How to find your personal style, with Naima Fatema

0:00Naima Fatema:Copying people is not bad. This is so good, Naima. I'm not an outfit planner, which might surprise people. Okay, you've got two cameras. I've got two. I really dress as characters for the day. Okay, what character are you today then? Welcome to What Else? A new miniseries brought to you by Nespresso. In this miniseries, we're stepping into the mornings of three women we admire, uncovering their worlds beyond their titles, routines and public personas and asking them what else they are outside of their careers. Across the three episodes, we'll discover what makes them tick and uncover the small decisions that shape how they show up.

0:34This series is made possible by Nespresso, where every coffee is a chance to discover a new world. So we're using the new Virtuo Up machine, and even better, the machine is doing all the heavy lifting. It's happening. Just press to explore over 30 exceptional Virtuo blends, from single origins to fun-flavored coffees, roast and ground sealed in aluminum for freshness, and recyclable via Nespresso's program because building a successful life is easier with your morning coffee in hand. And let's get into today's episode. Hello guys, I'm Rhiannon Joyce, Stylish's Wednesday and Friday co-host. Welcome to our first ever video series, What Else?

1:12This is episode one of our brand new series with Nespresso and I'm so, so lucky to be joined by the wonderful Naima Fatima. Hello. I'm so excited to be here. Do you know what's so exciting about this episode and I feel like you're going to love this you can watch the video version on YouTube and Spotify this is a shameless media stylish first we have video available across a few of our other podcasts in our omniverse but this is a stylish exclusive I'm so pumped because obviously I'm the social girl so exactly I want to see it on my phone I want to see the outfit I was just about to say people are going to be running to Spotify and YouTube to see your outfit because you look unbelievable as always you look unbelievable I'm really excited to talk to you today about personal style because we know that our community absolutely adore your style and you've got a lot of tips and tricks that you can share.

1:59For those of you who aren't familiar with NIMA, where have you been? Because you've been regularly contributing, not just to the podcast most recently, but you've been part of the stylish omniverse since the beginning.

2:10Naima Fatema:Yes, even before it like launched on social, I was still, I was there, I was in there in the background. I was one of the contributors before it even launched. I, when I got that email, that was so exciting. I was like, oh maybe I am landing on people's for you pages even more so now because your followers have like what tripled I mean as a social media person that made me very happy that is definitely what you want not only as head of social at shameless media but you're also a content creator in your own right so you're straddling two worlds working full-time and then also doing content creation on the side yes you've had a thriving career as a content creator and social media you've got over 10 years experience but we know the outfits are what make a huge part of how you show up online but also in your job as well.

2:52I want to kick off with a bit of a rec and you should not be surprised by this. We obviously have the swap, which is our regular recommendation that we swap in our Wednesday episodes. So what is your swap for today?

3:04Naima Fatema:I thought about this. I was like, what is something that is like quintessentially me? I thought about content and also social and I was like, okay, I'm going to bring in my cameras, which I actually did bring in today. Oh, we have a physical prop people and I know you can see that because you're probably watching this. Sorry, is that weird? Okay, you've got two cameras. I've got two. Because I have to be on my phone all the time at work, I've tried really hard to take some of that screen time down, which is, to be honest, we looked at it the other day and it was pretty diabolical. What was it?

3:32Naima Fatema:It was seven hours on one and two hours on the other. So yeah, not good. But you're ahead of social. I know, but I still should bring it down a little bit. Okay, so how are you bringing it down? My camera roll is also So all, like a lot of it's just like outfit photos or my work photos. So I wanted to bring somewhere where I could have all of like my special memories and not bring out my phone as much when I'm out with my friends, out to dinner, you know, family time. So I ended up getting two cameras. I'm not a camera expert, so you could buy any of these cameras, but I've got a film one and a really easy like point and shoot Digi one.

4:09Naima Fatema:I'd like to take this out on like a night out with a flash. It looks so good. fair warning you will be hit up by your friends the next day being like oh do you have those photos um so be prepared to work be prepared to work you work enough by the sounds of that screen time but it reminds me of the old like club photo days yeah when you'd wait for the i'm really showing my age here the photo album to drop on facebook and everyone and we'll always have the club name at the bottom at the bottom on the right hand corner yes and i went through this weird phase where I wouldn't look at the camera. It was very like, look away.

4:42I'm so shy and mysterious. I'm all like candid. And it is like, honestly. And then I went through this stage where I was like, grr. At the camera, I'm like, guys, I'm going to try and dig these photos up because they're not torture.

4:52Naima Fatema:What's the other one you've got? So this one's just a 35mm point and shoot. Both of these are from Facebook Marketplace. They were under 100 each. Obviously, film is like a little bit more expensive. You do have to get it developed. But it's actually so easy to do now as well. There's a bunch of Dropboxes around Melbourne where you can just drop off the film and they just do it for you. Facebook Marketplace, you don't have to spend too much. They're just nice things to have in your bag at all times, especially the film one because it's like when I get them printed, I have no idea what's on there.

5:20Naima Fatema:So it's such a nice surprise because it's like you're not actually obsessed with what the photo is. It's just a nice memory. I feel I need to break the habit of reserving my film for being on holiday. Yes. I really like that you're leaning into it being like, okay, everyday moments, going out with your friends, capturing those memories. That's really special. And I really need to take a page out of your book. Just pop it in your handbag. Let's get into the episode. I really want to start with a very obvious place to start, the morning routine, the morning rituals. What are you doing? 7 a.m., whatever time, like how, what is the first decision of the day?

5:52Naima Fatema:It is whether I want to snooze or not. So is it that I'm going to give myself more time to get ready or less time to get ready? more often than not it's less time to get ready but I put on my fluffy robe and then I head to the bathroom have a shower do my gua sha normally if my boyfriend hasn't left early for work he will hand me a little tea or a coffee which is very nice very sweet I do my makeup and I always and this will probably be a sensory nightmare to you but have like a podcast on loud not even through a speaker just through my phone morning is that quiet time for me I famously like to raw dog a lot of my walks and like morning time.

6:29Naima Fatema:Do you plan your outfits in the morning or the night before? I'm not an outfit planner, which might surprise people. I'm not an outfit planner at all. I really dress as characters for the day. And so that'll completely depend on who I am that morning when I wake up. It's even like sensory things where I'm like, oh, I don't want to jump around that day. I don't want to, I want to wear this specific shoe. It'll completely depend on the morning. Okay, what character are you today then? Today, I wanted to be a bit of whimsy because I saw what this house looked like and I was like, okay, I want to match the vibe and that's what I've gone with.

7:04Naima Fatema:You've lent into the aesthetic, you've lent in, it's almost like method dressing. Yeah, very method and also how I want to feel that day. Like if I've got a lot of like computer work, I'll probably go like a little bit more like tailored, like shirts, you know, big jumpers, my loafers, but when I've got more in-person meetings, I'll go a little bit more dressed up. I'm really similar. I feel when I am at my desk, which is a lot lately, I lean more into functional comfort. But when I am out visiting clients, which is a huge part of my job, I often will elevate or I'm in a heel, I've got a bit more of a beat on my face.

7:41I'm really putting in more of an effort, so much so that some of the girls in the office will be like, whoa, whoa. What's on today? Exactly. It's like, who are you seeing today? I really want to know, why is fashion so important to you?

7:52Naima Fatema:It's such a pleasure to get dressed in the morning for me. It feels like the only creative thing that you have to do every single day. Like every single person has to get dressed in the morning. So why not make it a really fun exercise? So I think fashion from the start was like the way that I've always been creative because it's something that I could inject into my everyday. When I was growing up, being creative was like not really a pathway for where I was going to go with my life. So, you know, I had quite like math heavy subjects at school and science heavy subjects. And it was so nice that outside of that, obviously not in my school uniform, but on my Saturdays and Sundays, I got to have fun with that element of creativity where I couldn't do that in my day to day.

8:43Naima Fatema:You've really brought the school uniform back. I remember one of your first TikToks I ever saw went viral where you were actually wearing a Melbourne school uniform. Yeah, I put it up and I was like, as a joke, I said, oh, this is probably from a high schooler. And a girl was like, oh, that's literally my school uniform. And it was not even one that was far away from my house. So I probably could have got onto the tram and another girl was like wearing the same uniform. No doubt you had that little gossip girl flair. Do you remember when they used to wear their uniform, but then they would just embellish with like ties and different headscarves and jewelry.

9:16It's like, okay, is that a uniform? That shaped me as a human.

9:20Naima Fatema:though. Like that was like, that was my dream for my school uniform. My school did not let us do that, obviously, but I was like, one day I'm going to be able to dress like Blair Waldorf. Great segue. I really want to get into your styling tips and how you can really, you know, make your outfit personal and feel unique. But before we do that, we need to go make a coffee. Yes. You haven't had one yet? No, I'm so excited. Are you going to make me a coffee? I'm going to make you a coffee. Let's go. A little mid recording coffee break. I'm so pumped. I haven't had one yet. Okay, I've had a few. So we're going to make you a double espresso iced oat latte.

9:54Say that three times. No. So we're using the new Virtro Up machine and we're using the Chiara flavor. Even better, the machine is doing all the heavy lifting. This is the coffee creations mode. I want a punchy flavor in the morning. It's happening.

10:11Naima Fatema:What a treat as well. I know. Having my coffee made for me. You need to have a little me time moment at home. Get that cafe style experience at home and let the machine do all the heavy lifting. I need. This looks good. Yeah. Because I know you love a dash of milk. Is that right? I do. Okay, so we're going to pop in some oat milk. Very creamy. I want to lick the spoon, but I'm not an animal. Yum. You look great. The coffee looks great. Thank you. Tell me about your coffee story. Why is this your go-to? I mean, I'm from Melbourne, so I've obviously been drinking coffee since, you know, out the womb.

10:40Naima Fatema:I obviously also love a bold outfit. Yes. As you can see. So I think it just makes sense with the rest of my aesthetic. I leave myself not very long to get ready, so I need a good coffee to get me pumped up, out the door, ready for my day. I've got something to make that a little bit easier for you. So you can actually download the Nespresso Smart App and you can save your favourite recipes. So when you're on the go or you need to make a quick decision, you can already preload it and the machine will do it all for you. It already knows. It knows what to do. Now you've got your coffee, we're going to make mine and then we're going to get back into the episode.

11:13So, time to get comfy. This jacket is not making it easier for me, but apparently it looks good. Well, it looks good. So, that's all that matters.

11:21Naima Fatema:It's delicious, by the way. Well done. Thank you. Okay, let's get into the styling advice because that's why everyone is here. Okay. Everyone wants to be in your brain, Nymar. Gosh. Let's start with three words that define your style. Okay. I found this a really hard exercise because I don't know if you agree. I feel like my style really ranges from day to day. It's not like just the one aesthetic. And I actually asked my Instagram audience what they think. And there was one answer that I really, really liked. And it was boyish, joyful and romantic. And I was like, that is so nice. I would love to know, what do you think the best piece of advice is for someone who is really trying to discover what their authentic style is?

12:05Naima Fatema:I think about this all the time because I think people want this like authentic style, personal style for you to like pick it out of thin air. Like it's not a thing that you just like know and you can go into a store and you just know what your personal style is. Like everything else in your life, it's like a muscle that you have to flex. Flex, like similar to your personality. You're not like fully evolved at the age of 18 or 20. Same with your style. It's not going to be fully evolved at 20. You're not going to be able to go into a store and be like, that's exactly my style. You have to try lots of things on.

12:40Naima Fatema:You have to look bad. There's going to be some shit outfits, you know, like because you're going to find bits that you like from those outfits and then you're going to bring it into the next one. Or you're going to really find out what you don't like, which also is going to start steering you into a direction. I also think like a micro trend or a trend isn't a bad thing as well because it's a really easy way to try something on and also see how other people interpret that trend and try pull it into your personal style. So I think the best thing that you can do is just keep trying and evolving.

13:09Naima Fatema:And the more you try new things, the more you try new outfits and colors and textures, the more you're going to be able to refine what it is that actually feels like you. I find it really helpful to have almost like a seasonal version of myself as well. So how Rhi shows up in summer is actually very different to how she shows up in winter. Often in summer is where you see me play more with color and texture, but then in winter, that's where you see the structured styles. See, I kind of go opposite. I go like more colourful in winter because I feel grim about the outside. You want to brighten up your day.

13:40Naima Fatema:Yeah, the weather feels grim. So I go really bright with like the nits that I choose. I love coloured tights, obviously, and I try to bring like a fun coat or like a fun accessory in because that always makes me feel like a little bit more excited about my day. Do you have any items in your wardrobe that you build your outfits around, like a wardrobe building block. Ooh. Yeah. I feel like I've got like a few different things that I love a lot. Like I love stripes. I feel like stripes are always like a really good addition to any outfit because it just adds interest so quickly. And then you can always build something around that.

14:16Naima Fatema:Often I do start with like shoes. Like I've got like five pairs of shoes I like. So I decide first which shoes I want to wear that day. And then I often build up from there. It's really interesting. When I interviewed Erin Deering in the Face to Face series, She also started with shoes. And I hadn't heard anyone say that. So you're the second person to say that. But it also makes a lot of sense. Well, it's less stressful for my brain because it's like I don't have as many shoes because shoes are, in my opinion, investment items. Like when I buy a pair of shoes, I really think about it. So I don't have that many shoes.

14:47Naima Fatema:So it's not like a whole range that I need to pick from. Whereas the rest of my wardrobe, it's growing. So a bit more stressful to look at at 7 a.m. in the morning. That makes a lot of sense. I want to know, and I'm sure everyone else does, where are you getting your inspiration for your style from? Okay, everywhere. I watch a lot of movies. I love watching movies. I love watching TV shows. When I watch a movie or a TV show, I get really obsessed with what the characters in that show are wearing. So like similar to Gossip Girl, I think when I was 16, there's like a photo of me at the Met Steps in an exact like Blair Waldrope outfit with like the head headband and everything um I re-watched the OC recently and I started just wearing so many striped shirts with t-shirts over the top because I love Seth Cohen I take a lot of inspiration from like the media that I'm consuming outside of that in terms of like color I take a lot of inspiration from like just colors I see out in the street like I often even houses are really good for colour.

15:53Naima Fatema:Even here, like the blue and the brown look so beautiful together and that would be such a good colour combination that I could pull from in my wardrobe. I might not have this exact blue or this exact brown, but I can tell that like these two light colours are cool together. So I would wear like a blue jumper and maybe like bring in brown with like a bangle or a bag. And I think that would be like a combination that could work. I feel like you're in my head. I love marrying up interiors with outfits. It's something I also looked at this space and was like okay what's going to be complimentary I initially thought I would wear brown and pink because I wanted to have a bit of a pop of color as well but then I was like I can't my skirt was pink and I was like I kind of wanted to be in pants so then I was like I'll bring the color to the top and then I'll embellish with like earrings got our big earrings on we've got our big earrings on we mean business media is a really interesting space to source inspiration one of my favorite all-time films the talented Mr.

16:43Ripley yeah that's my go-to source for inspiration when holidaying always but even the men like the linen sets I love like the little accessories, the scarves, and it's set in Italy and it's just absolutely gorgeous. It's constantly my reference when I'm dressing for holiday. You mentioned that in winter you tend to dress more lively and, you know, when the weather's a bit grim, you're trying to, you know, brighten up your life. Are there any other references you can give me where you've like dressed to your mood?

17:08Naima Fatema:Well, I know that when I want to feel confident, more confident than I am feeling, I go for like probably a little bit more like chic. Like I go, almost my reference then is like an Andy Sachs in Devil Wears Prada or like a 10 Things I Had About You or like those 90s media girls. That almost becomes my reference. I think dressing is such a beautiful way to convey something to the world, even if you're not necessarily feeling it. Like I said, with colour, it's so nice when I'm feeling a bit dreary and not my best self to really dress up in colour to still feel good. And then when I'm not feeling confident or it's like a presentation that feels scary or a big day at work, I'll probably put on a bit of a heeled boot and a structured shirt.

17:53Naima Fatema:Yeah, like almost dress like a fashion editor for the day. I genuinely do give myself characters. Today is like sparkly ballerina. There's a little character to everything. I try to take that attitude into my day, which sounds so DeLulu. I don't think it sounds DeLulu at all. It's like my version of manifestation. It's a nice, fun way to get dressed and also just like brings a bit of joy in your day. Why wouldn't you? Also, I find when I am feeling lazy at home, I will put on an outfit because then I can't lounge about. Like I don't have a lot of like lounging clothes. Like I don't really have track pants.

18:29Naima Fatema:So on a Saturday, I just put on jeans in the morning because then I can't get back into bed and I just have to go about my day. I'm the opposite. I have like matching sets that are like home outfits. Love that. So it's like they're home clothes and they're not allowed to be worn outside. No outside air on them. No outside air. Not even to like walk to get a coffee. It's like they're inside. Yeah. I'd use my clothes to like force me into actions. Okay. I would love to move into some surprise and delight questions. I'd love to know what was the last book you read? Yeah. You're going to love this.

19:00Naima Fatema:I just finished Fourth Wing. Music to my ears. I'm a huge Fourth Wing fan. I feel like I've made so many girls in the office read this book. even if they're not fantasy girlies. Yeah. Would you say you're a fantasy girlie? No, I would say I was a big fantasy girl when I was a kid. Like I was a really, really big reader as a child. Like my mum would just like take me to the library and I would just sit there and read for hours. Like I loved an Eragon. I loved all of those books. I actually was buying a book for like a 10-year-old the other day, like my boyfriend's niece, and it was the book Ink Art.

19:32Naima Fatema:Do you remember that book? No. I read it when I was a kid and I was so obsessed with the fact that she was now going to read it as a 10-year-old. that brought back a lot of memories of like why I loved fantasy. Recently, I've been really into like the genre of like girl in life complaining about things and not much happening. Like sad girl vibes. Yeah, sad girl vibes. But I think Fourth Wing was like the perfect book for me right now. It's been, you would know this, a busy year for us. It has. It's May, by the way. Yeah, it's May. But then on the side, I obviously also do a lot of content creation stuff.

20:05Naima Fatema:So it's just been a busy year all around. And I thought it was really just a good way for me to like take my brain out and just put it into a world. Escapism. That's what it's all about. I wish there was a bit more dragons. Really? I don't think I really cared about them as much. What about the sex? Oh, I see. I thought the dragons. More is more. Ruby Hall actually sprung this question on me when I did my inherited interview. She asked me, what is something people who follow you might be surprised to know about you or to learn? I was taken aback, so I'm just sharing the anxiety. Genuinely, so many people that follow me don't actually know that I work at Shameless Media.

20:42Naima Fatema:That's such a flex. Yeah, like a lot of people. I think I've only started kind of like bringing it in a little bit more now. I love to cook. That's probably what I do to like tune out, keep my hands busy. I love to eat. I love going to a restaurant. Okay, restaurant rec, unsolicited rec. Let's go in Melbourne. Number one spot. Number one spot. Yeah, go for it. You've got to go number one. Okay, number one spot that I don't think a lot of people have gone to is Saray in the city. Really good Filipino food. Incredible. Amazing. And it's quite understated and chill. Yeah, it's so chill. It almost has like a cafe-esque sort of vibe to it.