Hey (with intentions to share outfits)
Housekeeping: Did you see the shopping links I shared in the substack chat this week?
This impromptu newsletter is in your inbox due to my gradual shift into soup mode. It was 94F today (September 2nd), and I couldn’t resist exclaiming every 5 minutes how gorgeous the day was. 94F in July and in September are not the same: one will make you question if life is worth living, and the other makes you wonder why you ever considered killing yourself. My 9-year-old child and I sat outside in the shade on a park bench today and read our books together. He read “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” Book 9, and I read “Girlfriends” by Emily Zhou.
I photographed these outfits on Sunday morning because I was worried that after a sexy summer of wearing the least, I would no longer know how to dress for the cold. At the end of every season, I take stock of what I haven’t worn and why. I have a few things in my closet that I can’t figure out to wear, and periodically, I try them on in hopes that an outfit I'm excited to wear will come of it. After 2 hours, I was once again in love with my closet and wore a dress I had bought in December to the park and a nice dinner with my son. (More on that below.)
Here are the outfits:
1.
We start off strong with this outfit that inspired this dress up session. I played around with the idea of this outfit after remembering I had this belt for two days before trying it on because I worried it wouldn’t translate well. I found a photo of the belt from 1996 and noticed I wore it wrong. The buckle is supposed to be on the hip—the metal curves to your body.
I had a wonderful time the last time I wore this dress in May. I wore it backwards this time because I wanted the neckline higher. I loved the result.
I almost sold these shoes at the start of rebuilding my wardrobe last spring. I bought them after watching them on eBay for almost two years. Then I owned for almost two years before finally loving them with this dress. Thank you to all the size 9s who didn’t buy it because I wouldn’t have it to finish this outfit. I love it when outfits translate just as well as or even better than you imagined.
I’ve decided this is the outfit one should wear to meet the friends or family of the person they're dating. It’s very specific. I know. But walk with me: Imagine me walking into a restaurant to meet your friends in this outfit. Exactly!
Dress: Vintage Calvin Klein; Belt: Vintage Gucci; Shoes: Vintage Pancaldi.
2.
The next look is one I have thought about since I started this newsletter. Assembling the components took too long, but here we are. Thank you for being here.
I looked for a knee length leather trench like this for two years after seeing Carrie in one in S1E2 (see photos below). I found something similar and spent too much time thinking about it, and it sold out. A few weeks later, I found this suede vintage Celine coat on eBay from a seller in Korea, and I immediately sent an offer. I initially worried the sleeves were too short, but I don’t notice them anymore.
It started with this outfit (on the left), which I posted in the first newsletter I wrote in May 2021. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say this outfit is the North Star for the wardrobe I’ve built in the last 18 months. What makes this outfit is the fit and style of the clothing and accessories, including the hat I wouldn’t wear. This outfit was on my summer mood board for 2021.
While rewatching SATC in 2022, I noticed the outfit on the right, which served as a compass for translating the look on the left for cold weather.
We never see the whole look with the leather jacket, but I found these closeups. Carrie’s coat fit is the reason this outfit stands out to me, amongst other things. The color, exaggerated lapels and a-line fit appeal to me. I will keep looking until I find something similar. Until then, I found that this suede one fulfilled the need for a trench for early autumn and spring.
Here’s the outfit without the coat. After finding out Carrie’s tube top was the Wolford Fatal tube top (that they have every season), I snagged this one on sale a few months ago. I will write about Wolford soon.
I recently got these brown trousers tailored to perfection at the waist, hips, and inseam.
This outfit is extremely weather specific. There are five days out of the year to wear this. This is the perfect outfit for an overcast day at 62 degrees Fahrenheit, except you live in Northern California.
Trousers: Vintage Calvin Klein; Shoes: Maryam Nassir Zadeh Irene sandals.
3.
I’ve packed this vintage Helmut Lang leather blazer twice on two work trips and have worn it approximately never. The fit is striking, and I worried I’d missed the mark after purchasing it last January. I have always paired it with a button-down shirt, but each time, something felt off until I tried it with this silk Giorgio Armani number. It softens how severe the jacket fits on me and I cannot wait to wear this.