A week in work outfits with Australian photographer and stylist, Lexi Laphor

Mini skirts, platform Crocs and toy poodles.

Working in a creative role, it can be difficult to know how to dress for the day. Instead of having a set uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black pants (as much as I love both), an ever-changing schedule means every morning requires a set of questions. Am I running around, or just sitting at my desk? Do I need to dress specifically for a project? And most importantly, will I be in the background of someone’s TikTok?

This week, Australian photographer and stylist Lexi Laphor takes us through a week in her busy life. With a freelance work schedule that can take her anywhere, Lexi’s colourful and eclectic style showcases her love for all things creative.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

Lexi’s dynamic wardrobe masterfully balances fashion and function, comprised of thrifted vintage gems and one-of-a-kind gifts made by talented friends. And the most valuable accessory of all? Her toy poodle Eevee, of course.

Monday

Monday I started the week off like a boss. Here I am few doors down from my apartment and outside my storage unit. I get out a couple of set pieces to put in my car and take to today’s studio as I’ll need them for a job there tomorrow.

Today’s job, however, is an on-set day working as a photographer and shooting with a client that I love working with! Their brand aligns well with mine and my personal values, so I could really wear something fun and come to set as my fullest self as opposed to paring myself and my outfit down and beige-ing it up (as I sometimes have to do for jobs in Sydney).

Another great perk of clients like this is that I can bring my dog Eevee to set. She’s a tiny toy poodle named after a Pokémon and she sits on her little bed by me as I shoot and brightens the day for us all. I’m wearing my new Erik Yvon cap, Ksubi corset gifted to me by a PR office, a vintage slip skirt I bought earlier this year in San Francisco and thrifted Armani boots.

Tuesday

Tuesday I’m using colour blocking to give me the pep in my step that I will need for another long day on set. This time I’m doing set design, so I wear comfy shoes for a 10-plus hour day and pants because I’ll be up and down ladders carrying and moving heavy and weirdly shaped things all day. I have luckily been delivered specific sticky tapes I need for set today just in the nick of time, and I have a lot of water because it’s a minimal waste/plastic on-set kind of production.

I’m wearing sunnies from Melbourne Vintage Emporium, a tank top from Glebe Markets, I Am Gia cargo pants [that I] thrifted when I first moved to Sydney and have found in pink and purple, a bag from Poppy Lissiman, a Frank Green extra-huge drink bottle and Converse platform sneakers.

Wednesday

Wednesday I am tired and thank goodness I only have a day of shopping/sourcing wardrobe for an upcoming ad job. This pink warehouse is newly painted in my suburb and right near where I get my coffee which I need every day, but specifically very much at this moment. They are also dog-friendly, so Eevee will sit inside on my lap while I play my morning Gubbins and Wordle games and quickly gloss over my list with talent’s sizing and my ref images for the kind of stuff I’ll be seeking today.

I drive to Newtown, Eastgardens then end at Bondi Junction with little Eevee in a tote and photograph where I’ve parked each time… I have lost where I’ve parked (particularly in mall car parks) after a big sourcing day a few times too many.

I’m wearing one of my most beloved possessions, my decade-old Compacti Seth Bogart T-shirt ‘eating makeup’, which I got live from his set way back when in the States. I’m also wearing my decade-long pink hand-dyed slip which I bought at a market up near Lismore and Nimbin one summer en route to Ponyland.

[I’m also wearing] my Keoma tote bag – there’s a little cartoon face on the bag that looks just like Eevee! It’s by Keoma Store in Melbourne whose owner has a dog just like mine and gifted it to me when we visited the year before last. Finally, I’m wearing my platform Crocs which were also a PR gift and that I marked up with tar from a hot road day… frantically snapping holiday art shots in Oakland earlier last year.

Thursday

Thursday is my day off but I’m having a fun art day meeting with my colleague and friend who I work with in film. He’s a production designer and queer and a Leo, so he can handle a fun and extra ’fit.

I am showing him the Lousie Bourgeois exhibition currently on at The National Art Gallery of NSW, and I’m so excited because I saw one of her iconic spider sculptures in upstate New York in 2017 by chance and it was so deeply inspiring. Also, this curation will be possibly one of the most varied and biggest collections of her pieces, borrowed from all over the world galleries and private collections, etc.

I love working freelance and being able to go to things on the weekdays when there are less people there. A day off to be inspired and social is perfect, especially on a picturesque Sydney summer day. I’m wearing a Glassons mini skirt, a tank top handmade by a stall holder at Rose Bowl Markets in LA, a diamante-encrusted denim apology bag gifted to me by a friend and some old thrifted snakeskin boots getting to see that sun again… I pulled [them] out on Monday from my storage unit that had been delegated to the styling boxes for years.

Friday

Friday I get to rest until the afternoon, when I’m popping to Carriageworks for a few hours to snap an event. Across the road from my apartment, there’s this old-school shoe company headquarters and they sometimes let me park there on Fridays.

I have my camera and laptop and I’m wearing my new Olivia Rowan dress for the first time… I’m ready for the muggy-as-hell-but-hopefully-will-rain kind of weather with my fave Buffalo gumboots.

For more of Lexi’s looks, follow her on Instagram here.