F&F sits down with finance-turned fashion star girl Sophie Jebsen to discuss the motives behind her comfortably elegant and curated wardrobe and highlight her inspiration from the Fall 2023 podiums.
1. Who/what incited your passion for fashion/style?
Both my parents have always had a very strong sense of style and aesthetics, and their interest in design and fashion has definitely been passed on to me.
My mother is very stylish, but she is maybe not as “nerdy” when it comes to fashion as I am. I think this is something that has come from my love of magazines. As a child, I would look through my Teen Vogues and my mother's magazines, tear out editorials and campaigns I loved, and make my own scrapbooks. My interest has just continued to grow from there and to me, fashion is so much more than what I choose to wear every day. It is such an interesting industry.
Via: Instagram - Sophie Jebsen (@sophiejebsen)
2. What inspires you when coming up with your day-to-day wardrobe?
Firstly, I work in finance, so my day-to-day wardrobe is made up of basics and pieces that I can wear both in a corporate setting and style differently for the weekend. It is during the weekends I have fun with clothes and experiment more, however, I find the question of what inspires me to have shifted a bit over the past year or so.
The things that have inspired me in the past, street style, Instagram, etc. have become a lot less inspiring to me. I feel almost everyone looks the same, dresses the same, and posts the same… Now I find inspiration in so many other things, it can be a colour combination in a painting, an old movie, a runway show, or someone I’ve seen on the tube (which happened yesterday).
On the importance of humour in accessories: I have also found that the people I draw the most inspiration from lately are those whose style differs the most from my own. It may sound counterintuitive but for me people like Leandra Medine Cohen, Gilda Ambrosio, Jenny Walton and Blanca Miro Scrimieri, whose styles differ from mine really inspire me to experiment more. I think the common denominator is that they all incorporate humor in what they wear and their personality really shines through. It inspires me to take elements from their styling and interpret it in my own way.
Above: Leandra Medine Cohen for AD, 2022
3. What is your favourite era in fashion?
I don't actually have a favourite era in fashion. It's funny because I am such a nostalgic person and I think about the past and old memories a lot. But I love fashion because it continuously evolves and I feel every season takes the best from something in the past and just makes it better. Therefore I can’t pinpoint an era that is my favourite.
However, I do have specific collections from the past that will always be favourites of mine, because they remind me of certain memories, feelings, or times in my life.
Via: Vogue Runway - Annotated by Sophie Jebsen
Wait, I almost have to take this back, my favourite era in fashion is the Phoebe Philo era. So many describe her designs as minimalist, but I actually think they were the opposite. Her designs were perhaps simple in many ways, but never easy, and always with elements of unexpectedness and humor. The fur slides, oversized bags, prints that bordered on ugly. But everything was so well balanced. Simply perfection…
Via: Vogue Runway - Annotated by Sophie Jebsen
4. If you could describe your style in three words, what would it be?
I saw someone post the term ABC on instagram and I think I would use these three words to describe my style; Always Be Contrasting.
Via: Instagram - Sophie Jebsen (@sophiejebsen)
My wardrobe is very classic, streamlined, and curated, but I always try to add something unexpected to my outfits that create contrast. For example a pair of feminine shoes with a pair of tailored pants, an ugly shoe with a pretty outfit, or over-the-top jewellery with a sweatshirt and denim.
5. Never find me without…
Via: Instagram - Sophie Jebsen (@sophiejebsen)
I am a creature of habit...
I often go through phases where I wear certain things all the time until I get so tired of it. Currently, you won’t find me without pearls. I have a vintage pearl necklace and some pearl Sophie Bille Brahe earrings I wear every day and have done for almost a year now. What I love about pearls at the moment is that they are so sophisticated, which makes them especially fun to pair with my more casual and androgynous outfits. ABC…
6. Can you give us a rundown on some of your favorite runway shows this past fashion week season?
My favorite this season was Dries Van Noten. I just love every single collection he does, but this was especially amazing. The gilded foil on the perfectly tailored coats, the rich brocade with the sheer silks…The collection was all about the idea of giving new life to the clothes you own, which is such an important message. And it was therefore especially fun to see how I could recreate looks using my own wardrobe.
Here I styled the same look with two different trousers, denim, and black suit trousers, with my old gold Celine heels, grey Toteme blazer, and a silk slip top from Raey.
Via: Vogue Runway & Sophie Jebsen - Edited by Solveiga Toffolo
I also loved Prada. It was perhaps not the most avant-garde show from Miuccia and Raf, but it was so wearable and there is so much to draw inspiration from in terms of styling. The feminine, stark white skirts contrasted so well with the men’s-inspired crewneck sweaters and blazers. The colour pairings were also impeccable, as always with Prada.
To recreate the Prada look I used an Acne skirt I bought two years ago and absolutely loved, and styled it with my oversized Toteme blazer and noName (@noname_bymm on IG) cashmere men’s crew neck. I also wore my latest vintage find, a pair of Miu Miu SS2013 red pumps with it.
Via: Vogue Runway & Sophie Jebsen - Edited by Solveiga Toffolo
Bottega Veneta by Matthieu Blazy was also incredible. His inspiration this season was the street, and the show was almost like a carnival of looks. He showed so many different characters on the runway, but they all worked so well together.
I drew inspiration from the model who looked like she had just woken up and walked out the door with her pyjamas on, and the strong feminine look with the model in all chocolate brown, and chose to combine these two looks into one. So I paired an old Mango leather skirt with my Erdem x H&M pyjama style top from the 2017 collaboration, but for a more layered look, I wore a silk night dress under the skirt for a pop of contrast.
Via: Vogue Runway & Sophie Jebsen - Edited by Solveiga Toffolo
I always love No.21 for its wearability. This collection drew inspiration from 60s Italian films, and the designer Alessandro Del’Aqua explored what he defined as “twisted bourgeois cliches”. I loved the slip dresses overlayed with cashmere sweaters that almost looked torn, cardigans that were buttoned askew, coats worn back to front, and long strands of pearls.
I recreated this look by wearing the same silk night dress from the Bottega look under my noName ballerina jumper with my pearls. And to make the look a bit more masculine I wore my Acne men’s car coat over it.
Via: Vogue Runway & Sophie Jebsen - Edited by Solveiga Toffolo
What I realised after having completed this “challenge” was that at least one piece from each look I styled was carried over into another look unintentionally… This underpins my philosophy of buying less and buying pieces I know I can wear different ways and on different occasions. I think that when you get overwhelmed with options you become less creative.
7. On that note, what is your favourite fashion house re-brand of this past year?
I think my favourites have to be both Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta and Pieter Mulier at Alaia (shocker). What a power couple… I really love what they are doing so far and how they are putting their personal marks on each of the brands.
Via: AnOther Magazine “I Want to Bring a Sexuality Back” & Vogue Runway - Selected by Solveiga Toffolo
1-5: Alaia / 6-7: Bottega Veneta
I am also excited to see more from Maximillian Davis at Ferragamo and Daniel Lee at Burberry, I so far love the rebranding of both. I am also so sad to see Alessandro Michele leave Gucci, what he did for Gucci was truly magical. So seeing what Sabato De Sarno will do there is very exciting.
Via: Vogue Runway - Selected by Solveiga Toffolo
Gucci FW 2023
8. In 2023 I would like to…
Via: Instagram - Sophie Jebsen (@sophiejebsen)
Keep experimenting with my style as it is so easy to fall into style ruts. We are also soon entering my least favourite season for fashion, summer, so maybe I should push myself to go out of my comfort zone a little, but how, I am not quite sure yet…