Or like there was kind of a beat up leather jacket or a lived in pair of Levi's or cowboy boots or something. But it's not necessarily like, as we say, it's not necessarily about the pieces, but it's like how you wear it and how it embodies how you want to feel when you feel like yourself. You're at ease.
- [14:10]
A
Yes.
- [14:11]
C
Yeah.
- [14:11]
B
And maybe that's what we're. That's what we want.
- [14:13]
A
Yeah.
- [14:14]
C
Yeah.
- [14:15]
A
100%.
- [14:15]
B
It took me a sec to get there.
- [14:17]
A
Yeah. No, no, but I think it's.
- [14:19]
C
I think.
- [14:20]
A
I think that's exactly right.
- [14:22]
C
Eliza, if there's an outfit, you remember that where you felt like it had the sauce.
- [14:28]
A
Well, I was thinking about that because I was wondering if, like, maybe you don't have the sauce all the time, you know, like, most of the time. Yes, But I'm thinking about, like, if I know I have to, like, or if I'm going somewhere and I'll try on a look and I. And I'm not feeling it. And oftentimes I'll go back to denim, button up and a pair of pumps. And it's. It's not about the pieces. You know what I mean? It's about how I feel in the pieces. Or like, I'm trying to think. I went to another event and I wore, like, the structured trouser and a sweater and a structured jacket. And it was probably a little bit underdressed for the event, but I had. I had planned for something that was more appropriate, quote, unquote, for the venue. And then I. I was like, no, F this. Like, I'm not feeling it. And I went with the other look. Which was more dressed down, still polished. But then I felt like me. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna take the risk and maybe not be dressed 100% appropriately, but I know that I'm still gonna be approachable and be able to network with people with confidence because, like, they're gonna see me, and that's it. And, like, that's all I need. You know what I mean?
- [15:44]
C
So does that make sense, becoming the best nights where you feel fully authentic to yourself like that in what you wear as well, like, both on the. From the inside and out?
- [15:57]
A
Yeah.
- [15:58]
B
There's nothing uptight about it.
- [16:00]
A
No, but technically, like, from the clothing perspective, everything was tailored.
- [16:04]
B
Yes. Okay.
- [16:06]
A
Do you know what I mean?
- [16:06]
B
But you don't feel like. No in it.
- [16:09]
A
No, exactly. I didn't feel constricted. I felt like. I felt fine. Like, I think the sauce could be equally. You're going somewhere. Like, you're out in a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, but could also be. You've spent a lot of time on your outfit. I ultimately think the sauce. Okay, wait, here's this analogy. Oh, my gosh.
- [16:29]
B
I'm ready.
- [16:31]
A
So it's like a really, really good sauce. This is so Italian of me. A really good sauce is like. It takes a long time. It's simmering all day. The ingredients, you know, you're adding. You're slowly. You're building it, you let it reduce, you add more, you add this. And also, the sauce is, like, years and years of your. This is getting way too deep and introspective. I apologize, everybody.
- [16:56]
B
No, this is perfect coming from an Italian, because. Hold on. When is. When is sauce making season? Because this is very.
- [17:01]
A
Oh, season. You know what? It's Whenever the tomato. Like, their tomatoes are usually. I don't know. I'm in Canada, so we just make sauce all the time. Every.
- [17:09]
B
No, but there's, like, a time when the tomatoes, the harvest.
- [17:11]
A
Usually it's October.
- [17:12]
B
I used to work at, like, Superstore when I was, like, in my teens, and I worked in the deli. And I remember one day I was working, and it was like, August sometime. Is that sauce season?
- [17:23]
A
Well, like, La Vendemia is around, like, in the South. It's, like, a bit warmer. Like, they're harvesting the olives right now. So I think tomatoes are a little bit warmer. Right. So it's probably August.
- [17:34]
B
But there were all the Italians, like, you know, the nonos. They were all there at 7am when the store opened, and carts full of tomatoes, baskets and baskets and bushels full of tomatoes. And I'm like, what's. Why is everyone buying these baskets of tomatoes, like, full on, like, barrels of it? They're like, it's sauce. We're making sauce.
- [17:54]
A
Right? And then. So then you freeze it. Like, my aunt, when you go down, she has, like, a whole pantry just dedicated to jars of sauce.
- [18:02]
B
The cantina, right?
- [18:03]
A
Yeah.
- [18:04]
B
Yeah.
- [18:05]
A
So, like, anyway, so that's kind of what I'm thinking also. Right. Like, it's. The sauce is something that you've. You've built and perfected on your own when you're, like, cooking it on the stove and you're adding your own ingredients, but it's also, like, years of understanding, like, your background and your heritage. It's your Nona's recipe. Recipe. It's the memory of your aunts in the kitchen cooking on the Sunday, and everyone's yelling at each other. Like, it's. It's everything all together. So to me, the sauce is less about, like, you can be wearing whatever. It doesn't matter. It's. The sauce is, like, what are you bringing to the outfit? Okay, that's it. I'm done. The end.
- [18:40]
C
I'm not gonna say anything else.
- [18:42]
B
Which is from what, your lived experience and interacting with the world and. And your pieces and all that.
- [18:50]
A
Yeah. You know.
- [18:51]
B
Yeah.
- [18:52]
C
Yes.
- [18:53]
B
Yeah.
- [18:53]
C
I love how you. No, sorry. I just love the example you made, Alyssa, about, like, going to an event and then just being like, no, I'm going to wear something that I. I feel comfortable in. Like, last year, we hosted, like, a Christmas party, and I feel like, especially around festive dressing, there's a lot of. Not. I don't want to say a lot of pressure, but there's, you know, there's festive dressing, styling tips, all that, and they're like. Again, there's these stereotypes. You have to wear sequins or you have to wear whatever it. Yeah, exactly. And I wore, like, just at an outfit. Uni. Everyday. Outfit. Uniform. I wore a pair of light blue jeans with my gray sweater that I wear all the time, and then I just wore a pair of slingback pumps with that. And then, you know, did my hair really nice and did my makeup and put on a lot of jewelry, and I felt so great in that outfit. I feel like that's gonna be such a. I'm gonna repeat that outfit forever. I almost want to say, because I felt so great, I felt like I should have dressed up more or I should have worn specific pieces because it was a festive occasion. It was Around Christmas and again, these stereotypes. But I ended up wearing something that I just knew I was going to feel great in and I had, you know, I feel like it made my evening ten times better as well. Because you're more calm and you kind of, I don't know, you trust yourself more and you just feel more authentic. And you just feel better when you feel authentic.
- [20:26]
B
I think the whole idea of mannequin dressing, like, I feel like we, I feel like it's really interesting because we now, the way that style and manufacturing clothes and trends and all that, how fast it moves and how we kind of as a culture have this sort of instant gratification mindset when it comes to. I see it, I like it, I want it. Just bought it. And it's almost like we want. Yeah. Like we want that sauce manufactured so we can buy it.
- [20:57]
A
You can't buy the sauce.
- [20:59]
B
And I think that's. You can't buy the sauce, can you? Oh, thanks. Sorry. Well, can you? Because. Yeah, what? I mean, like when you buy store bought sauce versus Nonna sauce, like, obviously Nonna sauce is going to be better, but what is it about that? It's like the time, the curation, the love, the authenticity. So it's almost like, okay, I can buy that outfit off the shelf, but it's going to look like a costume until I really, really live in it and make it part of my style and part of my lived experience and like live in the clothes and create, create memories in the clothes and wash the clothes so that the collar starts to warp. And like, as you say, Sina, like you talk about your acne boots, the Jensen boots all the time and how you've had those for like, I want to say like a decade now. Yeah. Creases in leather and scuffs and all.
- [21:52]
C
Of that memories and.
- [21:54]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [21:56]
C
It becomes, it becomes more sentimental.
- [21:59]
B
Yeah. Can you, can you have the sauce in new clothes? How does that work?
- [22:03]
A
I think so.
- [22:04]
B
Yeah.
- [22:04]
A
Because you've. I think this speaks to. We mentioned it. Christina. I think you mentioned it in another episode. But Sina, you did too. The easy choice is to shop and the hard choice is to style. I think that's it. It's maybe in a new piece. You just have to take time to play around with it a little. Like you can wear it new but make it your own.
- [22:29]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [22:30]
C
And you can style it with older things as well. So it feels more seamless, like a seamless part of who you are. Whereas I think again, what he talks about is also, he mentioned that Grandpa.
- [22:41]
B
What?
- [22:41]
C
It was. Oh, yeah.
- [22:42]
B
Like, Eclectic Grandpa.
- [22:43]
C
Yeah, Eclectic Grandpa. And he shows some images of where you can clearly see or I don't know if you can clearly see. I can kind of see it. That it's okay. This. It feels a little bit forced, and it feels a little bit like I bought all of these pieces together. I bought this as an entire outfit to wear to fit into this trend. Whereas I feel like if you buy a single piece and you mix it up with things that you've already loved and worn and already feels like a true extensive view, then a newer piece can definitely have the sauce too.
- [23:18]
A
Even, like, I'm thinking of those images that you were referencing, Cena, that felt a little bit contrived. Those. It could even be a matter of dressing yourself in an inauthentic way, you know? Like, those pieces could have already been in her closet, but she was like, I'm gonna do Eclectic Grandpa with what I have. And, like, maybe it still doesn't hit, you know, I don't know. Or she does eclectic Grandpa, but she puts her own spin on it. I'm just. Sorry. I'm saying she. Because I think it was. One of the photos was a. Was of a woman doing as part of that example. So, yeah, it's almost. It was. It's almost like a. Ignoring yourself in the process of getting dressed is when the sauce is lacking.
- [24:10]
B
Yeah. Because I'm thinking about, for example, celebrity styling and red carpets. There's outfits that feel so right on certain people, and it almost feels like, oh, the stylist really nailed it, versus this feels like a costume where this totally does not work on them. And I'm just trying to think about what it is that makes it work on one person but not on another. Just, like, it feels natural. Right. Like, it feels. It just feels right. So what's the feeling of. What's the rightness that we're. That we're seeing?
- [24:45]
C
I guess sometimes it's. You can't really put your finger on it. I mean, obviously, we have all of these tools. Body shape, body type, color analysis. We have the style words as a tool as well, and I think they're all helpful, but I think sometimes it's. I don't know. I don't know where I'm getting at. Sometimes you probably can't really explain why.
- [25:08]
A
I was gonna ask Sina, if you notice that in your. In your sessions with people with color, like, even when it's a color within someone's, say, palette, do you. Do you just get a Sense of their energy sometimes. And you're like, no, you know what? Like, this is your palette. But, like, these are the colors that are just good on you because of who you are. Like, do you get that? Like, what is it like, especially.
- [25:32]
C
Yeah, especially if we're doing style analysis on top of the color analysis as well. Because I feel like that's where you can connect the color psychology with your style words and your style personality a lot more. So, yeah, I think it is all about, like, narrowing it down to what feels authentic to you. Even if there are colors that look amazing on you, if they don't feel right on you, then they're never gonna work. You know, if you are neutrals person, then we'll curate neutrals, and if you're colorful, then we'll curate, you know, different accent colors instead.
- [26:09]
B
Yeah, that's kind of the. Like, that's a good point. Because if you like, even if you. Even if the color quote unquote looks right, but you feel like you don't like it because you're just not used to wearing color and you maybe don't want to explore that, then it's still going to wear you.
- [26:29]
A
Great point.
- [26:30]
C
Yeah.
- [26:31]
B
Right?
- [26:32]
C
Yeah, yeah. It's easy for me to be like, yeah, whoa, this looks amazing on you, but if it doesn't feel right, it's never going to work for you.
- [26:38]
B
Yeah.
- [26:40]
C
And I know there are different ways to work with color. There's also like, psychologists that works with, like, choosing color that match your, like, chakra and like, on a more deep girl level. So there's really. And I think you can do that with anything style related. Like, you can take it to so much deeper level.
- [27:00]
B
I keep going back to like Annie Leibovitz because I feel like that outfit is something that I would wear, like the button down with a blazer, jeans, and boots. But I feel like if I threw that together, it wouldn't, like, it wouldn't look the same. So, like, what is it? Or it would just look like I'm wearing a blazer, button down, jeans, and boots as opposed to like an Annie outfit, you know? So, like, what's. What makes that.
- [27:24]
A
Would you ever wear that, though? Like, if you. Without seeing that, I would.
- [27:27]
B
Yeah.
- [27:27]
A
You would put together a button up a blazer. What else was she wearing?
- [27:33]
B
I'd probably do a T shirt. I'd probably do a T shirt. But, like. Yeah, but then it's like, but maybe I'm inspired by that. So I try it and maybe at first it kind of feels costumey. But then, like, the more you do it or the more of your spin you put on it, the more you repeat it, it can become part of you. Like, I feel like there's an element of that as well, because not everything's going to feel a hundred. Like, it's not going to be a hundred right away always. You know, that's like part of the experimentation too.
- [28:05]
A
Yeah, I think, I guess just as.
- [28:06]
B
Long as it feels authentic and good. Like, I feel like if you can own it, then that's like, if you believe that you're owning it, you know, with some authenticity. I think that's like, that's what comes across.
- [28:20]
C
I just realized. I think that's what. I just recently cut off all of my long hair because I thought I was gonna grow it long. I thought I was gonna get like a really nice layer blowout kind of look, but I just realized that it just felt too forced. I didn't feel like myself. Like, I truly feel like the shoulder length hair has become my signature style. Not just how I want other people to see me, but it also feels a lot more like I feel a lot more like myself.
- [28:50]
B
Yeah.
- [28:50]
C
When I have that hair length, whereas the other. Yeah, it looks nice. And I had all of these amazing images, like, on my Pinterest board, and it's like, yeah, I could probably style my way out of it, but it never just. It just never really, really felt right. Yeah, I just ended up feeling kind of forced and I guess. I don't know. Yeah, when I looked at pictures of myself, I also feel like it didn't look right. And it's kind of going back to your question, Cristine. Like, how is it that it looks right on some people and then it just doesn't look right on you, even though you might have a similar face shape or whatever?
- [29:28]
A
It's like, I think it kind of also comes down to the elements. Like, I talk a lot about elements of style, and I think if you were to, you know, we talk a lot about three words, but if we talk about the elements that are comprised in those three words, you can really break it down and adjust your, let's say, ingredients or recipe for your sauce, you know, so it's like, if you're.
- [29:56]
B
Do you know what I mean?
- [29:56]
A
So if you're focusing more on elements like I. I used car. I think Carla Rockmore is an excellent example because she has. We can put her in the show notes, but she has a huge closet. She has. Or Karen Britchick is another really good example. Like These women have so many style personalities. I've seen Karen wear a menswear full on menswear inspired look. And I've also seen her wear like a super flowy bohemian. And it's like. But she's still Karen in both of those looks. Same thing with Carla Rockmore. Like, she's done architectural and whatever, and she's also done flowy and diaphanous. But when you look at Carla, for example, you break down her elements and they get even more subtle than her words. I don't know what her three words would be, but like, the elements that Carla uses are big and bold accessories. Like very like geometric architectural accessories. Crazy bold use of color and texture. And like just with. With those two elements alone, it doesn't matter what she's wearing. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. The silhouette, it doesn't matter. The style, vibe, whatever, those elements are really inherent in her character. You know, like the big glasses she's wearing and in her hair and the way she styles her hair. And then everything else kind of comes out of those elements. You know, the texture comes from her hair.
- [31:30]
B
The.
- [31:30]
A
The bold use of color comes from. So sorry, I'm just kind of. I don't really have a train of thought here, but it's perhaps drilling down to the elements that are your through line. Because then you get more manipulation. You know what I mean? You get. You're not so focused on. On. On pieces or. Or even style words or stereotypes or. Stereotypes.
- [31:59]
C
Yeah.
- [31:59]
A
Like, you know, it's like, well, one of my words is, I don't know what's undone. So a part of me has to be undone. But that doesn't really hold true because at that event, all of my look was tailored, my hair was slicked back. Like there was no part of me that was undone. But I felt exactly like myself. You know what I mean? So it was just because I dialed up the other elements, the classic, the tailored, the other elements that I always really like and I still felt fine. So I don't know, to me, it's really knowing. Knowing your elements, elements of style, and how to manipulate them and use them so that they are an expression of your character is very important.
- [32:41]
C
And then that's probably what makes it look right and feel right. You do kind of extrude that.
- [32:47]
A
Yeah.
- [32:48]
B
What do you think? What makes a sauce?
- [32:52]
A
Tell us what you think. Thank you. I have. I feel like we should say a big thank you to Xander. Thank you for. Yeah, what a great discussion. What a great.
- [33:02]
C
Please go.
- [33:02]
A
Give them a follow. Definitely worth it. And thank you so much as always for listening and for watching. If you're here on YouTube, don't forget we have the membership community. You can just if you're on here on YouTube, if you're watching us there, just click the little join button. You will get excuse exclusive content just for you where we do an Ask us Anything episode. So it's a really great opportunity to engage with us a little bit more. Always a really fun way to support our work so we can keep doing this and keep discovering really cool accounts and talking about them. Anyway. So yes, that's it. Thank you so much for joining. We'll see you in the next one.
- [33:44]
C
Thank you so much for joining in our conversation this week. If you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple and leave us a rating and review. It's one of the best ways to support the Sustain this podcast at zero cost to you.
- [34:01]
B
We're also a community led podcast, so if you have any questions for us, topic requests, or even guests you want to hear from, please send us a DM on Instagram @Sustain ThisPodcast. We read all of our comments and look forward to hearing from from you.
- [34:14]
A
We hope you join us again next Tuesday where we'll talk about so much more than clothes. Ciao.