what I wore 036

the brown leather coat makes its debut

Real quick: millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits are now collateral damage in a government shutdown engineered by Republicans unwilling to fund basic social safety nets. If you have cash to spare, it’s often easier and more efficient to donate money (rather than food) that can be spent on bulk goods and directed to fulfill the specific needs of the population being served. You can find a food bank local to you here. If you live in NYC (where almost two million people receive SNAP benefits), you can also volunteer with City Harvest. It says you have to do a virtual training, but my own experience a couple years ago was very casual—I just walked to my nearest distribution site and coordinated via text about coming by weekly.

October was kind to me—I’ve been feeling like Stella, in that I have gotten my (sartorial) groove back. Normally I find myself ‘saving’ items for specific days, but the state of my closet combined with the relative consistency of the weather has allowed me to wear whatever I am most excited about that morning, and trust that I have enough in my closet that something else will excite me just as much the next day!

I try to provide a secondhand option for every piece of clothing in these posts, whether it’s the exact item or an approximation. You can assume anything I link to is secondhand unless otherwise stated!

Pushed through a long day of work (and laundry) on our first day back in town. Wearing the chore coat I bought in San Francisco (similar here), the Louisiana Museum t-shirt I bought in Denmark, GAP pants (same in different color here), and the Salomons I bought in Copenhagen (same ones here).

Went as a guest with a friend to her crazy co-working space in Bushwick (there’s a rooftop pool!?). Wearing Dunst leather jacket (same here), APC plaid wool scarf (similar here), borrowed Uniqlo beanie (similar), black t-shirt from Zurich Design Museum (similar), garment-dyed barrel leg pants from GAP (exact ones here), and Salomons. (Also wore my new one-piece swimsuit that I bought and didn’t wear on my vacation.)

Wore this to run some errands and work from home. Wearing essentially the same thing as the previous outfit with this Jonathan Simkhai sweatshirt from the RealReal subbed in—really nice 100% cotton with cool shoelace/grommet detailing. The exact one is on the RealReal for $36 right now!

Wore this dress to both a baby shower (paranormal-themed, don’t worry, it fit the vibe) and then a wedding two days later. I am thrilled by this silk Batsheva dress with a built-in velvet corset—it’s available on the RealReal right now, and you should click on it (not tricking you into an affiliate link, lol) just to see it without the jacket on top. This photo was from the wedding—I like this brown leather coat (thrifted Aldo, same one in a warmer brown here) with the black. I’m also wearing a pair of Maryam Nassir Zadeh patent leather sandals I bought on Poshmark years ago (same ones here).

Wore this to my quilt guild meeting! This Piazza Sempione red cotton sweater vest (similar here) is from the RealReal, the white t-shirt is men’s Uniqlo, the loafers are Bass (exact ones here), and the chore coat is a different one than the one I got in SF—this one is from Copenhagen! (It’s also more oversized.)

Went to an event at Vogel NYC (my husband got invited by a colleague and passed the invite along to me)—we got to walk around the atelier where they make all of their shoes and watch some craftspeople in action! Wore my Adidas Taekwondo shoes (exact ones here), Agolde jeans via the RealReal (exact ones here), Etro shirt via the RealReal (similar vibe here), and the Copenhagen chore coat again. I felt a little awkward showing up alone, but ended up talking to the photographer after he complimented my chore coat and an older woman from Louisiana who makes her own clothes, does fly fishing, and owns five antique Singer sewing machines. (Laura, I’m still down to hang out!)

the scene at Vogel—so many cool old machines that only do one thing!

Guys. I did something very special this day. I met my therapist in person for the first time even though we’ve been meeting regularly for over four years now. I initially started working with her really early on in the pandemic, and I was seeing her during my lunch break at school when most of the students were virtual. Even though I’ve had the time and flexibility to see her in person for a couple years now, I only recently realized that it was probably an option. I was so nervous but it was not awkward at all! I wanted to wear something that felt like me (or at least me right now), and even though most of these items are newer to me, this outfit felt like a good representation. The centerpiece of the outfit was this Anne Fontaine shirt (exact one here) from Berlin. It’s so well-made… look at those cuffs! (The rest of the outfit is repeats from earlier.)

I wore this to take a walk with my neighbor in Fort Greene Park and then watch Hocus Pocus (my first time!) in the little park across the street from my house. Wearing my Miami Heat sweatshirt (similar here) and a rented Aesther Ekme purse. I’m not sure about this bag—I think it’s nice to have on hand for fancier events, but it’s definitely not an all-day purse (can’t fit a book).

Wore this to work and run some errands. Ecstatic to be wearing tights again! Wearing my Norway sweatshirt (similar here), rented Ralph Lauren wool skirt (similar here), and repeats from earlier. I’ve been looking for a wool skirt like this for years (100% wool, unlined, not itchy, adjustable waist)—if I wear this one often enough, I might end up buying it.

Wore this to walk to my early voting site and then to the library to write. (Is anyone else working on a second novel right now? Need to commune with other writers who are no longer ‘debut’ but still feel like it.) Wearing Needles pants via Grailed (exact ones here, you should make a lowball offer!!), Sam Edelman boots via eBay (exact ones here), thrifted sweater (exact one here!), replacement beanie for the one I lost on my vacation, and repeats from earlier in the week.

If you missed the previous installments of weekly outfit posts, you can find them here!

ICYMI…