Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of New Zealand stylist and photographer, Chloe Hill
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAEVE O’CONNELL
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU AND IZZY WIGHT
“I know what I love and I know how to say no to things that won’t bring me joy.”
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years) and our series Hey, I Like Your Style! dives into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking the good, the bad and the 2007.
While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless of outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
These are the stories behind the wardrobes, exploring how we develop our own personal style. There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. This week, we’re stepping into the wardrobe of Aotearoa-based stylist and photographer, Chloe Hill.
Watch your step, there are patterned sweaters, shiny pencil skirts and colourful point-toe shoes everywhere you turn. Chloe is a living embodiment of dopamine dressing; block colours, oversized silhouettes and funky prints form the repertoire of her daily dressing. From stepping up at a time when neutral minimalism was all the rage to picking up a Marc Jacobs skirt for one pound, Chloe has watched New Zealand and Australia’s fashion landscape change rapidly over the years.
Despite it all, Chloe has stayed true to her unwavering personal style (it might be why most of my Instagram saves are of her outfits). Here, Chloe provides a sneak peek into her dressing process and shares what the evolution of her fashion sense has looked like.
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Who are you and what do you like to wear?
I’m Chloe Hill, I’m a stylist and a slashie (out of necessity; New Zealand is a small place, with a very small fashion industry)! I love to wear colours and prints [and] random combinations that might elicit smiles from passersby. Pretty much anything that makes me happy is a yes!
What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
I moved to Sydney at 18, absolutely clueless style-wise. It was the beginning of the blogger era and online shopping had just opened up a plethora of possibilities. The options really felt endless, but my budget… was next to nothing. So I really went hard on classic, multitasking pieces which, looking back, was actually a smart move.
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I ripped up my own jeans, bought Country Road ballet flats, pilfered the Net-a-Porter end of season 80 per cent off section for striped T-shirts, neutral accessories and so on. But a few years in, establishing myself in the industry (I was an intern, then a Fashion Assistant at Cleo mag) I started to realise what I was wearing wasn’t me. I was bored, and it was causing me to shop more often and never feel fulfilled.
So I started to edge towards pieces that made me happy – patterned sweaters, shiny pencil skirts and colourful point-toe shoes. Gradually I found my groove, and now I’m happy to say I’m so happy and secure in myself and my wardrobe. I know what I love and I know how to say no to things that won’t bring me joy.
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Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
Funnily enough, finding my own colourful personal style coincided with a minimal[ism] explosion. [It was] right when Instagram was really gaining traction and the new ‘it’ girls were posting black and white outfits alongside avo on toast. I stood out like a sore thumb!!
Just imagine me in head-to-toe colour and prints walking into a chic Sydney fashion event where everyone was wearing identical white off-the-shoulder tops. I never felt like I should change, but I was aware that from a branding perspective, I would be perceived as more trendy if I gave into dressing like everyone else.
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Anyway, a few more years passed and Alessandro Michele made the industry implode, thanks to his whimsical creativity as he stepped up to helm Gucci. Suddenly I wasn’t the only one in Sydney wearing colour!! Thankfully the industry hasn’t returned to that ostere (read: boring) mood since then.
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
I was beyond clueless about fashion; I grew up in a suburban town in New Zealand and the epitome of style was going to [the shopping centre] to buy whatever was at the front of the store (aka whatever everyone else was wearing).
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I remember a brown polar fleece hoodie being high on rotation in my final year of high school (ughhh). I also remember being so frugal with spending that I would buy super-discounted things that didn’t fit. I wish I could go back and tell my teenage self [to] save up and buy something that actually fits!
What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
Most expensive is a Chanel black quilted bag I saved up for and bought [it] on my first trip to Paris – [it’s] so cheesy but oh my gosh that was a worthwhile purchase! The least would be all my op shop finds, I have so many. Oh, also back in the day I somehow managed to get my hands on a Marc Jacobs skirt for one pound, back when they used to do amazing birthday celebrations!
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What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
I’ve got a horse-print shirt that was my grandma’s, she passed away just after I moved back to New Zealand in 2020. I’ve never worn it but have it stashed away safely as a keepsake.
Who or what influences your style?
My mood, what makes me happy [and] random things I see in my day-to-day. Right now I have tulips blooming in my garden and they’re making me gravitate to ruffles and bold colours.
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What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
I’ve been attending a lot of pōwhiris (traditional Māori welcoming ceremonies) as I’m studying the Māori language this year, so I’ve suddenly become very interested in long dark skirts that fit in with the formal dress code. Midi and long skirts have always been a go-to style for me.
[So] now I’m on the lookout for some darker vintage styles that will also be beautiful to mix back with my colourful wardrobe for day-to-day. I also have a Tiffany and Co pearl necklace I never take off so I’m thinking I would love to get some other pearl styles that work for day-to-day; a bracelet maybe.
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What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
My Tiffany and Co pearl necklace, stockings (I get them all from Swedish Stockings, they’re the most long-lasting), detailed cardigans, midi and mini skirts and practical-yet-cute high boots.
Who are your favourite local designers?
Paris Georgia, they always do a great block colour in every collection! Wynn Hamlyn for knitwear and beautiful tailoring, Kate Sylvester for my favourite feminine cuts – she always does a long-sleeved dress!
For more of Chloe’s outfits, head here.
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