Let's Get Dressed
Recent outfits and some other bits and bobs
“Let’s get dressed” is probably the first thing I say (ok, second after “good morning”) to the kids on the weekdays. That, or “what are we wearing today?” when they’re in the mood to help me pick out their clothes. I’m usually the last person in the house to get dressed after getting the kids out the door or dropped at school, so the title felt fitting on this Sunday morning where we’re not rushing out the door and I’m not the last one dressed today.
A couple thoughts coming out of conversations I had after launching this newsletter a few weeks ago:
First off, thank you for all the nice notes and emails! I was thrilled to hear that so many of you enjoyed it. If you’re just joining and curious, you can read the last newsletter here.
Second, I’m aiming to send out the newsletter every couple of weeks. I’m a serial outfit repeater so I think this could get a little redundant if I tried pumping one out every week.
Finally, this is for fun! I decided to leave my job at the end of last year, and I’m enjoying focusing more on my family and spending quality time catching up with people IRL. I’m keeping my hand in some consulting projects and advisory roles, and I’m happy with that pace of work at the moment. The fashion industry is at a weird inflection point right now (I won’t take you down that rabbit hole with me today) and I want to take a beat to really think about what that means for me in terms of what I want to do next.
Onto the so-called meat and potatoes.
For a recent dinner with some girlfriends, I went fishing through old staples in my closet. These are all effortlessly cool pieces that brands restock year after year, and I think these are all solid purchases.
This Frankie Shop oversized blazer. Being 5’5”, I was initially a little skeptical of the “One Size” thing and thought it was a little comically oversized the first time I pulled it out of the box. But I actually think it drapes well and I like using this to balance out proportions with slimmer fitting items. I know the blazer sells out quickly and they just restocked again.
These pants from The Row that I continue to come back to frequently. I will say, while I love these pants, I think these Theory pants are essentially identical for half the price, and considering they have the same material and spandex content I imagine they fit similar (the benefits of high spandex clothing).
Shoes are The Row (black full size run available and not backordered here). These are still my go-to 5+ years after purchasing.
Newer things: these J.crew earrings (which are an affordable alternative with a similar vibe to these Khaite earrings) and this hand beaded Doen bag (site says restocking soon).
This top for date night. There’s boning on the interior, so there’s structure and support underneath the silk draped fabric. It runs small and I would recommend sizing up. (I took a size 36).
On the topic of being a serial outfit repeater: this Toteme sweater has been in heavy rotation. I also like the fuzzy alpaca version in the same silhouette too. Both on sale right now. I take an XS and it’s roomy.
I bought this button down after the Instagram algorithm gods surfaced this brand’s ad up to me last year, and I have no regrets about taking the bait. I’m a little particular about my button downs (throwback to feeling hundreds of cotton poplin fabric samples for hours at a time when I was launching Billie the Label). The material on this one is substantial and luxe — not flimsy or too sheer but not too heavy.
Bits and Bobs
I had a bunch of requests to cover favorite brands in general for the kiddos:
For Graham, I like Bobo Choses for all his quirky but cool shirts, sweatshirts, and fun pants (just bought this pair for him). I also love Molo for some of his funky, louder graphic tees and sweats. Kule for his basic tees which are a great weight for layering under his sweatshirts this winter.
For Piper, I shop all over the place. I love this boutique which has a good curation of Emile et Ida, Little Cotton Clothes, Bebe Organic, and a handful of other brands with that girl-in-the-British-countryside vibe. I like Mini Rodini as well as some Bobo Choses for her; these keep up well with her active personality (hello dirt and berry stains on everything). And I still adore Konges Sloejd as well, where her little embroidered cami tops are from.
Thanks for reading! This newsletter (the format, name, content, basically all of it) is a work in progress and I’m figuring it out as I go. Let me know if there’s other things you want to see here — I genuinely appreciate (and welcome!) feedback.
Signing off to take the kids to the farmers market for their weekly chocolate croissant fix. I hope you have an exceptionally great week.
xx
Justine
* I may receive a small commission from brands for purchases made through some of the links above. It’ll fund a chocolate croissant or two.
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ily - and your substack - sm