Hi! Welcome back to Wear is She Wednesdays, a series that highlights one special girl each week to let her shine! Every Wednesday, we feature a different “she,” and get the scoop on her style, what makes her tick, and how the heck we can learn to be as awesome as she is. Today we’re asking the question everyone wants to know… Wear is Micaela Cali?
WEAR IS… MICAELA CALI?
Micaela Cali is the type of girl you want to chat with over tea and biscuits, provided she likes them of course… (Do you like tea and/or biscuits? Let’s set something up.) Her soul is bursting with creativity and perhaps sweeter than the baked goods she decorates. From pastry arts to photography, it would seem that everything she does is steeped in imagination.
Her interview today is not only thoughtful, but delightfully warm so keep reading for her thoughts on style in film, writing challenges and embarking on her style journey.
Hi Micaela! Please introduce your wonderful self!
Hello friends! My name is Micaela Cali and I’m 25 years old, currently living just outside Toronto, in Milton, Ontario, Canada! I’m a freelance portrait photographer and cookie decorator at a little sugar cookie shop in town. In my free time I love writing, reading, watching movies and of course thrifting! I shoot mainly portraits but I especially love fashion photography and taking self portraits of my own clothing finds when I can!
1. How would you describe your style?
When I first read this question I was originally stumped, until my roommate jumped to my rescue with the word “eclectic!” Which means “deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.” I think my style is a combination of many different things, and I definitely dress to feeling or whatever I’m inspired by that week. Sometimes I dress more simple and feminine, and other days I’m obsessed with whimsical and quirky florals, textures and patterns, and layering them all together!
2. Who or what are your current biggest style inspirations?
I’m usually heavily inspired by the fashion from my favourite movies and tv shows, and that’s such an important part of film to me. Recently I loved everything Lucy Hale wore in CW’s Katy Keene, Grace Vanderwaal in Disney’s Stargirl and Lana Condor in Netflix’s To All The Boys I Loved Before. I live for the fashion in editorial shoots with my favourite celebrities (like Taylor Swift, Emma Robert, Lily Collins) in good old fashion magazines too! It might be a bit of a strange pairing, but I’m always inspired by both the Victorian and the 80’s to early 2000’s eras.
Things like Anne with and E, Pride & Prejudice, The Baby Sitter’s Club (1995) and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants make me so excited about fashion and becoming a character that’s still true to myself and personality when I pick out what to wear each day. And then there are obviously a ton of Youtubers and Instagrammers I love to follow for inspiration! A few to mention would be Ashely from Best Dressed (@best.dressed), Diana Chamomile (@dianachamomile), Kate from @readwritethrift, Kelly Havens Stickle (@kellyhavensohio) and of course yourself Veronica! (and I’m totally not just saying that!!)
3. How did you discover your personal style or are you still discovering it?
It’s kind of embarrassing, but the first time I started to truly find my style was in high school when my mom took me to the first Forever 21 near us that had opened about an hour away. I felt like I had never been to a store that offered so many different kind of styles in one place I had never seen before, and I remember floating from section to section thinking I could be anyone or anything I wanted to be in these clothes, as cheesy as that sounds!
Obviously years later I learned about the negative effects of fast fashion and my passion for thrifting grew! Only ironically after many years of being dragged into Goodwill by my mom as a child and hating it! But I still have a handful of pieces from those first F21 trips that I will always cherish as the beginning of my style journey!
4. What’s on your thrift list right now?
Am I a huge thrift nerd for keeping this list on my phone at all times? My top ones right now are: 1) A white button up blouse, super basic but I somehow haven’t been able to find the perfect one! 2) High waisted overalls, I am a long-torsoed girl and finding jumpsuit things that fit is hard! 3) A fun patterned 2 piece set! 4) Doc Martens, I don’t own a pair yet but I’m determined to thrift my first!
5. Where would you do on your ultimate dream vacation?
Right now honestly anywhere in Europe because I’ve never been over the pond! I could probably tell you 10+ countries around there I want to travel to for different reasons, but I do have my heart set on England and France! Old buildings and architecture fascinate me to the core and I’ve been brushing up on my french during quarantine! (Okay and maybe Greece if I’m feeling beachy!)
6. And the bonus question I like to ask everyone before they go: what’s something you’re really proud of right now?
That’s a hard one! The last two years I’ve participated in a little writing challenge on Instagram called Escapril, where you write with prepared prompts every day for the whole month of April and post them. Even after that I’ve begun to share a lot of my writing and poetry on Instagram in my captions and stories, which has been both scary and therapeutic haha!
Kind of like when I first got into fashion and would get nervous about wearing unique pieces back in college! I’m proud of myself for continuing to reach that type of confidence and vulnerability in certain areas of my life.
Where else can we find you, Micaela?
You can find me at my personal instagram @mic_cali, my new style & thrift account @caela.thrifts or my portrait photography account @cali_captures! And thank you so much for having me, it’s been a pleasure and honour!
