We're back with Staple Studies, our mini interview series about building a wardrobe to depend on. This time around, two friends of ours—sisters Lauren and Alexa (we love sister stories!)—divulge some juicy fashion history.

Pictured: Alexa, left, wears Harriet Watch, and Lauren, right, wears Kimsey Watch

Sisters! Introduce yourselves. 

Lauren: I’m Lauren Maas. I’m a writer and a creative director in the marketing and communications department at RISD. I love to read, make lists of books to read, watch movies, make lists of movies to watch, travel, make lists of places to go, eat delicious food, make lists of…you get it. I’m the older Maas sister. Maybe that’s obvious, what with all the lists.

Alexa: Hi there! I'm Alexa, the younger of the Maas sisters. I live and work in Brooklyn, NY. I’m most passionate about my hobbies which include crocheting, weaving, embroidery and all things textiles. For work I run operations for a scenic fabrication shop (think carpenters, painters etc) who build sets for events. It’s a job full of characters which I love.

"...the tentpoles of my wardrobe are probably things most would consider to be signatures rather than staples. They’re a little more specific, sometimes wild..."

1. What are some staple pieces that you think make a good foundation for any wardrobe? 

Lauren: I see staples as something you’re on the hunt for, but also something that communicates the idea of you at a glance. Following this line of thought then, the tentpoles of my wardrobe are probably things most would consider to be signatures rather than staples. They’re a little more specific, sometimes wild, definitely unique. Usually they’re reserved for occasions (real or imagined) where there’s an expectation to zhuzh it up. Like this chiffon tea dress in a really beautiful shade of deep blue with white flowers and split sleeves that I loved so much, especially when I saw myself in it in photos. It was a vintage find, I wore it out and now it’s retired. Having a few of these “Lauren” pieces in my closet make me feel at ease. Everything else is function. With everything else—t-shirts, underwear, jeans, etc—I’m looking mostly for comfort and a second nature quality.

Alexa: I really believe shoes can be the most important part of an outfit. I own arguably way too many but I think they can take a simple jeans and T-shirt look and completely change it to suit your individual personality. That being said, having a fantastic black boot or an easy sneaker that not everyone in town is wearing are my wardrobe trusty staple pieces. I know I can throw them on without thinking about it too hard and feel like myself.

2. How do you both decide to invest in a new staple piece? 

Lauren: One nice thing about having signature pieces scratch your staple itch is that they can appear out of the blue! For me it’s not about chasing down or saving up for something from a specific, sought-after designer, it’s about the idea of the piece matching with the idea of myself at that moment. If I see something that fits the brief above I don’t think about it. Especially if it’s the right size and isn’t outrageously expensive. Eureka! I am compelled to bring it home. Maybe I should note I’m a Leo. I have a liberal ‘treat yourself’ policy.

Alexa: Investing in staple items is imperative—especially shoes. New York requires so much walking and shoe wear and tear it’s impossible to survive in uncomfortable or poor quality shoes and I’ve learned this the hard way plenty of times. I'm an expert deal hunter so if I see a shoe I love I will work sometimes tirelessly to hunt it down and ideally at some discount. Quality items will last and your shoe size rarely changes! 

"...since moving to New England almost a decade ago, my longstanding sweater love has admittedly become a sweater problem..."

Pictured: Lauren and Alexa go for gold. Lauren wears Kimsey Watch and Alexa wears Harriet Watch.

3. Any thoughts on "uniforms"? Do you have one?

Lauren: Alexa and I were talking about this not too long ago when there was a trend on the internet of trying to define your style in adjectives. What I landed on verged on the absurd: librarian… bookish? Graphic, textural… French clown?? I guess I dress in those veins. But since moving to New England almost a decade ago, my longstanding sweater love has admittedly become a sweater problem. I’m most often in a sweater, black pants and boots, but with an interesting scarf or something, and acting like a mime? (Idk, see: French clown.) In the warmer weather, button-down shirts suit me. I like them large and reach for them first.

Alexa: I’m not much of a uniform dresser. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned  what styles and silhouettes work for me and what don’t, so that allows me to make more thoughtful decisions while building out my closet. I’m rarely feeling the same about my style or body or mood on any given day so the more options the better. 

4. Describe how your styles are similar or different.

Lauren: We tend to like the same things but we definitely have different styles. We are both crazy for patterns. I admire how she mixes sporty with sophisticated, kind of like… very Danish cool. She experiments with silhouettes a lot more than I do and it’s always good. Inspiring, even! I think she’s a more modern dresser than me for sure, and also pulls off casual better. Her sensibility when it comes to accessories is well honed, especially regarding shoes. I’m a mess with shoes. Don’t even get me started on socks. She’s had to coach me a lot and I’m still a babe in the shoe/sock woods somehow. Recently we’ve joked that, aesthetically speaking, I’m Miss Havisham and she’s Miss Hannigan. If this isn’t too deep a cut for you, I think it tells you all you need to know about our individual styles.

Alexa:  I love my sister’s style and the ways we’re similar and oh so different. She has this classy art school professor vibe going on. The colors and prints she chooses whether in her clothing or in her home are so intentional and so fantastic. Im always inspired or envious of her choices in prints. If there’s overlap it’s usually because one of us found a print and silhouette the other has to have. That and we’re both wearing gold aviator glasses these days (that we bought together!)

5. How do you remember each other’s sense of style developing when you were growing up?

Lauren: We’re nine years apart so this question is a little tougher to answer. I remember she had the CUTEST baby clothes and I was really into dressing her. Even when she was little though, she was an adventurous dresser. She requested glamor shots in middle school and they’re amazing relics. A t-shirt covered by a musical score. A floppy brown corduroy newsboy cap. So many sides of Alexa revealed. Maybe now’s the time to give Wendy (our mom) a shout-out: the woman can dress. She’s probably our biggest inspiration. Her shoe collection is insane, she made all of our Halloween costumes and her own prom dresses growing up. Truly creative. She loves me in navy. She wishes I’d wear more and bigger earrings. I should probably listen to her.

Alexa: This is a tricky one for me because of our age difference. I remember being so envious of her prom dresses when I was about 7 or 8 so much so that when I went to prom I ended up insisting on wearing one of them! I really looked up to her in every way and got a lot of my taste from her - not to mention I’d steal whatever I could when we were together. 

" Imagine a table of white turtlenecks and jeans or denim button downs and khakis, all six of us. Like a Steve Jobs convention. The closer I got to high school, the more I died inside. "

Pictured: Lauren and Alexa in the good old days.

6. Related: do you have any silly memories related to what you wore when you were young?

Lauren: There are four kids in our family and our mom was pretty dedicated to the idea of getting professional photos taken of us every couple years. The only problem was she felt we ought to all match (my parents were in these photos too) and that we ought to have dinner at a pretty popular pizza restaurant in town directly after the photos were taken. Imagine a table of white turtlenecks and jeans or denim button downs and khakis, all six of us. Like a Steve Jobs convention. The closer I got to high school, the more I died inside. Maybe this is why I seek out one-of-a-kind looks that only I can wear?

Alexa: When I was a baby I knew my sister loved dressing me up. She and my mom had so many funny doll-like outfits for baby me. In my teenage years when I was figuring out my personal style a compliment from Lauren was everything to me. I went through some funny stages from a Limited Too faux hippie to handmade ribbon-yarn skinny scarves. It was a journey!

7. If you could associate one “staple” accessory / piece of clothing with your sister, what would it be?

Lauren: I think it would be her mint green cowboy boots. She knows why.

Alexa: Something I always attribute to Lauren’s style is prints like I mentioned as well as gold accessories and always a classic lipstick color. She’s also less staple piece oriented so we just find how to best compliment our aesthetics.