I look back on this outfit and I actually think a lot of things in it were a funny mish-mash or didn’t quite work well together. All the pieces feel a bit random. I have always thought it interesting how sometimes I put a lot of thought into an outfit, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it brings the “wow” factor. There are other times I put very little effort into my outfit but it ends up looking really good. I think the word they use is effortless, but I’ve seen many a fashion YouTuber explain that those looks, in reality, have a lot of thought behind them.

My ultimate goal with my wardrobe is to streamline getting dressed and to have my clothes be so interchangeable that it facilitates picking out an outfit extremely quickly. I think I have gotten myself to a good place there, but it could still be slightly improved. I have tried to keep a relatively small wardrobe overall, and re-wear as many pieces as I can, but the amount has crept up recently because I realise – as I mentioned to my friend Pauline – I have spent a lot of time over the past year experimenting with my style, trying new things, and buying new clothes. I have loved many of these clothes and worn them over and over, but it’s meant that my wardrobe has grown and also gotten me a little bit off track with interchangeability. For instance, this year I purchased gold metallic shorts, and a striped coloured top, which do go really well with a lot of my existing clothing, but have also added another layer of colour and texture to work with when it comes to future purchases.

All that said, this outfit contains a lot of pieces I’ve worn in previous outfits I’ve shared on my blog. The graphic tee still remains my trusty cropped graphic tee. I’m still yet to find more graphic tees I like in a similar cut and in a similar fabric, but so many graphic tees these days are made of pretty crappy thin fabric that wears out quite quickly. This tee is made from a thick woven cotton so it’s remained pretty durable.

My shorts had initially felt like party shorts when I purchased them, but I am starting to make it an item I wear more regularly. I really like them because of the pockets and the fact that they are comfortable. The black colour also goes well with a lot of the tops I own. I think I like them even more than when I first got them.

I would also say that my utility jacket is my trusty jacket of choice for slightly warmer weather, and it’s been a good travel piece as well. I remember feeling pretty unsure about the style when I first got it, and I still don’t love the very symmetrical, almost boyish look – but it’s something I sort of forget about because I love the colour so much and it’s just such a practical jacket. Shacket. Whatever you like to call them.

Many of you know that I am an absolute sucker for a good black boot. So I feel like it’s definitely been a while since I’ve shared black boots in an outfit on my blog, but it was time to retire my previous black boots which started to become worn, and unsupportive in the sole of the shoe. I re-soled the bottom, but the inside was unfortunately no longer supportive after having owned and worn them for three years straight. The style was an ankle lace-up boot as well, but with brogue detailing and a very pointed toe. They were pretty bad-ass, but I actually grew to dislike the style over time because they were too narrow for my foot, and in terms of practicality, I didn’t like how they didn’t have a zipper down the inside of the boot to help you put it on more easily. So when I searched for a new pair, apart from wanting a lace-up style, I really wanted one that could also open with a zipper from the inside.

These shoes are really quite simple with the round toe and no detailing, but I like them. They are from a brand called Easy Steps, which makes shoes more so for comfort than style. Many of their shoes are known to be basic and even potentially boring. But the comfort is pretty important to me. I also think that if I bought a pair of shoes that were a bit too nice, it might stop me from wearing them as often (though that is a mentality I’m trying to shake – an item of clothing being really nice should not make me wear it less for fear of damaging it, because life is too short!).

My hair is a bit of a hot mess in these photos – since keeping it short, I have been having more regular haircuts. I think these photos were taken shortly before I decided to get another haircut. It was also a really windy day – we have been getting a lot of those in Sydney lately – so although I wanted my hair to look curly and manicured, it just looks like a hot mess. 🤷🏻‍♀️😆

My nails are slightly square, because I tried to change my nail shape. I actually ended up living with those square nails for a while and then trimming and filing them to an almond shape. It was nice to try while it lasted!

Outfit details

• Top: Abrand Jeans (A 90s crop tee in Black Fade – no longer available)
• Shorts: Third Form (Hey Stud shorts – no longer available)
• Jacket: Sezane (Willa Jacket in bright blue)
• Shoes: Easy Steps (Gene Boot in black leather)
• Socks: Hysteria by Happy Socks (Lotta Ankle Socks, no longer available)
• Scarf: Sezane (Gaston square scarf – no longer available)
• Sunglasses: Gentle Monster (Bling 06)
• Necklace and ring: thegraciecollection on Etsy
• Nails: Personail [referral link for 20% off] nail wraps (Lily, Erin)
• Enamel pins: punkypins (Feeling good as hell); Old English Co (Self love club); others are limited edition

Footnotes

📸 All photography by Nicholas Cooke. (on my iPhone 12 mini)

I named this outfit E for Effort as a play on my little rant about looking “effortless”. 😆 These photos were taken on a day we went for a little walk to brunch. I find the rainbow wall interesting, it’s just a painted wall on the side of some buildings, part of which is a childcare centre.