An unserious review of my favorite outfits of 2024
Featuring A-line skirts, leopard print, and no fewer than six vests
If you’re new here, hello! Welcome to the Esther Studio newsletter. Thank you so much for stopping by. I’m Carly, PhD, a marketing professor slash artist living in the Midwest. I like talking about personal style, and I spend a lot of time making jewelry. If you like these topics as much as I do, consider subscribing so you don’t miss a post!
I love the mellow optimism of late December. It’s a gift to be able to take the time to reflect on the year and form hopes and dreams about the next one. And since I’m still on break for the holidays, I can get by with being all talk and no action. “Doing stuff” starts in a few days.
In keeping with the lowkey vibe in my house, today’s newsletter is a decidedly unserious review of my favorite outfits of 2024.
I started taking daily outfit photos in January of this year, and now I’m excited to look back and see the highs and the lows. However, since this newsletter is my public time capsule and I can do with it what I please… you get to see the highs, and I’ll keep the lows in a folder on my desktop for personal analysis.
(There’s nothing wrong with them, per se, but I don’t need to critique myself on the internet when my students will do that for me on RateMyProfessor.com! *cries in academic*)
Below, I’ll break down my top 10 favorite looks from 2024, and finish with some style ideas I want to explore in 2025.
First, two pieces of administration:
If you like this kind of post, please consider following Esther Studio on Instagram, where I regularly share outfit roundups along with product-related updates. I’m also inching towards 400 followers over there, and will be doing a jewelry giveaway when I reach that milestone. Come join the fun!
I don’t use affiliate links, but in this post I’m sharing the brand of each item pictured to help answer an Esther Studio FAQ, “Where do you like to shop?” That being said, I encourage you to think widely about how you can recreate a look if it appeals to you, because personal style does not depend on corporations.
Okay, let’s look at these outfits - in no particular order!
1. Fishing expedition chic
A lesson in contrast! The blue floral skirt is one of the most feminine things in my wardrobe, and the lil utility vest is one of the most masculine. I think together they create a wonderfully balanced look, which I then grounded with black. The pockets in that vest, by the way, carry all my secrets.
I really love this statement necklace! It’s definitely the biggest necklace I’ve ever made, and the effect is eyecatching but not overwhelming. I think it serves to bring the eye upward around the face area.
2. Paisley professor on duty
This is a very “me” outfit: mismatched prints, vest, red lip, and my favorite skirt. The star of the show is the paisley vest my student, Brynn, thrifted for me. Brynn has her own vintage business (follow her on Instagram!) so she’s always on the prowl for treasures. I was honored that she thought of me - a true Vest Person - when she saw it.
Pairing my new-to-me paisley with stripes felt like the right thing to do, and I love how the accessories gave me some polish for work.
3. Doing the absolute most
I know this one is a bit chaotic and that’s what I like about it. I bought the ruffled vest in December 2022 and has proven to be quite difficult to style. Once I realized that it plays best with other voluminous pieces, though, I was set.
You might notice that this red skirt is the same style as the navy skirt pictured above. I own several A-line skirts from this brand, and I thrifted all but the original navy one on Poshmark. The red, my latest addition, was a bit of a gamble, but I love how it looks with the blue shoes!
4. Fall professor classics with a twist
I don’t wear jeans when I’m teaching, but I love to pair them with a blazer for a more casual day around the office. Lately, though, I find myself a bit lost when it comes to this once-reliable combination. This attempt felt good, and I think it comes down to the heeled boots, which gave me some height against a rather domineering blazer silhouette.
These burgundy boots were another hard-to-style purchase, chiefly because they aren’t my usual black or brown. Once I realized I can just treat them like they’re a neutral, though, they made more sense. Here I’ve paired them with my silver totebag, which pushes things into more playful, rather than strictly classic, territory.
5. Canadian gal in American colo(u)rs
I wore this red, white, and navy blue outfit for a marathon day of “stuff” at work - meetings, followed by three hours of teaching. It was so comfortable, which is why it’s now the template for future teaching-day outfits. I’ve mentioned before that I was late to the sneakers-with-trousers party, but now that I’m here, I’m not leaving.
I’ve been getting a lot of wear out of this red beaded necklace I made, too! It’s been so great to pop on with anything that needs a bit of brightness, and it plays well with my everyday gold chains.
6. Yes to mini-skirts after age 35
This might be my favorite teaching outfit of the year! I love how it’s dressy while still being comfortable and cozy, thanks to the wool and tweed.
A word about this mini skirt: like many millennials, I grew up watching the makeover show What Not to Wear. The show was very entertaining, but in hindsight it enforced rigid style rules that make people feel bad about themselves, a common phenomenon that I wrote about in October.
I clearly remember that the show’s intro featured a street sign that said “No mini skirts after 35.” Naturally, I internalized this idea that we should cover up as we get older. Over the past few years, as I inched into my mid-30s, I had to shake myself free of the notion that a mini skirt has an expiry date.
I must have done a decent job at deprogramming myself, because I celebrated my 36th birthday in October and realized that this is one of my favorite fall/winter silhouettes. So you’ll be seeing more of my kneecaps in the coming months and years to come!
7. Reunited with my best vest
This photo will be familiar to some of you! I recently wrote about the feelings that bubbled up when I outgrew my favorite faux shearling vest that I’d had since 2016. This is the replacement, thrifted in a larger size!
I love the way it looks with my wide leg jeans and pussy-bow blouse. It’s such a perfect casual-but-polished look that leans a bit 70s, which is a departure for me.
The pussy-bow blouse has been such a great addition to my wardrobe, and I’m excited to wear it more this winter. I found it on the Talbots website after Googling “pussy bow blouse,” and was so excited to learn that it came in petite sizing. This was a great example of not being a snob about where an item comes from if I like how it looks and fits. Talbots doesn’t scream “hip” but this blouse is well made and fit the exact image I had in mind!
8. Dressed to impress [the Girl Scouts]
I wore this outfit to teach a local Girl Scout troop how to make beaded bracelets. (Hi to troop leader and Esther Studio reader Regina!)
For this occasion, I wanted to dress in an approachable way, while still being me. The pink silk scarf is more Boy Scout than Girl Scout, but we’re all Scouts here, so I’m unbothered!
These leopard pants, along with my camouflage pants, have been such a fun way to add instant personality to an outfit without trying very hard. Plaid, stripes, and polka dots could do the same job!
9. The puffy princess sleeves of my dreams
When I was a little girl, I used to draw princesses with puffy sleeved dresses - a major theme in my artistic development, according to my dad.
Accordingly, this thrifted puffy sleeved blouse makes me feel very much like myself. While I have stained the collar with my ample sweating, I love the way my thrifted pearl collar necklace works as a cover-up. Many people think it’s part of the blouse, so the stain is now our little secret!
10. Bulldog not included
My blue floral skirt makes a second appearance in this roundup! This is my take on a monochromatic look, featuring a navy corduroy vest and navy loafers. I don’t enjoy a head-to-toe one-color look on me, but I have so much blue in my closet that it’s easy to pair everything together like this. The white t-shirt adds the visual contrast I crave.
Now let me say what we’re all thinking: Isn’t my girl Ruby adorable? I love her and I’m glad she shows up so regularly in my outfit photos!
A quick look ahead to 2025 outfits
Keeping things unserious, there are a few things I’m excited about for the coming year:
I just discovered wide calf, knee-high boots and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again! As soon as I’m dressing for work again, my athletic calves will be comfortable and my mini skirt outfits will be unparalleled! (For those who are part of the wide calf club, check out Vince Camuto and Poppy Barley!)
I’ll definitely be making more chunky statement necklaces for myself soon. If this is something you’re interested in, let me know and I can make some to sell!
Reflecting on my hair in these photos, I really love my hair at its shortest (chin length). It’s so playful and easy to manage! Moving forward, I’ll be booking more frequent haircuts to keep this look rolling.
I did a lot of experimenting with my style in 2024. Nonetheless, I’m sure you can see lots of themes in these outfit photos, and so can I! I especially love my t-shirts, vests, and skirts, and I want to spend some time in 2025 really perfecting my key outfit formulas.
I hope you had fun exploring these highlights with me! Thanks, as always, for being here. I hope 2025 brings you lots of excellent outfit moments that (most importantly) make you feel amazing.