In partnership with New Balance
Personal style is rarely built overnight. It evolves through instinct, experience and the cultivation of taste. While we may all be scrolling through the same references, the way we interpret them – the heirlooms we treasure, the silhouettes that sing out to us, and the habits we never quite shake – that make getting dressed feel entirely our own.
We spoke with two women whose approaches to fashion have cultivated devoted communities of their own. Through their respective Substacks, Zara Wong’s Screenshot This and Ali Whittle’s Smooth Brain, both writers have built spaces where style shrugs off the idea of needing to following trends in favour of developing a more lasting point of view. Styling the new New Balance 204L, they reflect on the wardrobes they’ve built, the references that have shaped them and the pieces they’ll keep reaching for for years to come.
Zara Wong
Fashion writer and editor Zara Wong has spent decades thinking critically about clothes, but her own approach to style is refreshingly instinctive. Drawn to timeless silhouettes, unexpected combinations and pieces with lasting emotional value, she approaches getting dressed as an ongoing conversation between personal history and new discoveries.
Do you remember the first time you felt like your style really became your own? What changed?
I grew up in a family who really liked style; everyone has very strong opinions. I think it’s when I first started knowing how to assert my own opinion and wear what I like, and realise how I’m similar – or dissimilar – to say my mother or grandmother in terms of how we dressed.
And then in high school which is rife with peer pressure, because I had already gone through asserting my own style point-of-view at home, I didn’t really care if I didn’t fit in with what everyone else was wearing in high school. I used to wear three-quarter denim capris, tank tops and cardigans with ballet flats in high school inspired by Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, or my Mum’s vintage vests belted over a-line mini skirts to try to look like Proenza Schouler runway looks. We’re living in a time when everyone has access to the same references.
What do you think still makes someone’s style feel unmistakably personal?
It’s the layer of personal experiences and references that no one else can draw from. The plethora of references out there works both ways: we are all looking at many of the same things, but sometimes you can find something that’s really niche and different and you can put your own spin on it in a personal way.
Is there something in your wardrobe that you’ve owned for years that still feels completely like you?
I have my Mother’s Fendi cashmere coat in a toffee colour from the early 90s. It’s a dressing-gown style, almost-ankle-length coat. It’s so cosy and the quality is unparalleled. It looks great with heels, sneakers, boots – I love it.
What’s one fashion habit you’ve developed that no trend could convince you to abandon?
I love the silhouette of oversized on top (like a relaxed outerwear/boxy top) with more slim-line on button, like cigarette trousers or a mini skirt. I have been wearing a lot of wider-leg pants and jeans more recently, but when I wear my original favourite silhouette, it makes me feel like I’m back to my comfort zone.
Whose style has stayed with you over the years – not because you’ve wanted to copy it per say, but because it’s changed the way you think about getting dressed?
Lauren Santo Domingo. It looks like she’s still got her own style, but she has fun with trends and fashion in general. It still feels like innately her. It’s important to still look like you, not like you’re cosplaying.
What’s something you’ve become more confident wearing now than you would have five years ago?
Wide-legged pants. I just wasn’t sure it was for me initially, and being so tall it felt like there was a lot of fabric going on, but now it’s part of my daily wardrobe rotation.
Some people build outfits around a standout piece, a feeling, a reference. Where do you usually begin?
Definitely around one or two pieces especially if they’re new or if it’s something in my wardrobe that I feel like needs to be worn a bit more. I really believe in rotating my wardrobe and wearing it and not just wearing new stuff all the time. More recently, I’m trying to experiment more with colour combinations like putting white jeans with navy with a New Balance off-white shoe with a red sweater tied at the waist. Then it’s like colour-by-numbers at that point, and finding the right coloured pieces to slot in.
What does a shoe have to do to earn a permanent place in your wardrobe?
I have always gone for something comfortable yet looks great. I can’t do just one or the other. I’ve always been a big proponent of flat shoes and I went to see a podiatrist recently who told me that New Balance was her pick.
Did the New Balance 204L slot straight into your wardrobe, or did it inspire you to style it differently?
I like having a juxtaposition in how I dress, so with the New Balance 204L I’d like to wear it with a skirt or a more dressed-up jacket – not necessarily with something sporty. It helps me to think outside the box!
How have you been wearing the 204L lately?
I wore them recently on a trip away with an oversized Farm Rio printed T-shirt and satin shorts with a lace trim from Reformation, with a jumper tied around the waist. The shoes really helped anchor the look, and also was practical to walk around sight-seeing.
If someone could understand one thing about you simply by looking inside your wardrobe, what would you hope they noticed?
I really love finding special pieces and mixing it in with more everyday basics. I think that’s really underrated – it gives a twist on an otherwise classic wardrobe.
Ali Whittle
For writer and creative mind Ali Whittle, personal style has become clearer with time. Equal parts practical and playful, her wardrobe is built around well-made staples, vintage finds and unexpected styling choices that feel unmistakably her.
Do you remember the first time you felt like your style really became your own? What changed?
I think it’s really only happened in the last few years. The older I’ve gotten, the more confident I feel, the more I know myself and the more ‘me’ I feel. The less I care about what others are doing the more I’ve focused on what I love and want to wear. This has helped so much with really honing in on exactly what my style is. Of course, we evolve over time and so does our style but the essence stays the same.
We’re living in a time when everyone has access to the same references. What do you think still makes someone’s style feel unmistakably personal?
Personal style becomes obvious when you can clearly tell an item a person is wearing is something they’ve loved for years, there’s vintage weaved into the outfit, a quirky colour choice, a unique styling element or it’s a mixture of unexpected pieces that just ‘work’ rather than a copy cat approach to whatever is trending or viral. Or it’s an outfit that just feels quintessentially ‘them’.
Is there something in your wardrobe that you’ve owned for years that still feels completely like you?
Denim! Vintage Levi’s 501s.
What’s one fashion habit you’ve developed that no trend could convince you to abandon?
I love a big bag. I could never get into the small bag trend as it’s too impractical. I need a bag to be able to fit my whole life in it. And I also am such flat shoe girl. The only time I’ll wear a heel is for a rare formal occasion and even then it’s a kitten heel at most.
Whose style has stayed with you over the years – not because you’ve wanted to copy it per say, but because it’s changed the way you think about getting dressed?
A few forever favourites include Alexa Chung, Leandra Medine Cohen and Zoë Kravitz. They all have a style DNA that hasn’t really changed over the years. You know it’s a Leandra or Alexa outfit before you even register it’s them. They stay true to themselves and that energy shines through.
What’s something you’ve become more confident wearing now than you would have five years ago?
Hats!
Some people build outfits around a standout piece, a feeling, a reference. Where do you usually begin?
I’ll start with a colour combination I want to wear or build an outfit around either a fun jacket or coat, hat or eyewear.
What does a shoe have to do to earn a permanent place in your wardrobe?
I’m always looking for that crossover of comfortable and cool.
Did the New Balance 204L slot straight into your wardrobe, or did it inspire you to style it differently?
I’ve always been a sneaker girl as I love walking to wherever I need to be day-to-day – so the New Balance 204L slotted in easily. The neutral colourway made it very easy to pair with so much of my wardrobe.
How have you been wearing the 204L lately?
They basically go with everything so they’ve been very easy to style. I’ve been loving them with cream or light blue denim, longer skirts, loose knee length shorts and long dresses.
If someone could understand one thing about you simply by looking inside your wardrobe, what would you hope they noticed?
I hope they can see that I value well-made things, I’m not focused on trends but I value unique pieces collected over time.
Head to Zara Wong’s Screenshot This Substack and Ali Whittle’s Smooth Brain Substack for the opportunity to receive a personalised 204L experience.
Shop the New Balance 204L now on the New Balance website.
