Weather Vain: Detroit, Michigan - 72 and Partly Cloudy
There’s some coolness happening in Detroit right now, and a downright lovely day like this one is the perfect time to explore it. Here’s what to wear to get down with The D. —erica
Clockwise from top left:
+ An M.Patmos silk tee cool enough for Corktown.
+ A warm-hued Annie Costello Brown cuff that will look appropriate next to a scotch Crimson Dynamo cocktail at Sugar House.
+ The sort of jumbo Steven Alan tote ready for a camera and some time at the Motown Museum.
+ Elizabeth and James flats—kick ‘em off and tuck into bed at the way-cool inn Honor & Folly.
+ Tiny studded Tom Binns hoops that feel very Rock City.
+ A Haute Hippie blazer that dresses things right up for dinner at John D.
+ White MiH jeans—because the weather’s totally asking for ‘em.
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Next Level: B&W Gingham
Wearing gingham doesn’t mean looking like a picnic blanket—especially when you go all black and white. Here’s how to play it cool. —erica
LEVEL I: Doesn’t get much easier than this loose Steven Alan top. Toss on some chunky gold jewelry to jazz it up.
LEVEL II: Friends & Associates thinks you need a fresh alternative to a denim mini. We’re with them.
LEVEL III: Some major peplum action, to really amp up your weekend look, from Roseanna.
LEVEL IV: Totally fair if you thought you’d never wear a tankini again—but this Pret-a-Surf situation has the power to change your mind.
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In Character: Suzy Bishop
It’s pretty much guaranteed that any character Wes Anderson unleashes on the world will quickly start working the costume circuit. And while his young luvas in Moonrise Kingdom are classic cases, there’s something so endearing about the way his go-to affectations play out with tweens (are we still using that word?). Here, how to embrace your inner Suzy. —erica
The sort of Victoria Beckham dress that meshes well with winged liner and French music.
A pair of Sunday school shoes—Rachel Antonoff x Bass in this case.
Some damn cute Steven Alan underwear for swimming/modeling/dancing.
You wouldn’t believe all the “In Character” we have over here…
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In Character: Sally Draper
It’s (almost) baaaaaaack. And though there’s a lot to catch up on after 18 months without Mad Men, one of the most compelling plot lines is Sally Draper’s sprint toward adolescence. These are the sorts of pieces that defined her look over the last season or two, but something says a minishirt might be in her late-sixties future. —erica
The sort of lace-collared dress by River Island suited for dinner parties where she’s in charge of mixing gimlets.
Occasion for these plaid Steven Alan shorts: clandestine meetup with that creepy Glen.
Nothing says times are changing like a florescent MSGM shift, ideal for barging into Daddy’s office in the city.
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Weather Vain: Atlanta, Georgia - 65 and Clear (on Thanksgiving!)
In honor of my own Thanksgiving travels, I’d like to present a shout-out to the home of CNN, Coca-Cola, everyone’s favorite Real Housewives cast, and my favorite Top Chef contestant, Kevin Gillespie. Here’s my ideal look for celebrating/face-stuffing on a just-barely-crisp day in ATL. —erica
Clockwise from top left:
+ Steven Alan’s take on a chambray shirt—a bit more special-occasion than your standard button down.
+ A House of Harlow cuff that interferes with nothing.
+ Isabel Marant gray wool pants with an elastic waist that allows for a second piece of pie.
+ A light and airy Lemlem scarf in fall-approp colors.
+ 80%20 desert boots that can handle some serious shuffling around in the kitchen.
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What’s Inside Clare Vivier’s Bag?
She likes to keep everything in her life pared-down.
Clare introduced her La Pochette design for the first time on Of a Kind in January, and now it’s back—this time with animal print. Right this way…
+ Clare Vivier canvas simple tote, black pebble flat clutch, white leather zippered card holder, and black leather zip wallet – “I’m introducing the zip wallet in the spring!”
+ Neon iPhone case and hair elastics – “My friend Grace Lee—she’s a jeweler, with a line called Oli and Me—just went to Korea and bought me back this neon stuff. Like a lot of people, she and I both have a little obsession with neon right now.”
+ Nars pencils – “The color of the Larger Than Life eyeliner is so rich. That Hollywoodland is actually an eye shadow pencil, but it’s kind of like a magic wand. If you have dark circles under your eyes, you can use it there, too.”
+ Drugstore mascara
+ Steven Alan cashmere beanie – “I always have this with me this time of the year when it’s chilly. I bought them for everyone who works for me, too, so now we’re all wearing them.”
+ Ballpoint pen swiped from The Odeon – “Every time I’m in New York, I always end up at this restaurant for lunch or dinner.”
+ CV medallion key chain – “This is an idea we played around with but never produced.”
+ Smith’s Minted Rose lip balm– “I love the way it tastes—it’s yummy, rosy mint! And, you know, it’s just a good, old-school product.”
+ MacBook
+ Josie Maran cream blush – “I like the fact that she uses all organic ingredients. It’s a very natural-looking blush, and that feels good, too.”
+ Red Moleskine calendar – “It sits next to me at work all day long, and I write notes in it all day long. It’s my major crutch. If I lost it, I would be absolutely lost.”
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S/He: How to Make the Symmetry Goods Parker Scarf Unisex-y
Another new feature! Get ready! This puppy’s all about styling the same piece for guys and girls. Don’t worry: High heels will never be the centerpiece of this column.
For those of us still looking for that staple in-between scarf—the one you toss on when you can see your breath but aren’t wearing your thickest socks—the Symmetry Goods Parker Scarf is where it’s at. Guys will get a kick from the rugged, leather straps, and ladies will appreciate the herringbone fabric (hello, menswear trend). And, boys and girls, don’t forget that this scarf morphs into a bag. Yup, like magic. Here’s how both sexes can own it. —sunny
Clockwise from top left:
+ Steven Alan shirt
+ Symmetry Goods scarf
+ Burkman Brothers sweater
+ Commes Des Garçons wallet
+ Bottega Veneta anorak
+ Arfango loafers
Clockwise from top left:
+ Étoile Isabel Marant blazer
+ Symmetry Goods scarf
+ Rag & Bone jacket
+ Florian Denicourt bag
+ Rachel Comey pants
+ Tenoversix pumps
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Weather Vain: Charleston, South Carolina - 81 and Partly Cloudy
I imagine it has to be tough living in a Southern city and trying to put together a fall look—or at least work in some autumnal colors—when the highs are in the freakin’ eighties. Here’s what I picture for a day like that (today!) in good ol’ Charleston. —erica
Clockwise from top left:
+ Menswear-inspired B Store suede lace-ups that can handle cobblestone streets.
+ A hand-dyed Ilana Kohn scarf—in case the A/C is up to high at Husk.
+ A ladylike Steven Alan silk dress in a color dark enough to hide any signs of sweat.
+ Our Sophie Monet Pyrite Pyramid necklace—cool but not aggressively so.
+ Sunglasses from Lunettes Kollektion fit for a little afternoon shopping excursion on King Street.
Hey! This is a new feature! Check out the first installment.
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Of a Kind
Erica and I are pretty unequivocal about our favorite section of L.A.: Santa Monica. We’re not even beachy girls, but there’s something about walking along the sand all the way up to Venice that makes for the perfect getaway from the hustle of the city. (For the record, this is also how I feel about uptown/Central Park). So here’s my oceanside outfit, appropriately based in black, because it’s true what they say about being able to spot New Yorkers in Los Angeles by the color (or lack thereof) of their wardrobes. —claire
+ Acne sandals
+ Steven Alan hat
+ Norma Kamali swimsuit
+ Ace & Jig dress (made for Of a Kind)
+ Dannijo friendship bracelets
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In Character: Audrey Rouget
Sweet, virginal, achingly naïve Park Avenue princess Audrey Rouget is the heroine of Whit Stillman’s 1990 film Metropolitan. When I first saw the movie I must have been around 12 or 13, growing up in the Boston suburbs, and the world that Stillman presented—one of debutante balls and boarding schools and the joys of New York at Christmas and 11-room apartments and taxis, always taxis—was completely foreign, and yet utterly intoxicating. I didn’t want to be Audrey Rouget, exactly—she didn’t seem to be having very much fun, for one thing—but she is the one character in the film who is unimpeachably good. Her friend Sally Fowler is a Mean Girl and a snob, Nick Smith is a charming roué, and even the object of Audrey’s affections—the young man from the wrong side of the tracks (in this case, the Upper West Side)—turns out to be a bit of a phony himself. And so it seems, for a moment there, that nice girls do finish last. We won’t give away the ending, but suffice to say that fortunately that’s not exactly the case.
Audrey’s outfits throughout the movie are pitch-perfect reflections of her personality: When she goes to the debutante balls that are the center of her crowd’s social life, she looks like a little girl playing dress-up in huge, poufy gowns, while her friends wear sexier, more sophisticated looks . Away from the parties, she wears demure, almost prim outfits: cardigans, pearls, wool pants. We wonder: Would the Upper East Side implode if she went goth for a day? —doree shafrir
Finding a dress that looks exactly like Audrey’s gown would probably require a trip to Paris and an appointment with a couturier. But it’s not hard to imagine her wearing this lovely Marc Jacobs cotton and silk embroidered number to meet her mother for lunch at Sant Ambroeus come spring.
Audrey would snatch up this gray wool Steven Alan sweater for cold nights away at school. It’s utterly practical and slightly formless—all the better to keep the boys guessing as to whether there are actually any curves under there.
This dress from Phillip Lim is perfect for a Columbia Publishing Course cocktail party. After all, as we learn in Last Days of Disco, Stillman’s follow-up, Audrey Rouget is the youngest person ever to make editor at Strauss, where Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) works.
