Name and occupation?
Elaine Jyll Regio. I’m a fashion and market editor and stylist.

What does your day-to-day look like at work?
I distill the trends of the season and recreate the look and feel in a range of price points. I also style fashion shoots and still-life stories. It really ranges from day to day. But I’m either running around going to market appointments, pulling clothing, on-set for a shoot or at my desk scouring the market.

Does your company and/or industry have a dress code?
The great thing about the fashion industry is that there isn’t a specific dress code. I love that everyone can embrace their own aesthetic and try new things whenever they want.

Describe what you usually wear to work.
I love a good low heel (the western trend is great for that) or sneakers – you never know when you’ll have to run around, so you have to keep it comfy. I have this one oversized navy blazer from the H&M x Maison Margiela collab from years ago. It’s a perfect balance of classic elements and interesting design details that make it always feel current. In hindsight, I should have bought a few to last me a lifetime.

My regular outfits are Levi’s jeans, a graphic tee with a faux-leather shirt, Dr. Martens and an assortment of gold and silver jewelry (I love to mix metals) from Mejuri, Cuchara, Gemmie, Tiffany, Jenny Bird, Pandora, Maison Irem and Vitaly. Sounds like a lot, but I sometimes wear three or four rings on one finger. I approach ring stacking the same as clothing: You can mix and match metals as long as the tones are similar (e.g, I would never put polished gold with gunmetal silver). I’m really into larger fluid-shaped rings. They stack really nicely, especially when their grooves sit beside each other perfectly.

How do you shop for clothes?
As a stylist, I prefer to shop offline. I need to go to the store to touch, feel and see the fabric. I’m trying to re-approach how I shop right now – a.k.a. not at all unless I’m replacing or upgrading something in my wardrobe.

What challenges, if any, do you face when it comes to getting dressed/shopping for clothing?
Definitely my height. I’m 5’0. The one and only time I found the perfect pair of pants was in Japan. I’ve started budgeting tailoring costs into clothing purchases. I think everyone should, regardless of whether you’re short or not – it makes a world of difference. I go to Studio Kim on Queen Street in Toronto. I go to her for everything; I even got my wedding dress altered there. She’s literally the best. I mostly get pants tailored, but I’m starting to do cuffs on blazers if I buy them oversized. I hem pants based on what shoes I’m going to wear them with.

I like the Japanese aesthetic: extremely oversized and baggy. The trick with that silhouette is that the fabric has to be elevated: silkier materials and finer weaves, nothing pilled. If you are trying to go for that look, you need to be careful with pairings. In styling, the number one thing is proportion. Whether it’s oversized or form-fitting, it’s about the crop of the pant, the size of the shoe, the colour of the sock and how it all fits together.

For example, I wear a lot of graphic T-shirts, and I buy them about two sizes bigger than I am. For an oversized look, the shoulder seam should be an inch or two below your shoulder; it really needs to fall off your shoulder to look purposeful. If the seam is just a little past your shoulder, it makes you look square. Also, always go for tees from local designers and artists; they won’t look basic and are more special. I like Better Gift Shop and Imanishi, which is actually a restaurant, but they collab with local artists on their tee’s.

At a certain point, you know what silhouettes work for you, and you stick with it. I do still love oversized, but now I want to dress to suit my body. I’m not really into trends I just want to elevate what I already own. Like, I switched my leather pants to a better-quality pair. And I actually really like tie-dye – that’s a trend I bought into.

It worked out for me that the gothic style of my youth still looks modern – I was able to transition from that into a mostly black, neutral wardrobe. Although my American Apparel phase in my early 20s was bad [laughs] – no one wants to see those pictures! Then again that might have been the only era in my life when I could wear shorts that short. If I say I’m going to experiment with colour, it’s like dark jewel tones or a brown. That’s colour to me.

What’s one item you never wear?
Expensive high heels. I love how they elevate a look, but I never reach the cost-per-wear quota to make them worthwhile.

What’s one piece that always fixes a boring outfit?
Leather – a long leather jacket or faux or real leather pants. It gives an outfit a modern edge and it’s a piece that never never really goes out of style and you can keep in your closet for a long time.