Lifestyle

TO THE NINES

The Surprising Joy of Embracing Your Clichés

My daily act of resistance against a serotonin-deprived brain is having fun with what I wear.

Elizabeth Hunt BrockwayEditorial Visual Director

PublishedJun 18, 2026, 4:52 PM EDT

UpdatedJun 18, 2026, 4:53 PM EDT

Updated Jun 18, 2026, 4:53 PM EDTPublished Jun 18, 2026, 4:52 PM EDT

Comments

All products featured are independently chosen by editors. If you click on one of our links, we may earn a small commission.

I’m a cliché. I get it.

I am an over-privileged, over-educated, professional creative millennial woman with a little white dog living in Brooklyn. I may have been classified—though I refused to admit it—as a stereotypical mid-aughts hipster with an unapologetic love of skinny jeans.

I’ve channeled my perma-angst through many (delicate, in my humble opinion) ear piercings, aggressively heavy jewelry, studded belts and shoes, an affinity for anything leather, and an appreciation for dark and moody lipstick.

Sure, rose-colored glasses may not be one of my perennial sartorial choices, but dour and boring, my clothes are not.

As I get older, further establish myself as an adult, and move away from my unfortunate, clichéd identity as “not like other girls” by way of an edgy manic pixie dream girl, I’ve begun to accept my next clichéd destiny: to become the physical embodiment of the crazy art teacher/aunt.

Though I may not have any nieces or nephews and am not employed as an artistic educator, being a crazy art teacher is as much a state of mind as it is a professional identity.

While we all navigate this come-to-life doomscrolling of a reality—as well as contending with my persistent ability to be melodramatic—I try to take the late New York Times street style photographer Bill Cunningham’s idea to heart: “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.”

In turn, my daily act of resistance against my serotonin-deprived brain is simple: I have fun with what I wear.

Here are just a few of my favorite items in my closet (and a few I’d like to add).

Pierre-Louis Mascia Silk Pants ($822, pierrelouismascia.com)

These pants are up there to present as examples to the board before I’m officially accepted into the society of crazy art teachers. Sometimes you find things that just make you happy—even if they’re absurd. And then you keep buying them. Because they’re easy. Because they function like my version of sweatpants, to which I am (admittedly obnoxiously) largely allergic. Except they’re fancy. And fabulous.

That’s what happened when I walked into the most marvelous store in Paris, Crimson Cashmere, found these pants, and I’ve never looked back.

Gabriela Hearst Metal-Toe Leather Boots

I wish I were a punk. Unfortunately, despite growing up in a city with a history of an influential underground scene, and a personal appreciation for a man with liberty spikes, I am not a punk.

However, I will take any excuse to add some metallic and leather edge to my closet.

These boots—which are sadly no longer available outside of resale sites—appeared on Net-A-Porter during the pandemic. Though they were far from necessary in a time when people were afraid to go outside, they did go on sale. And so clearly, when considering “girl-math,” it was my financial responsibility to press “add to cart.”

Comme De Garçons Metal Stud Belt

Oh, how I love this belt, as evidenced by the fact that it’s falling apart. It’s another accessory whose black leather and silver metal demonstrate my desire to be a part of the ‘80s punk scene.

My original Comme des Garçons accessory is approaching 20 years old and thereby unavailable to purchase, but there are seemingly endless varieties from other labels available online.

To replace my lovingly worn-out waistband, my mother gifted me the studded Benny Belt from Khaite—a newer pick that makes appearances in many outfits. Still, my first love will always be the original Junya Watanabe creation.

Dôen Clemencia Dress ($598, shopdoen.com)

In my opinion, adventurous dressing is not limited to loudness and edge. It can go in any direction, including romance.

There are few better places to find outfits that would make Elizabeth Bennet blush (or, more specifically, Kiera Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet in the flawless 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice). White linen dresses with lace and eyelet detailing.

While I have yet to attract a modern, Brooklynite version of Mr. Darcy, the Dôen dresses are delicate and feminine, and I become a slightly softer version of a stereotypical New Yorker whenever I put them on.

Molly Goddard Pink Tulle Dress

This dress is perfect. It may no longer be available for purchase, but it is so revered that it has its own Wikipedia entry—a well-deserved feat few frocks can claim.

It entered our lives in 2018 during the second episode of Killing Eve, with Villanelle (Jodie Comer) pairing it with chunky Balenciaga booties as she sits on a deep-blue sofa in the midst of her killing spree. The hot-pink hue, the impressive volume, the layers of feminine tulle—it’s a combination that presents a perfect dichotomy of a psychotic charmer.

Though I’ve never owned this specific design (despite consistent searches on The RealReal) and have limited use for cosplay as cotton candy, a slightly quieter embrace of pink and tulle is more realistic for everyday life.

The one in my closet is an older J.Crew version, but just search Etsy and plenty more wearable tutus will appear.

Johnson Woolen Mills Blaze Cape Jac Shirt ($320, johnsonwoolenmills.com)

Am I a hunter? Absolutely not. I find Mona Lisa Vito’s speech about the barbarism of shooting animals for sport to be quite apt. But that did not stop me from buying a ridiculous men’s jacket while visiting my parents in Vermont this past winter.

To be fair, it wouldn’t necessarily be incorrect to call the “shirt” ugly, and there’s certainly no need for it in the concrete and largely deer-less city of New York. But it’s loud. It has personality. And it now has a place in my coat closet. I do have to confess, however, I did not purchase the matching hat.

Staud Wells Dress ($325, bloomingdales.com)

Part of personal style is knowing what works for you. I have a more “traditional” feminine figure (despite my perpetual disappointment that I am not a carbon copy of 1996 Kate Moss). With wider hips, a deceptively present bust, and a smaller waist, it’s vital for me to consider shape when choosing an outfit.

Enter the Staud Wells dress, a staple in the brand’s catalog, available in many colors, patterns, and lengths. Personally, I opt for the midi version and have so far limited myself to two color iterations (red and blue and purple stripe).

For those of us somewhat averse to more suggestive attire, the corset-inspired bodice and scoop neck allow for a bit of décolletage and a hint of sex appeal without too much scandal.

The Fast Track to Mastering the Art of Personal Style

So my advice to people looking to amplify their creative sartorial decisions: Let the haters be damned.

Experiment with your closet. Try on that out-there jacket you saw in the store window. And, most importantly, do it with aplomb. There’s nothing more stylish than confidence.

Play Video

Elizabeth Hunt BrockwayEditorial Visual Director

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast.