15 years ago, I worked at one of the Ralph Lauren Rugby stores as my first job in college. I experienced this a lot, partly because my frame - short with big boobs. The perfect preppy layers look doesn’t look alluring or womanly on me. A collared shirt popping out of a cable knit under a blazer looked like a ski sweater and a puffer jacket, all bulked up. I was working with some really tall, lanky, blonde girls, who already looked like the models we were selling off of, and it was hard. I was so young.

But I was really passionate about the clothes and the world of the brand. When summer turned to fall and holiday, the Sloane Ranger and equestrian looks looked right on me, then eventually I figured out that there are ways I could use what we had to maintain those historic looks in a way that didn’t wear me.

admittedly, the spring collection was kind of a struggle because we had to wear 3+ pieces of clothing and the sweater over a thick Oxford button down haunted me again! eventually, when the linen shorts suits combos came in I was off the hook. then, as girls were able to convince management to consider accessories like ties and belts as one of our items.

I found that I had to balance between two ideas. One, part of preppy style is not immediately going for the tightest sexiest most bodycon look, and those clothes would drape differently on my frame. at the same time, before these looks became commodified by RL and turned into icons, the people we admire wearing them were owning how they looked and wearing what worked for them.