I Love These Clothes and I'm Selling Them
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Welcome to a newsletter that is part meandering micro-stories about clothing, and part event plug. On Sunday, May 18, I’m going to be selling some of my clothes in Chinatown alongside a group of very fashionable people including Erin Allweiss, Robyn Davies, Lauren Singer, Lane Florsheim, Rujeko Hockley, Hannah Martin, Monica Khemsurov, Nicole Gavrilles and Anna Polonsky. If you live in New York City, we’ll be there from 10:30 to 2 (see the flyer below; maybe I’ll have some natural wine with me too if that’s your thing?).
Because I believe that all clothing has a story to tell, I’m going to share some of mine before I send them off to their new homes. So please enjoy this exercise in flash fashion essay writing, and I hope to see you Sunday.
Nicole Miller Long Sleeve Dress
Ten years ago, when I was still a baby fashion editor, I felt out of place constantly. My clothes weren’t expensive enough, my pants didn’t sit perfectly on my hips with crisp creases down the leg, and my dresses were either too short or too long. My DIY vintage pieces that felt so inherently me shifted fast into a source of embarrassment (I’m over it now, don’t worry). I would look at the editors I admired at Vogue and Allure and wonder how they seemed so comfortable in a world that felt, at the time at least, deeply unwelcoming. So I looked for a pattern and found a common uniform: a mid-length dress paired with patterned high-heeled boots. It's not exactly my style, but it's not something I wouldn’t wear.
So, when a line sheet hit my inbox one day, I went through slide by slide until I found it. Immediately, I placed the order.
When it arrived at my desk, I ripped open a box that was way too big for what was inside and pulled out a long-sleeved, drop-waist purple plaid dress with little gold lines down the front. It was the perfect, not cheap dress to pair with high-heeled boots that I knew I would find soon enough. Over the next year or so, I wore the outfit to many meetings and interviews, always calling it my “editor cosplay look.” It gave me a boost of fitting-in confidence that, at that point in my career, I really needed to get by.
That was years ago, and while I think it’s a great dress, I don’t need to wear something that feels like a costume on me to know I have value. Now she’s ready for a new home with someone who loves a midi dress and can feel more themselves in it than I ever did.
Vintage Levi’s Jeans
These are my pandemic jeans. I bought them from an Instagram vintage store, knowing they would be baggy on me without realizing just how baggy they would fit. But in 2020, when I couldn’t stand the idea of wearing pajamas every day but still wanted to be comfortable, they were my everything. Then, when we started to go back outside, I folded them into my drawer and didn’t take them back out again. They are cool, and I can think of a thousand outfits for them, but none are quite me. They served their purpose, and I love them for the comfort they brought me in that weird time, but I don’t love the space they have occupied in my drawer for two years.
Alexa Chung Pinstripe Overalls
I love overalls, and, like any good millennial fashion obsessive, I love the self-titled It Girl and former Alex Turner love letter receiver, Alexa Chung.
To me, both factors are the key to unlocking the problem I talked about with the editor cosplay. Overalls feel much more me, simple but stylish - something I’ve always appreciated about how Chung dresses. I bought this pair from her eponymous brand (RIP) on The Real Real a few years ago. I’ve worn them a bunch, and I’ve always loved the style, but my short torso has never felt quite right in them. The straps are a little long on me and not in a way that can easily be tailored - I’ve tried.
The part I’m most devastated to leave behind is the little “A” on the zipper, which one friend thought I put there myself. I lied and said I did.
Havva Lace Up Moto Boots
I got this pair of Havva Moto boots for Fashion Week six years ago. In my mind, I was going to do a “five outfits, one pair of boots,” story.
Black boots are my comfort dressing staple; these felt like the ultimate addition to my wardrobe. They are a little fashion, a little edgy, and a little… I don’t know… flashy? with the contrast lace.
The problem is that they are about half a size too small, and so all the problems that come with wearing too tight leather boots presented themselves upon the first look. Since then, I’ve tried so hard to pretend that they fit and to wear them in, but reality has led me to the let-them-go phase. And to the lucky Cinderella who gets to wear them, I am so happy for you and so intensely jealous.
Thanks for reading. I hope to see you there, but if you’re not in New York, there are a few other things I think you could get into from anywhere this weekend. If wine is your thing, I’ve been obsessed with this Italian red blend called ‘Ruk n Roll’ by Marurizio Ferraro—it’s zippy and easy—a perfect Spring wine. You should also listen to Yo La Tengo’s recent release of the instrumental soundtrack to Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Old Joy.’ Sad instrumentals to get the creative juices flowing on the weekend.