Health and Wellness
5 Chic Essentials Straight From Carolyn Gray’s Wardrobe – Essence
Hot Picks is a column where fashion experts reveal their latest obsessions – sharing their latest purchases and wardrobe must-haves.
Content Creator and Influencer Meetup Caroline Gray Over a yr ago, it felt like fate. She exuded a fun, easygoing energy that was contagious, which I discovered admirable, especially since her Instagram account is just as contagious. On it, she usually showcases her talent for creating striking and stunningly stylish looks. Just a few days ago, I had a protracted discussion along with her about her fashion sense, and it felt irreversible and exciting. The way Gray exuded her style and the brands she currently admires was not cut and dried. It was loud, opinionated, and well-considered. With her fun and provocative outfits, she all the time presents herself as a confident woman. She often wears high-end brands which have a special fan base. She usually posts herself in Diotima, Loewe, Saint Laurent, and Tom Ford, to call just a few.
During a video call, the Baltimore, Maryland, native now based in Brooklyn explains that she grew up partly in Bermuda, and that each places have had an impact on how she presents herself to the world. She said, “A lot of Caribbean vibes are interwoven [my style] and it flows easily. I feel like everyone in my family is in heaven.”
On her mother’s style: “She was very classic, fresh, and wore a lot of neutrals and classic, beautiful silhouettes.” Although her mother was a respiratory therapist who often wore uniforms, when the family went on vacation, she would wear linens and statement gold jewelry to Bermuda. Her family’s penchant for dramatic and sometimes subdued clothing has inspired her for many years — especially her father, who Gray says was a fashion photographer for years. “Between my mom, who just had a great sense of [of] style and my dad, who also has a great sense of style, allowed me to see a lot of elements in all of this,” Carolyn said.
Gray explains that she attended Catholic school in Maryland as a teen. Back then, uniforms were a daily thing. But beyond the strict dress code, she used key days off to decorate up and exhibit her special love for certain brands. And she appeared in FUBU, Delia’s and Wet Seal, which were all household names from the 2000s — she even mentioned the now-defunct brand Dada, which was known for its trendy denim.[I was] strongly influenced by family, my father’s photographs, and likewise . Every day at 6.” All of those elements together were in a way a precursor to what was to return, the more stylish days were an insult.
After highschool, Carolyn attended the Fashion Institute of Technology to review merchandising management. “I did well at school. I made earrings and sold [them] in our college shop or supervised that organization. I used to be the chair of the Black Retail Action Group at FIT,” she notes.
In New York, she found her groove and struck gold with opportunities at Barneys New York, the magazine, and Saks Fifth Avenue after graduating from FIT. Internships and entry-level positions are where Gray says she began developing the colourful, enviable wardrobe she now swears by.
“When I describe my style, I no longer go by my mood. I created a wardrobe that I respond to,” she says. Brands she currently wears include Jacquemus, which she says she loves due to designer’s love of drape and quality. Rick Owens can be a staple in her wardrobe. “I love the dark, understated energy of Rick Owens,” she says. “I’m going to Mood Fabrics and buy Rick Owens’ surplus fabrics and make button-down shirts out of the fabrics [he uses]“– adds Gray.
When it involves Saint Laurent, she says she loves the French brand’s tailoring. Gray notes that she thinks it’s all about ’70s glamour and figures like Grace Jones and Bianca Jagger. “I really like what they’ve been doing the last few seasons with sheer fabrics.”
Before we wrap up our conversation, I ask Gray to detail her recent aesthetic. Her answer is honest and to the purpose. “Sometimes I like to be super bohemian. I like to have an edgy rock and roll vibe. And then I also like a very classic, clean aesthetic,” she explains.
01 H&M dress with ruffle chiffon
02 Aritzia Telecast Dress
03 Moussa Vintage Cliffdale denim
“I needed a classic pair of jeans that were the right length to indicate off my good boots! Or tuck them in [a] but. I like [the] the flexibility of wide legs, but you may never go flawed with high waist, true straight, slim legs that go together with any T-shirt or button-down shirt, and [my] “Favorite shoe.”
Available in04 Saint Laurent Le Loafer slip-on shoes
05 Bottega Veneta Canalazzo thigh-high boots
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