108. How To Translate Your Signature Style Into A Season Of Repeatable Outfits
The Seven Look Season of Rebecca Mapes
For most of my adult life, I woke up to that familiar ‘I’ve got nothing to wear’ feeling. Leaving getting dressed to the last minute meant pulling outfits I didn’t feel excited about from a bloated wardrobe, and starting every day frustrated. I saved great outfits for ‘good days’ and accepted ‘just fine’ as the default. That’s until I experimented with a wardrobe system, which I now call the Seven Look Season. By planning ahead and leaning on a few great outfits on repeat, I removed all decision fatigue from getting dressed without sacrificing creativity. This new monthly column highlights the Seven Outfits of women who’ve adopted the framework and recognised that ‘what I wear’ is inseparable from ‘how I feel’.
In true 2021 fashion, my first time meeting Bec was on a Zoom call. We’d both joined a female entrepreneur mentoring cohort; she was building a sustainable haircare brand. I was running a size-inclusive clothing label. Neither venture survived the four years that followed, but we often say it was all worth it just to have met each other.
She was calling in from Santa Fe, and I, from London. When her camera clicked on, I remember thinking ‘whoa. She’s one of those.’ Breathtakingly beautiful with a tangible aura of coolness. I was intimidated by her. Those weekly Zoom calls with Bec and the other women of our cohort soon became my favourite part of the week. Across eight time zones, we forged a tight bond as we supported each other, shoulder-rolling our way through the chaos of early-stage entrepreneurship.
With Bec, it went further. Soon, I was pacing my living room late at night, leaving her hour-long voice notes. We dissected our wins and failures and got each other through some of our lowest points (she’s spoken openly about going into debt to fund her business and how she’s budgeting fashion while paying it back). To this day, we continue to help each other untangle the self-limiting beliefs we both carry; the friendship we built is one of the most precious in my life.
This week, I’m thrilled to introduce Every Body Gets Dressed readers to Bec’s style through her Seven Outfits. Bec is originally from upstate New York. After ten years studying and working in NYC as a bench jeweler for fine jewelry brands like Pamela Love, she moved to Santa Fe, where she now works as a multidisciplinary artist: she blows glass and designs jewelry inspired by art and bucolic landscapes. She has impossibly good taste and has curated a life where her art, her home, her surroundings, and her wardrobe feel seamlessly connected, each one an extension of the same discerning eye.
Bec and I talk about style constantly, how it’s evolved with us, how clothes have held us together through change, how they lift you up even when there’s no reason to get dressed beyond caring for yourself. The framework behind the Seven Look Season resonated with her deeply because her biggest goal with style is individuality: dressing in a way that feels wholly singular to her. She shares:
‘I value expressing my individuality through style and in a world where many people share their outfits online, it feels challenging to retain a unique sense of style. The issue is intensified by social media; we’re all seeing the same jelly sandal dupes, poplin pants, paracord everything, rhinoplasties, filled lips, upper blephs, etc. Even things that once felt niche, like vintage Taxco jewelry, Italian postmodernist furniture design, or vintage Yohji Yamamoto are beginning to feel ubiquitous.
When we’re all beginning to look and dress the same, how do I continue to feel uniquely me? One answer is certainly to keep the bump on my nose and to abstain from social media, but realistically the answer often eludes me.’
‘Every Body Gets Dressed, and honestly, Substack in general, has motivated me to hone in on my style. I want to love every piece in my closet, and I want to actually wear each one! I’ve strived to shop as sustainably as possible for over a decade, but my view on the best way to go about that has changed drastically in recent years. Instead of a super strict list of dos and don’ts, I’ve come to believe that a closet full of clothing that I’ll wear over and over again for years is the most sustainable version of a closet for me. This means I have to own garments that a. I love and will wear, and that b. It will last the test of time. As I adopted Liza’s Seven-Look Season framework, I recognized some core elements of my style that I’ve been using to slowly create the wardrobe of my dreams’.
Recently, I packed for a trip and my suitcase contained nearly every article of clothing from my seven looks. I then went out for my sister’s birthday after packing and I had the HARDEST time getting dressed. I didn’t want to unpack anything from my suitcase so I was left with the leftovers of my closet. I ended up pulling my AYR jeans out of the suitcase and opting for a “leftover” top. It took me such a long time to get dressed and I truly didn’t feel good in the outfit which impacted my confidence and comfortability in the social setting. The difference in my mindset was palpable.
💜 Look 1
Bec wears it on her daily walks with her dogs, and to work from home or her local coffee shop.
‘I adore a men’s button-down tied around my waist as a way to layer in the summer. They’re perfect for protecting my arms and shoulders from the intense New Mexican sun, but also great if I end up staying away from home until the evening, as it cools down significantly at night in the high desert.
I’ve found that this length of leggings really works for me; they feel much chicer than bike shorts, but are still cool enough for the hot days of summer.
Despite being a jewelry designer/maker, I keep my jewelry pretty minimal. I wear my Perfect Point hoops most days, and I never take off the stacked silver and gold Wavy Rings from my collection. They’re super comfortable, and always having two tones of metal on my body frees me up from the inevitable question when I’m wearing more jewelry: is today a silver day or a gold day? It’s always both!’
How Would You Describe Your Style?
I’m very drawn to 90s silhouettes. I always refer back to 90’s Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, Miu Miu, Prada and looks that Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, and Rachel from Friends wore in that decade.
🤎 Look 2
Bec wears it to go out to dinner or drinks.
‘Cooler nights in Santa Fe mean I can get away with wearing a long-sleeved top in the summer. This top was a Christmas gift from my partner. This gift meant a lot to me because the shirt was far more expensive than anything I would buy for myself; it isn’t a purchase I would be able to justify unless I found it second-hand. I have a bright orange vintage Jean Paul Gaultier top that I switch this one out with when I’m feeling extra fun. I love the texture of both shirts with the pattern of the skirt.
I recently completed a new bracelet design that had been on my mind for years. I’ve always admired the iconic Bone Cuff originally made for Tiffany in the early 1970s, and I wanted to create my own version of a piece that is informed by the anatomy of a wrist. Carving the cuff out of wax was a labor of love, and I’m happy with the sophisticated, space-age-esque end result. Adding the Osseous Cuff to any outfit instantly makes me feel like the chicest version of myself
These colorful earrings are another one of my most recent designs. Inspired by the sculptor Alexander Calder, I first made these earrings with a silver bead in 2018. I’ve become increasingly interested in adding pops of color to minimal looks, and that inspired a new iteration of the earrings made with lapis, malachite, and carnelian beads. Each earring is sculpted by hand and, like much of Calder’s work, they are kinetic and playful (and fun to fidget with!).’
How Do You Manage Your Spending?
What expedited the process of gaining my dream closet was a decision I made in October of last year to use only the money I made from selling my clothes to fuel new clothing purchases. I made this choice because I’ve been working hard to get out of debt, and as a person who is budget-averse, this felt like one way I could stick to a budget in one specific area. The surprising result of this decision is that I have been rapidly getting rid of the pieces in my wardrobe that don’t serve me. I splurged on a pair of Lemaire pants years ago, became obsessed with the style and eventually accumulated two more pairs. What I realized this year is that while I thought owning the same pair of my favorite pants in multiple colors would be great, I only reach for the pair with the faded black wash, and the other two pairs are just taking up space. Goodbye to the two extra pairs, the Anine Bing jeans that didn’t feel like me, and the By Far sandals I never wore. These items have been replaced by the perfect pair of jeans that I spent months looking for, tank tops that felt too expensive but are ultimately worth every penny, and garments that suit my taste AND lifestyle.
🖤 Look 3
Bec wears it to work from home, go to the movies, or travel.
‘I’ve found that the most important factor in my style is comfort. If it’s not comfortable, it’s not something I’ll wear frequently. I still enjoy having aspirational items in my wardrobe that don’t necessarily feel like pajamas, but for the most part, I want what I wear to be very comfortable.
For the longest time, I wanted a pair of pants that felt like sweatpants but looked more elevated, and the High Hopes from AYR fit the bill. If I work from home, I also love a fun slipper that completes your outfit when you aren’t leaving the house. It’s so comforting to feel like yourself from your head to your toes, even when you’re alone (I mean, YOU have to see your feet!?).
I always like wearing layers when traveling because planes fluctuate between being extremely hot and freezing cold, and if I can’t peel off layers or put them on, I’m MISERABLE.’
How Does Living In Santa Fe Shape Your Style?
My lifestyle in Santa Fe is much more casual than it was when I lived in New York. I think my style has become more comfort-focused, with the exception of my shoes! Since my main form of transportation is driving, I’ve found that I can wear shoes that are more fun and interesting. In New York, I walked and took the subway and then walked some more to get anywhere, and that meant I always had to wear shoes that could go thousands of steps a day.
🤍 Look 4
This is Bec’s go-to day-to-night outfit. Comfortable enough to work from home during the day and instantly elevated by adding the jacket and some chunky jewelry before going out.
‘These AYR jeans are SO incredibly comfortable. These are the jeans I searched high and low for, and I’m so glad I found them. They’re great for working from home or traveling, and I love the cut.
This Max Mara jacket (a lucky find from a thrift store) has been in my wardrobe for several years. It’s proven to be the perfect spring/summer jacket, and the quality is so good, it has a lovely delicate silk lining that provides a cooling effect when I first slip it on. I’m drawn to gender-neutral patterns like stripes and plaid; I feel like they add interest to minimal outfits. The microgrid of this jacket often feels like the perfect last touch to an outfit. I wouldn’t hesitate to pair it with any of my seven outfits.
The addition of the Tory Burch Pierced mule wedge instantly turns the other elements into a “look” (at least that’s what I’m hoping!).
