We all buy clothes, but no two people shop the same. It can be a social experience, and a deeply personal one; at times, it can be impulsive and entertaining, at others, purpose-driven, a chore. Where do you shop? When do you shop? How do you decide what you need, how much to spend and what's "you"? These are some of the questions we're putting to prominent figures in our column "How I Shop."
When Kit Keenan got out of a Bentley at Pennsylvania's Nemacolin resort on Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" ("the limo was giving me a little bit of a drive-share vibe"), she was inadvertently breaking the show's unofficial but long-established dress code: Instead of a long, beaded, jewel-toned gown, she donned a feathered mini dress with black lace-up heeled boots. From the get, she stood out from the crowd of contestants with her style.
"I went in there without really knowing what the style code was," she says. "I had watched previous seasons, but while I was packing, I didn't think to bring any long dresses. Literally, every rose ceremony, I was wearing a short dress — I was like, 'Okay, this is very me.'"
Now, this was no surprise to viewers that occupy the Venn diagram intersection of Bachelor Nation and the fashion industry (there are quite a few of us!) who recognized Keenan as soon as she made her limo car entrance: She's the daughter of Cynthia Rowley and an influencer in her own right, with her own brand and podcast. She's also still a student, currently working on a degree in fashion and business at NYU.
To be fair, she was a part of an especially stylish cast of women: Chelsea Vaughn was crowned Best Dressed on night one with her black A'kai Littlejohn gown; Bri Springs' rose ceremony dresses were consistently strong; and Serena Chew's knee-high glitter boots... I mean. Keenan wore a lot of Cynthia Rowley on the show, naturally, as well as other recognizable labels like Off-White, which at times, she remembers, confused some producers: "I was trying to explain to one of the producers — he was like, 'What are those sneakers?' I said they're Off-White, and he was like, 'They're pink.' I was like, 'No, the brand is Off-White. The color isn't off-white."
Keenan's approach to fashion has been shaped by growing up so close to the industry, but when it comes to style inspiration, she's found that looking back in history has been most impactful to her. "I think a lot of times when people have a style icon that's super contemporary, their style is always changing. It's totally fine to follow trends, but it's really inspiring for me to find someone like Jackie O. that I can always reference and know that her style is totally timeless," she says.
Ahead, we talked to Keenan about being an expert-level The RealReal scroller, shopping the Cynthia Rowley sample closet, getting dressed for "Bachelor" dates and more.
"I'm studying fashion and business at Gallatin, and I've learned so much about the ethical and sustainable issues within the industry. Growing up, I saw my mom dealing with the very stressful business side of fashion, but I didn't really know as much about the sustainability issues as far as manufacturing and stuff like that. I've been learning about that for the past three years, and it has definitely made me look at fashion completely differently. I always thought when I was done with school, I wanted to work in fashion, but [now] I'm more interested in working in sustainable fashion, if I were to do that, or on the business or publishing side. It can get very emotionally taxing to work in an industry that you know more products mean more suffering for the people working to create those products and for the environment. That can get morally icky.
"I'm the biggest scroller on The RealReal. I will spend hours on The RealReal. I think shopping secondhand is amazing. I remember one time, my mom was accepting an award from SCAD and the woman who was presenting it to her was wearing these Cynthia Rowley leggings she had gotten off of The RealReal. This was early days, when I think designers were a little like, 'Hmmm, I don't know if I love that.' But I remember my mom [being] so happy, because it showed that this pair of leggings was so loved that one person could wear them and have a story in them and then this woman could wear them and present in them and be so confident in them. That's such a beautiful aspect of the fashion industry, that the cycle will never stop. Clothes are so much a part of our personal identities. The fashion industry is huge, but finding better ways to consume and consuming less is all we can do right now; also, still appreciating the beauty and self-confidence that comes from wearing an outfit you love.
"Throughout the process, I had my mom send me boxes of clothes to wear. Thank gosh I have her to fill in the gaps that I missed, because I literally didn't bring any jackets or warm clothes. I was definitely unprepared in some areas. But you only realize when you get there that you don't know what you're doing every day.
"There was one date where we were walking through the forest — I didn't know what we were doing until we got there, and I was wearing a pair of trousers that I had gotten at an estate sale, these beautiful vintage Saint Laurent trousers, and heeled boots. And they were like, 'Mm, I think you gotta change. This is gonna be little bit more involved today.' Thank gosh I had jeans. That was definitely not the move.
"My friend that helped me get ready for the show, Devon, she's like a fashion protégé — she just knows everything. I will ask her [for her opinion]. You need to have somebody who at least follows the sales and stuff like that, especially for high designer and high fashion. Everyone needs a friends that knows what's in at the moment."
Please note: Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. This in no way affects our editorial decision-making.
Want the latest fashion industry news first? Sign up for our daily newsletter.
Comments
Post a Comment