"Feel Good In It, Look Good In It"
Style Questionnaire with Samhita Mukhopadhyay
Please welcome to Big Undies today! Samhita is 46, is currently in girlboss recovery and living between Brooklyn & Putnam Country, NY. She’s the author of The Myth of Making It: A workplace reckoning which offers a critical overview of workplace feminism, and she is the former executive editor of Teen Vogue. Unsurprisingly, Samhita also has amazing style!
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What are you wearing right now?
A taupe robe and a pair of gray Lane Bryant underwear (I just woke up and have been having mild hot flashes).
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
These sports bras. I’m on a gym kick.
The Myth of Making It is about your own workplace reckoning, and about success and appearances. I’d love to know how or if that reckoning changed anything about the way you get dressed and clothe your body.
The combination of my reckoning and then our cultural reckoning with work and office and increasingly working from home had a huge impact on how I dress. I mean, it’s like night and day. Before, you wouldn’t catch me dead without some type of hosiery and a dress, or if I was wearing pants, I wore them with a heeled boot and some over-the-top coat. I used to dress up and wear makeup every day.
Now I wear pants and a loose-fitted button-down shirt on most days and either Hokas or (gasp) a pair of Crocs. Heels kill my feet, especially my knees, but I think that’s also just…aging. I dress up to go out and have a handful of dresses I still wear or skirts and t-shirts, but even those outfits are more casual than they used to be.
If you had to wear a uniform (same thing every day) what would it be?
A loose-fitting pair of barrel-leg pants, a comfortable but tailored silky blouse, some kind of comfy platform shoe (that has yet to be invented), and a wrap trench coat.
Where did you get clothes as a kid? Describe a favorite childhood outfit.
We got clothes everywhere, but the main places I remember were Sears and Caldor (a now-defunct discount store), and when I got older, I was sometimes allowed to shop at stores at the mall like Express or Limited. My mom used to also buy us clothes from this vendor at her job that sold “outfits,” and my favorite one was this gray sweat skirt and striped pink and gray sweater. My god, I wore that thing to death in like 6th or 7th grade.
As the former editor of Teen Vogue, did you learn anything about personal style while working there that you’ve held on to? Anything that you’ve completely rejected?
I think after working at Teen Vogue I got more comfortable pairing high and low, like wearing a really casual outfit with a fake fur coat. In the past, I’d always have a look put together, but now I’m more interested in pairing unusual things. I also got more courageous about what I wear as a plus woman being around other plus fashion girlies who were really adventurous and confident in their looks. I wouldn’t say I was by any means demure in the past, but it just gave me even more material to work with.
Tell me about an item of clothing that you wear only to do a specific activity.
I go for really long walks, and I usually wear leggings and an oversized sports (gasp) hoodie, but like you’d never catch me out in that outfit!
What did you wear to the last party or event you attended?
A sheer burgundy dress (up to XXL) that looks vintage but is not with a bit of a poet sleeve, a faux-fur leopard print coat, these Sorel platform boots that I wear to death and have 100 pairs of but were discontinued (on eBay, or similar) and my much-coveted Alessandro Michele-era Gucci Dionysus purse (similar).
Tell me about an accessory or piece of clothing that you lost or ruined but still think about.
I move on quickly, partially because I’ve been so many different sizes throughout my life that I’ve had to accept when I can’t wear things anymore and I try to avoid wishful thinking. Sorry, that’s probably not the answer you want, but where my mind went - like I’ve mourned more clothes than I care to catalog! I have this one very colorful DVF dress that I love that they sent me when I worked at Teen Vogue and it was held together by a metal collar that the dry cleaner lost and I’m still sad about it haha. I should figure out if I can replace it.
What’s a current closet or style “must-have” for you?
I’m really into neutrals at the moment like the browner the better and I’m on hot pursuit of a matching set that is casual but flowy and elevated but matches. There are a lot of fast fashion ones but I want something higher end but also that fits. And I’m also feeling like I want a classic Celine crossbody box bag. IDK, I’m usually a bit of a maximalist but have been feeling a more minimal style lately.
Who do you think has good style?
My friends dress awesome! Like, look at my friend Tahirah.
I also love how Kelly Augustine dresses (she’s a stylist)
and Lauren Chan (a model).
But also, this is a tough question! Sadly, I don’t love how most curvy celebs are dressed! I always want more for them. And I hate a lot of curve trends like frills and patterns. It's just not my vibe.
Anything else you want to tell us about getting dressed?
If you feel good in it, you’ll look good in it. Don’t force yourself into silhouettes or pants that don’t feel good. Feel good in it, look good in it.
Thanks so much, Samhita! Please subscribe to and follow her on Instagram.
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I love this today!!! I especially love that she wears what she likes and not just what she sees other people wearing. So many times I've seen clothes that I thought looked great on other people, but I know I would not be comfortable wearing them--they're just not me (I'm not saying I haven't wasted money buying such clothes, I have)! And just because my friends tell me I look good in something isn't a good reason to buy it either!!!
Sometimes I think I just imagined the existence of Caldor and its importance in my childhood so this was very affirming