by Lily Cohen
Photographs by Hannah Levine
My grandparents have recently decided to move. With that move, my bubby (grandmother in Yiddish) has bestowed seven boxes worth of clothes upon me. From the years living a short drive from Las Vegas and the decades of being a businesswoman, my bubby’s style is a mixture of flashy and boss lady. These two elements are not the typical combination for someone my age, but I love clothes and I love free clothes even more. That being said, I wanted to challenge myself to style four outfits for the modern girl using my grandmother’s clothes.
For the first look, I decided to go with an oversized button-down. This piece had a thicker, muslin feel to it so it felt a little more substantial to wear alone. On the hanger, this button-down looked like it would work as a dress, but I think I was pushing it with the length. I decided to quell my inhibitions and attempt this style because it is so simple yet elegant. I then paired it with some brown boots my grandmother bought in Italy with a faux Louis Vuitton bag. These boots give me cowgirl boot vibes, but they are a little more elevated given their patchwork pattern. The final touch that brings the whole outfit together are the sunglasses. They are from my own collection, but they compliment the brown of the boots and the purse so nicely.
Next, I threw on this funky sweater vest. The colors reminded me of a skirt I already owned, so I thought that they would match perfectly. Sweater vests have been a trend since last fall and I am here for them. This vest is a little spicier than the other ones I own, so I am excited to incorporate it into my closet. For the rest of the outfit, I added the boots and purse. These two items come as a matching set (spot the similar patchwork) and were souvenirs from one of my Bubby’s trips to Italy.
The third outfit is a little more for warm weather, but I thought it was too cute not to include. The dress is actually a hand-me-down sarong from my great-grandmother. My grandmother was given this fun, beachwear staple and now it is being passed down to me! I added a belt around the dress because since it is actually a sarong, it will not stay together without one. The purple shades of the belt complement the sarongs pattern in a lovely way. I put on chunky sandals, which are a little big on me since my grandmother and I have differing shoe sizes. Chunky sandals were really popular this past summer because of the return of Y2k trends. I am holding a black bag with a purple inside. This bag reminds me of a flower and I thought that concept went nicely with the rest of the outfit. Finally, I threw on a black headband that Hannah (my photographer) had in her bag. This added a nice touch and it brought all the black items together.
I saw a pair of loafers inside the many boxes and I knew I wanted to use them somehow. I have been wanting a pair of loafers but was unsure if I could pull them off. With my Bubby’s hand-me-downs, I get a free loafer test ride. Loafers remind me of academia, so I went with this dainty, floral pleated skirt. This skirt is actually a hand-me-down from my aunt who used to wear it in the 80s and 90s. I also used my own turtleneck to wear under the creme sweater vest. The loafers sparked the idea for this outfit and it needed specific items to bring it to life. This is probably the most stereotypically me outfit and so I needed to add some of my wardrobe to execute the final product.
Overall, I had so much fun rummaging through these seven boxes and cannot wait to attempt to wear these items in public. I was recently told that there is one box that my grandparents forgot to give me and it is waiting in my bedroom at home. If the items are as good as these ones, I just might have to make a part two!
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