Hey, I Like Your Style! The inimitable style of Melbourne-based duo Ginger and Carman
IMAGE VIA @GINGERANDCARMAN/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“Between the two of us, there are decades of evolution… what those years gave us is confidence in trusting that our style instincts are always right.”
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years), so we’ve introduced a new series Hey, I Like Your Style! diving 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 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 chatting to a duo who knows their stuff. Posting under the pseudonyms Ginger and Carman, the Melbourne-based friends started documenting their well-dressed ‘escapades’ on a 2019 holiday to Paris (fittingly). Their first TikTok – an elegant parking garage fashion show – amassed over one million likes, with the top comment being ‘If this isn’t me and my best friend in the future, then I don’t want it’. Couldn’t agree more.
Who are you and what do you like to wear?
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We’re friends that create content on TikTok and Insta to send out positive vibes with a fashionable edge. We go on urban escapades and are constantly getting sidetracked; always maintaining a sense of fun and spontaneity.
We like to wear comfortable outfits that fit our personal aesthetic expression and identity. Walking out the door, putting our most authentic selves forward and owning it is key.
What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
Between the two of us, there are decades of evolution. We wore the original retro items – flares and shoulder pads! What those years gave us is confidence in trusting that our style instincts are always right. These days, there’s no second-guessing and we spend much less time trying items on in dressing rooms (although we do like testing this theory).
Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
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Fashion pressure has always been a societal thing, hasn’t it? Trying to fit into a box was almost a rite of passage. The trick to getting out of that box is to not feel coerced into wearing what’s on-trend, but owning your unique style and rockin’ it. The journey is slow but rewards you forever.
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
As any ’70s surfie or sharpie will say – treads! Who came up with the idea of chopping up car tyres for footwear and adorning it with woven strips of leather? Tragic!
An honourable mention to ‘casual clothes’ day at school circa 1975, when you desperately wanted Levis but your mum bought you The Big W knockoff version instead. Crushing.
What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
There are items we bought over 20 years ago that we just can’t seem to part with – Prue Acton pants, George Gross jackets (shoulder pads intact) and Sportcraft “slacks”! They were expensive then and they’re still working for us now. All of our cheaper items have sadly ended up in landfills – sustainable choices were not made back then.
Today’s global advocacy for slow and sustainable fashion has been a long time coming. We love to scour Vinnies and Brotherhood for our affordable gems, like $12 button-down shirts and $70 pure wool coats.
Cost is not directly proportional to style, so be careful what you covet and where your money goes. The preciousness of garments lies in the cut, the fabric and how you wear it, not the price tag!
What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
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Both of our wardrobes hold cherished family heirlooms. Ginger has a divine little Valentino jumper with an embroidered sequinned heart from her mother and Carman’s aunty passed down some of her fabulous ’60s leather coats.
What’s in your cart at the moment?
We like to shop in brick and mortar stores instead of online. For us, the joy of shopping is the touch and feel of beautiful clothing; the discovery of unexpected pieces. Our carts are currently empty, sorry!
What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
Our sartorial hunt is on hold for obvious reasons but when we’re able, we’ll be looking out for elegant jumpsuits to wear for our next shoot. Carman also can’t get silver boots out of her head.
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
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The items on repeat are the ones that sit, fit and feel like a second skin. For Carman, it’s a pair of Scanlan Theodore pants found in an op shop for $25 and a Zadig velvet navy blazer bought in a Paris vintage store.
Ginger’s favourites are a fabulous orange vegan leather coat by House of Sunny and a pair of Golden Goose trainers. We also go nowhere without our sunglasses!
Who are your favourite local designers?
We’re always checking on E Nolan, Studio Marlene and Poet Studio to see what the young designers are up to. Lucy Folk and Szade Collection are our favourites for sunglasses.
Find more of Ginger and Carman’s killer looks here.
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