Love this! I felt the same way! I thought buying "basics" and timeless pieces would be better , but I ended up just looking like everyone else. Like a uniform and it's like we all lost individuality. I started to add colors and patterns and graphic tees back into my wardrobe (thrifted of course) because that's what gets me excited. I love fashion and I thought you couldn't love fashion and be conscious about the environment. But now I know that you can still love fashion and embrace your style by buying secondhand or sewing your own outfits! ✨️
Yes, exactly! You don’t have to give up the creativity of fashion to be conscious about it. Adding back the colours, the prints, the personality—that’s when it gets fun again.
The idea that “timeless basics” are the only sustainable option is such a limited (and frankly boring) narrative. What’s the point of keeping clothes forever if you never want to wear them?
I get why some people prefer sticking to a formula. It can feel safe, reliable, even confidence-boosting. But the trade-off is that when we all follow the same set of rules, we end up looking the same. Safe might feel good, but it rarely looks interesting.
Agreed, following think rules can also give people a sense of belonging and community. I fitting in can be a big part of the confidence boost you mention. There are though, several part of “organised” society where uniform rules dictate status and power… and then conforming becomes political.
Yes, I agree. The “rules” can offer structure or a shared language that helps people feel connected. But the moment those rules start dictating status or worth, something shifts.
Conformity becomes less about belonging and more about upholding a certain kind of order, and that’s when it turns political. Often in ways that are subtle, insidious, and easy to overlook.
Sophie, you’ve said it so perfectly! Style evolves and changes, and can’t be pinned down to a formula. It’s the weird and wonderful quirky things in my closet that give me the most joy.
I love both of your “faces” tops in your collage. So fun! Your outfits are stellar!
Thank you for saying so well what I also believe.💕
I don’t think the beige-fication is endemic to fashion unfortunately. It’s the millennial grey homes and identikit new build estates and anything else that might suffer from not being bland enough to be classed inoffensive 😩
This transcript is really good, using manhole covers and bollards as examples!
Yes! It’s the same impulse everywhere—designing for neutrality and in the process erasing anything with real character. Everything from outfits to housing estates end up beige and boring.
And thank you for the link! This is exactly the kind of thing I love reading about.
Haha, I mean… I really doubt your whole personality is beige. And even if you do love wearing neutrals, there’s still a million ways to make them feel like you.
I just think it’s interesting that we so many of us want to (or feel the need to) blend in, within the fashion community. Isn’t it more fun when our clothes reflect who we actually are?
I understand why many people need or want to blend in because of their daily lives and jobs. But in the fashion community online? Seems a bit odd to me and I can't help but feel it's related to the rise in influencer marketing. It's much easier to sell us things via affiliate links if they are neutral basics than fun, original pieces.
Haha, I mean… I really doubt your whole personality is beige. And even if you do love neutrals, there are so many ways to wear them that still feel like you.
What I find interesting is how many of us want—or feel the need—to blend in, especially within the fashion community. I get it in day-to-day life or at work, sure. But online, where it’s supposed to be about creativity and self-expression? That feels different.
And I can’t help but think it’s partly down to the rise in influencer marketing. It’s much easier to sell us things when they’re neutral, ‘timeless’ basics than when they’re bold or unique.
I love this so much. I'm so over capsule wardrobes - and I had a whole chapter on them in my book. What if the things that we'll love and wear for years and years aren't the basics? What if I don't even like how I look in a trench coat? It makes me think of when I go back to my hometown of Stockholm, where everyone is extremely well-dressed but they also all look exactly the same. It's refreshing to come back to Brighton and see people really celebrate their weirdness. I think that your rule of "if I love it, I'll find a way to wear it" is perfect, I'll use it myself now!
This resonated so much! Even though our journey isn't the same, I still relate to so many of the things you mention. I need to remember that "rules" don't need to be followed if you don't like them - although in a period of uncertainty it's to grab for things to hold onto. We shoild wear what we like - not what others tell us to like.
Love this! I felt the same way! I thought buying "basics" and timeless pieces would be better , but I ended up just looking like everyone else. Like a uniform and it's like we all lost individuality. I started to add colors and patterns and graphic tees back into my wardrobe (thrifted of course) because that's what gets me excited. I love fashion and I thought you couldn't love fashion and be conscious about the environment. But now I know that you can still love fashion and embrace your style by buying secondhand or sewing your own outfits! ✨️
Yes, exactly! You don’t have to give up the creativity of fashion to be conscious about it. Adding back the colours, the prints, the personality—that’s when it gets fun again.
The idea that “timeless basics” are the only sustainable option is such a limited (and frankly boring) narrative. What’s the point of keeping clothes forever if you never want to wear them?
Conforming to other’s rules “just because” brings me misery. I wholeheartedly advocate for setting your own framework.
I get why some people prefer sticking to a formula. It can feel safe, reliable, even confidence-boosting. But the trade-off is that when we all follow the same set of rules, we end up looking the same. Safe might feel good, but it rarely looks interesting.
Agreed, following think rules can also give people a sense of belonging and community. I fitting in can be a big part of the confidence boost you mention. There are though, several part of “organised” society where uniform rules dictate status and power… and then conforming becomes political.
Yes, I agree. The “rules” can offer structure or a shared language that helps people feel connected. But the moment those rules start dictating status or worth, something shifts.
Conformity becomes less about belonging and more about upholding a certain kind of order, and that’s when it turns political. Often in ways that are subtle, insidious, and easy to overlook.
Funny parallel. I’m sitting here wearing a shirt that’s pictured in your essay. The cream and black Monki one.
Sophie, you’ve said it so perfectly! Style evolves and changes, and can’t be pinned down to a formula. It’s the weird and wonderful quirky things in my closet that give me the most joy.
I love both of your “faces” tops in your collage. So fun! Your outfits are stellar!
Thank you for saying so well what I also believe.💕
Ahh thank you so much, that means a lot! I’m so glad this post resonated with you 💚
I don’t think the beige-fication is endemic to fashion unfortunately. It’s the millennial grey homes and identikit new build estates and anything else that might suffer from not being bland enough to be classed inoffensive 😩
This transcript is really good, using manhole covers and bollards as examples!
https://www.ft.com/content/8560f8b2-a55c-4b39-a9ea-71fe946f0515?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Yes! It’s the same impulse everywhere—designing for neutrality and in the process erasing anything with real character. Everything from outfits to housing estates end up beige and boring.
And thank you for the link! This is exactly the kind of thing I love reading about.
But.....what if my personality IS beige :D
Haha, I mean… I really doubt your whole personality is beige. And even if you do love wearing neutrals, there’s still a million ways to make them feel like you.
I just think it’s interesting that we so many of us want to (or feel the need to) blend in, within the fashion community. Isn’t it more fun when our clothes reflect who we actually are?
I understand why many people need or want to blend in because of their daily lives and jobs. But in the fashion community online? Seems a bit odd to me and I can't help but feel it's related to the rise in influencer marketing. It's much easier to sell us things via affiliate links if they are neutral basics than fun, original pieces.
Haha, I mean… I really doubt your whole personality is beige. And even if you do love neutrals, there are so many ways to wear them that still feel like you.
What I find interesting is how many of us want—or feel the need—to blend in, especially within the fashion community. I get it in day-to-day life or at work, sure. But online, where it’s supposed to be about creativity and self-expression? That feels different.
And I can’t help but think it’s partly down to the rise in influencer marketing. It’s much easier to sell us things when they’re neutral, ‘timeless’ basics than when they’re bold or unique.
I love this so much. I'm so over capsule wardrobes - and I had a whole chapter on them in my book. What if the things that we'll love and wear for years and years aren't the basics? What if I don't even like how I look in a trench coat? It makes me think of when I go back to my hometown of Stockholm, where everyone is extremely well-dressed but they also all look exactly the same. It's refreshing to come back to Brighton and see people really celebrate their weirdness. I think that your rule of "if I love it, I'll find a way to wear it" is perfect, I'll use it myself now!
This resonated so much! Even though our journey isn't the same, I still relate to so many of the things you mention. I need to remember that "rules" don't need to be followed if you don't like them - although in a period of uncertainty it's to grab for things to hold onto. We shoild wear what we like - not what others tell us to like.
Yes! I’m so happy to see this quirky style revolution play out.