Deni Todorovič has been a big name in fashion for over a decade, having worked as a celebrity stylist and fashion editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. Today, Todorovič hosts style podcast What Are You Wearing? and runs the popular Instagram account @stylebydeni, where they dispense sartorial and general life advice.
Self-love, in particular, has become an area of expertise for Todorovič. As a queer, non-binary person and the child of migrants, Todorovič has had a difficult path to self-acceptance. But they have nonetheless managed to step into their power as a big, bright and bold talent who never tries to blend into a crowd.
Todorovič has taken everything they’ve learned about living life on their own terms and turned it into a book. Love This For You: How to Rewrite the Rules and Live Authentically, out 1 November, is a guide to being your best self, with musings on career, dating, friendship and family.
Todorovič’s own family has been a source of strength for the style icon turned author; a pair of slippers gifted by their grandmother has become a prized possession. Here, Todorovič tells us about that special pair of footwear and the stories behind a few other important personal belongings.
What I’d save from my house in a fire
Growing up, my grandmother was always the “cool” one. She moved to Australia from the former Yugoslavia at just 15 and was always quite modern in her way of thinking. I remember when I came out to her, she said, “That’s OK darling, there are gay people on Home & Away – it’s normal.” We often giggle about that.
When I was a child, my grandmother had a pair of small ornate traditional Balkan velvet slippers on display in her cabinet. I used to covet them whenever I went to her house. When I made the move from Geelong, where I grew up, to Sydney at 25, she gave them to me as a good luck charm. They remain on display in my bedroom on my side table and they serve as a daily reminder of her and her fierce protection of me. Without a doubt, they are my most cherished possession.
My most useful object
I’ve been in love with fashion from a very young age. I was raised around dressmakers and would often sit in their workroom and just watch them sew. I always loved the transformative power fashion has – as a bright-eyed kid hungry for glamour in small-town Geelong, it spoke to me.
So this one’s easy: it would be my Fendi Baguette. As a longtime fan of Sex and the City and Carrie Bradshaw – she’s my style icon – I’ve been obsessed with the baguette for decades. After its resurgence in the And Just Like That reboot, I knew I had to have the same purple sequined bag Carrie made so famous.
As well as the purple sequin, I have it in pink sequin and black leather. It’s honestly the most versatile handbag – perfect in size, and I use it almost daily as a cross-body bag and take it out at night with its handle. I’ll collect them for ever more.
The item I most regret losing
I don’t really lose things that mean a lot to me, however I do have a fashion item I most regret not buying.
Miuccia Prada is one of my favourite designers and seven years ago I came across a coat from one of my most beloved Prada collections: white, a thick wool-cotton blend with a massive mural of a woman’s face printed, embroidered and sequined on to the front.
It was 50% off in an end-of-season sale, but it still cost more than my first car. It fit me like a glove and if I could go back in time and buy one thing, it would be that coat.
One day I will hunt it down and buy it – even just to keep in my archive, as it’s such a piece of art.
