Street Style III: Daouii Adams

By JOHN SUNUNU, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Ms. Adams in one of her signature outfits.

Name: Daouii Adams

Committee: Special Summit on the Unity of Developing Nations

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

University: University of Toronto

Studies: Financial Economics + Mathematics and Statistics

Seven years of Model United Nations conferences have made Daouii Adams a veritable expert in the art of business casual. Our reporters had their interest first piqued by a fiery speech she made in the Special Summit on the Unity of Developing Nations committee at Harvard National Model United Nations 2015. What made this discourse all the more impressive were the towering heels from which she was able to project throughout the entire ballroom. At the end of her speech, Ms. Adams was kind enough to talk with Agence France-Presse in an exclusive interview about her take on professionalism, her style evolution, and her many thousands of Instagram followers.

“My sense of dress could be described as runway meets boardroom,” Ms. Adams joked with our reporters, explaining how she makes her wardrobe choices on a daily basis. She remarked, almost in passing, how she used to model for a time, and contemplated to us how that experience likely defined her style choices, as well. In her interview, Ms. Adams chose a sleek, black, dress accented by tasteful back cutouts. Its sleeves — full length, breaking precisely at her wrists — and its flattering hemline — coming to just below the knee — were refreshing to see in a veritable sea of skintight blouses and chest hair galore.

“Frankly, I often prefer to wear pieces that feature longer hemlines,” Ms. Adams explained. “A conservative edge often carries more sex appeal than you might think,” she mused.

Her dress, which embodies this tailoring philosophy, was paired with gold-adorned black heels paying homage to Elizabeth Hurley’s famous Versace dress and a selection of simple, understated jewelry.

Our readers may be relieved to know that Ms. Adams’ style was not always so polished. “I started out attending Model UN conferences decked out in a Plain Jane black blazer and a blue shirt,” she confessed.

For a closer look into Ms. Adams’ adventures in delegate style and beyond, interested readers can follow her on Instagram at @lightsout_xo.