Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Australian author and host, Linda Marigliano

“I’ve always enjoyed a balance between baggier tomboy fits and more chic, femme pieces.”

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 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 taking a step inside the wardrobe of Australian author, host and musician, Linda Marigliano. Her style finds the balance between masculine and feminine elements (“balletic leotards tucked into slouchy, skater-boy-looking pants”) and Chinese and Italian culture. It’s her nonna’s gold jewellery worn with a cheongsam, a floaty Pleats Please blouse tucked into relaxed denim. With a new season of her podcast Tough Love just released, Linda looks back on her style journey below.

Who are you and what do you like to wear?

I’m an Italian-Chinese-Australian girl who loves food, music, movies and books. I’ve been a radio and TV presenter, and now I’m a podcaster and author. I like to wear things that are fun and a little chic, yet practical.

What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?

I think my personal style has been somewhat consistent over the years. I’ve always enjoyed a balance between baggier tomboy fits and more chic, femme pieces. I think my teenage-dancer days have instilled a love of balletic leotards tucked into slouchy, skaterboy-looking pants.

When the sun’s out, I’ve always enjoyed showing a bit of skin. Recently, I’ve loved leaning into my Chinese jade jewellery collection of bangles and pendant necklaces, as well as a traditional cheongsam for special events. I also have some of my nonna’s Italian gold jewellery which has been handed down to me.

I think I’m more excited to show my Italian and Chinese heritage these days, compared to being a teenager and wanting to fit in with White Australian surfer-girl culture, which I always felt quite outside of and slightly awkward trying to wear. As I’ve gotten older, I do feel like I have gained confidence in the way I carry myself – which is really a combination of what I’m wearing and how I’m feeling.

Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?

When I was in my early twenties, my best friends and I started a band and moved to London. We were making dark indie pop music, bordering on new wave and punk, and it seemed clear that our aesthetic was as important as the sound we were making. I remember our record label helping to style us for live shows, photoshoots and music videos.

We dressed as glamorous, goth-y femme fatales. I leaned into that fashion box – wearing black miniskirts and stilettos on stage, and learning how to do cat eyeliner in a barely lit backstage toilet. I recall almost toppling over under the weight of my bass guitar while on stage in Germany, which would have looked hilarious!

I should have been wearing sneakers and moving the way I wanted to, to the music. But instead, I thought I’d look sexier and more rockstar-ish in the heels and tight skirts. Looking back, I think I took myself a little too seriously in the way I was styled and tried to play a role that wasn’t completely authentic to me.

Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?

I love the early noughties so I do quite appreciate what my teenage self was wearing, besides the extra unnecessary array of surf-branded outfits. I wish I still had my range of boob tubes and cargo pants from that era! Even seeing my ultra-thin eyebrows in old photos looks charming to me now.

It was a real Gwen Stefani, All Saints and Nelly Furtado moment. I definitely wanted to look like I could be the host of ABC TV’s Recovery music show or anything on MTV, so I was obsessed with tight Mambo Goddess T-shirts, my army pants and spotting boys with eyebrow rings at the local Westfield. The only thing I’d say to my teenage self is “Lay off the Reef Oil, Lindy! You don’t need to get a tan!”

What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?

I have a pair of white jeans that I bought for two dollars at an op shop in Edinburgh over a decade ago that I still love! I remember getting home to try them on in front of my mirror and being astounded at how perfectly they fit my ass and the length of my (short) legs.

As for the most expensive items, it’s more a case of how much I have invested in a single brand because there is a ridiculous amount of Issey Miyake Pleats Please pieces in my wardrobe – pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, tops, everything in every colour. I love mixing and matching items, or committing to wearing the matching top and bottom.

I feel clean, comfortable and majestic when wearing them, and love that I can pair them with bouncy sneakers or heels depending on the occasion. The Pleats Please store in Tokyo is absolutely where I’ve spent the most money! My friends and I have a saying about this store, that you can “Buy now, wear now!”, which is when we’ve gone shopping and bought a whole new outfit to stride out of the store wearing. It’s silly but a lot of fun.

What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?

A soft corduroy shirt that originally belonged to my mum in the ’80s. It’s a deep red, with a black printed pattern of a man riding a horse. I have photos of my mum wearing it while carrying me as a toddler. Somewhere along the way she was painting in it, so there are some white paint splashes on the elbows. It’s oversized and billowy, and I wear it thrown over a tight singlet with some relaxed-fit blue jeans, just like Mum did. It’s a casual piece that I’ll never let go of.

Who or what influences your style?

I love lots of girls! Off the top of my head, Kiko Mizuhara always looks fun and chic. Dua Lipa is a modern goddess at red-carpet events. Bjork still takes the risks we all aspire to. Alexa Chung is an OG sensual elf on the streets. I also follow lots of skateboarders on Instagram because I love how they look and move.

And my mum absolutely influences my style too, especially when I see stunning photos of her in the ’80s and ’90s. She managed to look glamorous and put together at all times, even when she was being super casual. Colours popped against her brown skin, and her nails and lips were always a perfect shade of red.

What fashion piece are you saving for right now?

I’d love to treat myself to a vintage Prada pink cheongsam from S/S 2002! It’s divine! It’s silky, sleeveless and with a traditional high-neck cheongsam collar, which I adore. It’s mid-length and has a ruched seam at the waist… while I don’t love a ruched moment normally, I think it looks spectacular… and so flattering.

It’s in a shade of pale pink with a deep pink floral design – classic Chinese cheongsam territory – and I think I could dress it with edgier makeup, hair and shoes which will contrast with the straight girliness of it. Wanna buy it for me? Thank you!

What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?

All of my Issey Miyake Pleats Please items are staples. There’s a magenta pair of pants and a matching shirt that is one of my favourite ensembles. I always pull it out when I want to feel crisp and bright-minded.

Who are your favourite local designers?

My favourites local heroes are Perks and Mini (P.A.M), who I have bought so much from over the years! Also am a fan of Alix Higgins, Christopher Esber and Em On Holiday. I have a load of Matteau swimsuits, plus items from Incu Collection and recently I’ve fallen for Lmnd shirts. I have a pink and cherry pinstripe shirt from them that is on high rotation for me at the moment!

You can follow Linda for more here.