Style Notes From Everyday Women.

A case for seeking inspiration offline and 7 great outfit ideas from regular people.

Jade Fox

Apr 16, 2025

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Most days I lose myself to my inbox. Devouring letters from fashion mothers like

and

. I have even caught myself daydreaming. Thinking what it would be like to live closer to them or to live somewhere more exciting, like New York or Paris or even just closer to Sydney city. I thought fashion mums did not exist in suburban Australian towns. I thought, not where I live. Not here. But amongst the sea of Lululemon branded activewear, there are ripples. Ripples of inspiration worth noting down.

At 9:07am, Tuesday, April 1st I wrote, “bike shorts, black Tokyos, a navy Polo cap with a red icon, a happy pink sweatshirt.” I do not think I have written the words “happy” and “pink” together before. The soft, candy pink sweater looked so perfect when paired with black and in such an undone way. It did not look too pretty ot girlie or Barbie core at all. The woman wearing the happy pink sweater is not someone I would have expected to wear a happy pink sweater. She is in her mid forties, a lawyer and often sticks to a very classic colour palette. I have come to know her well, so this choice surprised me. I don’t know why I wrote “happy pink” instead of just “pink” but I can picture the exact colour, some two weeks later. I am now thinking about why it made me feel joy or feel anything at all. I am not a pink girl but perhaps it was the evidence of the effort or the evidence that she knew pink was a trending colour, giving further clues that she too was a fashion mum. Or maybe it was the fact she had branched out and experimented with a colour I had never seen her wear.

At 8:50am, Wednesday, April 2nd I wrote, “woman walking with two coffees, air-pods, pink hat, a black knit set with a white tee poking out the top. Tee has a great neckline for layering.” I continued; “Looks like Friends With Frank but I don’t think it is.” I remember I was rushing across the road, holding my five-year-old son’s arm with one hand and pushing the pram with the other. The cardigan was cropped and one button was undone. It’s funny how I noted, “Looks like Friends With Frank but I don’t think it is.” Why did I assume I knew where she shopped? I think it was because I had never met anyone who lives within walking distance of me that has heard of FWF, let alone owned a piece the Melbourne label. The white tee looked like this one with the great neckline that shows just enough out the top of a crew neck. Friends With Frank or not, she had me envisioning how I would wear the cardigan and the tee. Again I was considering pink.

I remember during a conversation with

Megan Alida Strachan

she mentioned one of her favourite things to do is sit of a bench in NYC and just watch people. Look at the details of what they are wearing, and how they are wearing it, and that truly sounds like heaven to me. If you live in a small town the inspiration may not be as obvious or plentiful but when you tune in, you will notice not only the details but the art, the patterns, the experimentation, the mood and even the reasoning behind certain fashion choices. You will feel privy to a tiny piece of someone’s life. Isn’t that what fashion is all about? Making us feel something. The intimacy of the way clothes are styled and move with women; the hardworking basics that are worn to death. Functional pieces (like rain clogs which I’m currently obsessing over) which may not have been a consideration or that they may not have had to consider prior to becoming a mother and having to stand on a soccer field in the rain. Watching women in the wild, going about their day, no matter your geographical location, what is more inspiring than that? It’s the thrill of the find. Finding one person. One outfit. One detail, like the “happy pink” sweater to make you stop and become curious about not just the clothes but the woman.

Another line on my note from April 2nd read, “woman in her fifties in all navy ordering a full fat flat white.” I must have felt her coffee order was important to note. Like her clothes, her coffee tells us a little more. Whole milk was crowned as “the most chic” of all milks by

tariro makoni

and I have to agree. There is something so innately chic and nonchalant about a whole milk drinker that can not be taught. She was wearing a “navy crewneck-cashmere?, straight-legged jeans, heeled gold loafers and a tonne of gold jewellery.” Her jewellery looked like my grandmothers. She layered yellow gold necklaces with pendants. “Rings with diamonds and emeralds.” Her jewellery stood out to me. The pieces looked original and special as though they were heirlooms, passed down and collected over many years. The style of her loafers, I remember thinking, looked dated but not in a daggy way. In a loving way. Like they had taken her through the past two decades, at least.

All of this note-taking should not be mistaken for judgement. I understand the clothes do not make the woman but they can reveal parts of her, whether intentional or not. Those parts may just be breadcrumbs from that morning or they may just be a facade. Only the wearer truly knows. It may reveal she was scrambling to get out the door in time for school drop-off or she didn’t have time to change after the gym or her baby was up all night (or all of the above!) and grabbed the only clean item she had left—I know first hand that the desperation for coffee can be far greater than the need to style an outfit. I have felt that with every cell in my body. Actually, I felt that today. The baby was up all night and all I desired from my clothing was a warm hug. As I type this, I’m sitting at a cafe wearing a wool sweater, plush sweatpants and butter-soft loafers. What is more comfort dressing than that? This may be slightly more elevated but I am someone who gets that little dopamine hit every-time I get dressed. That does not mean everyone does.

On Friday, 4th April, I noted that a friend who is a ballet teacher (fantastic legs!) wore a “really great skort with a plain black tank and a denim jacket.” The skort just worked so well on her and meant her clothes were actually very functional (as in, she can move freely without flashing her knickers). This made me think of a white Zara skort I owned back in 2010(?) when I interned at InStyle Magazine. I loved that skort and it was loved by many a fashion girl who couldn’t exactly afford to be a fashion girl. I don’t think I have worn a mini or a skort since then, so I am contemplating capri pants with ballet flats to give me that same ballet-esque vibe.

On the same morning I spotted my neighbour. A mother of two girls, each with their own sense of style. One who loves wearing black and denim and band tees, the other head-to-toe pink and anything sparkly. The mum is a very cool mum who always dresses so well. Her style is quite opposite to mine but we bond over our appreciation of fashion and thrifting. I asked her where the jersey was from and she sent me a link to a small, ethical, made to order Australian brand called Lucinda Babi which I had not heard of.

Most Tuesdays I drop my seven month old to my parents place. I’m out the door early so I can make the most of my work day. At 8:15am, I grab a coffee and look over to see a new mum in “a great denim set - Artizia? And leopard print Artipoppe carrier.” This reminded me of when I made the split decision to go for a print instead of beige because of one very wise DM I received. It read; “If you wear a lot of neutrals and block colours, go for a print and vice versa!” Animal print, especially leopard has a timeless quality and also looks fabulous with denim which is what this new mum was wearing at the time. The Canadian tuxedo acted as a flawless backdrop—comfortable and low-stakes when it comes to spills and accidents.

At 4:07pm, Wednesday 9th April I spotted a mum I see around but do not know personally. Every time, she serves. I jotted down, “trench coat, Rolla’s black barrel leg jeans [I saw the label], white tank, black bra, waterproof clogs.” The clogs were such an unexpected and smart choice! Smart because she has three kids and we were at swimming lessons.

At 3:10pm, Friday 11th April, I watched a woman in her 60s step out of her black Mercedes. She had short blonde hair and large sunglasses. My notes app reads,"Very cool lady in her 60s in red Adidas sweatpants, sunglasses (Celine?), herringbone blazer.” I love these pants on others. I think they look so fun and cool but they are just not something I would wear. I have my eye on these from Australian label, Deering which have a grey stripe down each side and an elastic waist. A more demure take on the Adidas pants. Note: Take your regular size. I dm’d Erin the founder to ask!

#01. JLaw would wear.