Today’s muse for our members-only edition of ‘muse decoded’ is Kirsten Dunst! I have a particular fascination for Kirsten Dunst as she was the first celebrity muse which made me consider classic essence for myself. She is known for playing a fresh, youthful Marie Antoinette, the slightly wild, feminine sister in The Virgin Suicides and the judgemental friend in Mona Lisa Smile. I can see such a clear line between these roles and her essences especially which I am excited to get into today!
This is a part of my series called ‘muse decoded’ where I break down the style of an influencer, celebrity or character. I’m hoping to go beyond our usual body type + essence + style roots and really delve into their outfit templates, the pieces they wear, the elements that demonstrate their style.
elegant
simple
timeless
sweet
easy going
relaxed
feminine
soft
put together
classic
vintage
traditional
tailored
playful
flirtatious
low contrast
muted
romantic
old hollywood
twee
plain
casual
🌸 Flower - feminine, soft, romantic, twee, playful
⛰️ Mountain - old Hollywood, traditional, vintage, tailored, traditional
🍄🟫 Mushroom - casual, easy going, classic, simple, elegant
Whoopsie! I seem to have found a muse for myself here!
A little spoiler here, but what’s interesting about Kristen’s style as even though she has natural essence, and it’s often incorporated into her outfits in subtle ways, her third style root is not earth 🌱. It might be through a slightly muddier or retro floral pattern but in a tailored dress, or a floaty fabric, a slightly faded denim, a piece of knitwear or a natural piece of lace. These elements don’t take the outfit as far as feeling earthy, bohemian or rugged, but soften the looks for her essence.
Medium Medium Round - I have been back and forth, back and forth, back and forth with Kirsten’s width over the years. It is really hard doing a body matrix for celebrities because you are trying to piece an idea together from different photos in different clothes - none of which give you the full picture of someone’s body all at once.
Kirsten is absolutely on the border between the two: narrow and medium. As her frame is so rounded, she has very sloped shoulders which can indicate a narrow type. However, I feel she can handle a lot more looseness and volume than you would expect for someone who is narrow.
In terms of vertical line and shape though, her body matrix is clear. She has a moderate vertical line, you would guess she was 5”5-5”6 ish (she is indeed 5”5) and her shapes are soft, rounded, curved.
natural classic ingenue - There is SO much confusion about Kirsten’s essences online. I’ve seen her typed as romantic and gamine and I could not disagree more. I like to think of romantic gamine as Tim Burton character energy - that is so not Kirsten. Instead she feels more like a princess or a 1950s woman. This is exactly how I think of the NCI essence blend: traditional, formal, every woman, sweet, girl next door, earthly but somewhat elevated. This is exactly Kirsten’s role in Mona Lisa Smile, and in a very different way its her role in The Virgin Suicides too - the girl next door, youthful, feminine but she could be just like you.
polka dots
midi dresses
fit n flare dresses
collared dresses
cowl necks
wide leg jeans
neutral tees
wedges
floaty blouses
midi skirts
denim skirts
blazers
muddy floral patterns
ruffles
sheer fabrics
a red lip
pointed toe shoes
strappy sandals
simple statement necklaces
simple sunglasses
clean knit cardigans
crew neck thin knit sweaters
clean trainers
dungarees
denim jackets
trench coats
ruffle blouse + wide leg jeans + clean trainers
floaty blouse + dungarees + wedges
denim jacket + midi skirt + floaty blouse + strappy sandals
cowl neck midi dress + strappy sandals + statement necklace
fit n flare dress + clean cardigan + pointed toe shoes
collared dress + strappy sandals
the colours which feature in their wardrobe, not their season
Kirsten sticks quite well to her light summer colour palette, she seems to have a good understanding of the colours which make her pop. It helps that these colours tie in so well to her soft, feminine sense of style. She will occasionally do a colour pop which is slightly brighter than what is recommended for her as she leans into the more fun side of the flower root.
Floral dress - Nobody’s Child*
What did you think about today’s newsletter? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️
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Muse Decoded: Emmy Rossum ✨
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Jan 26
Today’s muse for our members-only edition of ‘muse decoded’ is Emmy Rossum! Emmy’s 2004-7 red carpet looks around the time she did phantom of the opera have become a recent pinterest sensation and rightly so. Her outfits are whimsical, feminine, princess-coded and I love them.
Muse Decoded: Gwyneth Paltrow ✨
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December 23, 2025
Today’s muse for our members-only edition of ‘muse decoded’ is Gwyneth Paltrow! Gwyneth became an icon for classic and minimalist style in the 90s, and ever since then her style has only developed and matured.
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