Nicoline Patricia Malina

There is something distinctly personal about the way Nicoline Patricia Malina dresses. As a photographer who often works behind the scenes, she gravitates towards clothes that are functional, comfortable and able to keep up with the demands of her work. But practicality, for her, does not mean following a formula. “To me, ‘anything but ordinary’ isn’t about dressing to be noticed. It’s about not feeling the need to follow a formula. I like clothes that have a point of view, whether it’s something beautifully made, slightly unexpected, or simply worn in a way that feels very me.”

Sunglasses, a good pair of boots and a pencil skirt have become part of her professional uniform, while black remains a dependable foundation. “When I dress, I look for clothes that are very functional, not just something I wear once,” she says. It is an approach shaped by both her work and a growing awareness of consumption, and one that extends to her role as the founder of sustainable local ready-to-wear label Lanivatti.

Yet there is always room for experimentation. A recent trip to India, with its vivid colours, encouraged Nicoline to step outside a palette she has long kept at a distance. While colour has always been part of her visual vocabulary as a photographer, she admits she is still learning to embrace it in her own wardrobe. “I’d rather be curious than predictable,” she says. The sentiment captures her approach to style: staying open to discovery rather than settling into a signature simply for the sake of consistency.

Her long hair offers a similarly familiar canvas for expression. With a mother who was a hairstylist, Nicoline learned early to care for her hair and scalp. Keeping it long also gives her the freedom to style it differently for different occasions, adding another dimension to a look without losing what feels recognisably hers.

She cites In the Mood for Love for its restraint, atmosphere and deliberate details. “Nothing is screaming for attention, but everything has intention.” It is perhaps the clearest reflection of Nicoline’s style: purposeful without being rigid, personal without being predictable, and quietly anything but ordinary.