My Little Adventure Trying to Be Lauren Hutton
So, I had this idea, right? I kept seeing pictures of Lauren Hutton – you know, the model with the famous gap in her teeth, always looking so effortlessly cool. And I thought, “I can do that. How hard can it be?” That was my first mistake, let me tell you.
The Grand Plan (or so I thought)
I figured I’d try to channel her vibe for a week. Not like, go get a tooth gap, but, you know, the clothes, the attitude. I spent a whole Saturday digging through old fashion blogs and Pinterest. Looked easy enough: white shirts, khaki pants, a good blazer, maybe a safari jacket if I was feeling brave. Stuff you think you have, or can easily find.
The Reality Check: The Clothes Hunt
First stop: my own closet. Found a white shirt. Looked okay on the hanger. Put it on? Looked like I’d slept in it, and not in a cool, “I’m Lauren Hutton and I don’t care” way. More like, “I’m tired.” Then the pants. My khakis were either too tight, too baggy, or had a weird stain I couldn’t remember getting.
So, off to the thrift stores I went. You’d think finding a decent blazer would be simple. Nope. Everything was either a weird 80s power shoulder monstrosity or smelled faintly of mothballs and disappointment. I bought one, thinking I could “make it work.” Spoiler: I couldn’t. It just made me look like I was playing dress-up in my dad’s old clothes, and not in a chic, androgynous way.
- White shirts: Either see-through or boxy as a cardboard container.
- Khakis: The eternal quest for a pair that doesn’t make you look like you’ve given up.
- Blazers: Apparently, good ones are hoarded.
The Attempt: Day One Disaster
Okay, so I cobbled together an outfit. A slightly-too-big white shirt I found, some passable trousers, and the questionable thrift store blazer. I tried to walk with that easy, confident swagger. Felt more like I was trying not to trip. My friend asked me if I was feeling okay, said I looked “a bit serious.” Serious? I was going for “effortlessly cool globe-trotting model!”
What I Actually Learned (The Punchline, Kinda)
Here’s the thing, after a few days of this “practice,” I realized it wasn’t really about the clothes at all. I mean, yeah, she had great taste, or a great stylist. But looking at her pictures again, it was all in her eyes, her posture, the way she just owned whatever she was wearing. It wasn’t the khaki suit; it was Lauren Hutton in the khaki suit.
It’s like those companies that try to copy another successful company’s “culture” by installing a ping pong table. You can get all the “right” pieces, the white shirts, the “minimalist” look, whatever. But if you don’t have that core thing – in her case, this incredible self-assurance and a life lived, not just posed – it just falls flat. You just end up with a pile of okay-ish clothes and feeling a bit daft.
I didn’t suddenly become Lauren Hutton. Shocker, I know. But I did stop buying so much fast fashion crap for a bit. And I did realize that trying to copy someone else’s “effortless” usually just shows all your own effort, very, very clearly. Maybe the real “Lauren Hutton model” is just being okay with your own model, flaws and all. That’s my takeaway, anyway, after raiding three thrift stores and almost giving up on white shirts forever.
