Through the style lens of … Monikh
The stop and watch moment of the week, aside from Biden’s fluffs, was Sheerluxe’s video interview ‘Inside Monikh’s Wardrobe’. And what a wardrobe!
If you don’t already follow Monikh, quite simply do. She’s a London based stylist and has such a lovely relaxed earthy minimalist style. Think deceptively simple silhouettes, muted buttery, khaki and rust tones, fine textures such as linen, waxed cotton and cashmere. She often teams oversized with oversized, matching that playing with proportions style of the Olsens, balancing the outfit with a cinched waist, bare ankles or open toes.
As to be expected high-end brands such as The Row, Jil Sander and Dragon Diffusion feature strongly, but the focus of this post is not the ‘wish-listing’ of the less attainable items or the purchasing of the more affordable ones. Rather I’m looking at my own wardrobe, through the style lens of ‘Monikh’.
What do I mean by a style lens? I mean that I’ve taken a look at my wardrobe and identified pieces which have been inspired by her style, and let me tell you, there are quite a lot! What’s the benefit of doing this? Well, firstly it’s fun! And secondly, it’s revealing to look at what elements of her wardrobe have translated into mine - is it shapes, is it colours, is it a vibe? While Monikh’s inspiration in my wardrobe is tangible - she describes her style as ‘simple, chic and effortless’ - I like to think that I’ve stayed true to my own style and three words - casual, minimal and street/ feminine.
Stone and cord pendants
Over the last two seasons, Monikh has collaborated with London-based jewellery brand Daphine, with the gorgeous results. The collection focuses on family and sisterhood in particular, with Vol II including jade and jasper stone cord pendants, similar in style to Bagatiba and Alighieri. In this era of Allison Bornstein’s ‘chic desert aunt’, these pendants fit the bill perfectly. When Aimee Johnson cleverly hacked a set from Weekday to achieve the look for a budget price tag, I quickly followed suite. And then, when Monikh featured a circular jade pendant in her interview from a New Zealand brand, Mountain Jade, I had a snoop on Vinted and found this cute very Bagatiba-style necklace from the same brand. It’s always worth searching for something preloved. Another woman’s treasure and all that.
Embroidered skirt
For me, this is such an eye catching piece, and it’s from Zara! As
talks about in her recent post, these are the ‘wardrobe elevator’ type pieces.
It’s linen, beautifully embroidered, and a very flattering A-line shape. As it’s a few seasons old, I searched for and bought it preloved. Monikh and Aimee have styled it here to perfection, with a simple T-shirt or vest, and that chestnut suede jacket combo (chefs kiss). I followed suite with my version, styling it with a grey Arket tee and tan suede A.Emery sandals.
Brown Adidas trainers
My love for these Adidas x Wales Bonner trainers filled some space in last week’s post and Monikh has a similar colourway, in the more recent SL72 OG drop. I love how these can add a richness to a neutral-toned outfit. I’ve paired mine below with another item inspired by Monikh, the Baserange Shaw dress. This is like a tracksuit in the form of a dress, so soft and so comfy.
Suzie Kondi
Known for its timeless and effortless pieces, I first saw this Australian-New York brand on Monikh. It’s pricey so I continually eyeball pieces on Net-a-Porter and was lucky enough to grab the Sari linen top in the sale a couple of summers ago. This top is so much more than it seems, and has that high-end quality and oversized feel. I would highly recommend it!
Oversized knit
Why does discovering the joy of cashmere only become a rite of passage in our 30s/ 40s! We need to educate our young people! I’ve picked up some really good quality cashmere pieces on Vinted recently which haven’t cost the earth and I know, with some care, will stand the test of time. This Loulou Studio cashmere-blend jumper got a mention a while back, when I found it on Vestiaire. I spied this jumper on Anna of
first off but was equally inspired by Monikh’s chunky oversized knits from Suzie Kondi. Those balloon sleeves and hem - just gorgeous. It’s all the hugs.
Waisted dress
When asked what her favourite piece in her wardrobe is, Monikh definitively gestured to her The Row Yokoto Maxi Dress. It’s stunning! I hadn’t realised until I started this post that the silhouette of this dress had stayed with me and inspired a purchase last year from Aussie brand Bassike. This brand focuses on high quality, sustainably sourced wardrobe essentials. I love this elevated take on a simple t-shirt dress. I just need to get the shape wear on this year!
So what have I learnt? The elements from Monikh’s wardrobe that I’m predominantly drawn to are the shapes - the balloon sleeves and oversized fit of her knitwear, the relaxed cut of her Suzie Kondi top, and the A-line line of her Zara skirt. I’m also drawn to the colours of her accessories. We have very different colourings so the rusts and buttery yellows that suit her, wouldn’t do much for me, but when it comes to accessories, there’s definitely room for an overlap.
After all of this style-gazing, and a ton of inspiration, I haven’t included a separate ‘inspiration and wish list pieces’ section this week. And also, let’s ask ourselves, do we really need more?
Thank you so much for stopping by, have a great week and I hope to see you next weekend, Jenny x
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Jenny - I loved this! And I loved seeing your looks inspired by Monikh! Please do more of these