It’s been a while! I’ve been trying to come up with an answer for my absence and all of them involve me getting to the bottom of my own self-doubt but I don’t have an answer so we will leave that for another time. For now, just enjoy.
Summer Notes
As Summer unfortunately draws to a close I’ll give you a summary of the season. My favorite outfit was a sheer broderie anglaise 1950s dress I bought at Decades in Salt Lake City, an old American Apparel high-waisted bikini underneath, a cream silk 1998 Prada jacket, a pair of Chanel ballet flats, a vintage patent leather handbag and a pair of Caroline Bessette Kennedy-esque vintage DKNY sunglasses. Perhaps subconsciously inspired by this recent Prada look.
I am almost certain this summer’s greatest accessory was the ass. Prada Spring 1994 is chock-full of all the best ass-out sheer dress action you can imagine. The sheer cotton dresses are reminiscent of the 1920s and the looks are easier than any 21st-century Prada. The Etsy results for “sheer vintage dress” are plentiful and the prettiest ones are all from the 1940s.
I bought myself a new pair of Maison Margiela tabis. They’re a style they don’t make anymore that I’ve been looking for for years. They’re silver, heeled with an ankle strap. If you want a pair of John Galliano-era tabis, these are the ones to hunt for. My friend Anna bought a pair in white in 2018 and I’ve always regretted not getting them too. The rest I could take or leave.
I wore a mid-length white cotton Prada skirt half the days of the week. I loved silk tank tops and silk pants. I wore ballet flats almost every day - Chanel and Repetto make the best ones. If I wasn’t wearing flats I was either wearing my Suzanne Rae Velcro Sandals or my Bass Weejuns which look surprisingly wonderful without socks, ankle exposed, with pair of tailored trousers. I switched to drinking IPAs for no apparent reason. I hiked reluctantly and camped happily. I decided to move out of my apartment and leave Seattle at the end of October. I’ve been here for 23 years.
Autumn Notes
The chicest outfit for Autumn is either a pleated skirt, a cashmere twin-set, and a 1960s coat, or a pair of trousers, a silk button-down, and a well-tailored three-button (not two) blazer. And a pair of loafers or derbies. I am not going to call any of these combinations a formula because I hate the sound of it. It’s too mathematical, too precise and it reminds me too much of Man Repeller. But I do think my best outfits include something vintage, something contemporary (often designer), and something borrowed. All good outfits are balanced -- I never want to look like I’m cosplaying as a mid-century housewife or god forbid a rockabilly.
If you’re looking for a good pleated skirt, nobody does it better than Karl Lagerfeld-era Chanel and you’d be surprised at how affordably you can find a 1990s wool Chanel skirt on The RealReal. I bought one for $75 in June. Make sure to check all the listings and look at the measurements. The cheapest ones are all sized inaccurately.
I want to see more suits but nothing reminiscent of either Djerf Avenue or Aritizia. I am tired of anything oversized. I don’t want to see it! Small, well-tailored trousers that slim at the ankle and blazers cut at the hip. I want to see ankles and wrists at all times. More skirt suits! Not pencil though because there is no reason your calves should be stuck that close together. You can’t move in them; movement is just as important as looking chic, if not more. Two pieces are always chic, Pleats Please, vintage St. Johns, 1940s knit sets, and 1960s two pieces. Silk, cashmere, wool, or linen. No polyester because it's uncomfortable, scratchy, and hot and you won’t wear it as much as you expect to.
The Shopping List
I already started my Christmas list on the Notes app on my phone. So far, it includes socks from Le Bon Shoppe (I like the Her style), a Sophie Bille Brahe velvet jewelry box although a vintage one would do too, a lemon squeezer shaped like a bird, a monogrammed comb from Officine Universelle Buly, a pair of 1950s cat eye sunglasses, and the Macrina Bakery cookbook.
In other shopping news, I recommend this Molly Goddard off-the-shoulder top worn by Ms. Molly herself, these Prada Spring 1997 platforms, and this pair of black glitter-covered Miu Miu Mary Janes. And this amazing faux fur-lined Bonnie Cashin coat. Bonnie Cashin was a wonderful American fashion designer who was hired by Coach in 1962. She introduced the famous Coach brass turn lock and completely revolutionized the company. Her coats are among the chicest vintage coats you can buy and rarely that inexpensive. I also must tell you about these Rodolphe Menudier for Chloe vintage yellow suede rhinestone shoes. Prior to launching his label in 1994, Menudier designed for Lagerfeld’s Chloe, Michael Perry, and Paco Rabanne. I don’t have a clue where the man is now but every vintage pair of shoes of his I’ve seen are stunning.
The Reading List
Books I've read and recommend include Ali Smith’s Hotel World, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, and The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. The latter was recommended by my dear friend Ivy, a recent Oxford Masters graduate and one of three people I’ll let recommend me a book. I’d also recommend Convenience Store Women by Sayaka Murata and Isabel Kaplan’s NSFW even though it is perhaps too on the nose.
And Other Obsessions
In other news, I am still on a crusade to bring back hats. It's going rather poorly because I haven’t even bought one myself yet. But when I do, I’ll get a vintage Samsonite hat box to accompany it. I like the idea of putting a hat in its own box and buckling it up to travel. Ridiculous and wonderful!
My next crusade will be in the name of wedges. Wedges are unfortunately wildly underappreciated. In 1947, Salvatore Ferragamo designed and patented the “Invisible Sandal”. The sandal’s name came from the clear nylon monofilament thread through the sole to make straps. The sandal’s heel or wedge was undercut with a glorious swooping curve. The shoes are beautiful, almost chicer than any heel I’ve ever seen. If no one beats me to it, I might buy these Prada sandals on The RealReal which feel vaguely similar to Salvatore’s. I am also searching for this pair in black or silver from Prada’s Spring 2019 collection. Maryam Nassir Zadeh, who makes the world’s best sandals also makes a great wedge.
I seem to break every promise I make these days so I won’t tell you when I’ll be back. Fingers crossed it will be soon. (I already have something else to post)
Sophia
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