Lainey is giving me an opportunity to indulge in even more nonsense – shopping nonsense! This is our new feature every Wednesday: I’ll be sourcing products that we’ve seen mostly in celebrities’ social medial posts and answering reader requests. This is the stuff that catches our eye when we scroll. There’ll be lots of fashion of course, but also useful things like the pan Oprah uses for scrambled eggs (she loves the Green Pan) and Sofia Coppola’s Pilot pen. I test a lot of products for my day job, so some of my favourite finds will be in the mix as well.
To be clear, these posts are not sponsored and none of the products are gifted. Also, most of what is sourced has not been personally tested by anyone on the team and this is a “purchase at your own risk” advisory. As I live in Canada I’ll be focused here but will look for US and international options whenever possible.
So why track celebrity purchases? It’s not that they have great taste, but many do have a lot of access to freebies and a team of professionals – stylists, designers, chefs, trainers etc. Those people are the experts and are often the ones choosing items we see. The celebrity is just the conduit.
There are also some names who come up often but who will be difficult to source for – Rihanna gets full designer collections months before the runway. Tracee Ellis Ross has one of the most insane closets in the world. Custom-made furniture is the norm. With that said, I’ll do my best to find your obsession – just shoot me an email at [email protected].
Mindy Kaling's sweater that Lainey mentioned is by Tory Burch. Mindy has worn Tory’s sweaters many times and while I couldn’t wear this while cooking, it is really cute. Unfortunately it is sold out at Saks and other retailers but could show up soon on reseller sites like Poshmark.
(Also, I tried this recipe and it was delicious.)
But I can’t leave you empty handed and like I said, she has loads of good (and spendy) sweaters like the contrasting print cardigan from Kule and the 1970 sweater by Bella Freud, great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud. (Does that count as a nepo baby?)
Some celebrities use stylists for their children (and it’s obvious) but I’m pretty sure Miles Legend picked out these dinosaur boots on his own. Taste! Available in ankle or full height, these Mini Melissa boots vary wildly in price online depending on retailer. Currently on sale at Luisaviaroma and wherever precocious children’s clothing is sold.
I’m increasingly convinced that matching leisure suits will not end up in the same fashion graveyard as Juicy Couture. Monochromatic dressing is here to stay and Lena Dunham’s look is an old staple from ASOS. In keeping with the ASOS spirit, cobble together your own ribbed knits on the cheap from Gap (the split pants are closest to Lena’s), Dynamite, H&M or even Amazon (The Drop is surprisingly decent).
If the bag is of interest, there was at least one available when I wrote this; it’s $88 at Fashion Brand which has a bunch of unique and irreverent stuff like this “Daddy” bowling shirt (I’m tempted).
The trench coat is Stella McCartney and I haven’t been able to find one online but there are some key elements (unlined, no belt, drapey) that set it apart from the typical fitted trench. For the same soft flow, there’s Ganni, Ba.Sh and Heartloom. (So far, I haven’t found a version that is easier on the budget but I will keep looking.) The sneakers look like Nike Classic Cortez and I can only find it on reseller sites (buyer beware) but the Killshot 2 or Blazers do the trick.
Busy Philipps's kick flare black pants look like the Melina from Artizia, a pant I have a push-pull relationship with (I’ve bought 2x and returned and have a dark brown pair in my cart right now).
Between looking at my phone and watching TV, I’m way behind on my reading but recently picked up Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen, a novel that had a competitive bidding war for both the publishing and TV rights. When Reese is interested, you know the book is going to move. I look forward to seeing what they do with the TV adaptation because of the themes of identity, fraud, the “model minority” stereotype, deception and who gets decide what is authentic. And it has an unreliable narrator who is not a white woman who drinks too much.
Attached - Busy Philipps at the Critics' Choice Awards on the weekend.
