She’s underrated? Yeah, so pay attention! Serena Morris, creator of the social media page She’s Underrated (aka @shes__underrated on IG) is a master at finding and highlighting noteworthy, and often ignored, style moments in pop culture. Scroll through her feed and it’s a moodboard goldmine: Michelle Rodriguez in camo capris, a deep dive into the women of the ’90s comedy Girlfriends, an ode to Ananda Lewis. And Morris, the brains and beauty behind the account, is just as deserving of adoration.
An L.A. native and host of new girls’ night party series “Sticky Note,” Morris has swoon-inducing style, handily serving a modern take on Noughties chic—all capris and kitten heels, bandanas and Pucci. So how does the woman behind the account shop? As a longtime admirer, I talked with Serena about the nitty-gritty of accessorizing, Cavalli, and minimizing your maximalism.
Nicolaia Rips: What’s your thought process behind dressing?
Serena Morris: I’m not a fussy girl. Comfort is super important to me. Not in the sense of trying to be cozy, but because I move and shake so much. Anything I wear has to feel like second skin. I like the cling. It’s hot in L.A., and I don’t want to think too much in terms of what I’m wearing. I just want to be an easy, breezy, beautiful girl.
Tell me about your closet.
My approach is piece-driven. I rotate everything and wear everything to death. I don’t have a ton of things. Everything’s very colorful, everything’s very playful, and feels one of one. I love tank tops because they’re flattering, and then I like to interchange the bottoms, whether it’s a denim skirt, jeans, or camo pants. I do like a tank top that’s funny and expressive. I have a Hooters tank. Hooters was my first job in college.
I kind of dress like all the Spice Girls. I have my sporty look, my baby-girl look, my sexy look. I like to find a brand I love and try to re-up. I used to be precious about stuff, but I’m living the life that I want to live, and these are things that I’ve always dreamt of having, so I’m going to wear them.
You’ve got such a knowledge of fashion and pop culture. How does that tie into your personal shopping?
Growing up, watching all of the things I loved—and not knowing how to find them—my approach now is that I want to embody that energy. I really have fun with it, but I also don’t overthink. I scroll on Depop every single day. A big thing for me is buying things I can afford. I don’t buy anything new, really, because a lot of it is out of my price point. I’m not a Khaite girl. I’m not a The Row girl. I’m just not there yet. It’s not the life that I’m living. Almost all of my Manolo Blahniks I’ve had to get repaired, I’ll go out dancing in them. The cute, clean, minimal, chic girl? That’s not me. I take the train, and I wear my shit to the ground—and I love it.
What are your favorite search terms?
Cavalli, Blumarine, low-rise cargo, multi-pocket. I have a lot of Hysteric Glamour that I bought for the low.
Do you have any grails?
I do come up on some crazy stuff. I have some major grails. I have a Dior saddle bag that I got years ago from my friend who runs Pechuga Vintage. I actually have a Tom Ford Jackie from the runway. I bought a Balenciaga City Bag recently from 2007 by Nicolas Ghesquière. It’s Lakers purple.
What’s your relationship to accessories?
I love jewelry, but I don’t splurge too much. I wear a lot of my grandmother’s pieces. I love hoops. I love gold. I love a good scarf, a headband. I think women that accessorize are on another level. It’s not about the function, it’s about the razzle dazzle.
To me you’re one of the only people I know that does Y2K in a real way. There’s lot of fake Y2K out there!
Rian Phin talked about that in a TikTok that I really love. It wasn’t always giving McBling— was very functional and cool. Like Tracee Ellis Ross in beater tanks and cargo pants. It wasn’t always logo mania.
What do you wear to go out?
A huge part of how I dress is about going out! That’s part of why I wanted to make “Sticky Note” night. I love getting ready to go out. I think going-out clothes are the peak of femininity. That’s what makes the world go ‘round. Every girl that showed up to my party was dressed so well and put so much thought into what she was wearing.
There’s so much conversation online about how Gen Z doesn’t know how to dress for going out, and they’re all wearing white tops and light-wash jeans.
Because they don’t really go out like that. Once you start going out, you see what people are wearing and you experiment. If you look a little crazy, that’s fine—now you know. Maybe next time, not something that short. It’s a rhythm.
I grew up going out with my grandma a lot, and she would always be so annoyed if someone was wearing jeans. She’d say, “Back in the day, everybody—whether you were at the airport or the club—put in the effort. I grew up with that mentality: dress the part, and it makes the experience more fun.
Your grandmother sounds like a baddie!
Oh my gosh, she’s the OG baddie. You know, you have to keep trying. Life is short, we’re young, we’re beautiful—wear the shoe! Don’t put on the fucking Air Force 1s. Put on a heel, suffer a bit. Have an extra drink and dance.
