My Style | Groucho Marx

This vintage dressing gown always makes me feel like Professor Wagstaff in the Marx Brother’s, Horse Feathers – minus the moustache. But that’s the whole fun about fashion; mixing and matching cultural references for purely aesthetic results. It’s a superficial endeavour, but somebody’s gotta do it.

A stylist’s job can range from helping the clueless executive look smart for the workplace, dressing a would-be A-list celebrity for the red carpet (think Lupita pre-coloublocking), and sometimes a stylist can be in all of us. So how to think like a stylist? First, you must think outside the box. Choosing the unexpected is 9 times out of 10 the right choice – like my vintage dressing gown. Knowing how to spot innovation is also important; taking a risk on an up and coming designer, like Caitlin Power, could really pay off in the race for style supremacy. Her Spring ’14 collection includes these striped shorts and classic silk t-shirt with geometric paneling and black piping. Her collection is available at GotStyle in Toronto.

Another key ingredient is getting the look for less, which is where my Chloe sandal lookalikes come in. Thanks to Zara, basically anything you see on the runway that’s uber-popular will be available for a fraction of the price (and a fraction of the quality). I don’t expect to keep these sandals forever so why would I spend hundreds of dollars on them? Unless I was filthy rich, which, If you are, please buy the Chloe sandals and don’t listen to me. #YOLO #VISA

Jetset Outfit: Caitlin Power shorts; Caitlin Power t-shirt; Vintage dressing gown, Vintage handbag; Zara sandals.

Photography by Alexander Liang.

Justine Iaboni