Taking notes from Zoe Kravitz

obsessing over a tv character & how i plan to dress in the city

When I got back from vacation I fell violently and sublimely ill. It wasn’t necessarily a debilitating sickness, but enough to get me out of church and allow me to spend the entire day binging High Fidelity unbothered. High Fidelity has been on my watchlist for a long time (blame Zoe Kravitz) because I love watching super niche one-season shows that can only be found amongst the cobwebs of streaming platforms. Think Girlboss on Netflix— if you can get beyond the name there’s an amazing show waiting for you.

Simon, Rob, and Cherise (Da’vine was also a breath of fresh air on The Idol)

In short, the show was good, but it left me with more questions than answers. Mainly: How can I dress more like Rob? and Where can I find myself a Clyde? The latter question is definitely a dead end, but the first is why I’m writing this in the first place. In the show, Zoe Kravitz plays Rob (Robyn fully— I love androgynous nicknames) who lives in Brooklyn, owns a record store, and has countless cute sweaters and even more personal issues. Beyond the interesting dialogue and the complex romances I found myself staring at Rob’s outfits. This wasn’t the first time that I’d seen some of the outfits, they are all over Pinterest. Still, seeing Rob’s outfits in the show left me gobsmacked with her overall sense of style.

I’ve been hacking away at my style, trying to make something out of, well not necessarily nothing, but of a combination of basics and microtrends. What I loved about Rob was that her style seemed effortless, relaxed, and it really reflected who she was. I was watching a video on Youtube the other day by Laini Ozark, who was explaining that it’s important to style our clothes not just wear them (it’s a must watch). And I think that’s where I’ve been falling short. I’ve been buying clothes that I like now, rather than being solely directed by trends or the “mainstream”, but I only put the effort into styling myself when I’m going on vacation or going somewhere special. The difference is, when I style myself I feel good about myself and how I look. When I throw something on I feel okay, but there isn’t that undeniable feeling of goodness.

me

Sooooo I find myself on the precipice of a new era— university student, sort of adult, new city (new COUNTRY)— and I want to amplify myself. I want to actually put in the work and style myself so my clothes can better reflect who I am. In turn, I will feel better about how I present as a whole. I know part of the reason why I enjoyed myself so much while I was on vacation is because I put thought into the outfits I wore and I knew I looked/felt amazing in them. And I deserve to feel like that every day. Without further ado, here are the things that I will be leeching off of Zoe Kravitz to contribute to my city girl style:

Her piercings

a close up of her ear also i literally have the exact same sunglasses

I could not take my eyes off her ears whenever she got on screen. I felt like they were the perfect balance of pierced but not too crowded. Not only was the piercing placement amazing, but I also loved her jewelry. It was very simple and cohesive, so what really shined were the piercings themselves. My favorite piercings were the daith and the stacked lobe (her mini tragus hoop gets an honorable mention). I would loveeee to get more piercings, but I’m holding out until my current ones are healed or my birthday (whichever comes first).

THE BOOTS

I loved her boots so much. I want a pair of boots like this so bad, but my summer job money has disappeared into the ether (if the ether is Depop, eBay, and going out to eat). Until Christmas rolls around, I’ll be pretending that my platform Docs are her lovely boots.

Outfit/piece repeating

I might be completely wrong, but I don’t normally see tv characters repeatedly wearing the same article of clothing styled differently. Some characters have a signature jacket or good luck pair of socks, but Rob was styled like she was pulling from a wardrobe which made her character seem all the more authentic. Rob had a signature jacket and a pair of boots that she wore all the time, and she also wore this green pleated skirt and pair of jeans a couple of times.

i can't fully prove the skirts she's wearing in both pictures are the same but they absolutely look like it

Since I don’t have an endless rack of clothes to be pulling from, I will, of course, be outfit repeating, but I won’t be afraid to wear my clothes differently. Instead of wearing the top that I always wear my black Levi’s jeans, I’ll try switching it up.

Developing my wardrobe and styling myself is work. Though the idea of any work right now is slightly off-putting (per my illness), this work excites me because I know it’ll lead to a greater understanding of myself and what I like. Anyway, if you see me dressed as a bunny this Halloween don’t act surprised.

all pictures found on Pinterest