The TEll// By Thrift & Tell
Welcome to THE TELL//BY THRIFT & TELL: a celebration of fashionable women who dress as smart as they shop.
This week on THE TELL// we are traveling to the other side of the world to welcome Zara Wong, Head of Content at Mecca to the series. I have followed Zara for some time and particularly enjoy her “Things I Love Right Now” series, which includes her newest finds from books to podcasts to music to fashion. Prior to her role at Mecca, Zara was Fashion Features and Content Strategy Director at Vogue Australia, and her eye for design is apparent. I should also mention that she is also a loyal T&T follower, so like so many of us, she loves to mix designers and price points to create classic looks that can be worn again and again. I think you will enjoy this interview for many reasons, but I particularly enjoyed looking through the list of her favorite designers below, which includes some “new to me” Australian designers. It is a treat to have her be part of the series and stay tuned for more interviews to come. Enjoy!
//Your style in 3 words: Unexpected but considered
//Staple Outfit: Great black pants or denim, a top in a relaxed shape, flats and either a bold earring (like vintage clip-ons) or a chunkier gold necklace.
//Style Icon(s): Lee Radziwill, Alexa Chung, Lauren Santo Domingo, Giovanna Battaglia, Ashley Olsen, Pernille Teisbaek
//Your First Big Purchase: The Chloé Susanna boots - black with gold studs and the Balenciaga motorcycle jacket (yes, they’re both from a certain era!).
//Do You Still Have It? Yes! I wear them (separately and together) to toughen up an outfit.
//Best Fashion Advice You Ever Received: It’s all about balance, and have a point of view.
//Types of clothing you invest in: Good fabric; quality wool-blend pants that don’t crease or knits that don’t pill are worth it.
//Types of clothing you save on: T-Shirts
//Your greatest extravagance: Wardrobe space! And buying Manolo Blahnik suede Maysale mules during intense lockdown (I had nowhere to wear them).
//Brands That Will Stand the Test of Time: Brands with personality that do their own thing rather than follow trends, like Dries Van Noten, Miu Miu and Prada. Though they might not be so classic or ‘safe’ at first glance, brands like those have a unique sensibility and approach that is quite timeless, but with personality.
//Favorite High Street Brands: Zara, & OtherStories , Uniqlo, Cos
//Favorite Designer Brands: Dries Van Noten - I am always searching for this on TRR and Vestiaire! I’ve admired his work for years, so interviewing him a few years ago in his headquarters in Antwerp while I was working at VOGUE was a highlight.
Lanvin (Alber Elbaz era) - I followed his career even when I was in school. I loved his work for YSL and later Lanvin, but obviously couldn’t afford it when he was there so I buy his designs (mostly jewellery and dresses) off TRR and Vestiaire.
Prada - a fashion vanguard for a reason. She is an intellectual but translates it into clothes that really come to define what is ‘Fashion’ (with a capital F now) while still being interesting, tasteful and that covetable Milanese chic.
Chanel - there are elements of Chanel that are basically shorthand for chic; it’s most fun when it’s mixed up into what you naturally wear or with something that’s a bit ‘off’.
Khaite - I remember Catherine Holstein’s eponymous when it launched and was always wondering what she’d do next. I love the jeans.
Toteme - I’ve followed Elin Kling’s career since I interviewed her over 10 years ago. I wear so much Toteme now, it’s ideal for my life now; the boots, blouses, knitwear and ruched dresses that can easily be dressed up or down.
Some of my favourite Australian designers, off the top of my head:
Zimmermann - an Australian fashion icon for a reason
Sir the label - great dresses - I particularly love their stiff cotton T-shirts at the moment
Viktoria + Woods - perfect for the workwear/loungewear mix
Bassike - they make the kind of easy linen clothes that you’ll see someone on the street wearing casually, but still looking elegant
Matin - beautiful relaxed classic pieces with a twist
Christopher Esber - I have several pairs of his bias cut pants. They are THE BEST.
Michael Lo Sordo - stunningly made silk pieces.
Aje: beautiful voluminous pieces in great fabrics.
//Favorite High-Low Brands to Mix: Everything and anything - I have great pieces from Zara and H&M that I’ve owned for over 10 years and still continue to wear. Really identifiable designer brands like Chanel are made more interesting when you dress it down with high street or vintage.
//Favorite Places to Shop Consignment: eBay, Vestaire, The RealReal
//Favorite Places to Consign Your Own Closet: eBay, Vestaire, I would do it at other places if The RealReal or Poshmark made it easier to do it from Australia!
//Currently Collecting Dust in the Back of your Closet: A Miu Miu metallic brocade ‘60s-style mini shift dress that I’ve never worn but I’m waiting for the ‘perfect’ occasion.
//Your Closet Tried and Trues: Black leggings: The Row or Wardrobe.NYC
Black turtleneck: Cos
T-shirt: Maggie Marilyn
Bag: flat Fendi crossbody baguette.
Statement jewellery: Tilly Sveaas gold chain necklace.
A good watch
//Most prized possession: My engagement ring - it’s a square diamond with a border.
//Best investment you ever made in your style: Surprisingly it’s some really fun OTT pieces: a printed Dries van Noten skirt with cascading orange feathers and a vintage Chanel charm necklace from the 1980s that I bought in Tokyo. It’s that unexpectedly fun element.
//Style Choice From Your Past That Haunts You: I was one of those kids that always wanted to grow up, so I didn’t really want to dress like other teens! I always loved fashion - I grew up watching Style by Elsa Klensch on CNN - so I was really clear on what I liked or didn’t like and usually don’t go for trends. I still own and wear clothes from high school.
//“It seemed like a good idea at the time” a.k.a Purchase you most regret: I bought high street copies of the Dior heels that Sarah Jessica Parker wore in the Sex and the City movie and never wore them because they were way too high.
//Closet From Which You Would Like to Borrow: Alexa Chung (she has a great denim collection) and Lauren Santo Domingo.
//Last Time You Splurged? Last month; I bought Magda Butrym knee-high zebra-print horsehair boots. They were on a massive sale, but they’re pretty eye-catching so not the easiest thing to wear!
//Currently Saving Your Pennies For: A Sagitine shoe shelf and a Hermès Constance.
Photo Credit: Tanja Gacic
//A Deal for the History Books/Your T&T Personal Best: I bought a black taffetta portrait-neckline wrap blouse from 1990s Donna Karan for $10 at a designer consignment store.
//Advice to someone looking to define their own style: Find images of everything you like visually; from photos of celebrities new and old, fashion runways, street style, and anything else that you just love. Look at them all together and work out what the commonalities are. When I look at images I’ve saved on my phone, Instagram or Pinterest, it’s pretty funny how similar they all are. I love a seemingly classic look with some crazy proportions or extravagant detailing thrown in - that element of unexpectedness.
//Trend you wish would go away? Dressing in a trend.
//You feel great. What are you wearing? Blazé Milano blazer and The Row Leggings
//Occasions when you splurge: I don’t splurge for occasions because if I see something great that I don’t necessarily have a time or place to wear it, I’ll buy it and keep it for then - also, it’s so much chicer to wear out of season rather than when it’s brand new and everyone’s seen it all over the place.
//Occasions when you save: Pajamas. I love my Qantas grey jersey pajama sets.
//Home Decor Style: Similar to how I dress - classic with a twist. If it’s too ‘classic’ (think: marble, gold trims, grey, beige, white) it’s just so blergh and literally beige.
//Favorite place to hunt for home decor: Online! I love to browse and dream on 1stDibs.
//Go-to for unique items, whether it be clothing, accessories, home or art: Stores in areas that aren’t considered ‘young and trendy’. Or, Etsy - if you are prepared to trawl, you can find some beautiful pieces at great deals.
//Your fashion motto: It’s just fashion, it’s meant to be fun.
//Your life motto: Make the most of it.
Fill in the blank:
//A woman should invest in- having a point of view. //You’re never too old to—have long hair. //A woman can never have too much- wit. // Bury Me In: gold jewellery. //True or False: More is More- depends on the context! //Fashion is- a way of expressing oneself. //Style is: your identity.
Currently Loving:
//Music: Haim, Theophilus London.
//Print: New York Times, Bon Appetit magazine, New Yorker, Financial Times, WSJ magazine, Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld (I love her other books too, like You Think It, I’ll Say It, and American Wife), How To Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
//Food: Laksa
//Drink: Cappuccino, latte, dirty chai (I’m interested in all forms of coffee)
//Film: Booksmart
//Podcast: Freakonomics, Shameless
//Instagram Handle: @meccabeauty
//Designer: Toteme
Photo Credit: Alice Mahran
ABOUT ZARA
Growing up in Papua New Guinea, Zara Wong has had over a decades experience in the worlds of content creation and strategy in the media and retail industries at names such as Vogue and MECCA, a multi-brand beauty retailer across Australia and New Zealand.
Working at Vogue as Fashion Features and Content Strategy Director, she covered international fashion weeks and conducted in-depth interviews at Vogue ranging from Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid and Dua Lipa to Dries Van Noten and Isabel Marant as well as ideating and initiating Vogue Codes, an annual summit celebrating women in technology and entrepreneurship. As Head of Content at MECCA, she oversees all content at MECCA - words, photography and video - and is part of campaign ideation and new projects.
Previously, she interned in New York at WWD and Vogue US, as well as Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. She has a double bachelors degree in Arts and Commerce, with first class honours in International Business.
From Sydney, she is now based in Melbourne. She loves to cook, travel and read anything and everything.
FIND ZARA
Photos used courtesy of Zara Wong
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