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Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Goodspace co-founder Steph Lane

IMAGE VIA @STEPHANIELOUISE/INSTAGRAM

WORDS BY AMY FOCIC

“I think the key difference for me with getting older has been that I now really dress for myself as opposed to dressing for how I want other people to perceive me.”

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, content creator, co-founder of vintage furniture business Goodspace, and mum Steph Lane takes us into her wardrobe.

With a penchant for mixing local labels and vintage, Steph uses clothing as a vehicle for self-expression and creativity. Take a peek into her style evolution below.

Who are you and what do you like to wear?

Hello, I’m Steph. I’m a content creator, I’m one half of Goodspace and I’m a mum! I love to wear clothes that express my mood, that make me feel good, and most of all that are fun to wear!

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

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

When I think back over my style evolution I realise that even though the style of clothes I choose to wear may have changed, I have always really used clothes as a way to express myself. I think the really wonderful thing about fashion is it can be such a great way to show the world what you’re all about. I think the key difference for me with getting older has been that I now really dress for myself as opposed to dressing for how I want other people to perceive me.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

I think a major thing for me is getting to a point where I am really comfortable within myself. It’s given me the confidence to push the boundaries within my own expression and the clothes I wear. I think I really had to shake the hangover from being a teenager in the 2000s – the beauty standards that were thrust upon us all really impacted the way I felt I could dress. There was absolutely no space back then for people with big boobies and bums as far as fashion goes.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

I feel so delighted now that there are so many more options, more representation, and celebration of a far broader spectrum of bodies within the fashion industry. Putting together an outfit that I love honestly brings me so much joy, I love pushing the boundaries by splicing together lots of colours, textures and pieces from different eras of fashion.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

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

Yes absolutely, I think the moment in time that I felt this the most was after I became a mum. I was only 22 at the time and I felt this immense sense of pressure to ditch my style and start dressing in a way that made me look more ‘together’. Being quite young at the time, I would often have people in public comment that I looked too young to be a mum. It was something that made me feel really self-conscious about the way I needed to present myself to the world.

I really lost my fashion identity and started dressing head to toe in beige linens. I think society really wants mums to be perceived in a certain way and it’s usually not as being creative with fashion or super sexy. We see it all the time through the way that mums are presented in the media and advertising. Over the last couple of years, I have come to the realisation that mums are hot and can wear whatever they want.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

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

I mean emo is cool again right? I was a full-blown side fringe, band shirt-wearing emo as a teenager and honestly I don’t regret it. I think pieces of that time still live on in my personal style to this day. I think if I was to have any regrets it would just be that I wish I could go back and tell my little self not to worry so much about what everyone thinks.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?

It would absolutely be the 1990s nylon Prada tote that my friends bought me for my 30th birthday, I use it every day!

Do you take your style inspiration from anywhere or anyone in particular?

I take inspiration from everywhere! I love to clash together a mix of ’70s, ’90s and early 2000s fashion.

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get out of their fashion comfort zone?

Take baby steps. Spend an afternoon going through your wardrobe and mix and match together items in new combinations. See what feels good on and then go from there!

 

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A post shared by Steph ~ (@stephanielouise)

What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?

My ’90s vintage pleather coat, my silk Lucinda blouse from Sister Studios and my mesh clouds skirt from Highrack Studios.

See more of Steph’s killer looks here.

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