A Shift in Thinking Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Image above photography by Nathaniel Goldberg and styling by Alex White

Metallics are all the rage as seen in the FW22 and recent haute couture collections. I bought the Valentino Logo chain pumps in gold to be a nod to the trend, but after seeing this Louis Vuitton dress (which reads metallic) in August Elle above and on the runway below, my thinking on how to wear metallics shifted. Styled with a trench and sneakers is very chic.

Wedge In

I love a wedge heel boot, especially in crepe, but haven’t worn one since the early aughts. And, I haven’t bought anything by Isabel Marant in a few years. When I spied these IM boots, I thought yes, please! — the crepe wedge looks really good to me, again.

Black, short brown, tall brown, short black

Shirt as Coverup, Cont.

I first posted on the shirt as a coverup in July 2020 with the collage below of @natashapoly and @pernilleteisbaek. In the two years since, my shirts have gone from borrowed-from-my-husband to truly oversized — see @ngoldenberg ‘s above. Like Natasha Goldenberg, I’ve been sporting a Jil Sander white shirt, but there are many to choose from. Linda Wright’s Crimson and Thakoon also make super chic oversized options.

Hot Town, Summer in the City

In a city during a heatwave? Go to a museum, a movie, and shop in a real store. Stay cool, everyone.

Sandals Search

After I posted the below picture of designer Kendall Conrad wearing Barbara Shaum slides in late March, I started searching for similar sandals. I found two Saint Laurent pairs in Rome early May, but the hunt is still on for variations on this style. I love the rustic, made-by-hand-in-Greece feel – perfect for the city and the beach. The two images above are from @streetstyleglobal_ and K. Jacques makes a nice version of the sandals on the left. K. Jacques will make a custom pair in black with a black sole — I’ve done this a number of times.

Kendall Conrad in Barbara Shaum sandals

My Saint Laurent sandals in brown and black

Barbara Shaum sandals that I snapped at Ann Mashburn’s Georgetown store in 2019.

Wearing Again

Yesterday I mentioned that I pulled out my Marni Trunk from 2018 to wear while my Gucci bags are being repaired. Then, this morning I read that it’s the 25th anniversary of the Fendi Baguette, so out came this one from, probably, 25 years ago. Fendi will hold a special fashion show here in NYC September 9 to celebrate the signature bag’s anniversary, and Linda Evangelista, photographed by Steven Meisel, is the face of the new campaign. Fashion is a circle and this time I’m game.

Funny, my Baguette came with silver hardware and Fendi kindly switched it out for me — always tinkering…

A Maintenance State of Mind

I’m rerunning this picture of my clothing rack because I just dropped off the black and brown bags at Gucci to have the straps updated and the clogs are being resoled at Leather Spa. Many folks are getting ready for a summer holiday, but it’s also a good time to get fall items shipshape. I try to do this in the spring when I shelve boots and store coats, but doing it in July still leaves enough time for any major maintenance needs. The Gucci straps will take 14 weeks once the bags arrive at the service center in Italy — I’ll be very happy to have them back in November. In the meantime, I’m carrying a beautiful black, polished calf Marni Trunk that often gets overlooked.

Buyer’s Relief

April’s comment on the previous post reminded me of this post from April 2017. 

Many of us have experienced buyer’s remorse — the sting felt after making a regrettable purchase. I try very hard to never feel that sting and sometimes deliberate on an item for so long that it sells out before I commit. But, what about the reverse? I’ll coin it buyer’s relief—the feeling I get when I’ve had my heart set on an expensive item that, in the end, doesn’t suit me. The relief is the $$$$ ‘saved’, $$$$ that could now be put toward something else.

This happened recently with the above Miu Miu coat. I was smitten the second it hit the runway last fall and immediately put it on my spring wish-list. As I added other items to said list, I was mindful that I already had the pricey coat on there. When I got the call that it was in, I raced over to Bergdorf Goodman to try it on. As the SA pulled it out my heart sank because, as gorgeous as it was, I knew the color would not be good on me. Disappointed? Yes. Relieved? Yes, also.

I Whiffed It

I love this SS22 Hermès dress so much that I posted on it twice. But, I never went in search of it and my heart sank when I saw it on Alexandra Golovanoff. She wears it well.

Want vs. Need

Years ago I did a series of posts on this topic and it’s a good time to revisit.

In a comment 9 years ago, a reader referred to “(her) imaginary life trap”, an issue I’ve wrestled with and somewhat curbed. I, too, have those moments of lusting after an item that would serve no purpose in my life, but have learned to take a pass — I don’t have to own everything I love.

The catalyst for this post is threefold — I just sent 6 dresses to be dyed charcoal and black (colors I actually wear), I returned the Gucci bag in cognac because the smooth calfskin gets scratched and stained so easily and I didn’t want it sitting on a shelf like a piece of art afraid to wear it, and I need a pair of shoes for my real life, which means I have to be able to walk around NYC in them. After all the years of doing kic, and having been an editor at both Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, you’d think I’d know better. But, sometimes the siren song is just too tempting and I go astray. Yesterday, my guy in the Bergdorf Goodman shoe department tried to convince me that the 4″ wedge is comfortable, and it probably is. However, I’m not sure that walking in them from BG to the MET would be ideal. So, as much as I love and have posted on them, I’m going to pass — for now…