When you think of editorial fashion and ‘best-dressed’ lists, Indianapolis may not be top of mind. But the city’s most fashionable are worthy of mentions. Indianapolis fashion brands and the Naptown natives that wear them are increasing in well-deserved visibility. Cydney Paige is a notable member of this group.
Cydney is a content creator with goals of turning her social media following into fashion collaborations. With more than 3,700 Instagram followers (and growing), she uses personal style as her creative outlet.
Drawing Inspiration from her Mother
Place the emphasis on personal – she proudly earned her bold knack for style from her late mother. Cydney shared, “My mom had amazing style and has been the blueprint for me in every way possible. In public, people would always comment on the pieces she wore. At home, she’d always have fashion magazines around the house. Fashion and clothes have been constant presences my whole life.”
My mom had amazing style and has been the blueprint for me in every way possible.
While her mom passed down fashion fundamentals and an appreciation for collecting clothing as art, Cydney developed her own individual style over time through trial and error and inspiration from other well-known content creators. The concept of content creation is recent as platforms like Tumblr and Instagram become our everyday news reels, but from the beginning Cydney has leveraged the channels as motivation for styling her own clothing. She has paid special attention to content creators like Aleali May and Wuzg00d, female stylists who embrace their individuality to curate bold outfits, earning the respect of well-known brands in the process.
“Before Instagram, I was really heavy into Tumblr and blogging. Seeing other creative people post about their interest in fashion made me think that I could do the same. I love the entire process of putting the outfits together and getting my picture taken, and as time has gone on, I’ve come to the realization that I actually know what I’m doing.”
Positive online interactions have affirmed Cydney’s natural talent for styling clothing – a powerful message that contradicts what society tries to teach us about social media. Social media doesn’t need to be a negative influence. On the contrary, it can be a mirror, reflecting back to us how our talents appear to our peers.
Cydney is here to prove that fashion styling is more than buying clothes and catering to trends. It’s an art that requires self-awareness of silhouettes that suit your body type, with the patience to wait until a look is complete and just right.
Cydney Paige describes her best looks
As part of our FaceTime conversation, I shared my favorite five “Cydney Paige looks” for insight into her shopping and styling process. Read as Cydney shares her thought process for each look and shares her personal favorites.
I love a monochromatic look. If it’s executed correctly, it looks beautiful. With this look, I had been waiting to wear the coat forever, but I couldn’t ever find the right look for it. Sometimes I’ll buy a piece and wait an entire year to wear it to be sure I get the look right. In this case, I bought the blue pants and found a blue shirt that matched perfectly. I already had the Nike Dunks. The Telfar matching perfectly was accidental, but it worked perfectly! Everything doesn’t have to perfectly match for a successful monochromatic look. The pieces could be different tones, textures, or shades and still look really well combined.
I love this dress, it’s actually from Skims. Prints are my favorite thing – ever. I wore this look to Butter Art Fair. When I found the dress, I picked colors in the dress that I wanted to emphasize, and that’s how the accessories came about.
This may be one of my all-time favorite looks! I really wanted the blazer because I love anything feather-sleeved. Most pieces that have that look are pretty pricy, but I found this one on Pretty Little Thing. I found the Takashi Murikami bag on Amazon – it’s a lunch bag, actually! This is an older look but I’m still very into slingback pumps. They’re so cute and classic. And, obviously, finished the look with a pair of sunglasses. I’m a sunglass girly to the fullest.
I love a moto look! I actually have another one planned soon. For this shoot, I was going for fearless sexy biker and wanted the photography to appear like a paparazzi moment to separate it from everyday fashion content.
Another monochromatic outfit! Usually when I’m planning content, I envision where I’ll want to shoot and everything. In this case, I had already worn the outfit the day prior but didn’t get all of the photos that I wanted. A friend and I had a coffee date planned at Bovaconti and when I saw that sign, I had to get the shot! The coffee shop was so crowded and we took these pictures in less than 30 seconds but they turned out better than anything I’ve done. I still don’t know how to top this one.
Creative Expansion and Future Brand Collaborations
Cydney spends the majority of her creative time curating outfits for content creation, but this isn’t the final step for her. Following in the footsteps of her inspirations, Cydney has her sights set on brand collaborations. “I already have a name in my head if I ever did a lab or my own brand. I have a job that I really like now, but being able to turn your passions into the way you sustain your living is a dream. Who wouldn’t want to wake up and do that everyday?”
Being able to turn your passions into the way you sustain your living is a dream. Who wouldn’t want to wake up and do that everyday?
Soul Culture 