The Pandora Sykes Guide to Style
Photo: Pandora Sykes
If I could switch wardrobes with anyone, it would have to be It-Brit Pandora Sykes. She’s a London-based fashion and features journalist and a blogger—oh, and this woman’s also got one hell of a closet.
My phone is filled with screenshots of Sykes’s quirky but strategic styling tricks, and her cool AF approach to accessorizing has led me to pin countless photos of her street-style outfits, including one where she belts a skinny union jack scarf over a midi dress and another where she perfectly matches a deep-red dress with patent, crimson ankle boots and glossy acetate frames in the same punchy shade. Then there was the time she wore a pink puffy shirt with mom jeans and python-print ankle boots. Like I said: She’s quirky but strategic.
In addition to owning a look that’s all her own (except for when I copy it), there’s a fun, relatable air to Sykes’s street-style photos that causes me to check her Instagram account regularly, on the hunt for fresh outfit ideas to copy and paste into my own wardrobe—and I’m only one of 70,000 followers who do that. In a sea of smirking street-style stars, it’s hard to miss Sykes’s unguarded grin and tousled, cropped hair.
So in the interest of emulating her style a little better, I chatted with Sykes about what she’ll be wearing this winter, the cool-weather styling tips she swears by, and the new London-born brands to know.
How do you start most days?
Jumping in the shower, often simultaneously checking my e-mails whilst talking to the cat.
You’ve written for CNN, The Coveteur, Man Repeller, GQ, and InStyle, to name a few. How did you get your start in the fashion industry?
Internships for magazines like InStyle and GQ and pitching freelance ideas constantly to editors I had never met.
What does an average day at work look like for you?
An early morning blog post, filing copy for the Sunday Times Style, a gazillion e-mails, a few meetings with PRs, perhaps an interview with a designer, and way too much sugar.
What do you love most about your job?
The access to beautiful places and things and how much I learn about the world through one industry.
What do you find most challenging?
Accepting that you can’t do everything or be everywhere.
Photo: Pandora Sykes
Describe your style in a sentence.
Eclectic but specific.
Do you follow any blogs religiously?
Man Repeller, Look De Pernille, Life of Boheme, Always Judging, Fashion Me Now, and Camille Over the Rainbow.
Which Instagram accounts do you check daily?
@thefatjewish, @willitbeard, @lilymdonaldson.
What was the last thing that you bought?
A pair of vintage Chanel slingbacks from Vestiaire Collective.
What is your signature scent?
Santal 33 by Le Labo.
Is there anything you’d never wear?
Track pants.
What up-and-coming British brand do you think more people should know about?
Le Kilt.
Photo: Pandora Sykes
What boots will you be wearing this winter?
Gucci’s black suede ankle boots with logo detail that I just bought via Lyst.
What coat will you be wearing?
Either Topshop Unique’s tweed bomber, a full-length military coat by Zara, or my Shrimps Hokus coat.
Where is your morning coffee stop?
Crussh or Three Wheels in London Bridge.
What fashion trend do you struggle to get behind?
Fake specs. Gucci, I love you (and God I do), but no.
Photo: Pandora Sykes
If money were no object, what would you be wearing right now?
Head to toe Hillier Bartley.
Do you edit your photos?
No, I just sometimes use the iPhone camera’s “fade” filter because I don’t like my pictures looking too yellow.
What layering trick will you be relying on this winter?
A ribbed or glittery polo neck—under dresses, shirts, knits, coats.
Photo: Pandora Sykes
