Please welcome Harriet from Harry Styles By Harriet Hadfield to Big Undies! Harriet is a 39-year-old writer living in Los Angeles. Harriet has been a huge source of style inspiration for me—I love her denim-on-denim looks and her oversized blazers. I also hugely admire Harriet’s no buy commitments (did you know she has a no buy styling course?) and her enviable second hand sourcing. She is so smart and thoughtful and I am beyond thrilled to welcome her to Big Undies today!
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What are you wearing right now?
A Le Set brown Margo t-shirt and Barb shorts in a cream (slight hint of butter yellow) silky shorts, with some preloved Dear Frances brown flat sandals, & a preloved Loeffler and Randall brown woven leather bag (similar).
What was the last item of clothing you bought?
A preloved pair of Aeyde leather flip flops in great condition I found on Poshmark.
I loved reading about your no buy year and the creativity it inspired! I’m curious how you’re relating to wardrobe creativity as you return to buying?
Thank you! It’s been fascinating because since I finished I swing between excitement, usually followed by overwhelm, which does make me miss the peace my no buy gave me. I’m using a traffic light system wishlist I developed during my no buy which has been helpful to highlight what makes sense to add into my wardrobe. I want to leave space for the joyful spontaneous pieces that are meant to find their way to me, but I also know I am the most creative in my wardrobe when I have what I call creative constraints. I’m honestly weighing up doing another no buy (update here!) just to see if and how it would differ from my first because I genuinely miss it. The biggest difference I would say is how much more I look to shop for second hand pieces first, especially when it comes to buying accessories because I've enjoyed finding unique items that no one else has. I’ve always shopped second hand but since doing my no buy there’s been a lot of pieces I ended up selling that I replaced with vintage pieces or second hand treasure.
You’re the blazer queen! Do you have any tips for getting the right fit on a blazer or for styling them?
Why thank you! When it comes to blazers, or any piece of clothing actually, I think the ‘right fit’ is subjective. It’s really personal. And in my opinion ‘fit’ has a lot to do with both physical and emotional comfort. Most people would argue my blazers are a bad fit for me, for the fact I wear pieces that are mostly oversized, because that is the look I prefer and feel most myself in. There have been many comments on the internet where someone has felt compelled to tell me I look like I'm wearing a tent, or that something I’m wearing is not flattering, but I dress for myself, not other people. I’m also not interested in making myself look smaller. And controversial, but I LOVE a shoulder pad! I buy most of my blazers thrifted from the men's department. A 44 chest is my preferred size. My top tip for buying an oversized fit is to go to any men's store and try a bunch of blazers in different sizes so that you know what size to look for in the thrift store or any preloved sites.
Where did you get clothes as a kid? Describe a favorite childhood outfit.
My mum is an absolute legend who actually made her own clothes from patterns and thrifted a lot, so I have very fond memories of things like my school swimming bag being handmade and super unique. I’m not sure which brands exactly but I imagine it would have been fruit of the loom, or whatever discount warehouse she had found something fun in. From what I remember, my favorite childhood outfit most likely consisted of leggings with a Mickey Mouse T-Shirt and my patent Kangol backpack.
What did you wear to the last party or special event you attended?
I went for high tea for a friend’s birthday party and I wore a brown dress from COS, a Toteme TLock Bag and a pair of Toteme leather flip flops, with some old ana luisa square hoops.
How does where you live influence how you get dressed?
I’m a Brit living in LA, and coming from London (what I would describe as a dressier city) it did take some getting used to. For instance, the first meeting I ever went to I wore a beautiful vintage print suit, and the owner of the company met me in her yoga attire, as she had legit just come back from a class. I thought that was just something people joked about, but it is very LA. By LA’s standards most people here would probably consider me ‘overdressed’ but I wouldn’t feel like me if I wore yoga pants every day. I’ve always loved tailoring and getting dressed is one of my favorite parts of the day.
(above wearing another thrifted 100% cashmere blazers, Abercrombie curve love jeans, vintage Manolos (similar here), an old shirt with tie collar from The Frankie Shop and second hand earrings)
Tell me about an accessory or piece of clothing that you lost or ruined but still think about.
I honestly can’t think of a single thing! Even if something were to become damaged beyond repair, or lost, I would probably see that in itself as a creative challenge to use what I do have. There is no shortage of beautiful things in this world, and in the words of David Beckham ‘I like nice things’ but my no buy actually highlighted a lot of things I thought I couldn’t live without, yet I ended up selling.
Who do you think has good style?
My niece Elva who's five. There’s a lot we can learn from kids when it comes to style. First of all she doesn’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks about what she wears (and I hope to god it stays that way for as long as possible). I can see how much she enjoys dressing herself, putting sequins and bright colors together. She’ll even style up her beloved Elsa dress or wear her Elsa boots with denim shorts and a tee and I love seeing how much enjoyment she takes in expressing herself through her clothes. For her, it is simply another form of play, and I wish as adults we could return to this more often.
One of my favourite hobbies is people watching. Whatever city I'm in, I love nothing more than getting a coffee and just watching what everyone’s wearing. How they move in their clothes, wondering what type of life they live? It truly fascinates me, and offers a lot of inspiration when it comes to getting dressed.
Anything else you want to tell us about getting dressed?
When it comes to style, it’s always evolving. It’s ok to change your mind. Experiment, stay curious and above all play.
Thank you so much, Harriet! I hope everyone will subscribe to Harry Styles and check out Harriet’s No Buy Styling course.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on shoulder pads, blazer fits, and living without things we think we need in the comments!
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Thank you so much for having me Corrine! Xx
As a librarian, when kids compliment my outfit, I know I'm doing something right, so loved the note about her niece's taste!