Paulina Wornette

It began on the first day of kindergarten. The night before, my mother dressed me up in a vintage, red velvet, peter pan collared dress and rag curled my hair. The next day at school everyone made fun of me for looking like Sara Crewe rather than your average mid-’90s child and I cried and cried. Though for many years after that day I wanted nothing more than to blend in (and my five-year-old self would promise you life was better that way), already somewhere in the midst of my subconscious there grew a need to dress as I felt rather than as I was told I ought to. By Grade 8 I was influenced by almost everything I watched or read, and would modestly attempt to reincarnate them into my school wear: Monday I would be Wednesday Addams, Tuesday I would be Anne of Green Gables, Wednesday I’d be Clarissa Explains it All, and so on. Honestly, things haven’t changed very much since then, aside from the fact that now I am simply aware and happy to celebrate the notion of dressing according to feeling and individual influence.

These days, I like to pretend I am a Romanaov sister, or a ’20s flapper girl, or Delirium from the Sandman series, mixed in with a bit of Stevie Nicks. Sometimes, when the world calls me to snap out of my dreamland, I go to the University of Toronto to study English. But even there, often I cannot help but wonder what coloured tights Shakespeare wore when he wrote a particular play. I think that’s part of the reason I find myself at WORN, and I am very excited about being a new intern here. With all that being said… Hello.

Current Inspirations:

Fashion Forestry
I harbour a thing for redheads, especially ones who wear magnificent vintage patterns and head pieces. Nicole from Fashion Forestry always supplies that just perfectly.

The Tsar’s Cabinet
An exhibition that is currently running at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto, showcasing photographs and objects unravelling the romantic luxury of the Romanov family.

Forest Graves
Magical inspiration that takes you back to the interwar period and makes you want to wear silky ’20s lingerie all the time.

Mourir Auprès de Toi
A little stop-motion film by Spike Jonze and Simon Cahn that plays with the wonderful embroidery clutches that Olympia Le-Tan has been making recently.

Hopeless Dreamchaser
A sweet, whimsical blog by Anni from Finland, that not only offers a glimpse into her precious wardrobe but she also tells lovely poetic stories.

photography by Jessica Da Silva & Samantha Walton