Lawson Taylor, finding freedom in fashion: Closet Portrait
We spoke to Lawson Taylor about his style journey, how growing up gay in South Carolina impacted his fashion, what it means to finally feel confident when getting dressed, his top style tips, and asked him to tell us about his four favorite fits!
Lawson’s confidence, style evolution, and kindness are key reasons Arête decided to feature him as our first closet portrait.
Special thank you to the incredible photographer, Amelia Hammond, who made this closet portrait come to life.
How did you develop personal style & how did it evolve?
I grew up in South Carolina and my mother was always well dressed. Gloria Vanderbilt jeans were major for her! Growing up in South Carolina, I was thrown into the preppy and southern look. My mother dressed me until 8th/9th grade, and I would wear Ralph Lauren polos with neon colors and khaki pants with Sperry Top-Siders. I was dressing “golf gay” and thought I had great style.
It wasn’t until I met my husband, who also grew up in South Carolina, who dressed totally different from anyone else I had ever seen. I was impressed that he had so much confidence to dress this way in South Carolina because it was a conservative and religious place. Anything that is different and doesn’t fit into the box, is looked at in a negative way. When I met him and first became friends, I would borrow his clothes whenever we went out. His style was black, a tight tank top, and he would put glitter on. We had the Mariah Carey glitter and would cover our bodies with glitter – Kesha days! He would let me express myself. But I only felt comfortable doing that in the evening and going to a gay safe place.
There were only two of these spots in South Carolina. “South 29” was one of those spots and there was another one called “The Castle” in Greenville. I felt free and like I could dress differently. This was my first taste of “I want to look and dress differently.” However, it took me a really long time to get out of that comfortable and “safe zone” because I was scared to dress differently and be different. I hated being stared at and it made me feel endangered. I could always tell when someone was looking at me with a positive or negative energy. To this day, I can still tell, but I don’t give a fuck now.
It wasn’t until I moved to NYC that my personal style really developed. Once I got here, I knew it was where I was supposed to be. But it took some time. One of my biggest style evolutions happened when H&M did a collab with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” movie. It was the first time I bought leather jeans and leggings – they were super super tight (this was when skinny jeans were a thing – hope they don’t come back). They also had wedges, and that was my first time feeling comfortable enough to wear a shoe like that. For a long time, I still had a lot of apprehension and felt nervous to wear anything feminine. If it wasn’t for my husband, I would not be where I am today. He pushed me and made me feel safe to express myself.
To this day, I can get really self conscious in certain styles. The crop top for boys – I can still get uncomfortable with that. Or even with heels, I started off with a Saint Laurent boot and then transitioned to a taller “boot,” but I would refuse to call them “heels.” Even though they were heels, for my security, I was calling it a boot. Then I moved into a Balenciaga pump, but even today, there are certain places where I feel like I need an extra boost of confidence or security. It’s so weird that I associate how I dress with whether I will be safe or not. This comes from being raised in such a judgemental place. Being gay and feminine was not okay where I grew up. Being gay was not accepted by everyone.
It’s so interesting because my husband was always so confident, even in South Carolina. This sometimes made me nervous to be around him because he was so much more gay looking than me. He always laughed and said, “Lawson, you don’t think everyone knows you’re gay? You open your mouth and you’re gay.” Wearing Sperry Top-Siders did not make me any less gay than him. It is only in the last few years that I have felt fully confident and own my presence and my outfits.
What do you wear when you feel most confident?
Oversized blazer, tight shirt, saggy jeans or leather pants with a pointy toed shoe. I love sunglasses, bags and shoes – these are my go-to things. Evening outfits are my favorite. It feel amazing to get ready to go to dinner with friends and have a boss blazer with a sick bag. Putting on a pair of heels makes you feel so strong and sexy, and I never really felt that way growing up. I had blocked off many of my feminine qualities. I never felt myself to be attractive growing up. But now, I’m at a place where I feel that. I loved doing this shoot because it made me feel so strong and confident.
What do you think about when creating an outfit?
The first thing is knowing your body shape and knowing what points to accent. I have more structured shoulders, so when I put on a more structured blazer, I know it looks right on my body. Some of my girlfriends will not accentuate their waist correctly, but you have to find the right proportions for you. I’m taller and can have that hanger effect when I throw on oversized clothing. Not everyone can do that. I wear a lot of black, even though I have pops of color occasionally, it’s all about texture and about not everything looking like it’s from the same place. If you’re going to wear a satin blazer, I love mixing cotton or sweater material. If it’s all one note, it’s going to read flat. I love a tuxedo blazer with blue jeans. I have a latex black baseball cap that I would wear with the tuxedo blazer and jeans. Those three don’t mean to go together but they look so good together. We see blue denim and a fur coats – so sick. When I am putting together an outfit, I typically start with the pants and the shoes. The shoes make or break an outfit. If you’re doing a chunky boot or a Saint Laurent pointy heel, then it drives the balance and what you do on top. If you do something really big on bottom, then maybe it’s a tighter fitting blazer on top. Scale is a big part of an outfit. It’s all about the balance.
Where do you get your inspiration from ?
TikTok has been a big one. I also love Kelley Wearstler. She is a great interior designer and has such a unique style. One day she is wearing all black and the next day she’s wearing a bunch of color with the LOEWE Balloon Heels. She is the perfect blend of thinking outside the box and putting things together that you typically would not work. Nikita Vlassenko is another source of inspiration. He is brutalist and dark. I also love Salavat Kypere – very Balenciaga and dark. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and I are on opposite sides of the spectrum, but I love the way she was styled and how she mixed a bunch of textures together. I love that uniqueness and think I am still developing that uniqueness. I am now getting into bigger jewelry and not sticking to one note. I love the RealReal – never sell there, only buy!
Favorite way to find new brands?
I gravitate towards Rick and Balenciaga but everything else really comes from SSENSE (they always have unique brands) or Depop or eBay. I get inspo from all over the place. I’m not as picky about layering pieces as I am about coats, blazers, shoes, and bags. I love discovering something vintage. I love a Goodwill t-shirt or even a blazer. My closet is a mix of higher brands and vintage.
Your anti-gatekeeping advice for fashion?
Dress how you want and not how everyone else wants you to dress. You don’t need to have a lot of money to dress nicely. It took me a long time to be financially successful and to afford certain brands, and I still felt confident regardless of whether I had a name brand. Go to Goodwill on 92nd and 2nd on the UES and get a sick blazer, find a ripped t-shirt, and don’t be afraid to DIY stuff! It doesn’t need to be bought off the rack, and don’t buy from big box retailers. Everyone has it then, it’s not unique and overpriced. Go get baggy jeans that don’t fit, add a belt, get a tight white tank top, an oversized blazer and sunnies – everyone will think you know what you’re doing. I get the most compliments when I don’t try.
Never be afraid to dress nicer than where you’re going. Dress up! On a Tuesday sushi date night around the corner with my husband, I will dress up. Even for the movies, I will dress up. We have a short life to live, so you should dress how you want. In society, we do this thing where we say we don’t want too much attention, but you should dress how you feel most confident. When I would go back to South Carolina, I would go back to my old ways because I had this inner fear, but I have finally gone back and feel confident to dress how I want. I stick out like a sore thumb, but I don’t care. It’s like a Balenciaga model walking through Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Target.
If you could swap closets with one person, who would it be and why?
Salavat Kypere! I also love barbiedrugz. I like Salavat because we have a similar style and she has invested in very unique pieces. She wears a lot of black and then she mixes white and denim or wears all red. It’s how my closet is because it’s 90% black and then 10% color.
What's a major fashion red flag?
When there is missing individuality in the outfit, then it’s a red flag. Another red flag is when something is not fitting properly. A low rise jean or something that doesn't flatter the body is a red flag. Scale is most important.
Tell us about the four fits we shot and the occasions, styles, & vibes you associate with each!
Look 1: Go-to everyday throw on when I am running errands. Getting breakfast and taking the dog on a walk. I’m usually running around. I would grab the big bag after I’ve taken my dog on a walk and have to run to some quick meetings. It’s comfortable but looks great. This outfit is for morning, running errands, going to movies.
Look 2: This would be a professional lunch. I’m probably going to meet a client for a client meeting or meeting with friends for brunch or lunch. I love the juxtaposition of fancy and casual. Really nice pants with a t-shirt. I wear sunnies all day long and into the night. This fit is definitely more lunch vibes. I see myself going to an influencer brunch in this. I feel like a boss in this, like I’m taken seriously. I feel like I walk into a room and people think, “that person knows who they are.” My jewelry makes me feel like me. A lot of my jewelry is from Bond Hardware. It’s a very inclusive brand and makes you feel like a badass.
Look 3: This is a really fancy dinner or a wedding or a rehearsal dinner. I see myself wearing this to a charity event or a gala. Having a two piece matching set is very nice. The sleeve detail makes you stand out and unique. It’s very understated “wow.” Black doesn’t feel aggressive to me, but some people disagree with this! It’s the power suit, and everybody needs it. And the shearling is scale – oversized and way too big but a headturner.
Look 4: This is an outfit for a fun dinner, someone’s birthday, or going to have caviar in the city. It’s fun and unique and I love that it’s not something that a boy is “supposed” to wear. It’s a boost of confidence and makes you see your body differently. You feel attractive and confident.
Once you develop a wardrobe that fully feels authentically you, it’s amazing. This process takes time, but now I have very specific pajamas, socks, underwear, and gym clothes. When I put an outfit on, it makes me feel good and always feels like ME. At home, I feel like myself all day and all the time. When I put an outfit on, it makes a shitty day so much better. You don’t spend everywhere, start with one piece!
