I Was a Stylist for a Luxury Department Store—Here Are My Spring Shopping Recs
Whenever personal stylist and brand consultant Amanda Murray pops up on my Instagram feed, it's not merely an outfit photo, it's an event. As an editor, it's my job to keep tabs on what stylish people around the world are wearing, so it's safe to say that I see my fair share of daily outfit images. However, Murray stands out from the pack: whenever she posts a picture you can be sure it will be nothing short of a look.
The London-bred New Yorker spent years working as a stylist for legendary department store Barneys, and consequently, her closet is filled with top-notch pieces. The notion of treating designer fashion like precious artifacts on display is not a concept you'll find on the stylist's feed; for Murray, fashion is meant to be worn. Sometimes that means running errands in a Rick Owens coat or grabbing breakfast in head-to-toe Dries Van Noten. Personally, I never previously contemplated ready-to-wear Prada suitable for my midday trips to the bodega, but consider me influenced.
What I respect most about Murray's style is that she knows what she likes and doesn't stray from her own unique tastes–with Dries Van Noten (she likes to call the designer Papa Dries) and Prada among two of the brands you can spot her in most. To shed some light on which trends and items I should have my eyes peeled for this season, I asked Murray to run me through her spring shopping list. Just a fair warning, you'll want to bookmark these picks for later. Read ahead to see them all along with more outfit inspo as styled by Murray.
Elevated Tank Tops
Amanda's Pick:
"I want all of the K.ngsley tanks. As most of my days are now spent on Zoom calls, I think these tops are great for a virtual moment–simple, chic, sexy and effortless. They're great on their own or also very cool paired with a textured cardigan." –Amanda
Shop Textured Cardigans:
Gold Mini Hoops
Amanda's Pick:
"I always have two hoop earrings in my left ear, a personal signature. I'm always on the lookout for cool gold mini hoops. I love these rose thorn inspired hoops and also the flora set." –Amanda
Shop More Gold Hoops:
Utility Tote Bags
Amanda's Pick:
"I just bought a gigantic canvas tote from Jil Sander. I've had my eye on it for about two years and finally pulled the trigger because well, we're in a pandemic and I suddenly feel an urgency to acquire all the things that live in my mind. Besides it being almost the same length of my body, it will be great for picking up dry cleaning and my ridiculous shopping sprees at Target."–Amanda
Shop More Designer Canvas Totes:
Statement Primary Colors
"I'm at the point where I need to take a trip immediately. I'm thinking of going to Miami for a few days, mostly for the art galleries. I'm dreaming of wearing this Christopher John Rogers dress to The Rubell family museum–a statement dress if there ever was one."–Amanda
Shop Christopher John Rogers:
Soccer Inspired Shoes
Amanda's Pick:
"These Miu Miu sneaker heels are on my must have list of things I need for spring. Many have tried to do their version of a sneaker with a heel and have failed but this is just right. I'm eager to wear this with a sweet summery dress."–Amanda
Shop More Quilted Sneakers:
Coming up, 90% of the Items In My Closet are $250 or Less–Here's What I'm Adding to It RN
Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.
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