what I bought (and wanted!) in August
enough Weird Shirts to last a lifetime
I may have over-indexed on Weird Shirts this month. Don’t worry. I’ve gotten it out of my system! I’m set!
Before I share the things I bought with you… here are all the things I wanted to get:
A vintage Norma Kamali dress: Saw this at Amarcord while I was out in Williamsburg with Lily. I loved the fabric, but the silhouette was odd—I tried it on mostly to rid myself of the idea that it would look good on me. And then, unfortunately, it did. (I say unfortunately because it was priced at around $400.)
A vintage rugby shirt: Also seen while I was out with Lily earlier this month. Too small, but the colors were perfect. Someone should go get it! (at 10 ft Single in Williamsburg)
Mondo Mondo ‘Subway Joe’1 necklace on the RealReal: I told myself I’d wait until the price dropped below $100, but someone snapped it up before I could!
A blue and green striped shirt: Inspired by a server at Cafe Colette, who was wearing a perfectly oversized button-up with the best blue and green stripes. I think I’ve identified it as this one from Madewell. If I’m still thinking about it in a few months, I’ll look for it secondhand.
Araks bra: I feel like these bras were a staple of magazine spreads of the mid-00s… (#ripluckymag). After
mentioned Araks in a post earlier this year, the brand was top of mind when I started looking for a brightly colored bralette to wear under one of my newly upcycled shirts (more to come on this later). I can’t bring myself to spend that much on a bra at this point in my life, though, and I ended up finding a serviceable bralette in my drawer: a Calvin Klein relic from my Century 21 lunch break era.
A black suit for an October wedding: I do not want a repeat of this wedding guest dress quest (tongue twister!) from earlier in the year! The dress code on the invite asks for women to wear a “black evening dress, longer length preferred,” but gendered dress codes never sit quite right with me… immediately upon reading that, I decided I’d rather wear a suit if I can find one. I’ve been keeping close tabs on the RealReal, hoping to pull off a miracle (or find another Armani suit in the same size as my grey one). I’m starting to cut it close on timing if I need any tailoring, though!
As for what I did buy…
A RealReal ‘haul’: A perfect Weird Shirt trifecta (Etro, Tibi, and Sibling), and another wash of my favorite denim silhouette—the Agolde Luna jeans. Since this is a pretty distinctive style (easy to identify as a flat-lay) and the RealReal has started putting actual sizes on their denim more often, it didn’t feel like a gamble. The entire order came to slightly under $200.
Deiji Studios oversized gathered shirt from Moda Operandi and Deiji Studios arch tie shirt from Garmentory (both on final sale): As you know by now (because I’ve been talking about Weird Shirts ad nauseum), I’ve been thinking about the pink shirt on the right for the last month! I really wanted to find it secondhand, and I pounced when it showed up on the RealReal in a white and grey stripe. When it came, I realized I didn’t actually like the color that much. I figured I’d rather return it and get the pink one I really wanted (and it was on sale for less than the secondhand one was!). This color is unusual for me, but I’m loving it—especially with my cobalt blue chore coat.
Brooks Brothers shirts on eBay: For upcycling purposes! I wanted to cut up two shirts and sew the bottom half of one to the top half of the other (what’s a more direct way to say this?) so I looked for the exact same size and style of shirt as one I’d already thrifted to make sure they’d fit together easily. Pictures to come.
What I’m eyeing for next month… really nothing except for potentially a suit for this wedding! (Or a dress, if I run out of time and can’t find anything to rent.)
Not sure who ‘Subway Joe’ is… but I liked the necklace
Ooh, love your plan for sewing two shirts together, Eleanor!💕 That Kamali dress is gorgeous! (but I agree, too pricey).
I love all these weird shirts!! I thought of this but didn’t say it on the weird shirt post itself but I think you might like work of rework designer @laurskemp (newly on substack!) She does a lot of weird in a great way things with button downs and others. I have a button down she’s currently reworking for me, very excited about it!!