Aya's Styling Diary
We find ourselves constantly being amazed by the incredibly creative outfits our 100 day participants show off in their photos. Aya caught our attention. We asked Aya to highlight some of her most memorable outfits of her challenge so far. Here are ten of her favorites, along with her styling notes.
Aya’s Styling Diary
My name is Aya, and I’m a 48-year-old translator and student of life based in Seattle. I started this 100-day dress challenge, because a couple of like-minded women from a Rothy’s-related FB group were doing it. Before this, I’d never even posted any outfits on Instagram. A complete novice! But I must say, ever since I started wearing this dress, I’ve received more compliments than ever before.
This challenge has been an educational experience, both in learning about myself and how I can style one dress in so many different ways. Since I’ve only just started on this journey, I’m not proud of everything in my closet (eco-consciousness wise). I’m going by the mantra that the most sustainable wardrobe comes from the items you already own. That is to say, I’m not endorsing buying the items I’m wearing here. More like sharing my styling diary.
One of the reasons to do this challenge is to find out what you need and don’t need in your closet, so I’m basically KonMari-ing one day at a time, which poses the question: “Which things spark my joy?” When I watch those home organizing makeover shows, just watching it makes me tired (I have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome). So this 100-day challenge is much more my speed.
Here are some of my favorite outfits so far:
Look 1
For a dressier look, I wore the Rowena dress (long) with a navy faux suede moto jacket. I belted the dress to make the silhouette slim. Tonal navy tights, navy Aquatalia boots, & Rothy’s black saddle bag. Tom Bihn masks are the best!
Look 2
I wore my Rowena as a top/base layer, in order to wear my vintage wool Kenzo skirt as a tribute after Kenzo Takada passed away. It’s really warm when you wear the dress this way! I could totally do this for fancy occasions in winter, like New Year’s Eve. Bonus point: wear Rothy’s flats, your feet can be comfy too.
Look 3
I had a super soft, Velvet (by Graham & Spencer, not fabric) cascade cardigan I wanted to wear, but worn together with the dress it was a lot of fabric (too tent-y). I’m short, so it often works better belted. I cinched the waist with an old wide woven belt from J.Crew, and that made it better :)
Look 4: I was walking around in this outfit, and someone passing by complimented me, “That is an amazing outfit.” That’s never happened to me before! I wanted to play with the idea of wearing the dress with wide pleated pants. It looked very long and plain as is, so I came up with a scarf belt that went with my marigold Rothy’s. I crossed the hand-dyed Eileen Fisher scarf in the front, tied it in the back and tucked it away. With the shorter chunky necklace, too, the eyes are drawn towards the top, so I look like I have long legs (*I’m very short legged!).
Look 5
This one is great, if you have an oversized scarf/shawl. I took a pretty generic cashmere/wool travel wrap from Nordstrom, and wore it like a vest by belting it. Worn with a wool fedora hat from Tory Burch & Aquatalia riding boots.
Look 6
This comfy look draws your eyes upward, which works well for a shorter person like me. Wore the dress with a gray suede belt, a long pocket cardigan from The Reset, and a plaid scarf. Paired the gray bamboo travel shoes from Bau.Bax with charcoal tights.
Look 7
This was my “going to a downtown office” look. I discovered I could wear a fine ribbed merino turtleneck sweater UNDER the Rowena dress! If it’s the same color, it looks very cohesive. I belted the dress and added the plaid coat by Amanda Uprichard. Worn with Aquatalia riding boots and a Rothy’s saddle bag.
Look 8
I love how the dress can look completely different from one day to the next, depending on how you style it. Another very Zoom-able look. I’m wearing a wide belt and “jardigan” from M.M. Lafleur, with Rothy’s flannel grey herringbone points.
Look 9
I’ve been told this looks like I have a long dress on—I’m wearing the same pleated wide pants as before, a wide belt, a relaxed long cardigan from The Reset, and Rothy’s ankle merino boots. Without the belt it might look blah.
Look 10
In colder weather, I’m enjoying layering the Rowena dress. Here I wore a maroon merino ribbed turtleneck underneath the dress, skinny jeans in the same tone, and the Queen Anne II trench from a great local brand called Feller, Rothy’s saddle bag, and a Gavroche cap. My dress works well as a mid-layer!