Cool Girls Love This Under-the-Radar Shopping Site

There's something misleading about the idea of "not caring about trends." It suggests you're either totally tuned out of the fashion conversation—getting dressed each morning in a mirrorless room and waiting in line at CVS without glancing at the magazine covers—or donning a 10-inch corsage with a Carrie Bradshaw–like determination to make your own outlandish fashion statement.

I'd argue it's neither of these, and it's not about ignoring trends at all: It's more like a casual shrug-off of whatever you're not into as the "new" and "cool" gets offered up each season. I mean, geez, maybe you still really dig what was in last season! Maybe even though everyone else has moved on to slingbacks for spring, you're still obsessed with finding those floral Balenciaga boots in your size. As the legendary Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele put it, style doesn't have a season: "Nothing is démodé when it's a great piece."

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Speaking of like-minded people, I caught up with Lainy Hedaya (New York–based creative director, founder of Haute Inhabit, and a personal style crush) to talk about the "To hell with what they tell me to wear!" sartorial philosophy she lives and breathes. Considering Harper's Bazaar once described her as "that rare fashion blogger who seems impervious to trends," she's uniquely qualified to speak to the subject.

I refrained from asking her how she gets her hair so shiny and instead concentrated on the big issues: Are trends just inherently stupid? Do her outfits have soundtracks like mine do? And, most importantly, where does she shop? (Spoiler: Like all the cool kids, she told us she hunts down her fashion treasures from whatever season over on YOOX.)

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Lainy wears sweater by Céline, trousers by Haider Ackermann, discovered on YOOX.

ON DRESSING HOWEVER THE HELL SHE WANTS:

"It goes hand in hand with feeling good and not caring what other people think. I guess that's pretty liberating. "

ON HER STYLE:

"I feel like it's hard to define a style in the same way that it's hard to define the complexity of an individual's personality. But it's a bit dark, modern, sometimes elegant… I guess I would say I'm the opposite of a chameleon because I've liked the same things forever. I don't really ever buy anything because it's on trend. I love finding things I was swooning over from seasons past, especially if I didn't get around to buying them."

ON THE TREND SHE JUST DOESN'T GET:

"Nine hundred dollars for a pair of sweatpants with a logo? WHY?!"

ON HER DREAM WARDROBE:

"I think French women know the art of what to buy without overbuying. I think quality nice clothes you love are the way to go; not buying everything. We live in a culture where we buy so much, and a large crazy closet is 'goals' when the reality is that an edited closet is so much more chic."

ON WHAT'S PLAYING IN HER HEAD WHEN SHE WEARS THIS CÉLINE CUTOUT SWEATER:

"Samba da Minha Terra by João Gilberto."

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Lainy wears dress by Jil Sander, footwear by Ellery, discovered on YOOX.

ON THE RANDOM STYLE ADVICE SHE ACTUALLY FOLLOWS:

"Mom always says never wear more than three colors."

ON STAYING TRUE TO HER VIBE:

"I swear I've always liked the same things. I'd say it's similar—perhaps more elevated and more mature. I still really splurge the most on furniture. I feel like I'm always redecorating."

ON SAYING NO:

"If you like a trend, go for it. If you don't, don't even entertain it. I guess that's what it comes down to. I'm pretty careful with what I buy. Nothing worse than regretting something because of peer pressure."

ON WHAT SHE WISHES SHE COULD FIND FROM THE FASHION ARCHIVES:

"Crazy corsets from the 1800s for the fun of it."

ON HER FASHION HOLY GRAIL:

"I got a red patent-leather angular Vivienne Westwood draped coat with a quilted lining—need I say more?"

ON WHAT'S PLAYING IN HER HEAD WHEN SHE WEARS THIS JIL SANDER DRESS:

"____45____ by Bon Iver."

Natalie Cantell
Executive Director, Brand Studio

Natalie leads the style direction for the all content we create in partnership with our friends at various brands plus the legendary team of editors who work on those shoots and stories. She loves collaborating and storytelling, so it's a really fun role for her. It's also the first full-time job she's ever had⁠! She started out in her career as a very mediocre model who agreed to her first styling job to impress a photographer she had a crush on, which led her down a happy path of contributing to Vogue Australia and working as a stylist, fashion writer, and creative director for all sorts of brands and titles. She has a bachelor of communications, but most of her career opportunities came up thanks to some fleeting and accidental street style moments. She's been at Who What Wear for three and a half years and still loves to work as a freelance consultant with brands and designers to shoot their campaigns in NYC. She's originally from New Zealand, and Bondi Beach is her second home, but like just about every other 20-something, she fell in love with New York at some point. She lives in Williamsburg with her fiancé and their weird little dog, Ruby. If you ever need reccies for feel-good fashion, legit coffee spots, politics podcasts, or non-intimidating yoga studios, she's very much your girl.