Olivia Wayman is someone who knows that the most important things cannot be bought. As the founder of Olivia's Shopping Diary, she has spent years building a space rooted in the belief that taste is something lived — shaped by the people who raised you, and refined by learning to trust your own eye when it comes to everything else.
In this week's SIDIA Stories, she reflects on the quality of presence her mother and grandmother passed down, and what trading the pace of the city for the English countryside gave back to her. We talk about restraint as a way of life, the confidence that came from building something entirely on her own terms, and what she hopes the women who have grown up alongside her carry with them.
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We often inherit our style vocabulary from the people who raised us. Looking at your mother or grandmother, what is a style secret they possessed that had nothing to do with what they wore, and everything to do with who they were?
"It’s very easy to buy clothes to try and fit a certain mold, but if certain personality traits are missing - you will never reach it. I’d like to say both my Mother and Grandmother passed down a special type of kindness and selfless love that has impacted the way I act, and dress today."
You've described knowing exactly what you like and what you don't. Do you think that taste extends beyond style — and if so, where did it come from?
"I absolutely think taste extends beyond style. I think you can have taste in everything, from the way you walk to the way you talk. Very rarely are people born with perfect taste, it is something that is developed and exercised throughout life. Taste cannot be bought but rather obtained through enriching oneself, and experiencing life for all its highs and lows."
You've traded the pace of the city for the comfort of the countryside. At SIDIA, we often talk about coming home to yourself. How has returning to your roots changed the way you feel in your own skin, away from the constant noise of the city?
"To say it’s completely changed me would be an understatement. There is something very special about coming back to yourself, and I do everytime I’m in the countryside. I feel the seasons more, feel more present in myself and generally go at a slower pace - which feels a lot better for my nervous system."
"I think you can have taste in everything, from the way you walk to the way you talk."
"Buy less, buy better" is a philosophy that asks you to slow down in a world that wants you to move fast. Where else in your life do you try to practise that same kind of restraint — and why does it matter to you?
"I try to practice restraint and discipline within wellness, it keeps me sane. I feel so much better when I’m working out, and eating carefully. It’s reflected in all parts of my life."
There's bravery to sharing your inner world online — your taste, your instincts, your evolving self. Has that vulnerability ever surprised you with what it gave back?
"Honestly, I have gained so much trust and confidence and sense of self since ‘going online’. I love replying to my audience in my messages, some I message daily! You forget these people are essentially strangers! These virtual conversations have made me more confident in real life scenarios, I genuinely feel like I could talk to anyone."
What does it mean to you to be a young woman building something entirely on your own terms — and are there moments where you feel the weight of that?
"To be honest it feels pretty crazy, I have to pinch myself often. I wish younger me could have seen me now. Although I feel like I was always supposed to work on my own terms, I was always getting told off in school (mostly for uniform) or feeling limited working for others."
"Practically the weight is a lot, I have had to learn quickly about big adult things such as accounting and business. Work life balance has been a big lesson, learning how to make time for myself or set boundaries - but it’s all worth it in the end."
When you imagine the women who've grown up alongside Olivia's Shopping Diary — what do you hope they carry with them?
"Confident, originality and integrity - oh and a great bag! Whether that’s within shopping decisions or in general life."
The English countryside, the streets of Notting Hill, the energy of New York — you've always let places shape you. If SIDIA's fragrances are each their own world, which one feels like home?
"Honestly, braless. I felt it the moment I first came across it. The scent really does feel like the ultimate unwind. It feels like the perfect blend between city and country, and so utterly me."
Olivia's Ritual:
