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Kelsey Miller is the author of the witty and inspiring memoir Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life and a writer for Refinery29, where she launched The Anti-Diet Project. “I’m so damn lucky to get to be one of the people who writes about body issues,” she said. “One day, when all these problems are solved, I won’t write about it anymore!” Here, Kelsey shares five outfits she wore in a week…
Coat: Eloquii. Dress: TheMogan. Tights: American Apparel. Boots: Everlane.
“This outfit looks pulled together but you feel like you’re in full-body sweats. I want to buy this dress in every single color. The boots are shockingly comfortable. And then THE COAT. That’s the coat I’ve been looking for from the very first time I watched Love Story at age 18. And here it is. I couldn’t be happier. You can just move in and live inside that coat, and yet it looks so chic. I wore this to work and then had dinner with my grandfather that night. It’s a work-to-grandfather outfit.”
Shirt: Eloquii. Leggings: 90 Degree by Reflex. Socks: similar.
“I work from home a lot, and for a long time I wore exclusively yoga pants and old T-shirts. But I realized that nicer clothes made me feel better. It was a form of self respect. I was actually sitting down to work, versus transitioning from pajamas to a slightly upgraded version of pajamas. There was once a tweet from Elizabeth Gilbert that was like, hey listen, put on a bra even if you work from home, even if you’re a guy!”
“For my nails, I wanted an ombre look, so I just picked five different orangey pinks at the salon.”
T-shirt: The Wing. Jeans: Eloquii, similar. Gold bracelet: similar.
This T-shirt is from The Wing, the women-only co-working space. When I was working exclusively from home, my only social interaction was going to the gym or grocery store at the end of the day. But the Wing has a truly engaged community. Also, I’m wearing a bracelet that I had engraved to say, ‘Do it anyway.’ I have no problem embracing the hokeyness of that! That phrase had come up in therapy a few years ago — I’m a big second guesser and deal with OCD, which has made it challenging to move forward in life and take big steps. So, that attitude has gotten me, through — to feel the fear and do it anyway. For a lot of us, that fear is never going away, you just have to bring it with you everywhere you go.”
Sweater: vintage, similar. Dress: Forever 21, similar. Tights: American Apparel. Boots: vintage, similar. Tote: Madewell. Engagement ring: Mociun.
“This dress makes me feel like Lisa Loeb or a Lisa Loeb fan. The boots are so old that I almost throw them out every single year; but they zip over my calves and when you’re a large calved girl, this is rare. Plus, old can be good. The more beat up and crappy this tote gets, the more people ask about it. I don’t do shapewear, like Spanx, but I wear these great shorts from Thigh Society. They prevent thigh chafe and lines. I even wore them under my wedding dress.”
“My husband is a great go-to, if I need a second opinion. He’s a modern fancy gentlemen. This is a man who doesn’t travel with fewer than five pocket squares. One of his style icons is Menswear Dog. He would like to look like Menswear Dog all the time.”
Sweater dress: Mordenmiss. Tights: American Apparel, similar. Boots: vintage, similar. Earrings: Stephanie von Tesmar. Wooden Heart Necklace: Hey Gorgeous, similar. Purse: Red Pearl.
“I never want to chose clothing based on hiding my body. When I first learned the phrase ‘visible belly line’ from Gabi Fresh on Instagram, I decided to pull together a shoot at Refinery29. We chose clothes that highlighted my belly line and then walked around downtown Manhattan. I freaked out for the first few minutes, but there’s only so long your brain will panic before it’s like, ok, well, I’m tired of that. I did the same thing when I wore a bikini for the first time; and when I wore clothes that showed my back. If you have the opportunity to wear something that scares you, take it. You’ll at least come out with the realization that you don’t need to be afraid of getting dressed. There’s nothing that you’re not allowed to wear, really and truly.”
Thank you so much, Kelsey!
P.S. More women share their outfits, including a scientist and two awesome podcasters.
(Photos by Christine Han for Cup of Jo. Interview by Joanna Goddard.)
