where I go for inspo

Welcome to clipboard, a weekly newsletter about good shit and Tāmaki Makaurau, by me, Reilly Hodson. This week, after a few weeks of hiatus-ish, I’m sharing some of the places I head for clothes inspo, and complaining about the state of Instagram. If you enjoy clipboard, share it with your cool friends!

my sources of style inspo

The art of getting dressed is one, as with any hobby, that waxes and wanes with energy. Some weeks, I can’t be bothered to iron my shirts, or I wear the same outfit a few days in the row - recently, when I was feeling unwell, I even wore sweatpants outside the house, something I haven’t done since I was rehearsing for high school musicals. No hate to people who wear sweatpants regularly, I just really do not like to leave the house without looking put together.

When I’m feeling drained of inspiration, and sad about my wardrobe, there are a few people whose content I seek out for inspiration, people who wear clothes to feel joy, and put classic pieces together in a way that feels right (or wrong! feeling wrong can also be good).

Because Tumblr has died for the fashion world (bring it back, I reckon), I now have to collect inspiration from a mix of screenshots, print magazines, Instagram accounts, TikTokers and Discord channels. Here are a few of the style gods I look to when I need a bit of inspo.

@fleecegibson

Jordan Gibson is the mastermind of clipboard stalwart brand Checks Downtown, and this man gets high off his own supply. Checks is a brand which can seem a bit challenging from the outside, owing to the out-there colours and buzzy fabrics, but Jordan’s consistent fit pics show that yes, it is possible to wear all Checks. What I love about Jordan’s fits is the absolute joy that comes off them - caring too much about clothes is inherently silly, so have some fun with it! I wouldn’t necessarily replicate one of Jordan’s outfits 1-for-1, but I always spot something cool that he’s doing.

@mat_buckets

Matthew Spade is a British guy from Blackpool that I discovered through his very pleasant TikTok’s. What I love about Matthew’s outfits is how well he has dialled in on a signature silhouette - roomy, straight trousers that are hemmed just-so, classic, comfy pieces in earthy tones, topped with a hat. It’s not uniform dressing in the sense of buying five pairs of the same trousers, but he’s found a winning formula and he’s running with it. Very sick and certainly worthy of a follow.

@brittanybathgate

Another British pick! Brittany Bathgate is a YouTuber and Instagram influencer type person who has a #goals wardrobe. Brittany’s looks focus on fabric, texture, silhouette and high-quality pieces. The way she dresses is clean and put together, while still being super interesting and worthy of a closer look. If only I too could afford The Row…

@mr.slowboy

Fei Wang is a menswear illustrator who draws these amazing outfits that just feel perfectly considered. Everything is exactly in its place, with delightful details like the stains on a pair of cream trousers, or the Nintendo Switch and belt in the above picture. The style sits in the kind of Ivy prep, classic menswear look. This is how I want to dress when I’m a cool dad, and I really want to buy his book.

@yanggoh

Yang-Yi Goh has my dream job, as a style editor for GQ, which means that he has access to every cool item of clothing in the world. Some might find all of that opportunity paralysing, but not this guy - he just gets fits off all the time. What I love about Yang’s outfits is the way he moves between worlds - he can pull off a suit and tie just as well as a buzzy fleece or a beret. Also - great hair!

clips

• Loved this piece about the prospect of an openly gay All Black by Jamie Wall. Any person who’s been tangentially close to an all-boys school or rugby team knows we have a long way to go on addressing homophobia in male-dominated spaces, so wouldn’t it be great for New Zealand Rugby to be a leader in that space?

• Checks Downtown’s winter collection is beginning to trickle into store. I really like the look of this Oakland A’s inspired wool-blend cap (which fits big for the big-headed among us), and this beaded necklace from Object Dept.

• I was strong-armed into going to Danny Doolan’s for the first time ever by my work colleagues on Friday night, and take it from me, that place sucks even more than you might think it would. Won’t be going back, if I was a betting man.

• Kowtow have a new collection, and there is some excellent knitwear in there for the colder months. I love my Kowtow knitwear because it’s organic cotton but still heavy, which agrees much more nicely with my skin than wool. I’ll be popping this fun jumper and this very practical tote on my watch list for sale time.

• There’s a very cool looking new cafe called Rumours that opened right by my office this week, on O’Connell Street. Good coffee is tough to find in the central city, so I will certainly be hitting them up.

a brief rant

I’m breaking my newsletter format this week to vent about something which has been bothering me increasingly. What the fuck happened to social media? I feel like, slowly but surely, all of the social apps through which I experience the world have been degraded to the point of being unusable.

Facebook has been bad for a while now, and Twitter has always been a cesspool, but Instagram seems to have gotten much worse in the past couple of months, overrun by brands and non-people, and sucking out any actual personal interaction.

Where do we go now? Should we all go back on Snapchat, like the teens do? Should we bring back Tumblr? Can I just start a bunch of iMessage group chats and retreat into them?

I love to see some nice, professional content as much as the next guy, but I also want to connect with the real people that really matter to me - anyone have any tips? Slide into my DMs, or reply to this email.

That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading. I’ll see you back here next Sunday bright and early at 7am, in the meantime you can find me on Instagram and get in touch via email to ask questions, make a comment, or offer me a new job.