1 of 4
Surprise! It’s Quirk again! Taylor is all about pairing neutral-colored separates in differing textures for sleek wintertime dressing. (Photo by: Faith Pierce)
2 of 4
Her delicate pink stone necklace and menswear-inspired watch are sweet, understated complements to her monochromatic outfit. Taylor says she’s got her eye on some Surface handmade pieces for spring!(Photo by: Faith Pierce)
3 of 4
Here’s the same silhouette— but for spring! She’s just switched out the pants for a pencil skirt and traded her knee high black leather boots for some brown suede ankle booties. The outfit feels fresh and seasonal; I’m especially digging the peek-a-boo socks. (Photo by: Ocelia Hudson)
4 of 4
The skirt’s side zippers and the shirt’s dual length gives the simple silhouette visual interest and I love that she’s done that daring thing and paired brown and black together. (Photo by: Ocelia Hudson)
Jordan Taylor is an aviation and health care interior designer by day and an RVA-based fashion blogger by night (a sort of style and design superhero, if you will). Obviously, she’s focused on utility and comfort when she’s designing an airport lounge or a doctor’s office and those professional pursuits have informed her personal style in a chic and effortless way. She approaches her wardrobe the same way she approaches a space: all clean lines, minimalist shapes and neutral colors. I grabbed a cocktail with Taylor at her beloved Quirk Hotel lobby to chat about personal style, the business of fashion blogging, transitional wardrobe dressing and her love of delicate jewelry.
“Oh gosh, I think I’ve always been blogging,” Taylor laughs when I ask her how long she’s been documenting her style and life on the web. “Xanga, Livejournal, AOL Instant Messenger … I even met my boyfriend on MySpace.” Taylor said she found her now-boyfriend’s Richmond-based band’s MySpace page while in design school in Florida and the two hit it off over the World Wide Web (Is there a more Millennial way of meeting?!). She packed her bags and moved to RVA in 2011 and started her fashion blog, Petite Modern, in August 2013.
For Taylor, her fashion blog is more than just a hobby, though her motivations are passion-driven. She says she puts as much time into her site and side business as she does her full-time gig, often collaborating with local shops like Elements of Beauty and national stores like Tiffany and Co. and Rocks Box on local events and social media posting. Most recently, she teamed up with the app Capsules by Cladwell which helps users become more mindful in their shopping habits, pare down their wardrobes and find their signature styles.
Taylor really took that idea of minimalist dressing to heart and at the beginning of January created a capsule wardrobe within her closet, allowing herself only 50 items (including bags, shoes and coats!) to wear from January 1 until the beginning of April. She says getting dressed within the confines of the capsule has helped her figure out her “most personal self” and has refined what she feels most confident and happy in.
And in the same way she’s currently obsessed with marble, rose gold and copper accents in her design work, her happy place style-wise is black pants, comfy cream-colored sweaters and pops of pink and metallics in her accessories (did I mention she seriously dies for the Quirk Hotel?). For Taylor, it’s all about keeping things streamlined, modern and sophisticated.
Since I knew I was talking to a woman with wardrobe wisdom to spare, I closed out our conversation by asking Taylor to help a sister (and blog readers!) out with a few tips on how to transition winter pieces into spring. We’re getting into that time of year where an inch of snow is immediately followed up by a sunny 70 degree day and honestly, who knows how to get dressed in that kind of madness (spoiler alert: not me)? Taylor put together looks using similar items in her signature style for two separate, seasonal outfits. (See above slideshow)
