Claire Saffitz Costume | Inspirational Women Edition

Most year’s I skip DIY costumes on the blog since there are already so many great ones it’s hard to niche down and I usually only do DIYs I want to keep in the house. Having tons of costume props sounds fun, but storing them afterward does not. Then I thought if I could do a series of costumes using stuff I already own (or want to own), that could work! I started thinking of easy outfits, which became iconic outfits, which became iconic women, and then it snowballed from there. DIY costumes combined with love letters to some of the most inspirational women is my proudest brain blast of the year.

Kicking off the series is Claire Saffitz. For anyone who isn’t a hyper-fan, Claire is a recipe developer who won the hearts of thousands (seriously, look at all the memes) with her “Gourmet Makes” segment on Bon Appetit’s channel. That’s where she takes on classic junk food snacks and makes them, well, gourmet.

Watching her break down snacks into their components and testing and iterating and finally achieving the goal is dramatic every. single. time. She shares each triumph and doesn’t shy away from sharing her frustrations on screen. As Mashable puts it “Saffitz’s approach to problem-solving is probably the healthiest, most productive way to approach issues. Even outside the kitchen, in personal relationships and professional workplaces, everyone should resolve conflict by unpacking it to its foundations. Quartz even dubbed her the ‘ultimate life coach.'” Her approachable attitude and take on cooking, self-care, & life makes her my “muse of curiosity” and an easy choice for this year’s inspirational women series.

Now since this a new series, a few disclaimers. There is the 100% accurate outfit and then there is the “use what you got in your closet/costume budget” option. I research like hell to find the exact pieces 1) because it’s a fun sleuthing game and 2) it gives me a better idea of what the core elements are.

For this series though, I’m going to stick to linking just the items I’m actually wearing or similar items to those core elements to keep these posts from getting confusingly long (unless you guys want to see the accurate pieces as well?). Anything you might have in your closet already imma leave out too since I’m going to assume no one wants to know where to get basic jeans. Almost everything can easily be sourced last minute too!

This costume is based on Claire’s very first “Pastry Chef Attempts To Make a Gourmet” video where she takes on Twinkies. Alternatively, you can just binge the entire series to find a look that works for you 😉 Let’s break down the elements!

neutral apron | gray clip-ins | Twinkies
big brass earrings | solid, neutral pants and tee

Claire rotates through several aprons and tends to favor neutral colors and her tan, Hedley & Bennett. Since tan makes me look naked, I went for a darker tone overall. I know you’re here for the costume links, but I want to sing the praises of the linked apron for a sec. I found the company through Amazon when looking for an affordable option and was immediately impressed by their attention to detail. The mid-weight fabric feels substantial, the phone and pen pockets are perfect for recipe testing, and the dishtowel loop is something you only tend to find on expensive aprons. They have more color options on their site too (they just won’t be 2-day shipping). It’s quickly become my favorite kitchen edition and any chefs in my life can expect this in their stockings.