Designer Off Duty #3: Bailey Goldberg

The REAL hat man.

Catch the first two in this series on what brilliant designers wear themselves here with Ella Emhoff and here with Anamaria Morris!

Bailey Goldberg is one of the few "internet friends" I've made since ditching Tumblr in the mid-2010s. We've never met in the flesh, despite living in the same city for years, originating from hometowns within a few hours of each other, and crossing paths on the web almost every day since 2020.

Bailey was one of the first people (outside of my closest friends and family who are obligated to encourage my pursuits, no matter how doomed they may be) to follow and hype up my blog, back when it was still Mold Fashioned and I was posting clownish combos of clothing, all self-modeled, from my mom's house during the first year of quarantine.

Aside from having great taste in fashion blogs [;)], Bailey is a sartorial geek cut from the same cloth as me—there are few people who understand the compulsive propulsion to spend egregious amounts of time and money to find the EXACT RIGHT fit of a coveted garment, though dupes may abound. Even the smallest aberrance in an inseam or an off-kilter stitch will catch Bailey's eye, and we've shared lamentations on the hours we've each poured into scouring the internet for, in his case, the perfect olive-colored US military cargo pants to replace a well-loved vintage pair or a nubby teal sweater released at Sears many moons ago with the ideal shape of v-neck and perfectly ribbed cuffs.

I appreciate our shared obsessive tendencies toward clothes even more when I see his self-produced knitwear in simple but perfected signature shapes, emblazoned with laid-back, expertly color-matched intarsia graphics, most commonly a chunky peace sign or star. His digital footprint consists mainly of three-by-three flatlays of his prolific beanies, the toes of one of his dozens of pairs of colorful Converse jutting in from the bottom of the photo, and selfies in which he models one of his also-popular cropped vests before delivering it to its eventual owner.

Bailey's beanies have structural integrity but don't go conehead with wear, maintaining a soft dome that could be called the platonic ideal of beanie shape. The color combinations he uses in his work range from unexpected juxtapositions—perhaps a delicate lilac against a dark, military green—to classic but underplayed pairings like a pure red star bursting out of the expanse of blue-black of this sweater.

Though Bailey's knit pieces are hard to get your hands on, produced individually on his knitting machine by custom order, I've put together a few fits that would be complimented greatly by a BG original, if you're lucky enough to grab one! These looks are inspired by Bailey's focus on simplicity, clean lines, minuscule details, and impactful color combinations, as well as a few of his favorite Instagram clothiers such as @lylemcgraw and @zaergrey. Check out Bailey's Instagram or site for more info on his drops, and if you cop something, send me a pic of how you style it!

If you like these posts, please let me know by sharing (tag me if on IG so I can see and thank you!), liking, saving, and commenting on HR’s Instagram, subbing to the HR Patreon for as little as two bucks a month (extra posts, personal styling, and more available on there!) or throwing me a few shillings on Ko-fi if you’re able. You can also sign up to receive these posts via Substack.

Thank you SO MUCH for your support, whatever you are able and willing to do to help is extremely valuable to me and I’m honored to be a small part of your life on the web.

Note: I may make a commission if you purchase items using some of the links below, which costs you nothing and might actually save you a few bucks in some cases, so thanks if you do, and please let me know what you copped!

IDs:

• Bailey Goldberg Beanie

• Top - $134 (Sale)

• Vintage Quilted Liner Jacket - $70.90

• Double Pleat Trousers - $135 (Sale)

• Silk Socks - $11

• Tabi Mary Janes - $486.50 (Sale)

IDs:

• Bailey Goldberg Beanie

• Fiorella Necklace - $123 (Sale)

• V-neck Sweter - $69 (Sale)

• Bomber Jacket - $116 (Sale)

• Lyle McGraw Pants (1/1)

• Yellow High Tops - $45 (Sale)

IDs:

• Bailey Goldberg Beanie

• Dough Fleece - $575

• Work Pants - $98

• Grandpa Varsity Socks - $18

• Capri Ballerinas - €195.00

IDs:

• Sunglasses - $80 (Sale)

• Bailey Goldberg Vest

• Trench Coat - $284 (Sale)

• Shoulder Bag - $446 (Sale)

• Pants - $367.50 (Sale)

• Blue High Tops - $33 (Sale)

IDs:

• Bailey Goldberg Beanie

• Vintage Blouse - $12.90

• Open Front Sweater - $192.50 (Sale)

• Vintage Parachute Skirt - $40.99

• Flute Bag - $490

• 60s Combat Boots - $72

Go follow Bailey, his work, and his garment-hunting on Instagram if you don't already! And thanks, Bailey, for letting me debase your creations in Photoshop!

Let me know who the next Designer Off Duty should be on Instagram or at hr@humanrepeller.com.

Ta-ta!

<3 HR