I like to believe that fashion is so much more than trends, labels or #outfitoftheday. At its best, fashion is a form of creative expression dreamed up by a designer, somewhere, somehow, and put on our blank canvassed bodies. Taken a step further, there’s an art to everyone’s personal fashion. Your vision may not match mine, and vice versa, but there’s more than meets the eye in what we choose to wear.

Clothes influence how we see ourselves, how we look at others. They help create an idea of what we think about someone’s personality. Wearing what makes you feel like you is a statement. This essential detail of individuality is why fashion can be personally transformative, culturally important, and yes, just pure fun.

And there is literally nothing in my closet that’s more fun and more wearable art than this embellished jean jacket custom-created for me(!) by Zero Waste Daniel — a New York based clothing designer and lifestyle pioneer who uses pre-consumer waste sourced from New York City’s garment industry, as well as other hard-to-recycle materials. Daniel’s genderless clothing and accessories are created to help ensure nothing is sent to landfills. I was lucky enough to be cast in one of ZWD’s previous digital campaigns, and I can attest firsthand that not only is Daniel super talented, he’s super sweet! Every time I wear ZWD’s special jacket I feel happy, and I get more compliments than I can count.

This feminine and flowy white sundress is the perfect backdrop for the jacket, as well as the perfect canvas for the colorful accessories I chose to finish off this look — handwoven necklace, rattan bag and block-heeled sandals. Head-to-toe, it’s an easy, breezy look I plan to wear a lot this summer.

Jacket: (Zero Waste Daniel)

Dress: (Uniqlo, under $50, also in black and navy blue)

Bag: (old, J. McLaughlin) Really like this (on sale), this (under $30) and this.

Necklace: (old, Boks and Baum Paris) Similar vibe here, here and here.

Sandals: (old, Schutz) Love these flats (on sale) and these sporty flatforms.

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Photography by Kristin Moore-Gantz @artdirectthis. Hair by Michelle @ten23stylelounge.