Everything I Learned From Dressing Like a Kardashian for a Week

A Fashion Nova model who is not the author of this piece. Photo: Courtesy of Instagram/fashionnova

Perhaps, without noticing, you've double-tapped a Fashion Nova look during the hours y'all've spent mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Take a moment to recall the last time y'all saw an Insta-pal (whether a celebrity or a social-media influencer or a friend) pictured in absurdly loftier-waisted jeans with pre-made holes big enough to squeeze a cantaloupe through. Or maybe they were wearing a two-piece athleisure set so sexy it seemed meant for the club rather than running errands.

Fashion Nova sells fast style at its fastest — if you're within forty miles of their warehouse, they'll have a Postmate deliver your online order — and specializes in styles that would make your mother inquire you if you're "sure" y'all'd want to become out in them. (In that location are five brick-and-mortar stores in California, in addition to the online concern.) Information technology'due south a make that has mystified and intrigued me in the yr since I first noticed its social-media omnipresence. The more-than-5,000 Instagram influencers who piece of work with the brand represent every level of modern-twenty-four hour period fame: Danielle "Cash Me Exterior" Bregoli, Baddie Winkle, and assorted members of the Kardashian/Jenner family have all posted pictures of themselves enjoying life in their Fashion Nova looks.

"A post from Kylie'south page is improve than any Super Bowl ad," Mode Nova CEO Richard Saghian told me. And if she shares a photo of herself in Manner Nova not only to Instagram but also to Twitter and Facebook, that, Saghian says, is an "apocalypse." (He means this in a good way.) Virtually Fashion Nova influencers simply receive free clothes, but Jenner is valuable enough to be paid, though Saghian declined to share the size of her fee. He estimates that one of her posts tin can drive upwardly of $50,000 in sales.

It'south no surprise that plenty of people are willing to pay to look like Kylie, just sheer metal sideslip dresses aren't quite as wearable as lip kits. I wanted to know whether a normal citizen with a full-fourth dimension job could navigate the world in Instagram clothes. How would Way Nova fare in the world beyond Calabasas? Would it be possible to apparel like a Kardashian on a budget, while still feeling comfortable plenty to leave my abode?

The merely way to discover out was to try it for myself.

Preparation

The biggest struggle in finding outfits that serve the purposes of my experiment was finding my size. What I didn't realize until talking to Saghian was that Fashion Nova uses juniors sizing, offering the odd numbers between ane–xv (forth with 1,two, and 3X options). Having non worn juniors sizing since simple schoolhouse, I had no idea what to wait, peculiarly when it came to wearing apparel shown on a model who looked like she had been gestated and born wearing a waist trainer. I consulted both their size chart and online bulletin boards to make up one's mind what a size 28/29 jean means in the Style Nova world. For those wondering, it means a size seven/9. I went with nine, merely to be certain.

Considering I wanted to exist on the safety side, I ordered a lot, and some of the clothes didn't fit or seemed to be incomplete. One of the three pairs of jeans I ordered refused to budge past my upper thigh; a bodysuit couldn't manage to adjust both my boobs and behind; and a sheer, rose-gold sweater apparel came without a garment to article of clothing underneath. I was fine with tossing the clothes aside, because just touching its synthetic and not-at-all-sweater-like material made me feel equally though my body would plough into one behemothic hive. The jeans, on the other manus, could have go an integral part of my wardrobe, so that was a bummer. They fit my sister — a Fashion Nova size 1 — similar a glove.

Day I: Casual Moment

For my start look, I went the "casual, cool" route: a destroyed "band" tee featuring a faux band name that I personally could not decipher, and Way Nova's most popular denim, the Glistening Jeans. Both the jeans and tee featured aggressive holes. I get all of my packages sent to work, so I had a chance to warn a few people about the Style Nova journey I was embarking on; however, not fifty-fifty they were prepared to expect me in the eye like a contributing member of society when I walked into the office the next solar day in a top that looked roughly like this:

What I did dear about this outfit were the jeans. The fit is astonishing: It could be the Lycra, or the nonconstricting-yet-very-slimming high waist, but I don't think I've ever worn more than comfortable jeans. Tight in all of the right places, they hiked up my bottom, cinched my waist, and even offered a ton of mobility in terms of stretching and trying out squatting poses for the 'gram. The holes in both the top and the jeans did leave little to the imagination, though, despite the fact that I was technically nearly 100 percent covered.

I love attention, but the gazes I got in this expect almost convinced me to abort my Fashion Nova mission before sundown. Who knows if it was the V-neck superlative that was cut to my navel or the upper portion of my exposed thighs, but I had gentlemen part ways for me in the street like I was your boy Moses, offering me a seat on the railroad train, and merely full-on gawk. I also accidentally exposed my chest to my accountant. Like a proud 20-something who's got her own and will use her money as she pleases, I dropped off my taxes in this look! Be grateful that you lot've never had to talk most write-offs while trying to shimmy your boob back into its proper position inside of your bra.

Insta-Influencer Vibes: 2 out of five

Day Two: Body-con Moment

After accidentally exposing myself in Fashion Nova, I waited until the weekend to wear the look I was most excited for: the dress worn by Kylie Jenner herself in this indelible Instagram image:

It'south uncomplicated — blackness, trunk-con, short, and perfect. The dress is besides double-lined, which made it feel and fit like something higher-quality, and which made up for the fact that I couldn't curve over or lift my arms above my head for fear of flashing even so another population of innocent bystanders. Kylie wore her dress with a strappy heel, but considering I'm forced to alive a more applied life, with public transit and actual encounters with weather, I paired my look with stockings, simply added Mode Nova's boots. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but this bitch was bad in the dress.

I fully intended to take it to the club, but the closest I could get to ane was my cousin's 22nd altogether party at a bar. When I walked in, y'all would have thought I was North Due west in a corset by the bemused, intrigued reactions. I took it in stride. Earlier fifty-fifty making it to the vicinity of the bar, I was asked by multiple gentlemen if they could have the honor of buying me a drink, which is harmless, but I also noticed a trend of guys thinking it was perfectly okay to catch my waist or hip when trying to "squeeze" by me throughout the night.

The outfit proved to exist both hot and comfy, fifty-fifty if its tightness and shortness forced me to make miniature and well-thought-out movements, like royalty or a doll — basically my two favorite things. Even better, seeing me in Fashion Nova encouraged 2 friends and 1 family member to confess that they as well had been secretly eyeing the brand. One of them had saved looks downloaded to her telephone that she was too ashamed to purchase, but my example inspired her to follow her Fashion Nova dreams! And my cousin confessed to owning a Fashion Nova bomber jacket. Literally, I am changing people's lives and wardrobes.

Insta-Influencer Vibes: 4 out of v

Day Three: Torn-Upwards Moment

Inspired past the weekend, I wanted to start the week on a Fashion Nova high, so I pulled the riskiest "piece of work" look from my bag of Way Nova tricks. When I get to piece of work, I typically wear a sweatshirt, jeans, and Adidas or Chucks: very casual, but I like to think I can "clothes it up." Which made this await — my uniform, simply reimagined using Fashion Nova pieces — even more fun/terrifying. On a Mon morning, I got up and put on another (but very dissimilar) pair of ripped black jeans with this Justine top:

The await seems simple, just I assure you it is not. The sweatshirt was one large pigsty that took me xc seconds to properly get into, and even with a thin tank underneath, I however got some raised eyebrows. I looked similar I had made a pit finish before piece of work in order to get properly mauled by a tiger. Basically, information technology was very uncomfortable.

I'm lucky enough to work with my sister, who spent the bulk of the 24-hour interval shadowing me around the office, telling anyone that I tried to avert, "She's embarrassed, she'south wearing Instagram wearing apparel." I was too asked to stand up and twirl for some office-mates and so they could fully have in how bizarre I looked and wonder why I choose to darken the door of work in such an ensemble.

The jeans fit very well, but the holes were manufactured in a manner that left tiny, thin strings cutting into my legs and drawing blood and causing marks that I'm hoping will one day go out my torso. I went home solemnly that night, wishing Style Nova had never existed.

Insta-Influencer Vibes: iii.v out of 5

Day Four: Athleisure Movement

Still, I had one more look. This await — a classic athleisure moment, if you lot will — was the pièce de résistance of my entire project. Having seen this Wanderlust outfit on both Kylie Jenner and Baddie Winkle, I knew I had to go information technology on my body.

For a day of self-pampering and walking around the city, I paired my wait with Adidas to brand it clear to the world that I was in no way working out, merely bopping about boondocks looking beautiful and comfy in a monochromatic, crop-height leisure adapt, hunnies! As I had learned Fashion Nova dress are wont to do, the fit made me look terrific. Every part of my torso was popping off in the nearly amazing manner, and in public, no i bothered me, because they could tell that anyone wearing this sexy weekend look meant business and only cared well-nigh herself! Information technology was ideal. I looked great and I remained unbothered by unwanted attention.

That is, until after my massage, when truly the unexpected happened. Every bit 1 does, I undressed before I hit my masseuse's tabular array, and had calming visions of finishing my solar day roaming the streets in Way Nova. This was clearly a pipe dream: My already-cropped pinnacle shrunk about two sizes within the 90 minutes it was off my body! It wasn't doing anything but sitting folded on a chair, yet still information technology was able to turn itself into a bandanna. So, instead of carrying on with my day, I had to walk to the nearest train and rush home to modify. I used my purse every bit a shield because my entire chest was exposed. Despite this, I'yard thankful for the few hours of good wear I got out of the outfit.

Insta-Influencer Vibes: 5 out of 5

Reflections

One time my time wearing Fashion Nova apparel was done, I breathed a sweetness sigh of relief. Finally, instead of Insta Mariah, I was Mariah Mariah, in Banana Republic jeans and plaid shirts. I can't say that I absolutely hated wearing Fashion Nova, but I hated how cocky-conscious I felt wearing the dress. I also tin can't say that these clothes are non balled upwards in an eco-friendly bag in a corner of my flat, waiting either to be donated or worn to the society with my girls, when and if we ever decide to go to the society. I will say, however, that I've continued to peruse the site — because afterwards having a gustatory modality, no thing how sour, I'm withal giddy at the prospect of wearing an item worn past my favorite Kardashian.

Simply really, information technology's non my opinion that matters: It's the opinion of eye-schoolers living on allowances, of athletic champions like Serena Williams (yes, she'due south a customer, Saghian reports), and anybody else with bottled-upward Instagram-influencer urges inside her.

Everything I Learned From Dressing Like a Kardashian