Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Sydney-based stylist and content creator, Millie Sykes
IMAGE VIA @milliesykess/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY FASHION JOURNAL
“The more extravagant the looks have gotten, the more aligned I’ve felt with myself.”
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 exploring the vibrant wardrobe of Sydney-based content creator and stylist, Millie Sykes. Her style is an explosion of colourful, campy and eclectic pieces. With a flair for the dramatic, each outfit she puts together is memorable for all the right reasons; for Millie the more extravagant, the better. Read on for their style journey.
Who are you and what do you like to wear?
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My name is Millie Sykes, I’m a digital content creator and stylist based in Sydney. I like to wear things that look like I’m at a Studio 54 party on Mars.
What has your style evolution looked like? Do you feel like you’ve gained confidence in the way you dress?
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I come from a small town so it wasn’t until I was 18 and moved away from home that I felt I could really explore my style. I moved to Sydney, left most of my clothes behind and thrifted a whole new wardrobe that felt much more aligned with all the Tumblr girlies I was infatuated with and the albums of movie stills I’d saved onto my laptop. I feel like each year since then has been a new chapter/evolution. The more extravagant the looks have gotten, the more aligned I’ve felt with myself.
Personal style is a journey. Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
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As a teenager, I definitely felt I had to appeal to conventional beauty standards to be liked. But I think I always associated being an ‘adult’ with the superpower of wearing whatever you want. I couldn’t wait to leave my hometown because leaving meant I’d finally get to play out all of the fanciful visions I had in mind for future Millie.
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Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
Not even my awkward teenage years BUT when I was probably 21 I decided I’d buy some gorgeous material and sew my own fits to wear to Subsonic Music Festival. Could I sew? Absolutely not. But I had a dream. After making one semi-okay look I decided I was CBF on sewing the second and instead would just tie the material around my body, loincloth style. Unfortunately, this approach wasn’t very structurally sound. I ended up spending most of the day with one boob hanging out and eventually lost the bottom half completely. No regrets though.
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What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
Most expensive probably my Fluevog munsters… but they’re permanently affixed to my feet so have more than paid their way. Least expensive [would be] my collection of novelty stockings and thigh-high socks I find in party stores.
What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
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I try not to attach too much meaning to the pieces in my wardrobe… saves me pain when I inevitably spill my drink on them or lend them to a friend and forget about them for three years. I have a few pieces that have been passed on to me from family members, like my grandmother’s red ’70s evening gown. I remember asking her to pull it out to show me nearly every time I’d visit her as a child. These pieces are definitely my most sentimental for the memories they hold.
What’s in your cart at the moment?
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A tiny squishy Marshall Columbia handbag. And in the cart it will most likely stay.
What fashion piece are you saving for right now?
The tiny Marshall Columbia bag! Somebody please! (Also have not stopped thinking about Merrfer The Brand’s upcycled bow kitten heels since I saw them.)
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
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Underwear, every day. I also live in a diverse selection of Crocs year-round.
Who are your favourite local designers?
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Romance Was Born! For all the extravagance, spectacle, colour and whimsy they bring to this industry. Poppy Lissiman for the sexiest accessory selection this side of the equator and Dykesport for the most insane original graphics/prints I’ve seen.
Immerse yourself in more of Millie’s looks here.
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