Get Out Of My Wardrobe: With Jess Dempsey Of ‘What Would Karl Do’

Welcome to the first installment of our new style feature, ‘Get Out Of My Wardrobe’, where we take you inside the (duh) wardrobes of stylish locals and famous people alike, and fondle all their fancy stuff until they threaten to call the police. Today’s wardrobe belongs to local fashion blogger extraordinaire: Jess Dempsey of ‘What Would Karl Do’. It was full of pretty things.  

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So, you’ve decided that you want to be a fashion blogger. Looking around the interwebs for inspiration, you’d think you’d need access to Vogue’s fashion closet to make it work, or at least get your hands on an attractive sugar daddy you’d be happy to be seen in public with.

Since neither of those are viable options, how exactly do you go about manufacturing yourself into a fashionista with 5k+ followers without having to deal with the bishes and heels over at your local fash mag? Well, you could just post photos — wait for it — wearing clothes you actually own. Maybe curate a fashionable mixture of high street fast fashion and sale purchases of the big brands when you can afford it? Maybe even throw in some (gasp!) bargain basics from Supre or Boohoo.com? Maybe.

Back to basics

In the good ol’ days, fashion bloggers convened online to use this amazing fandangled thingy called the interwebs to connect to fashion lovers across the world who, just like them, couldn’t afford anything featured in the month’s hallowed Harper’s (my personal favourite is when they talk about ‘casual chic’ and feature trackpants that cost $1,500. Casual!). They wanted to show an alternative culture of street fashion, sourced at bargain bins, thrift stores and the high street: things that were accessible to them both financially and culturally. Surprisingly (or not), this alt culture blossomed.

Suddenly bloggers were sitting in front rows at Paris Fashion Week — this is where the story gets dark, kids — and realised that they probably looked ridiculous showing up to a Chanel runway in a $5 poly-knit skirt. It wouldn’t hurt to take just one sample for free, would it? And so on and so forth, until bloggers were no longer the fashion world’s relatable outsiders, but rather another fashion media unto themselves. Re-appropriated Vogue knock-offs.

If fashion does anything, it filters down to the masses — as did the idea of ‘fashion blogging’ — and, soon enough, all we were left with were the style feeds of rich kids or fashion fakers simply attempting to keep up with the expectations of a surprisingly discerning public.

Enter: Jess Dempsey

Jess Dempsey is a breath of fresh air online… and that’s a freaking tall order. Blogging from her home at What Would Karl Do, she’s helped put the fashion back into ‘fashstagrams’ down here in Oz. Citing her style icon as Anna Dello Russo is no surprise: the last time I saw Jess at Fashion Week, she was wearing gold netting over a holographic skirt and a gold studded cap featuring a hanging chain from the brim, a fashion statement amongst a safe sea of perfect Wang pencil skirts and Chanel quilted bags.

Sure, she mixes occasional Kenzo and Givenchy with frequent ASOS, Topshop and Zara — after all, those last two are culturally accepted high street brands, free of too many down-the-nose looks — but she also just became the face of Boohoo.com, featuring in two of their latest TV ads. We’re talking an online brand that advertises shoes from $20 — if that’s not brave, as a fashion blogger, then nothing is. I mean, just pop onto fellow blogger Sydney Fashion Blogger’s Facebook page to see the flack she cops when she posts pics of herself wearing something from Supre.

Why are we so uncomfortable with our fashion icons wearing cheap fashion? Why do bloggers need to hashtag a luxe nametag to get props? Let’s get real: after all, style is an attitude, not a price point.

In that spirit, let’s raid Jess’s wardrobe!

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I Never Wear This, But Will Never Throw It Away:

“I bought this top at the Fendi outlet in Milan in 2010 before I started my blog. When I came home I had all this amazing shopping that I wanted to share with someone, so I started WWKD. So I did put this on my blog, but I really don’t know what to wear it with because the colour is probably not the best for me. But when I saw the sleeves, I had to have it… so it’s not going anywhere!”

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This Outfit Makes Me Feel Like… Anna Dello Russo:

[ASOS leotard, Pretty Little Thing hat, ACNE skirt, Miu Miu shoes]

“She’s my style icon because she’s so ‘fashion confident’, and I suppose that’s my motto. If you’re confident in what you’re wearing then people won’t question you, and it’s all about making a statement and standing out so you get remembered. I look to the European runway, and I look to her because she’s different. [Her style is] more and more and more, but who gets photographed? Her!”

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If I Had 24 Hours To Live, I Would Wear This:

[ASOS skirt, Givenchy t-shirt, Kurt Geiger heels]

“This skirt is amazing. If you can’t wear a puffy discoball skirt in your last 24 hours, when are you going to wear it?! This Givenchy tee cost me an arm and a leg, but I had to have it and I’ve worn it to death. So I suppose I’d wear it… to death!”

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I Probably Shouldn’t Wear This Outside, But I Do:

“My Pretty Little Thing cap with studs and a neck chain. It’s probably not your normal Melbourne person’s snapback, but oh well!”

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My Best Buy:

“I got this for my birthday this year. This skirt is Antipodium, from (Melbourne retail store) Green With Envy. I usually shop a lot online, but this caught my eye. I’m a big print person, any prints! I love clashing prints, motifs, faux fur, sequins… everything different.”

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The Item Everyone Else Wishes They Owned:

“Probably my Kenzo jumper. I have one in grey and green (I’m wearing the green one now!). I bought it in Paris; I made them give it to me! They had the stock in their back room and it wasn’t going on the floor until the Monday — and I was leaving on the Monday — but they were kind enough to give it to me early.”

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I’m Waiting For This Trend To Come Back:

“I got this denim dress at ASOS in 2010… They were killing it that year! Maybe I could wear it now, but I haven’t felt that it’s right yet. But it looks so cool.”

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I Inherited This:

“My friend Cecilia is also a blogger and always gives me something special or vintage as a present. Two years ago she gave me this; it was originally given to her by her Aunty, I think. It’s the ultimate. I’m still waiting for her 5-carat ring to come down to me somehow.”

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My Go-To Item:

“My WWKD t-shirts. I love a good tee. I’m a t-shirt girl; it’s just so easy over shorts, jeans, with a blazer, anything really.”

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My Best Bargain Buy:

“My Boohoo boots. I’ve done two TV commercials with them recently; one is out now. These are just an awesome ankle boot with a great heel and great platform. And I think they retail for under $50!”

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Bianca O’Neill is a music journalist who writes for Channel [V], Eventfinder and Time Out Melbourne, and who founded AlphabetPony.com.au. In her spare time she posts her daily outfit for others to criticise on Instagram.