@thekimbino: How A Teacher Became Fashion’s Most Unlikeliest Insider To All Things Kardashian

Every fashion insider has something to back up their cred whether it’s a stylist, makeup artist, hairstylist, photographer, designer or anyone who’s worked on sets at photoshoots. With access to the world’s biggest superstars, it’s no doubt that they know all the piping hot tea. However, Kim of @thekimbino, is an unexpected fashion insider ready to take the industry by storm.

A primary school teacher by day, the 24-year-old Perth-based fashionista is a fashion insider by night. With almost 50K followers on Instagram, @thekimbino has built a steady following for her razor-sharp eagle eyed observations on celebrity fashion moments, engaging commentary on the latest state of fashion, and of course, all things Kim KW.

We go all the way back in 2017 when she discovered my account and from here, we’ve been keeping an eye on each other’s feed! Given that her account has been growing a lot, I decided that it was finally time to give her the interview of her dreams and decode the mystery behind the feed.

We catch up over this decade’s best/worst trends, the influence of the Kardashians on the fashion industry, the comeback of Y2K fashions, the current state of celebrity fashion and what it’s like to DM the world’s most famous reality TV icon.

Continue reading “@thekimbino: How A Teacher Became Fashion’s Most Unlikeliest Insider To All Things Kardashian” →

Michelle VarinataLeave a comment

My Style Evolution Part 2: 2016 to 2019

Settling into your early 20s is a long and embarrassing journey. I cannot tell you how many times I had to hide my clothes from my parents or how much I sat down in the middle of my closet, contemplating why the hell I bought clothes I wouldn’t wear today in the first place. The worst part is having to confront yourself and ask why you wasted so much money during your college years on poorly made fast fashion clothing that ain’t gonna last more than a year or let alone a trend cycle.

I had to admit that while I loved being my rebellious, expressive self, a rude awakening jolted my system when a mullet hemline tee I bought on Nasty Gal couldn’t match half the the things I had in my closet. From there, that sparked the need for me to let go of it. Ditto with my brown round John Lennon Cobrashop sunglasses, which I’ve had to let go as I realized that the product felt cheap over time. Though I liked stinging on myself when it came to the trendier products like Pixie Market’s faux suede thigh high boots, I had to sell it on Depop as it made me sprain my right ankle. (I blame lack of solid construction!) Upon realizing that cheaply made products weren’t the solution to my short term needs, the only way I could invest my money on better made products was a return to something I once ran away from: designer items.

The full circle to loving designer fashion was a therapeutic form of healing. Before I radically transformed my style, I was simply just a clean cut girl who proudly wore ballet flats, skinny jeans and designer bags. With a handful of reinventions mentioned in part one, I realized that I couldn’t run away from the glamour puss inside me, which came from my designer bag-toting mama and designer jean-loving papa. Before I rebelled, I clearly didn’t understand why my parents bought expensive clothes and accessories or why I gravitated towards them when I was a teen. Despite my liking for these items, my mom had to bar me from wearing pieces from her collection or buying anything too expensive as she felt that no child under 18 should wear them as she felt that it was reserved for adults. Thankfully, a sense of maturity walked into me when I was a couple months shy of being 23 and graduating college.

So, what really got me into going after designer stuff? Well, I remembered that I had a Chanel bag with faux pearl and leather chain strap handles that my dad gave me for my 20th birthday, which I barely wore out much. It was so beautiful and I was sad that it didn’t get much wear out of it. Even though it was my birthday gift, it was something that was waiting for me to wear it. I recalled that I wore it a handful of times, which I paired it with vintage dresses to my Miista velvet high high boots! From there, that sparked a journey to lust after designer goodies again as I realized that branded bags are forever timeless regardless of design. With the fact that there was a higher resale value for older Chanel bags, I guess that was what finally brought me to appreciate designer goods once and for all.

One night, I was surfing through The Real Real, where people sold secondhand Chanel goodies from the ’90s to ’00s. (Say what you want about its latest scandals, but it was great to me during 2015. I no longer shop there today.) At that time, I was consigning a handful of clothes there as I wanted to have enough money for myself. Since it was relatively cheaper than an upscale vintage boutique, I managed to walk out with fun new goodies! One of my earliest purchases there was a Chanel ankle purse, which came from their S/S 2008 show. It was so tiny, but an iconic novelty as it was inspired by Lindsay Lohan’s ankle monitoring bracelet. (Ha! Beat ya, Kendall! I bought it three years before she wore it!)

THIS was the ankle bag that Kendall Jenner bought years after me! Photo: Hallie Geller

Then, I slowly started to collect more vintage Chanel, which ranged from a pair of suede leather pants with oversized gold buttons from S/S 1993 to a turquoise patent leather vanity purse from its S/S 1995 collection, which was sported by Naomi Campbell. Because I grew up to seeing my mom all dolled up in Chanel, it was a way for me to embrace my full circle moment and a teenage fantasy to wear the most cherished luxury brand. Being 22 at that time, it was perfectly appropriate.

From there, I started to hunt for more vintage designer goodies whether it be a Dior bow choker, Versace safety pin adorned bag or Claude Montana shorts. If I wanted something more recent like 2010, I would spend countless hours finding runway pieces like Miu Miu’s satin cat print Mary-Janes or flower printed clogs. I’d find those goodies from vintage dealers (online or at markets), Poshmark or at bazaar sales, which were hosted by my mom and her friends. Such items were material things, but emerging into that phase served a bigger chapter into my life: NYC me.

Continue reading “My Style Evolution Part 2: 2016 to 2019” →

Michelle Varinata2 Comments

My Style Evolution Part 1: 2010 – 2015

Is it hard to believe that 2020 is coming soon? Well, I am just as shocked as you are because truth is, I felt like I really came of age at the start of this decade. In all honesty, I had to say that my style changed just as our society has changed. On top of that, I also felt like the style phases I went through from high school to now had one contributor: social media.

At the start of the 2010s, I was active on Tumblr, where I fished for style inspiration. My style icon at that time was Courtney Love, whose vintage babydoll dresses, Mary-Jane shoes and tights were my jam. I wanted to imitate the grunge look so badly, but I always had to play it safe. Also, I was constantly on Polyvore, a site where aspiring stylists like myself created outfit collages on what we wanted to wear in real life. Though I kept my online life a major secret and favored my anonymity at 17, I guess that being behind a screen helped me become more confident online as I was a shy kid in high school. Heck, I was even a FAILED fashion blogger with such a super basic name: The Fashionphiliac. (cue eye roll)

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Werk It With Workwear: How To Turn The Office Into Your Catwalk

Let’s be honest: dressing for your desk job is the equivalent as waiting in a queue at Starbucks. No matter the setting, the thought of being bound to your desk for 9 to 10 hours is nothing but a torture. Ditto with waiting for your raise and a promotion. Rather than letting yourself be cramped by desk life, get ready to snatch trophies at the office and get that promotion with a new, improved and more confident you!

To get where you wanna be at, no head-turning performance can start without your sense of style. According to a Forbes article, what you wear really does tie you in to your promotion. Regardless of whether you work in a corporate or creative environment, let these classic, but daring style tips help you get the promotion you want!

Continue reading “Werk It With Workwear: How To Turn The Office Into Your Catwalk” →

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The Top 10 Trends We’d Like To Leave Behind In 2020

In a sea of nostalgia trends, athleisure, fast fashion and Instagram, I have to say that the 2010s is full of super instant consumerism. That also makes me MORE than a little guilty because I was also hopping on so many trends to the point where I completely regretted what I was purchasing. Safe to say, fashion during the early 2010s is definitely much better than the mid 2010s, where basic bitchdom was a thing among red carpets and street style photos. Ditto with music festivals. As of now, I have to say that fashion isn’t slightly terrible, but just some trends from 2017/2018 REALLY need to be put aside as we say “Thank you, next”.

  1. Bikini Tops As Crop Tops

I LOVE being in a bikini and there’s a reason as to why you ONLY wear it at the pool or the beach. If you wear it out with a suit, it just looks plain tacky. No shade to Emily Ratajkowski’s creativity, but this outfit just looks cheap with a white bikini top. Like, who actually WEARS a bikini top outside of Instagram?! I mean, it’s obvious that she’s plugging her swimwear line; hence, the staged pap shot of her wearing it. Then, Sofia Richie literally copied that look to a red carpet event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4F6MdbJ_or/

But also, I’m not so sure which is worse: the skirt with the sneakers or the bikini top with this entire outfit.

Not even this idea can be saved with yoga leggings…AND NEON!

This concept is FLY for the runway, but I’m not entirely feeling it. And to be fairly honest, let’s just leave bikini tops as crop tops in 1998.

2. Super Tight Dresses With Sneakers

Whoever thinks that pairing a tight dress with sneakers is genius simply doesn’t get the memo. Not only can the top of the sneakers be at risk for making you look shorter than you really are, super chunky kicks DO NOT look good on anyone of any leg shape. It’s just not cute!

But also, this trend is further proof that sneakers aren’t the universal shoe as seen on yours truly.

I could’ve thought of wearing something better than this combo and TBH, I think that these LIANA striped socks are tragic with these Fiorucci x Adidas sneakers.

When a really tight body con dress is paired with white sneakers, I think that it’s a sign that this look has gone into basic territory.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWml7dlO6F/

Even in a longer dress, this trend is proof that it only looks good on people with slim physiques. (Seriously, most fashion trends are NOT body positive!!)

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life recently

A post shared by Alexis Ren (@alexisren) on

3. Yoga Leggings As Pants

I am really torn on leggings as pants, but I think that this look is REALLY done to death with yoga pants. Yo, there is a REASON as to why yoga leggings are called the way they are. You are only meant to namaslay your day away ON A MAT with tight leggings, NOT wear them out on the street or like, use ’em as a substitute for other cuter options!

I mean, why opt for yoga pants when you can go for lace, wet look or PVC leggings instead of those Lulu Lemons or Alo Yogas?

Also, this outfit is PROOF as to WHY yoga leggings DO NOT work as pants!

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#bellahadid

A post shared by Bella Hadid Streetstyle (@bellahadidoutfits) on

After all, who wants to see our camel toe when you’re trying to eat your lunch in peace?

4. Full On Athleisure

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WANG x @badgalriri || #Rihanna X #outfit ✨

A post shared by Badgalriri (@rihanna.outfit) on

There’s no doubt that athleisure’s been burning the midnight oil from the mid 2010s onwards, but at this point, we NEED to be more inventive. And how can we NOT unsee this?

OR THIS?

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Blonde hair😍 #KylieJenner @kyliejenner

A post shared by Kendall Jenner. (@kendalloutfits) on

Also, ex-best friends shouldn’t Single White Female their friend’s closet either.

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🙂

A post shared by HEIR JORDYN (@jordynwoods) on

Ditto with bike shorts…

No matter how many times we can’t be separated from our yoga leggings, sweatpants, bike shorts, navel-baring tops or sports bras, these photos are proof that not every single thing you wear to exercise can work as viable OOTDs. But if you wish to flaunt it ath-your-leisure, just go for a catsuit! 🙂

BONUS: Fashion Hiking Boots

Apart from two piece sets, sports bras and leggings, nothing tops statement hiking boots. I honestly have no words as to why this trend is trying to happen, but it is NOT happening!

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﴾͡๏̯͡๏﴿ O'RLY?

A post shared by sydney lynn (@sydneylcarlson) on

5. Poorly Coordinated Mixed Prints That Have Nothing To Do With Each Other

I dare you to roast me! 😛 Well, I’m already doing it myself, anyways haha! If I have to say what my biggest OOTD regret is, it’s mixing prints in a chaotic manner. I am a BIG fan of mixed prints, but not when the colors have no common ground to the point where you MAKE your outfit try to be matchy-matchy.

Another bad case is when there’s too many trends going on at once when mixing prints. (Idk what’s the source of anyone’s headache looking at this: the FaceTuning or the fact that both outfits are just bad?)

Before I forget, don’t mix logos with logos.

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Casual type of day

A post shared by Sarah (@sarahfuckingsnyder) on

If you MUST mix prints, at least anchor it with one color or some neutral shades that can unite it together harmoniously. Like this:

But if you still wish to mix prints colorfully, at least use a clean print that can anchor the entire outfit like this:

6. Flip Flops

Dear mother of Peter, please DO NOT wear flip flops with jeans! That’s so 2005. The last time flip flops with jeans looked hot, it was in my sister’s high school yearbook, where my Ashton Kutcher lookalike crush was wearing a green shirt, jeans AND black flip flops. Just save the flip flops for your yoga class, beach, BBQ or mani-pedi.

Even though Kim Kardashian DID bring this trend back from the time machine, it’s not something I’d dare to wear for parties or anywhere outside the beach.

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🗞 EXTRA EXTRA 🗞

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

Even if it’s a slightly more dressier iteration, I’m not so sure if they look comfortable to walk in…

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🦋 @bellahadid #styledbymimicuttrell

A post shared by Mimi Cuttrell (@mimicuttrell) on

7. Ugly Sneakers

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Chicago in Tokyo

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

My sister, who’s the biggest Kim K fan, DM’ed me this pic the other day. Both of us thought that those Yeezy Crocs were mad ugly. The moment I saw them, it was like the Rapture of footwear. However, other pre-Yeezy Crocs were just as abominable, too.

Exhibit A: The Balenciaga Triple S

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We meet again Palm springs 🌵💚

A post shared by elsa hosk (@hoskelsa) on

Sure, it’s hot. But, they look like they belong to Arthur Fleck.

Exhibit B: Balenciaga Sock Sneakers

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5q-ljwlHoC/

Super gluing your socks to your sneakers seems like an easy hack. Duh! But here, they just look SO FREAKING HORRIBLE. After all, what exactly IS the point of wearing expensive shoes and styling it to make it look extremely cheap when it already looks cheap to begin with?

Let’s just hope that in 2020, ugly sneakers can be put to rest.

8. Teeny Tiny Sunglasses

This trend is hands down, the WORST fashion trend of the 2010s! I mean, don’t get me wrong, but I do like wearing tiny sunglasses. But, not to the extent where the lens are 1/10th of your entire face and they don’t cover your eyes.

Man, woman, trans or non-binary, this trend DOES NOT LOOK GOOD on anyone!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5bZVhDgrcq/

What’s the point of wearing sunglasses if you can’t get frames that cover past your eyes? I’d rather have good eye vision when I’m 80 than to get cataracts from wearing non-existent sunglasses.

9. Baggy Pants with Ruched Cuffs

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Bye Melbourne

A post shared by J (@jennierubyjane) on

Case in point, baggy pants with ruched cuffs at the ankle basically point to the fact that you are meant to have multiple pairing options with naked strappy sandals to Doc Martens. However, this is NOT a flattering style on everyone, even if you are the skinniest person in the room among all your friends.

What I also dislike about those pants is that the bagginess of it does NOT look flattering in photos because it requires a special angle to make it work. With this shot below, you can already see how the bagginess of the pants doesn’t photograph well. Regardless if you wear a baggy or tight top, the baggy pants with ruched ankle look is as abhorrent as harem pants.

Even inside boots, it still wouldn’t look flattering at the front.

10. Fur Slides

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back in nyc, looking happy ☺

A post shared by rihanna outfits & pics ✨ (@fashionxfenty) on

Real or faux, fur slides just look tacky. Like, I don’t get why winter materials and a summer shoe have to be mixed together. If you want something furry, feathers are more breathable and less stuffier in hot climates.

I’m sure the Fenty faux fur slides look great on Rihanna, but the fact that she hasn’t been seen wearing them in a while is a sign that this trend already died. Ditto with Miley when she stopped wearing her Celine fur slides because she went vegan nearly 5 years ago.

Celebrity or civilian, this trend really doesn’t do justice for anyone. (Am I surprised that UGG is still making this trend survive on Cardi B and Sofia Richie?)

Let’s just hope that in 2020, we can see more practical fashion trends that can outlast our feed.

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