143/ In Her Closet: with Rachel Solomon

Styling Rachel Solomon's wardrobe!

As

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

and I were having lunch in Miami last month, we came up with the random idea of me going into her closet and styling outfits with her clothes. I would cut short my Sunday at the beach, walk to her place in the Design District for 4pm, and go straight to the airport around 8. You can actually see the light change in the photos as the sun set during our time together.

Above all, the whole experiment was so fun and we belly laughed through most of it! Both of us also took away valuable insights which we’ll share with you through our conversation:

Part 1: Carte Blanche

Outfit #1

Irene Kim: For the first part of our experiment, we decided that I would get free rein to pick whatever stood out to me. It took me a good 10 minutes to orient myself. You have so many incredible pieces, many of which I’d seen before on Substack and IG, and I didn’t know where to start. I guess as a starting point, I was looking for something that felt like me. For me and many others, bottoms are the biggest struggle, so I started by trying to find a pair of pants that I could anchor my outfit around. You wear a lot of floor length, wide-leg pants and I don’t. Do I move to a skirt (which are easier for me) or do I stick with the pants? So right off the bat, I struggled.

Rachel Solomon: If cats can’t fit in my pants, they’re not big enough.

IK: I was drawn to a pair of Partow drawstring barrel leg pants because they’re my preferred cut - they have some width and shape and don’t hit the floor. And then I reached for your Marni cropped blazer because I loved the cocoon shape. I actually thought it was a top, but you told me otherwise.

RS: I got it as a interesting piece to wear to Zoom meetings that wouldn’t be too hot. For me, I like a blazer to signal “meeting time," so I’ve always used it as a blazer. And worn it with a shirt underneath.

IK: Okay, question for you, have you worn it as a top since I left?

RS: No, but I’ll try. All of the pieces that you tried, I have a renewed interest in. They’re waiting to be worn, but it’s hard because of my on-going struggle of having so many things. But a couple I wore out immediately. (You’ll see them later in this conversation!)

IK: We were talking about how my natural instinct is to combine neutrals and subtle gradients of colour, which is why the Ring 3 or “bridge colour” of the blazer plus a white shoe felt right, rather than something more colourful.

RS: The colour combo was so fresh and unexpected, so sophisticated and I wouldn’t have thought of it. There’s a quiet modernity about it.

IK: That’s so nice of you to say, but also interesting because sometimes, as a stylist, I feel pressure to add colour, and wonder if a palette like this reads as boring to some, even if it doesn’t to me.

RS: I think there’s a certain sexiness — confident, kind of European, stealth. Something that’s been on my own mind lately.

IK: Best compliment ever!! Can we be besties? One more thought: if I was more familiar with your closet, I wonder how accessories like a bag or jewellery would affect the balance of this outfit.