01/06/2026
put me in miu miu 👼🏻
when i first started modeling, my biggest fear wasn’t that i wasn’t good enough it was that my look wasn’t the “right” kind of comfortable for this scene here in chicago. i’ve always known i wasn’t meant to blend in especially the “safe” mold they have here in chicago, and for a long time being different just felt like a problem i had to solve. now it’s just where i stand.
walking into the chicago fashion week vip launch was surreal, and i had fun, but i couldn’t ignore that i was the only trans person in the room. it’s a complicated feeling being welcomed, but still feeling entirely alone in the visibility. it was a reminder that i didn’t fight for a seat just to blend in with the furniture.
my outfits aren’t just ‘looks.’ they’re the internal maps i wear so i never forget how far i’ve come
this miu miu-inspired vision is built from the pieces i carry with me… like the clip-tie i used as a belt from my very first fashion show. i was so scared that day feeling like a deer walking on ice, but i still remember the strangers in the crowd telling me i did well or hearing a woman gasp saying ‘she’s so pretty’ as i did my walk. then there’s these glasses i scouted that remind me of my childhood best friend from foster care, and the ring my grandmother gave me from that same time when i was separated from my sister.
the necklace is from the period where i chose to be alone to finally understand myself and what impact i wanted to make, paired with a ribbon from a birthday gift. the blazer is from a charity show that made me feel like i was doing something that actually mattered. and then my purse i found in an alley near my place, by the trash. i wore it to the event where i was scouted and signed with my agency.
i don’t wear these things because they’re just clothes and a cute outfit. i wear them as a reminder of the fear i’ve moved through and the risks i’ve taken.
styled by me :D
photographer chris.crimson.photography
muse: jae.matthiesen (me)
miumiu
