Fitted By Friends: Isa Pool
- Emilia Cafiso
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
I should go out more often.
By that, I mean I should wear more going-out outfits. Jeans and sweaters make up most of what I wear daily, with any "fun" pieces left to collect dust in my closet.
Putting on a cute outfit brings so much joy. Now that spring is around the corner, there are many more opportunities to dress up.
Recently, I've caught myself smiling at nothing. I'll be on a walk or in a classroom with large windows, and life feels good. We forget how good it can get once 20-degree weeks become the norm.
I missed spring. I missed dressing for the spring. Thankfully, Isa's terrific styling brought me right into the season.
Starting as a new series on 404 Error, I'm bringing on a friend to style me every week. They have complete control over my clothing, hair, and makeup.
Some may be students of the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, while others may attend institutions across the country. Isa falls in the latter, and what she comes up with is just perfect. :)
Isa is the sweetest girl in the world.
Officially, she and I met over COVID in the world's most awkward mother-daughter book club. We became fast friends towards the end of freshman year of high school during hybrid learning. Over spring break of our sophomore year, we realized we were vacationing within a few miles of each other and spent the weekend running around San Diego.
I always love catching up with Isa. She's the light of my life.
Not only is Isa an honors biology student at the University of Oregon (UO), but she is also an incredibly talented artist. She opted to put together potential outfits by drawing them onto mini-me's. I almost cried tears of joy when she sent me the final mock-up.
As Isa FaceTimed me from UO's campus in Eugene, we predominantly chose pieces from my closet, with the exception of my friend Sofia lending me her burgundy tights. (1)
She quickly realized she wanted to incorporate what we affectionately named "the baddie boots." Sporting a two-inch heel, these Kenneth Cole steppers pound the pavement like no other going-out shoe I've owned. They're incredibly versatile and pair well with my black Out From Under mini skort.
When going through tops, Isa had some difficulty with the look of things.
"I noticed that [FaceTiming] changes how an item comes across," said Isa. "I originally wanted to go with a striped shirt, but the fit was not right. The fit and flare of this top was exactly what I wanted."
She eventually landed on a hot red floral blouse I thrifted from Portland's Northwest Union in 2023. The edges of the flower prints are beaded in a color very similar to the fabric of the top, and the chest ruches quite comfortably around my shoulders.
I am also porting a black shoulder bag thrifted from a Portland summer vintage market, hoops and cuffs from a jewelry wholesaler in the Garment District, and the pendant necklace I was gifted for my fifth grade graduation.
"The vibe of this outfit is ' I am up, and I am so awake,'" said Isa, and I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, I ended up wearing precisely this to a birthday dinner in Koreatown. I got home that night exhausted yet still comfortable, as Isa styled me with all the care she brings to our friendship.
Thank you so much to Isa for styling me, as well as Adina Weinstein for taking photos of me in the Alumni dorm hall stairway. I am so excited to publish the next few editions of Fitted By Friends. Until next time, 404 Error!
Footnotes:
The tights are sitting next to me on my desk as I write this. Sofia lives a five-minute walk away. It has been two weeks since she has seen them. I have no excuses.
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