Sarah Dauterman’s Fall Winter 2025
Sarah is wearing a black dress from Courreges and shoes from double standard NYC.
Welcome back to my ongoing series, Personal Campaigns. In this dispatch I have a great shoot with Sarah Dauterman, the founder of double standard NYC. Their shoes are edgy, fun and hot. I met Sarah leaving my lab and we were to connect on photo purposes. A few days after shooting Kiana for her own Personal Campaign, I reached out to Sarah because I thought she’d be perfect…and to say the least she was. Her poise, command and intention in styling her shoot was inspiring. Every single look had a place. I was just lucky to be along for the ride to snap the photos. You can check out Double Standard’s stuff HERE and follow Sarah on IG HERE.
“You know how they say your beliefs shape your identity and reality? I similarly think my clothing shapes my identity and reality for the day. There’s days where I’ll check my reflection as I leave the house and think “wow, I look like a posh British girl from 1968” — and my day will then become a bit of a fantasy where I’m the main character playing that role. I’ll be running around the city, buying myself flowers, having pleasant little interactions with people, feeling dandy and just having a ball. ”
Sarah wears a vintage Fiorucci white tee shirt and double standard pants.
Jacques Morel: Which pieces in your wardrobe feel the most like you right now?
Sarah Dauterman: I feel like there’s Double Standard me, which is like the Bratz doll version of me, and everyday me (and some other versions but I digress…) Out of the Double Standard shoes, these Paola platforms (in the shoot) feel the most Sarah-core. They’re bold and unapologetic, but still curvy and playful. I’m so excited about them.
JM: What role does texture or fabric play in your wardrobe selections?
SD: Fabric and texture is everything! Some of my favorite textural pieces are jackets - I have a fluffy black feather shrug that I got in Rome that will transform any outfit. And a suede and lace vintage Valentino jacket that I got in Milan. And some amazing coats with patented or antiqued leather and little furry collars. I always feel good in those - texture just makes an outfit feel luxe.
Sarah wears Nike workout shorts along double standard ballet sneakers.
JM: Do you believe your clothing serves as armor, self-expression, or something else entirely? Why?
SD: You know how they say your beliefs shape your identity and reality? I similarly think my clothing shapes my identity and reality for the day. There’s days where I’ll check my reflection as I leave the house and think “wow, I look like a posh British girl from 1968” — and my day will then become a bit of a fantasy where I'm the main character playing that role. I’ll be running around the city, buying myself flowers, having pleasant little interactions with people, feeling dandy and just having a ball.
JM: How would you describe your fashion sense? Are you particularly into name brands? Do you thrift or prefer buying brand new?
SD: I have a handful of high end brands that I admire, usually from afar - I don’t indulge much because I’m investing in myself and my business right now. When I buy vintage, I can buy quality, well-made pieces in higher quantities, so there’s more to play with.
I have the most fun thrifting in Italy - Italian design through the decades feels liberated, bold, simultaneously sexy and playful. It gives me this idea that femininity has always been embraced, powerful, and celebrated without confinement, even if that’s not necessarily true.
JM: If you could collaborate with any designer or brand to create a piece that embodies your aesthetic, who would it be, and what would it look like?
SD: I’ve thought about this a lot but in terms of what I want to create for Double Standard - I’ve loved the idea of blending something nostalgic, extra, girly and accessible like Bebe with the timeless, mod vibe of Courreges. The former gives the Y2K nostalgia we can all relate to, while the latter is elevated, chic, and embodies my fantasies about the late 60’s. I feel like I’m getting there with the Pink Paola platforms I designed - they make me feel like a retro mod Barbie.
JM: How do you envision your style evolving in the future?
SD: My dream is to have a whole closet and accessories with options for vibes, so if one day I'm feeling mod, mob wife, Barbie, 80s, you name it, I’ve got a whole set of options for tops, bottoms shoes and accessories for each and can really lean in. I guess I’m realizing from these questions that I really like to play little characters of myself, lol!
Sarah wears a Manuri white lace top along with white bloomers from double standard.
JM: What story do you feel your home tells about your style and personality?
SD: I really love that people come over and say my place is “so me” or even better, “this is so Double Standard.” It means I'm expressing something distinct.
Doing this shoot and putting together outfits for each space really opened my eyes to how much the facets of my personal style are reflected in both my clothes and the space! Upstairs is a little retro, with my 70s mohair sofa and curvy shapes and multicolored pastels - a good set for my vintage Fiorucci tee.
The basement gym is SO extra — I’ll go here first thing in the morning and turn on my fluorescent backlit mirrors (usually set to hot pink), blast an intensely girly DJ set, and lift weights. This space feels so Double Standard to me - the tagline for the brand is “the alpha feminine,” and it’s for the girls who aren’t afraid to be aggressively girly.
And last, the bedroom is where I channel my softgirl mood, and my outfits and the decor match that. I decorated my bedroom to feel like Les Grands Boulevards in Paris, which was done by one of my fav interior designers, Dorothée Meilichzon. I made a round velvet headboard with my mom and designed a custom rug, the furniture is a mix of art deco mirrored, burl wood, and black lacquered pieces. It’s all very luxe and cozy, which feels right because this is where I’m either getting glam and dressing up or unwinding before bed, journaling, sketching or reading.
Sarah wears a black Courréges top.
JM: Can you recall a specific outfit from your childhood or teenage years that significantly influenced your current style?
SD: I used to always wear these little red cowgirl boots everywhere — for a red cowgirl Halloween costume three years in a row, and life in general. As an adult Texan, it felt necessary to get an authentic pair of cowgirl boots to don in California when I moved there, but I never wore them until I painted them from brown to red with red leather spray paint. Then it felt like me, and I wore them everywhere. Funny that my favorite shoes for double standard are also bright red!
