WhoWhatWear
Love of streetwear steers Bailey Grant into fashion design
Bailey Grant was a year into her Social Service Worker studies at Mohawk College when her head was turned by a world that, to her, was previously unknown: fashion.
The former Sir Winston Churchill Secondary student had never before considered the highly-competitive industry as a viable career path so she hadn’t paid it much attention, she says. But browsing fashion-centric posts on Instagram stirred her creative soul. And soon she was teaching herself how to sew and looking for ways to make her daydreams a reality.
“I’m really inspired by streetwear,” says Grant, 20. “So, like, @HypeBae, they post a lot of pictures of different streetwear like Adidas, Nike, stuff like that. And I really like mixing feminine and girlie (with sporty). And I just saw posts like that, that just inspired me.”
From a black tea-length, body-con, all-lace dress to a pair of repurposed high-waisted jeans in which she has inserted an exposed zipper that runs from the front button, down under the torso and then up the back to the waist, Grant’s designs nod to ‘90s grunge with a sexy twist.
“I find myself gravitating toward things that ... make you feel good, make your body look good, that are flattering,” says Grant, who went on to study Fashion Techniques and Design at George Brown College where, come September, she will also study Fashion Management. “Mixing the girlie with grungy is my favourite thing to do.”
The long-sleeved, sheer floral, cropped knot top she designed and wears here over an ivory bralette from American Eagle Outfitters is a nudge outside her comfort zone be-
cause of the floral print, says Grant.
A good chunk of her wardrobe is black — in fact, she created a similar crop top in a black sheer fabric with tiny gold hearts and slightly different sleeves.
“I do like prints but I’m more of a minimalistic style, I would say,” she says. “It kind of depends on the day.”
Grant adds the sporty to her outfit via high-waisted jeans with side stripes from Zara and classic black Old Skool Vans sneakers.
Most eye catching piece:
A vintage NASCAR jacket. It’s sponsored by Budweiser and it just has all of the patches all over it. I bought it for $9. It’s red and black … it’s like a thick cotton.
Quirkiest wardrobe item:
Those jeans that I put the zipper all the way through from the top all the way to the back. I usually tuck in a vintage shirt — like a Harley Davidson shirt — or something like that. Just a boxy, oversized shirt. They’re kind of like a mom jean fit. They’re high-waisted, light denim. I like to roll them up cropped at the bottom and the zipper goes from the front button all the way to the back waistline.
Wardrobe must have:
Either a vintage shirt like a Harley Davidson shirt … or a nice Levi’s jacket. I have four Levi’s (denim) jackets in different fits because they’re just so easy to throw on top of everything. They never go out of style.
Best purchase:
My Doc Martens, probably, because those last forever. It’s just a classic piece that doesn’t go out of style. I have two pairs (in black). I have more of a dainty one that you can kind of wear with dresses but I wear the clunky ones with dresses, too. And I have the classic ones that everyone has that are clunky and big.
Regrets buying:
I have this pair of heels I bought at a boutique in Toronto and I can’t walk in them. I’m really bad for that — buying heels that I can’t walk in.
I’ll be so attracted to heels in the store and buy them and then I’ll take them home and never wear them. They kind of look like a sneaker, actually. They’re a stiletto, lace-up heel.
Loves to shop at:
Thrift stores. I like going to Value Village and then there are more curated ones locally … I really like mixing high end stuff with thrifted stuff.
Ridding her closet of:
I’ve been trying to shop more local and more thrifting. And I’m slowly but surely trying to get rid of fast fashion as a whole because it’s just not that ethical. But it’s hard because it’s price-friendly. But that’s something I’ve been working on.
Splurges on:
Just classic items like a good pair of shoes you know will last forever. Like my Old Skool Vans have been in since forever, Doc Martens, a good black dress, black T-shirt — those are the things I’m OK splurging on. Things that don’t go out of style or aren’t particularly trendy.
Beauty product she can’t live without:
My (Kat Von D) liquid eyeliner. I always have eyeliner on.