Has January austerity eased a bit? If you are browsing, you’ll notice that February deals are often steeper than Boxing Day or Black Friday because this is the time retailers really, really need to offload stock. Boots, jackets, vests – this is the season for big ticket purchases. I ordered a new deep purple plaid Isabel Marant coat (70% off!) and it’s giving Grimace but I’m going to keep it because I love a Happy Meal.
JLo’s love goggles
Jennifer Lopez often wears sunglasses and when I saw new photos of her yesterday, I knew they would be a hit. (For the record, I think she and Ben are more than fine and he’s a grumpy cat and that’s why she LOVES him.) Back to the glasses: these are Chloe, very 70s vibes with a geometric shape and at the top and sides, the lenses are set off from the frames so there’s a bit of a gap. Gives them a bit of an edge over other sunglasses with the same shape. These come in at least four different gradient tints (is she wearing green to match her engagement ring?) but keep in mind when it comes to sunglasses, I always advise against paying full retail price. There’s an abundance of stock (even of designer brands) and stores need to make room for the next season, so always look for a sale or try a local optical store for a discount. (Thanks Kacie!)
Vanesa Lachey’s vacation dress
A friend of mine sent me a request for this dress. Vanessa Lachey lives in Hawaii now and that’s why she’s wearing vacation clothes in February while some of us are freezing our nuts off. This dress is super cute and I like the electric colour combination, the length and the cut. It’s the Ella dress by Devotion Twins and comes in a bunch of different colour combinations.
Don’t worry darling, these are Adidas
Now far be it from me to start trouble but both Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles showed off their Gucci x Adidas sneakers this week on Instagram (him in a post – flip to the second photo and her in her stories). We know Harry’s a Gucci devotee and to celebrities, $1000-ish for a pair of sneakers (which they likely got for free) is not the end of the world. But can I speak frankly here? You don’t need the Gucci x Adidas sneakers. You don’t! No one does! While I understand the importance of collaborations in fashion, the spirit of these are Adidas. Again, to be perfectly honest, I like the regular Adidas sneakers. Last year I switched from Sam Smiths to Sambas (which is a huge change, it’s the fashion equivalent of getting bangs). These Adidas are more like Gazelles, which are easy to find, come in a bunch of different colours and won’t ever go out of style. There are certain shoes, like Gazelles, that don’t need to be jazzed up: Doc Martens, Converse, Vans and Birkenstocks are best in their original form. Before you send me an angry email, consider this:
A Copenhagen fashion week ask
A reader sent me this photo of model Caroline Lossberg at Copenhagen Fashion Week. She’s wearing a quilted coat (it’s the Henrietta from the line Sea and I’m sorry to say, mostly sold out in the long version but there are some shorter versions floating around) and what looks like a scarf. It is actually a pink and red (underrated colour combo!) balaclava bonnet by Brora. I’ve now decided this is the height off decadence and I need one ASAP (even though it’s always raining where I live so I can’t really use it).
Also, if you want to see a bunch of street style outfits that are cool, experimental, grown-up and not pretentious, check out the photos from Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Alexa Chung
Want an idea of how influential Alexa Chung - a 2000s influencer from back when we had to use a desktop to read blogs - is? She doesn’t often tag her outfits. When Alexa came up, influencers were not often tied to directly selling products. They reflected (or set) trends and worked with brands through in-store appearances or collaborations, so they didn’t have such a direct relationship with consumers. Alexa has not completely stayed analog (she does the odd sponsored post and for a while, had her own clothing line) but she doesn’t do the hard sell, either.
With that, the shoes look like they are the Valentino cut-out patent Mary Janes and the skirt is Cecile Bahnsen. The top – a classic grey v-neck – might be men’s Prada as I remember an interview in which she said she was partial to those sweaters but it’s a grey v-neck and finding the right one (wool, cashmere, blend) is totally a personal preference. Wirecutter recently ran a story on why some cashmere is so expensive and some is not; if you are in the market for a “forever” sweater, there’s a bunch of interesting stuff on its Twitter feed.
The belt. THEEEEEEE BELT
Well well well… I don’t have an update but I have read your emails and yes it could be vintage Ralph Lauren and does have strong Chloe vibes and maybe a certain era of Coach? Could it be a purse strap? Yes, maybe. And yet, no solid leads.
So the question remains: where is this belt? Why is there only one?! I know many of you spent hours looking for this belt, it’s a collective cause now. But I’m at peace with the belt. I have to let it go. One day, when the universe deems fit, this belt will find us.
