My Big Fat Wardrobe Clearout
And the wardrobe building blocks I’m filling it back up with. Plus - a quick LFW recap, and some recent interviews I've done.
Greetings Spendthrifts,
Lots to get through in this month’s newsletter, with a few Fashion Week amuse bouches before we get onto our main course: the benefits of doing a thorough wardrobe clear out, and the building blocks I’m (slowly) restocking my wardrobe with, having recently culled a good proportion of mine.
Before we get into all of that though - if you don’t follow me on Instagram, you might have missed my interview with THEE Issa Rae for last month’s Porter magazine. Issa Rae is someone who’s been on my interview bucket list for years now (along with Rihanna and Tracee Ellis Ross - I consider those three women to be my interview subject Deathly Hallows). Insecure is, in my opinion, one of the best contemporary ‘grown up’ sitcoms ever created - and speaking to Issa about her work did not disappoint. The accompanying photoshoot is full of some great fashion inspo too, so well worth a look!
I also wrote a piece for the Guardian about journalist-turned-screenwriter-turned-director Cord Jefferson’s debut movie American Fiction, which satirises the experience of being a Black writer within the overwhelmingly white publishing machine, and is accruing insane amounts of buzz (and award nominations - it won a BAFTA for best adapted screenplay last weekend). Coincidentally the movie also stars Issa Rae, and I found many of its themes - about identity, race, class, and the trade-off between creative integrity and profit - extremely close to home. I’d highly recommend checking it out while it’s still in cinemas, though I believe it’s now streaming in the US (and likely soon the UK).
Now… back to clothes.
LFW recap
I started my fashion week by hosting a press event for & Other Stories to mark the launch of their SS24 collection, and a campaign fronted by none other than OG model Alek Wek (who is an absolute pleasure to be around btw!!). I opted for a double denim look because, well, Beyoncé says we’re doing country now, so who am I to disagree? I had a lot of love for this denim jacket in particular when I shared it on Instagram - I think the slightly cropped length and overall cut sets it apart from the usual denim jacket silhouette, and I predict it’ll sell out fast - so don’t hang about if you’re into it.
I didn’t actually see the matching maxi skirt below when I was deciding what to wear for the event (I wore these wide leg jeans instead) but I actually like that pairing even more, so I may need to add that skirt to my wardrobe.
Side note: I’m also a fan of this pleated midi skirt from a separate capsule collection & Other Stories have got going on right now - it feels quite Sandy Liang-esque, no? I adore the Sandy Liang Astra skort (below on the right - it also comes in cream), though I wish she had more UK stockists so I could try it on without dealing with the hassle of US shipping (& Other Stories if you’re reading this, a collab with Sandy Liang would be major).
Onto the 16Arlington show - always one of my favourite collections, and this season was no different. Highlights included a series of silvery fringed dresses and skirts that I will find an excuse to wear at some point next winter, though I also loved the more restrained drop-waist maxi dresses on display - you can check out the full collection over at Vogue.com. For the show I wore this lightweight grey coat and a shirt with a great collar, both from 16Arlington’s SS24 collection - I kept telling people I felt like “the Russian doctor in a period drama”, which engendered more than a few confused stares, but I’m hoping at least a few of you will understand what I meant by that. The little white handbag I wore is this Acne Studios Musubi micro tote, which is just about big enough to fit my phone, but really, what else do you need?
I sort of love how the photo above makes it look as though I spent my LFW creeping around like Gossip Girl - perhaps fitting given I ended up sitting next to Lily van der Woodsen herself (i.e. actress Kelly Rutherford) at the Emilia Wickstead show. Below is a pic I snapped at a pre-show fitting a few days beforehand - the orange knitted co-ord set below is flipping gorgeous (and so, so soft) and very nearly made the cut…
…But then I had my head turned by this (again, super soft) chocolate brown sweater and white cloqué shorts combo - I just loved how understated and cool it looks. The shorts in particular felt like a freeing shape that I rarely consider when shopping, and I have a feeling that shorts - culottes, Bermudas, even pedal pushers (!) - are going to be a big look this summer, so I’ve started scouring the web for a few pairs I’ll be sharing here in due course.
The khaki green ‘Tulip’ bag I wore is an old favourite by S. Joon, though they no longer sell that colourway - this merlot version currently on sale at The Outnet is a fab alternative though. And, a moment for the necklace!!! An accessory that pulled the whole outfit together IMO - it’s by Pinah Jewellery, who I hadn’t previously encountered but whose creations I now adore.
(Pinah also reminds me of another favourite jewellery brand of mine, New York-based Hannayoo Works, specifically her gorgeously whimsical Donuts earrings). The necklace I’m wearing above isn’t yet available to buy, but the earrings from the same range, in both silver and gold, are.
I also stopped by the MATCHES townhouse in Mayfair to check out their Raey edit IRL, as I’ve had several items on my wishlist (heh) for aaaages, but given how many of those items were jeans I felt like trying them on in-store would be more efficient. I’ve been a Raey fan for several years but their collection is seriously on fire at the moment, and really speaks to how I want to dress right now.
I’ve included a larger selection of Raey items I tried on within the paywalled section of this issue (including the denim holy grail: a pair of jeans that fit my hips without gaping at the waist, which I find to be an issue with 90% of denim brands) but for now I’ll just share the pieces I actually left with.
I am obsessed with this navy shirt and these grey wide leg trousers (which I’m desperately hoping they release in more colourways). Most of Raey’s styles tend to be pretty oversized, which isn’t for everyone (though personally I love that aspect). It’s very much of the Phoebe Philo ‘relaxed chic’ school of fashion thought.
Also, remember a few newsletters back I wrote about my search for the perfect camel coat to replace my trusty old fave? Well, I found it: it’s this Raey coat, which I’ve had my eye on since it dropped a month or so ago.
And yet, somehow - call me fickle! - when I went to the MATCHES store, I ended up leaving with the black version instead. The cut is perfect - not quite single-breasted, but also not fully double-breasted (is there such a thing as demi-breasted, I wonder?). The shoulders are structured without being too boxy and tailored, and it’s also oversized, deliciously heavy and warm, and the exact length I’d been looking for (it falls to ankle-length on me - for reference I’m 5ft8andabit). It literally ticked all the boxes on the dream winter coat wishlist I’d drawn up in my head, slash dispatched multiple friends to help me track down. I’ve promised myself I’ll save it for special events or work meetings, although I’ve already found myself wearing it to pop to the shops most days since - oops.
Of course that means I’m still in the market for a camel coat, which may well end up being Bouguessa’s Ross Coat (also available in black, and white), another coat I came across on my hunt.
It’s been out of stock for ages but I just had a restock email a few days ago. (I’m secretly hoping it’ll go on sale at some point, in which case I will swoop, unless one of you beats me to it - there’s just one left in stock).
CLEANING OUT MY CLOSET (or, what this month’s newsletter is actually about)
Every few years I find myself itching to burn my wardrobe down to the ground and start from scratch. Figuratively speaking, of course.