Consider Yourself A Shopper #38: I might have cracked winter dressing

As well as jewelry touched by antiquity, early musings on warm-weather dressing, and a Bloomingdale's catalogue that fetches prices upwards of $500!

Before we dive into today’s letter, a quick housekeeping note: I’m still donating a portion of the revenue generated from Sunday’s post to support those affected by the LA fires. If you’re looking for ways to contribute, I’ve also included a list of links for donations.

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It struck me one morning that dressing for winter, in many ways, feels similar to getting dressed for travel.

Balancing the Hard and Soft Sides of Dressing for Travel

For instance, it feels as though there’s a constant push and pull between the worlds of comfort and what we traditionally consider proper daywear. Much like packing for travel, I’ve found the key lies in crafting an outfit that doesn’t lean too heavily in one direction. It’s about striking the right balance between the softer, relaxed elements and the harder, more structured details. Take this particular outfit, for example. At first glance, it leans quite soft; however, certain details—like the shoulder pads in the coat, the leather belt, and the riding boots—introduce a sense of shape and structure, grounding the look and giving it depth.

From top to bottom:

• The Row cashmere beanie

  • It’s from the children’s section—proof that you should shop every section, haha! The blue color seems to be sold out but here it is in gray, green, and fuchsia.

• VTG cashmere coat (I picked this up from the Ina on 13th—RIP. )

• L.L. Bean shawl-neck cardigan

  • Layered between the coat and the boiled wool set—you can see it peeking out. For this look, I wanted the cardigan to stand in for a blazer—it provides a bit of structure, but with a softer, more relaxed feel compared to the rigidity of a traditional blazer.

• COS boiled wool set (top | bottoms)

  • The bottoms have the same curved silhouette as those COS sweats I was obsessed with, but the boiled wool is thicker, making the curve more subtle.

• Ralph Lauren Lauren boots (mine are sold out, but these are similar)

• Lura tote bag and Valentino “Viva Superstar” shoulder bag

  • I’ve been test-driving the Valentino bag, which you’ll see more of in Sunday’s newsletter. I won’t go into too much detail about the brand here since I’m saving it for Sunday, but I’ll say this: Alessandro Michele’s Valentino is polarizing—you either love it or hate it. After pouring over the lookbook images, visiting the stores, and finally buying these shoes, I’ve firmly landed in the love it camp. So much so that I’ve added several new Valentino pieces to my wishlist.

    

    Comparative shopping made easy with Carted's feature that lets you effortlessly compare prices across multiple stores in a single listing.

  • As I’ve talked about before, Carted has been a game-changer for tracking my wishlist items. It lets you save multiple listings to compare prices, alerts you to sales and restocks, and now even allows you to add your preferred sizing for more tailored alerts.

Now, back to the bag:

• The "Viva Superstar" leans more toward an attaché style, with its flat, elongated silhouette. It has plenty of space (I was able to fit a book, wallet, sunglasses, lip balm, and keys with room to spare); however, I wouldn’t recommend overstuffing it, as that would likely affect its shape.

• The bag can be worn as either a shoulder bag or a crossbody. However, I did find the strap-to-zipper ratio a bit tricky when opening it—it’s something that might take a little getting used to. It comes in two colorways and two sizes, and while both options are beautiful, I find the white to be the more versatile.

In addition to balancing the hard and soft elements of an outfit, another tried-and-true travel tip is to wear your bulkiest pieces to lighten the load on your luggage. During the winter, this advice becomes even more practical—the bulkier, the better, especially when you’re facing an icy wind tunnel.

I wore one coat to the sample sale, and then came out wearing a different one.

I went to the Fforme sample sale and scoredTHE PUFFER COAT to end all puffer coats—well, except perhaps the Jil Sander + Uniqlo +J one I sadly missed out on.

I can’t remember where I read this, but someone mentioned wearing silk scarves in winter instead of knit ones because they’re surprisingly warmer. When you think about it, it’s quite brilliant—silk traps heat exceptionally well. So I swapped my usual knitted scarf for my Hermès silk scarf, which was a gift from my former boss. I wore it for this particular occasion because I was having lunch with her (Hi, Roops, if you’re reading this! 😊). To finish the look, I secured the scarf with my vintage Monet choker.

Additionally, both travel and winter offer the perfect opportunity to experiment with layering in unconventional and unexpected ways.

This piece was part of the Chava Studio winter drop, and unfortunately, I waited too long and missed my chance to snag one. There’s something about the layering in this look that completely rewired my brain chemistry.

The shirt I’m wearing is vintage Gap (here’s a similar option), layered over my tried-and-true Sunspel t-shirt. And on the lips (which is quite adventurous for me), I’m wearing U Beauty’s Lip Plasma in the shade Shanghai.

I experimented with layering this in a few different ways and realized that to achieve the louche, effortless look similar to how it’s styled in the Chava Studio image, you need shirts with a bit of fluidity. A cashmere blend shirt, like the one from Chava, works beautifully, or even a fabric like Tencel, which happens to be the material of the Alix of Bohemia shirt I tied around my waist. Shirts made from more rigid fabrics, like straight cotton, don’t drape as nicely, so I’d recommend sticking to a blend for that relaxed effect.

Bits that are currently in my home, in my cart, or simply on my mind

1. Ben-Amun “Roman Coin 3-Station” necklace 2. Monet double link coin chain choker 3. Rafael Indiana “The Chariot” necklace 4. Paola Sighinolfi “Amulet” earrings 5. Alex Mill “Ojai” cardigan 6. Matteau cashmere crew sweater and relaxed jeans 7. Polo Ralph Lauren floral embroidered linen jacket 8. Scha “Traveller 2R+” natural straw hat 9. Polo Ralph Lauren stain lace-up espadrille 10. Matteau long chino short 11. Andre Assous “Sterling” espadrille.