I knew I needed some help bringing my main character arc to life, so I turned to Chani Ra, the creator of the podcast and TikTok series The Fashion Nap, who has built a following for her fashion commentary and style breakdowns of icons like Kate Moss and Rihanna, as well as “it” girls like Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid. Ra dives deep into their inspo across fashion history, cinema, and subcultures, while teaching her followers to take what they love about their faves and make it their own.
Courtesy of Chani Ra
Courtesy of Chani Ra
Style has to exist in harmony with your lifestyle, so I shared my hobbies and interests with Ra, like my love for a last-minute trip. Getting dressed every day is one of the most intimate forms of self-expression, so sharing my mood board and getting actionable feedback almost felt like getting a birth chart reading. It was fun to have a fresh eye put cool brands and niche thrifting search terms on my radar.
I quickly realized that the biggest barrier to reaching your full style potential isn’t money or lifestyle, it’s every limitation we put on ourselves. Once puberty hit, I always searched for ways to achieve a more proportional look. I eventually discovered the Kibbe “image identity” system, which helped me figure out which silhouettes are the most flattering on my shape. Yet it never quite taught me that with a bit of creativity and confidence, you can make any style work for you. “[With] these types of breakdowns, I think you should take from it what you should wear and disregard what you shouldn’t wear…you need to be able to opt out of the standard whenever you want,” Ra explains.
Before this makeover, you would never catch me in an oversized knit. I always worried they wouldn’t be flattering on a fuller chest, but my style journey taught me that oversized clothing is actually a power move. “I think everybody needs to embrace oversized silhouettes, especially as women. It’s very powerful for us to be able to have parts of our wardrobe where we can completely disregard having a body type,” Ra says. So, in perhaps the first time in my adult life, I decided to rock a mini skirt. It’s a staple I’d always avoided, fearing it would make me look top-heavy, but Ra suggested pairing it with a more modest top to create balance.
Photo by Sam Quashie-Idun, courtesy of Shama Nasinde
It’s so easy to put off showing up as your dream self due to doubt or a lack of resources. But nothing should ever stop you from showing off, so don’t be too shy to dip into the closets of your community. During my no-buy makeover, whenever I wanted to refresh an outfit repeat, there was always a sibling or friend I could borrow an accessory or two from. “It’s almost like you get dressed in your clothes and then your clothes get dressed in your accessories,” says Ra.
