Atelier Doré

Recently, during yet another quarantine-induced cleaning frenzy, I stumbled upon the magazine archives I kept as teen.

Back in the early 2000s, I was a magazine junkie. I would buy as many as I could, and then I would really savor them, I’d flag the pages I loved, or I’d turn them into collages. On occasion, I even took notes. (I am Virgo and, yes, a huge nerd).

Looking back through those images, one thing I noticed is that I almost never saved the high-glamour, big-budget editorials (and there were many in those days). Anything over-the-top, overly-done, or inaccessible just didn’t appeal to me.

Instead, I have pages and pages saved of “off duty” style. Models off-duty, editors at home, actresses walking their dogs. I liked images of denim, or messy hair. I liked things that were a bit off-kilter, a designer blouse with a pair of sweatpants, or a suit with flip flops.

I was, and still am, fascinated by casual dressing. What do the most stylish among us wear on a weekend off, or when they’re lounging around the house?

Well, quarantine has really scratched my voyeuristic itch. For example, the instagram account @wfhfits (or Work from Home Outfits, for those of us who don’t speak internet) was born in the early weeks of March to showcase at home style. Much thanks to selfies, and Zoom, and Instagram for keeping me more than inspired.

My ideal at-home wardrobe revolves around a few Zoom-appropriate pieces and comfy-casual everything else. Menswear staples like a blazer, or an oversized button down are perfect for throwing on over a bikini (to hide the fact that you’ve been tanning on the fire escape) or a pair of pajamas (to pretend that you weren’t just asleep). Baggy pants work well for when you want to sit comfortably but can’t bear to pull out the sweatpants again.

My obsession with off duty style probably won’t end when quarantine does, but maybe by the end of this I’ll have picked up some new tips.