STYLE NOTES ON: KINGA KATHARINA
Join me for a conversation with Kinga, minimal fashion lover from Berlin, as we talk about motherhood, wishing to be bolder with fashion sometimes, and the ultimate tip for moms at the playground.
As a regular reader of No Wardrobe, you know I love minimal fashion and you know I love to follow people with real lives on here and on social media in general. Kinga Katharina Slota is one of them. She has a ‘real job’, runs DAERE, an amazing community for women, and is one of the most stylish moms out there.
Her wardrobe consists of timeless pieces and I love her aesthetic: Classy but modern, comfy but chic, simple yet interesting. I asked Kinga a few questions on her personal style. Here is our conversation on style and identity, having a wardrobe of pieces you love and can combine and on Kinga’s favorite sweater.
Hi Kinga, thanks for joining me for this Style Notes Newsletter!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Kinga Katharina Slota, I am 37 and I live in Berlin with my partner and my one-year-old son. I work in the field of media and communication. I have a great passion for art and culture and this is exactly why I founded my heart project DAERE five years ago, a place that connects women through zeitgeist, growth and culture. Together with my friend and partner Janina Waschkowski, we host a newsletter and events. From time to time I also share personal inspiration in my newsletter asking for a friend.
How would you describe your personal style?
“Comfy, chic and confident” - that's what a perfect outfit feels like to me.
Why do you think - on a deeper level - this way of dressing has become your personal style?
For me, clothes are a kind of expression, they emphasize how I feel or want to feel. However, it is particularly important to me that my style suits my everyday life and that the pieces can be easily combined with each other. I like to invest in long-lasting, high-quality pieces and I am not really someone who buys something new for an event. I hardly ever buy on impulse. Sometimes I think it's a shame that I'm so cerebral because I love it when people are playful and bold with fashion. Unfortunately, that’s not my thing.
What is your first fashion memory?
My mother. Even as a child, I always wanted to wear her shoes. I was very small and my greatest wish was to wear shoes with heels like she did. I could hardly wait to finally grow into a size 36, because according to her, I had to wait until high heels fitted me, too. For me, that was a sign of being “chic” - and I really wanted that. And that's still the case today: I feel most confident when I'm wearing a small heel. I rarely wear sneakers and after dozens of bad purchases, I'm also very reluctant to follow sneaker trends.
What are non-fashion related circumstances that have shaped your style?
I come from a small town, moved to Cologne to study and started working in the media industry. This environment has always influenced my style: I've always dressed more casual than I felt I wanted to.
It wasn't until I moved to Berlin that I felt I could express myself freely for the first time and wear what I wanted.
But it's probably also my age. I've never wanted to stand out, so comments used to make me feel insecure. Today I can deal with it better.
How has becoming a mother changed your style?
Do you have any tips for new mothers struggling with their personal style?
For me, it was always important not to “lose my identity” completely to being a mother. My credo is to integrate the little one into our lives instead of building our lives around him. And as I identify myself through my clothes, among other things, I try to maintain my style and I sit in the sandbox in an oversized blazer. But that's certainly not for every mother - at the end of the day, everyone has to feel comfortable in what they wear.
A pro tip for the summer: always have flip flops in your stroller so you don't ruin your expensive ballerinas in the sandbox.
In what - positive and negative - ways has social media influenced your style?
I know that many people struggle with social media, but I don't feel that way. On the contrary, it inspires me much more, which may be because I am a frugal and pragmatic person and very happy with my own life. I never actually feel envy.
In the beginning, Instagram was like a blog for me: a gateway to the (fashion) world that I felt myself. It made me more confident in developing and consolidating my own style. Today, I actually get bored a lot, but I've found a new place with Substack.
But my real source of inspiration today is the people around me. I love sitting in cafés and observing different styles. My own friends in particular inspire me a lot.
These are actually two questions: How do you put an outfit together? Are you an intuitive dresser or do you plan ahead?
I'm very good at planning outfits, especially when I'm going on vacation. I manage to create different outfits with just a few pieces because everything can be combined with each other. Our little family traveled to NYC for a week this year with just one suitcase and the weather was everything from 10 to 30 degrees.
But even if I plan, it always happens that I don't feel an outfit or stand in front of my wardrobe forever and don't have anything to wear. Then I end up going for the classics - a black oversized sweater, jeans, ankle boots and a long black wool coat in winter, like this:
In summer, it would be an oversized blazer, jeans and ballerinas or loafers.
What are your biggest challenges with your personal style?
My biggest challenge was my pregnancy and the time afterwards. My son is now 1.5 years old and my body is still changing. Unfortunately, not everything I wore before still fits me or doesn't fit perfectly. That's not really a big deal, because I generally feel ok with my body, but I do miss one or two things.
If you won the lottery, in what ways do you think your style would change?
I would probably pay less attention to buying my clothes pre-loved or on sale, because that's how I'm socialized. But I don't think it would have an impact on my style itself. I've always been very clear about what I like and what I don't like, regardless of how much it costs.
What is your favorite item in your wardrobe and why?
This is a super difficult question for me! Even though I wear a lot of basics at first glance, my closet consists almost exclusively of my favorite pieces and I wouldn't want to swap them with anyone. A brown wool / cashmere sweater from Totême immediately comes to mind. I love the cut and the material - it's just very special.
Thank you so much for answering my questions, Kinga! It was a pleasure chatting about your personal style.
If you want to follow Kinga, her wardrobe and her love project, DAERE, please find the links below.
Was such a joy to read! Style icon Kinga ❤️
I love these style notes, Anika! Following Kinga immediately!