In today’s edition of What to Wear This Week, Poppy Jamie and Suki Waterhouse, founders of accessory brand Pop & Suki, break down the mechanics of what they wear when going out and why.
What do you think about when you get dressed in the morning?
Poppy Jamie: Ummmm, usually what emails I have forgotten to reply to and finding an outfit that makes me feel sassy.
Suki Waterhouse: What I have to do today. How I need to feel to take on the day. I like to get specific. Sometimes I need to create a nesty cave of clothing around me to feel safe and cocooned from the world. Sometimes I’m lost without a hat. Or maybe I need to feel sharp when I’m not quite feeling like that. A blow dry helps.
How do accessories come into play, like bags? Do you choose those once the outfit’s set, or do you build your outfit around the bag?
Poppy: I choose my accessories after I have dressed and that’s why we wanted Pop & Suki bags to be minimal, for these conundrums. A bag to go with every outfit and every color!
Suki: The bag is the last thing for me, the final accompaniment. I would never base an outfit around a bag. The Pop & Suki bags are really simple and lightweight. I like to be able to move, break into dance or run without feeling confined by a fussy bag.
What made you want to start Pop & Suki?
Poppy: We really wanted to do something together, first and foremost! In The Secret Language of Birthdays book, it says our relationship is best for marriage, and having a business together is certainly a marriage. Pop & Suki is our baby!
Suki: And we felt like there wasn’t a bag out there that you could actually use for life. The camera bag is great because it can be worn six different ways. You can use it as a proper cross-body during the day and then as a clutch at night. We also didn’t want to make anything too precious, since we always destroy the bags that we use all the time.
What’s your favorite thing from the whole collection?
Poppy: The Camera bag is really where it all started. We were wandering through Bustown Modern in Los Angeles and they had the most fabulous vintage fanny pack and it was like, the coolest bag ever. We were like, ‘Why don’t people make these anymore’?
Suki: I love our charms! Jewelry is so personal and all our charms represent something special. They are our grown-up “best friends” bracelet. The paperclip chain on its own is badass. I like wearing it hanging down my back.
Why pink?
Poppy: We both have always been obsessed with the pastel color and it suits us! It feels nostalgic and current.
Suki: For me it’s the color of dreams. I believe in pink.
What’s the greatest way your individual styles differ?
Poppy: I’m quite girlie and Suki is a bit of a tomboy.
Suki: At the same time, we both love that vintage ’50s vibe. Poppy is great at finding clothes in vintage stores — ten dollar dresses that look incredible. I’m not very put-together and am downright scruffy day-to-day!
How does working together as best friends affect how you both dress? Are you rubbing off on one another?
Poppy: I definitely have adopted some of Suki’s habits. I wear trainers a lot more than I used to and have learnt that dressing down can be better than dressing up.
Suki: We have a good eye for each other. I see something and save it for Pops to wear. We’ve spent so much time getting dressed together that I like to think I know what she likes. I don’t think we rub off on each other, but she says I’ve made her less tidy.
Do the pieces you choose to wear aim to say anything specific?
Poppy: Personalized style is the best style. We wanted the brand to say this, too, with a huge emphasis on customization.
Suki: As much as I love dressing up and beautiful things, I, without fail, resort to baggy boxers (that my stylist wants to burn), a T-shirt and Toms. When I can get away with it, I’m quite happy to wear what I wore to bed the night before all day.
What’s your foolproof styling trick?
Poppy: This winter? An oversize coat always looks chic.
Suki: A baker boy hat. I have a leather Gucci one. There’s magic in that hat. I’m on my second one, and I’ll cry if I lose it again.
The one garment that never lets you down?
Poppy: My pajamas? Or a white T-shirt.
Suki: My Vetements hoodie that was designed for a 300-pound man. Beyond comfortable.
What item of clothing makes you feel most like yourself? Why?
Poppy: A ’60s LBD
Suki: My Maje sheepskin coat, which makes me feel like a fluffy goat.
At what point in your life did you really start to come into your own in terms of personal style?
Poppy: My early 20s or late teens while I was at university and had time to dive into vintage.
Suki: I was very mod for a while, pill-box hats and all that. Now it’s more varied. I enjoy playing all the different parts that fashion allows me to. It has gotten easier to figure out. I’ve had some disaster outfits and still don’t always get it right, but that’s all part of the evolution. I like taking risks. Having a bomb outfit on can force you to reinstate yourself in society, give you that flair or push you need. Anything that helps you with your confidence is fabulous.
What are your favorite three places on the Internet to get inspired?
Poppy: Moda Operandi, The Reformation and Pinterest!
Suki: Tumblr is pretty cool, Lana Del Rey’s Instagram, Pinterest ’60s/’70s tags
Have you discovered any fashion brands lately? If so, what?
Poppy: Rixo London! It’s a small brand set up by these awesome girls in London and their collection is so easy to wear. They make long, super-casual dresses.
Suki: Olivia von Halle for dangerously comfortable sweatpants. Outdoor Voices is everything I could want for workout wear.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve learned in the last week?
Poppy: I just returned back from an entrepreneurs conference in San Francisco called Launch Scale and my brain burst with how much I learned. I am building an app at the moment, so AI/UX design, customer retention, VR, cap tables — it’s a whole learning curve!
Suki: I had a painting party last night. I’ve learned that painting parties are the way forward.
Follow Suki Waterhouse @sukiwaterhouse and Poppy Jamie @poppyjamie on Instagram. Follow their brand Pop & Suki @popandsuki, too.
Styled by Alexandra Mandelkorn @mandelkorn; photos by Shelby Duncan @shelbyduncan, wall muralist @shrineon.
Need more help getting dressed? Read the Rules of Style by Chloë Sevigny and check out what the citizens of Sydney are wearing.
