Robin Reetz, Editorial Director, Club Monaco

Robin Reetz is the editorial director for Club Monaco and a freelance copywriter in New York City. We spoke with her about the alchemy of clothing and how it enriches her inner life.

I’m an introvert and was quite shy when I was younger. For as long as I can remember, clothing has helped me to express myself and become the person I want to be when perhaps internally I was afraid to or didn’t yet know how to be that person. Dressing the part works wonders.

My goal very early on in my life was to work in the editorial world with a focus on fashion. I’ve worked very hard at getting to where I am now in my career, from multiple internships to low-paid jobs and working a lot of long hours, all while being as proactive as possible with networking and taking opportunities. Despite my hard work and dedication, I certainly have had privileges that many haven’t based on the fact that I’m a white woman from a middle-class home with a very supportive family. I don’t take any of it for granted and am working to do what I can to help improve what has always been an inherently exclusive industry filled with privileged people. We’re moving in the right direction but the fashion industry as a whole has a lot of work to do.

Fast fashion used to be a big part of my life and I’ve pretty much completely kicked that habit. I try to buy from smaller designers when I can, buy higher-priced pieces when I can afford it, and otherwise thrift. Thrifting or buying vintage helps me try out certain styles or colors and fill in gaps in my wardrobe. It’s a sustainable and affordable way to experiment that feels very democratic.

These values also translate into my daily and weekly rituals, which really are the same boring stuff you always hear, but that’s because they really work! Generally speaking, I eat healthy—I’m a vegetarian who consumes low-to-no dairy which has made a big difference in the way I feel overall. My diet has forced me to learn more about food and cooking to make sure I get proper nutrients, so food has become a large part of my regular ritual. I also love to sleep and always make sure to get enough (can you tell I don’t have kids?) and I also like to work out regularly. See? Boring, but it all works and makes you feel great in the end.

My relationship with getting dressed has certainly changed with the pandemic - I’m more comfort-focused than I used to be. But comfort doesn’t have to mean sloppy, it’s more about finding pieces that are not only more wearable and realistic in an everyday environment but also pieces that feel more genuinely like me. The pandemic has given me a lot of perspective and I’m working to bring that to what I wear.

One piece of advice I might offer to someone who is hoping to find and use their personal style to live a life of flourishing is, don’t limit yourself in what you wear. Go for pieces that feel like “you” rather than purely following trends or wearing what you think you’re “supposed” to wear. There are no rules!

—as told to Auralie