This Law School Student Loves a Colorful Coat and a Good Dinner Party
Mya Gelber on finding the perfect piece, dinner parties, and being a "bag girl"
Hello! Welcome to another little interview for this week’s newsletter. You may have seen Mya Gelber pop up on your feed, with her cute outfit videos and dreamy reels of perfect dinner parties and fun crafts. She also wrote very fun piece on bonnets for NY Mag’s The Strategist just last week. I found Mya on TikTok after seeing a few of her videos showing finds from her travels. Mya’s approach to dressing is quite thoughtful—she doesn’t give up until she finds the perfect piece for her, whether it be a cozy sweater or flattering pair of indigo denim. It’s inspiring to see how she balances law school, fashion, content creation, and whimsical dinner parties, demonstrating how fun and fulfilling a multi-faceted life can be. Hope you enjoy this Q&A with her!
Annachiara: Hi Mya! Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do?
Mya Gelber: Hello! My name is Mya, I’m 28, and I live in Brooklyn, NY. I love clothes, crafts, and cooking. Currently, I am a second-year law student and do content-creation and influencing on the side. My priority is always law school and continuing to pursue my goal of being a public interest lawyer, but I am really excited and grateful for the creative opportunities social media has offered to me. I use social media as a creative outlet, a source of inspiration, and a way to connect with people who love what I love. My content focuses around casual, cozy, yet polished dressing, as well as showcasing my love for hosting and throwing dinner parties.
AC: Could you describe your thought process when getting dressed everyday? Is there a motto you live by in terms of your daily personal style?
MG: My thought process? One word: Jeans. How can I wear jeans today? What shade of jean? Long? Cropped? For the past five-ish years, I worked in a formal corporate setting, in which wearing jeans was a big faux-pas. Now that I think about it, the company had a rule in the dress code about not wearing jeans. So as of recent, my personal style has emphasized comfort but in a way where I still feel put together. I sincerely just want to wear jeans, a white t-shirt, and a red cardigan everyday. Oh, and my plastic clogs of course.
AC: This past Fall, I followed your journey in finding the perfect pair of dark wash straight leg jeans and it was incredible. I was so invested! How do you conduct your research when trying out a few different items within a singular category? And how do you know you’ve found “the one?”
MG: When conducting my “trying to find the perfect fill in the blank item,” I am sincerely trying to find a perfect item for me and my audience. Therefore, I try and find items from a range of price points, because I know everyone’s budget is different. Then I try to choose items from stores that most people can access and don’t have exuberant shipping fees. Finally, I have a pretty clear idea of what I want before the “hunt” begins, so its easy to know when I have found the one. For the jeans, I knew I wanted jeans that were: dark wash, 100% cotton, zero stretch, vintage style fit, and the ability to cuff the bottoms. I didn’t stop trying jeans until I found something that fit the bill.
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AC: We’re currently in the thick of winter, any tips on how to stay warm without compromising personal style?
MG: I think the biggest winter game-changer for me was sourcing colorful and patterned coats. I somehow do not own a single black coat and I think this has made winter dressing so much more fun and charming. The best part about colorful or non-traditional colored coats is that they ALWAYS, always go on sale during summer sale season. I was able to get my favorite Banana Republic blue cashmere coat for $100 a few summers ago.
AC: Alongside fashion, you share a lot about cooking and the cozy dinner parties you put together. Could you share how you got into doing that and the sources of inspiration for the various dinner themes you’ve done in the past?
MG: Like so many of our hobbies, my dinner parties were a product of the pandemic and the lack of restaurant dining. I decided to start throwing dinner parties with my “pod” of friends once the pandemic had let up. It was a way to feel like we were doing something worth dressing up for and ultimately spend time together.
I was inspired by some of the dinner parties I had attended in London, where dinner party culture is well established and rampant. The best part of my trips to see my long distance boyfriend in London was attending his friends’ dinner parties that lasted all night and were filled with elaborate dishes, candlelight, mix matched dish ware, and many, many bottles of wine.
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AC: Is there a particular item, fashion-related or not, that you’ve picked up during your travels that means a lot to you?
MG: My prized possessions are my little purses from Cartagena, Colombia. Specifically my bags from Casa Chiqui, in which I have begun a small collection. I would consider myself more of a “bag girl” than a “shoe girl,” but in the sense that I adore a fun cheeky bag with lots of personality. Though my actual wardrobe is more on the good, simple, basic side, my bag collection begs to differ. On one of my more recent trips to Cartagena I picked up this blue and white beaded bag made by indigenous artisans from Putumayo. It’s the most precious thing I own.
AC: And finally, could you share three things you currently have on your wishlist?
MG: I have my eyes on spring these days, so my wishlist consists of a puff sleeve dress from SEA NY, a striped peter pan collar from La Veste, and ideally a white linen tunic blouse.
Find Mya on Instagram, TikTok + YouTube
Outside of fashion, I’m currently in the middle of watching The Curse — Not sure how to feel about it yet. I finally unboxed the Celine tote I got for less than $250 on Japanese eBay and it’s better than I expected! Just the usual wear and tear but nothing crazy. I was able to spruce it up using saddle soap and leather conditioner — will share pics soon. My spring semester is starting in a few days so I wanted to get it prepped for everyday use.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Mya’s plaid wool coat is everything