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Harlem-based Grace Ouma-Cabezas, the VP of digital marketing at Food52, has figured out an approach to workwear: bright lipstick, simple tops and comfortable pants. “Tracee Ellis Ross is my style icon,” she says. “My style isn’t like hers, but I like how she keeps things fresh and has a lot of fun.” Here are five outfits Grace wears in a week…
Striped shirt: Gap. Pants: Zara, similar. Necklace: Afrohemien. Boots: Journee Collection.
“I really like boatneck shirts; I have boxy shoulders so a shirt like this softens that a bit. And I wear wide-leg pants to meetings or any business-y things. They’re very, very comfortable. Early in my career, I just wanted to look like a grown-up and fool people that I knew what I was doing. Now I feel more creative and that I can take more risks. I’m also really interested in supporting small makers, particularly women of color or people in Africa.”
T-shirt: Okay Africa. Skirt: Zara, similar. Necklace: Afrohemien.
“I found this T-shirt on a website I follow called Okay Africa. I like pairing statement tees with a skirt or nicer pants; it’s a great contrast and you get to sneak in a little more of yourself.”
“The Africa necklace is from Afrohemien Jewelry. My family is from Kenya, so I love wearing it. I wear this a lot, especially every time I have an important meeting, conference or panel. It’s grounding. You’re going into so many spaces where you’re the only person who looks like you, so I always want to have something that represents me in that space. It’s my good luck charm.”
Vest: H&M, similar. Shirt: Vintage, similar. Pants: Zara, similar. Necklace: Afrohemien. Booties: Aerosoles.
“I’ve gotten more into recipes after working at Food52. I was raised by a mom who worked a lot, so she did all her cooking on Sundays. I’ll cook everything on Sunday, too, and we are happy to eat the same meal all week. This week, I made a roasted vegetable baked pasta dish, and I also cook a lot of Kenyan food so I don’t lose that muscle. I love curries and lentil stews and chapatis. I’ll never make it as well as most women in my family, but I try! It’s close enough for my husband because he didn’t grow up eating it.”
Vest: H&M, similar. T-shirt: FashionNova. Jeans: FashionNova. Necklace: Afrohemien. Booties: Aerosoles.
“I wear color on my lips every day — usually pink, red or purple. It can be tough to find a nude for my skin tone, but two women of color started their own lipstick line — Mented Cosmetics — that’s all nudes. I love that company.”
“These FashionNova jeans have really good stretch and feel comfortable. It can be hard to find narrow waist jeans that still have room for ass! These fit really well. Old Navy’s rockstar jeans also fit particularly well with that hip/waist/booty proportion!”
Sweatshirt: FashionNova. Skirt: Zara, similar. Necklace: Afrohemien. Flats: Rothy’s.
“This is more of a Saturday night outfit. I love Harlem, and my husband and I do a lot of date nights in the neighborhood. We recently went to a speakeasy jazz club that was the first place Ella Fitzgerald performed. My husband and I actually first met at a bar. I looked over and saw a guy smiling and laughing and telling a story, and I thought, he looks nice. I just walked up to him and made him restart the story he was telling. And then he retold the story, and I was like, ‘By the way, my name is Grace.'”
Thank you, Grace!
P.S. More women share their weeks of outfits, including an antiques dealer in Maine and an architecture professor in Toronto.
(Photos by Christine Han for Cup of Jo.)
