How I Get Dressed: Maria Dueñas Jacobs

The Super Smalls founder spills all her styling secrets.

The way we get dressed every morning is as personal as it gets. There are outfit repeaters, vintage treasure hunters, and even emotional dressers. But while everyone loves a good fashion trend, here at InStyle, we're interested in the deeper stuff, too: the way jewelry makes us feel, the way a beloved coat can spark joy on a cold day, the way a pair of shoes can pull a whole look together. How I Get Dressed unpacks fashion routines, rituals, and go-tos — straight from the fashion tastemakers we love.

Maria Dueñas Jacobs knows the value of a uniform. "And I have a go-to — I like to create a uniform of sorts for myself just to make my life easier," she explains over Zoom, wearing stacks of her hit kids jewelry line, Super Smalls, and a t-shirt. The brand founder and former Elle Accessories Director may have a resume that reads like a fashion greatest hits list, but that doesn’t mean she thinks styling has to be overly complicated — or even serious. She's all about embracing her own personal fashion formula and letting her accessories do the talking.

Just take her brand’s most recent venture: The feel-good accessories line just got a whimsical new addition to their ongoing collaboration with Disney. The latest collection, called “Inner Strength,” launched earlier this month with an array of princess-inspired lockets that are equal parts elegant and elevated.

Scroll the Super Smalls website, and you'll be tempted by an array of sparkly trinkets ranging from bejeweled claw clips to a heart-shaped jewelry box-slash-purse that would make full-grown it girls jealous. And while Super Smalls is mostly designed with kids in mind, plenty of adults, including Dueñas Jacobs herself, are drawn to the playful designs, so naturally, the site has a "super grown-ups" section to shop as well.

Since its launch in 2019, Super Smalls has taken over cool-mom circles and Tribeca playgrounds alike, so we tapped the line’s chic founder to talk all things fashion, inspiration, and styling. Ahead is Maria Dueñas Jacobs's How I Get Dressed.

How She Plans Her Outfits

"I'm definitely season-specific first, weather first. When it's cold, I have a version of the same thing that I wear. And it is most often dictated by weather and comfort. I walk to work every day. I wear this oura ring now that has made me like a competitive walker and sleeper. So I'm always going to do like 10k+ steps. So, definitely, I'm always in sneakers. In the summertime, a comfortable sandal of some sort. So, I guess, inadvertently, it's shoes up because I know that I want to wear a comfortable shoe. And we go with a sneaker over a boot."

Her Go-To Outfit Formula

"In the wintertime, I'm usually in pants for sure. And I'm usually in jeans or a cinched waist — I love a paper bag pant. Another one of my hacks is just a monochromatic look. It's funny because even though I am a uniform dresser to myself, I think that on the outside, people don't see that. I probably have six uniforms, so it doesn't look like I recycle them as often. I know my style so well. And that's why often when I shop, I barely ever return anything, because I know. I'm so specific about what I like (and I hate returning things), so I usually don't return anything."

When She Styles a New Piece

"I want to wear it right away. I feel like if I don't wear it right away, then it's not a good purchase. That's kind of how it works for me. If I wear it the next day, then I'm like okay, I feel good about it. If it stays in my closet, I sort of forget about it. And then I feel guilty that I bought it."

Her Fashion Philosophy

"Fashion: It's meant to be fun, right? Like I don't like to be too precious about fashion in general. I love it. If it makes me happy or is a mood booster, I want to wear it right away. I want I feel good in it. I love it when there's like a nice compliment about it. That's why I love color. And yeah, fashion is fun. I think it's meant to be fun."

Her Approach to Vintage Shopping

"I do like vintage. I find myself shopping for vintage usually when I travel. The way that I shop for jewelry is when I travel, I like to attach memories to things. Vintage feels that way for me as well because it feels more like an experience when I'm shopping for it. I'm not a vintage buyer; it's more like I dabble in it. And when I do, it's usually like something designer that I found, and then it feels like a found piece. I was just in London, and we were walking, and I was like, let me see if there are any cool like vintage stores. So then we went in, and I found a really cool Gucci jacket. I just felt like, 'Okay, this is from an English grandma, and it felt fun.'"

The Fashion Pieces With the Best Story

"I would take my jewelry for sure — that's where all my memories really are. As I get older, I realize that fashion, like I was saying before, is meant to be fun, but it also continues to evolve. So, I do have pieces that I've had for 20 years, but they're also just a jacket and a shirt, and I feel like I can always find something else that is a version of it. So, to me, the things that feel more like heirlooms mean more to me.

"I have three daughters, and I know that they might not fit into my amazing vintage Levis, you know, or this dress that I love — I have a Valentino dress that I'm obsessed with that I definitely hold him for that for them — but the jewelry is what I feel has stories behind it. And then I have some handbags also that I know they'll fight over."

How She Wears Jewelry

"I usually wear lots of rings. Usually, I get obsessed with one or two personal necklaces, and I wear them a lot. And you know my outfit, I'll put on another big necklace or more or a watch. I do love jewelry. So I'd like to layer it.

"For me, it's like the exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. Jewelry just makes my outfit feel complete. It's elevated. If I'm wearing all one color, like the monochromatic looks I was talking about, and I'm wearing a really amazing necklace or cool earrings, it feels put together."

Her Take on Trends

"With age, I have realized how being judgmental sucks, you know, and to draw a line and say that I don't like this thing, or I don't like this trend. Maybe I just don't like it for myself, but I think it might look really cool on someone else. Crocs are so not for me, but I think they look really cool on some guys and girls with styles that can pull it off. It just depends on the person. And so, I think not all trends are for every person, but all trends have merit.

"All the classics are always going to be on trend. I'm always going to love a Canadian tuxedo and a stripe. I'm always going to like an all-white look. And there's always going to be something really beautiful about a Ralph Lauren Western look. And there's also something really amazing about the whole decadence of Gucci, and then there's something amazing about the quiet luxury of The Row. I like to dabble in all of it. I can wear something crazy the next day because I feel like it. I don't subscribe to too many rules."

Where She Finds Inspiration

"I love walking around Soho. I've lived in New York for 20 years now, and I still am in awe of this city. I feel like I've walked around, and it's a movie set. And I love to walk around all the little streets and Soho and pop into stores. There's everything there."

Her Dressed-Up Favorites

"I have been wearing slip dresses forever and ever, and it's still something I really enjoy. And I like it because I like how it lets jewelry and accessories shine. I like the silhouette on me. So that's definitely a go-to. When I wear anything dressed up or red carpet, I like to wear Super Smalls and confuse people. Because sometimes I'll wear rings that are that are fine jewelry. And then I'll stick a couple of Super Smalls in there. It'll be fun and start conversations.

"I remember I wore this Oscar de la Renta dress. It was amazing. And then, I wore this Super Smalls Clover. It's $34, and it's my favorite. And it's a real four-leaf clover. And everyone's like, come on, your necklace! And it's because paired with this incredible dress, everyone assumes that it was something, and I'm like, you too can have it for $34."

Her Favorite Super Smalls Piece

All of our bead kits are incredible. I personally curated and opened molds for every bead, every charm. And so every little kit is made so that a kid, even if they're blindfolded, can still make something beautiful. We set them up for success.

It's so pretty because it looks like candy on you, you know. And it's all translucent and diamondy — I'm really proud of those. And I think the older I get, the more playful I get in general. So I like all of those. We also launched a headband called the Candy Cloud. And it's so pretty, and it's $29. And it's selling out because it's really comfy and all the girly things are definitely very popular right now.

How She Describes Her Style in Just a Few Words

"I would say mix of classic and playful."

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