Leandra Medine's Blog, page 68

I’m *Pretty* Sure I Found the Ideal White Button Down

The harder something is to find, the more mythical it becomes: crunchy grapes. The Holy Grail. Adult friends. A rodent-free New York apartment. The perfect white button down. When I walked into Everlane’s Williamsburg store last week, I had no idea I would be walking away with the latter, or rather, the most perfect white button down of all time. I can recall the discovery in vivid detail–the slits on either side of it were the first thing I noticed, attention-grabbing enough to beckon me away from another rack. Then I felt the material, realizing with satisfaction that it was thick enough to maintain its shape and even wear braless. I was sold before I even tried it on.

A week after acquiring the shirt, I wore it to the office with a pair of black stirrup leggings. It wasn’t a particularly noteworthy outfit, especially relative to the circuses I usually concoct, but my colleagues couldn’t stop commenting on the shirt. First Haley asked me about it. Then Amalie, followed by Jasmin. I joked that I should probably just make a team-wide announcement, but in all seriousness was reveling in the confirmation that I’d finally found the platonic white button down ideal.

When I quizzed my admirers about why they, too, were so drawn to it, Amalie said she liked its nice, thick cotton, but most of all its boxy, cropped silhouette. She added that she typically finds white button downs to be massive, too long, cut “for women’s shapes,” or not made with 100% cotton. Jasmin commented on the cut, noting that it was boxy but still had a swing to it, which meant you didn’t necessarily have to (or even want to) tuck it in. Haley said she loves an oversized white oxford because they hold up and hang much better than flimsier white button downs, however has had trouble with tucking them properly due to their heft. She said the one I was wearing looked like an exception due to the unique, cropped silhouette: “It’s scratching the oxford itch without inviting the trouble of one.”

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Armed with their input and my own feelings about what makes a perfect white button down “perfect,” I’ve outlined some criteria to aid you in your button down shopping endeavors for all of posterity:

1. Swing

The ideal button down should flare out ever so slightly at the bottom, thus cultivating an oversized effect without looking schleppy.

2. Heft

In terms of material, I like it to sit somewhere between the heaviness of a traditional oxford shirt and the flimsiness of a cotton dress shirt. This middle ground will help the shirt maintain its structure without feeling like cardboard. (For what it’s worth, though, my shirt also comes in a lighter poplin material, if that’s what you’re in the market for).

3. Tuckability

It’s really hard to find a great shirt that looks good both untucked and tucked. The slits on this one allow the front and back to separate, which means the shirt can be tucked in the front while hanging loose in the back. Best of both worlds, baby.

4. Color

Some white shirts have a yellow or blue undertone, or are blindingly white. The ideal white button down shirt should be a soft white that looks a bit worn-in. You know, like a stale marshmallow.

5. Easy Care 

Machine washable-ness is key when it comes to white button downs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and wearable. You’ll want to wear your perfect white button down a lot, and white button downs (even perfect ones) are wont to attract a ketchup splatter or two.

What do you look for in a white button down? Have you stumbled upon your own version of white button down perfection? Let me know in the comments.

Photos by Sabrina Santiago.

The post I’m *Pretty* Sure I Found the Ideal White Button Down  appeared first on Man Repeller.

Which Celebs Are Secretly Good at the Art of Instagram Comments?

If you’ve spent even a quarter of the screen time on Instagram that I have, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across the viral account @commentsbycelebs. Started by Emma Diamond and Julie Kramer in 2017 (after a seismic algorithm shift that prioritized comments from Instagram celebrities and goliaths rather than simply displaying them chronologically), Comments by Celebs highlights the best of the best celeb commentary on the platform. The account originated with the two of them sniffing out leads by keeping close tabs on celebrity accounts, but today the duo have established such a devoted network of followers (approximately 1.3 million—many of whom are known entities themselves) that they’re often tipped off before they have a chance to say “boo.”

Recent scoops: Rita Wilson saying “Will you marry me?” on this legendary pic of her husband; Oprah claiming that not even she could secure the Popeye’s chicken sandwich; Newly minted IG user Jennifer Aniston telling Matt Leblanc she no longer has to be a hashtag and, even better, telling the creators of Comments by Celebs that they’re lightning quick on the draw.

I asked Diamond and Kramer to share their top five low-key commenters currently on the scene–those who aren’t necessarily known for their commentary, but who add a certain flair to the activity. Being familiar with some of the key players—like the perpetually engaged John Mayer or the queen of clapbacks herself, Rihanna—I was intrigued to have a fresh crop of celebs to keep my eye on (even if Comments by Celebs will likely do it for me).

1. Justin Long

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Explain that. #CommentsByCelebs

A post shared by Comments By Celebs (@commentsbycelebs) on Oct 22, 2019 at 7:19am PDT

 

“Justin Long has been commenting amazing things recently. And it’s definitely been recent, because there is no way we would have not noticed for so long. He actually has far fewer followers than one would expect. [Ed note: He has 217k.] I think people really enjoy celebrities who don’t take themselves too seriously and can kind of have fun with it, and he does a good job of that.” —Kramer

Justin Long is indeed new on the scene (it looks like his first Instagram post happened on May 8th). Perhaps Long is no longer just “that guy who dated Drew Barrymore” or “the dude from Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” He could just be…YOUR underdog IG celeb. My eyes, for one, are peeled.

2. Jennifer Garner

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Nanny Chronicles: Hollywood Edition. #CommentsByCelebs

A post shared by Comments By Celebs (@commentsbycelebs) on Mar 17, 2019 at 9:34pm PDT

“I’ve always gotten really good energy from her, but I have a whole new appreciation for Jennifer Garner. It’s not the easiest thing to convey such a sense of purity and happiness over social media, and she does that. I just think she is such a light, and so consistently. Not only in her videos that she posts in her own feed, but also in the way she interacts with friends and random accounts that people wouldn’t even know she’s commenting on.” —Diamond

Jennifer Garner is indeed as pleasingly put-together as a freshly made bed with hospital corners sitting in a field of snow. An angel. When she’s not being the #1 mom-approved normcore celeb on the scene, she’s interacting with content that is as pure as she is. Jen is too good for us.

3. Zendaya

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Let's go with that. #CommentsByCelebs

A post shared by Comments By Celebs (@commentsbycelebs) on May 9, 2019 at 12:25pm PDT

“We really respect Zendaya and the way she’s so unapologetically herself. It shows through in the comments section as well as in the way she presents herself in other forms of media. We are constantly blown away by her maturity.” —Diamond

I fell in love with Zendaya late in the game after a fervid Euphoria binge. I believe so much in her talent, and watching her grace on red carpets, in interviews, and on social has cemented my feelings. My particular favorite is when she lovingly responds to her mom’s loving comments. I would say she’s one to watch, but odds are you’re already watching her and feel the same way I do.

4. Kate Beckinsale

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Office Apropos: 4 Outfits for an Unusually Warm Fall Day

If you like your maximalism served with a healthy dollop of pattern-clashing and color-blocking, I hate to disappoint you but today’s Office Apropos is all about the neutrals. It was a toasty 66 degrees the day we shot the below and it appears Harling, Amalie, Jasmin, and Maggie decided to leave all autumnal color responsibilities with the leaves (that are most definitely starting to turn in New York).

Before you scroll on—here’s your daily reminder that we’re publishing fall Office Apropos one day at a time, so you can see what everyone wore on Tuesday here and Monday here.

Harling

I looked at my calendar and the weather app before getting dressed and determined that a) my schedule was pretty straightforward (i.e. no shoots or other curveballs, besides the fact that I was hosting a game night in my apartment later that evening) and b) it was pretty balmy outside–basically the October version of April 25th. Light jackets akimbo! I didn’t have any reason for subsequently deciding to wear all white other than it appealed to my gut. Later that evening, at the aforementioned game night, I sipped red wine in my all-white outfit and my guests were appropriately impressed. We didn’t end up playing any games though. Unless you count the game of life.

Amalie

If I don’t look like a freshly widowed Georgian-Era Englishwoman that got Kate & Leopold-ed to 2019 approximately six months ago, then who am I? I feel like I accomplished that here. I don’t normally wear all black, but I really wanted to wear these pants (from the perfect gals at Veda) and I wanted to wear this top (handmade in France by a mother-daughter duo) so I made it happen with a tissue turtleneck, a headband, and shock-white western boots just because… this is who I am. I went to the Gucci SS20 press preview in this outfit and was suddenly shamed by all the fully Gucci-fied mannequins, who made me want to pull on logo undies that stick out of my waistband and sleeve-length patent leather white gloves. I believe THAT would be peak “me.”

Jasmin

In hindsight it was probably still a bit too warm to pull out this jacket but I had such an urge to wear it. We were shooting for an upcoming editorial with a brand partner which took place in a park and it was then that I started to feel really warm in it. But it only gets a short window of airtime each year so I felt it important to take full advantage. I feel like I really should have had more elaborate plans for after work but I really didn’t, this whole look was home by around 6:45 p.m.

Maggie

This was NOT what I planned to wear today but I AM happy this is where I landed. My original look leaned a *touch* too much on the side of Mrs. Claus and I just couldn’t do it. I’m glad I landed more on the side of prep school drop-out. Pretty much ALL of this outfit is secondhand, and honestly, I just L-O-V-E when that happens. Makes me feel even better throughout my day. I was a hardcore thrifter growing up and I’m so glad the concept is becoming more and more relevant in the world of fashion. Trash = treasure.

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November Horoscopes Are Here and Somebody’s Getting Vegas-Married!

What’s poppin star children! I have missed you from the murky depths of my ancient soul. Speaking of murky depths: It’s Scorpio season AND we’ve got a Mercury retrograde in full swing.

On the first day of November I awoke in the middle of the night, turned to my Scorpio lover, gazed down at their placid sleeping face and thought, The world is your dungeon and we’re just living in it. I was filled with affection for my lover and for Scorpios everywhere, but also a bit of apprehension about such a deeply emotional and confusing month. Then I said to myself, “Hey Sar, get yourself together. Astrology is not deterministic, it is an art based on opportunity and creativity. We should not fear this month of deep and mysterious planetary movements.” Then I felt renewed, inspired, and full of joy. I slipped back under the covers, brain abuzz with horoscope ideas for all my Man Repelling starbabies, and felt a terrible pun rise in my throat. Better out than in, I thought to myself. I re-positioned myself as the big spoon and said to the back of my lover’s sleeping head: “The world is your fun-geon and we’re all just living in it.”

We’re gonna make it through this month, you guys, and it might just be a grand old time with the right attitude and some good socks.

Scorpio

Look at you, with your shining carapace and that devil-may-care attitude! I hope you had/have the most Scorpio-ass birthday party possible. Which, in my mind, would be hosted in a dimly lit room decorated with a variety of furniture that is specially designed for either sex or perhaps medieval interrogation techniques, roulette of various genres, and high levels of intrigue! The birthday cake would be “death by chocolate” and at some point you would shout, “Release the doves!” and (plot twist) a murder of crows would soar through the room. You, dark angel of the zodiac, deserve all this and more.

As Venus enters Sagittarius this month, your power to manifest exactly what you want and need should be amplified. This is the time to radically release anything from the past that you don’t want to carry into the future. If you have a dream that you haven’t made progress toward yet because the time wasn’t quite right, I am here to tell you that the time is now precisely right o’ clock and it would be wise of you to direct some of your solar-return glow in the direction of your heart’s highest dreams. Speaking of dreams, your actual literal ones that happen when you sleep have many messages for you this month, so consider keeping a dream journal to stay on top of these missives from the land o’ nod. Mercury will be retrogradin’ until the 20th, so don’t worry if you’re feeling a little hazy and unclear, just keep looking forward.

Sagittarius

You were probably walking down the street recently when, all of a sudden, you became starstruck by some gorgeous being you saw through a window and thought, Damn who is that fine six-limbed, half-horse, half-human, whole-hottie trotting by me rn? Only to realize that it was just a well-cleaned window and you had been staring at your own reflection. Well, you’re not wrong for that. With Venus in Sag this month, you will find that you are so magnetic you won’t even be able to resist yourself. Due to all this magnetic energy around you, you will receive all kinds of invites and opportunities. But, with Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, some of these offers will come from people from your past and you may be better off if you either say no outright, or at least wait until Mercury goes direct on the 20th.

The full moon in Taurus on the 12th promises a burst of productivity. This moon should give you the energy to make that final push toward the completion of a project you’ve been toiling over for some time. Romantically, there is so much whimsy in the air this month for you that many astrologers would tell you to gird your loins and avoid making big wild decisions. But you didn’t come here for that and I am not the one to counsel caution. My advice? Hop on that flight to visit your old flame in Italy or go get yourself Vegas-married this month. And if you’re looking for an officiate, I’ll just say that I believe I was born to preside over questionable spur-of-the-moment romantic unions, so I got your back on this.

Capricorn

November should be the seasonal equivalent of a masquerade ball for you. Not just a normal real-life ball, but one of those impossible period-film masquerade balls where people inexplicably can no longer recognize their friends and lovers just because they have a glittery mask covering literally one fifth of their face and all forms of torrid affairs and various skullduggeries ensue. This is not just my humble wish as a lady who loves skullduggery and scandal, but also as your trustworthy astrologer. You see, Venus will slide into Sagittarius this month and illuminate the portion of your chart that rules the mysterious, internal workings of your heart. This is a time to embrace mystery and get your jollies from the saucy secrets that will undoubtedly arise this month.

The full moon in Taurus will bring an elevated level of intuition into your life. It will be a perfect time for you to delve into all kinds of divinatory practices. Sure, you could get a dream journal or some tarot cards, but why stop there? Get ahead of the occult curve by trying your hand at scrying or perhaps casting lots. No matter the methods you use this month, you have to follow your intuition and listen to that still small voice. If all of the mischievous indulging in secrets and intrigue brings drama into your life, make sure that you stay grounded in your inner truth.

Aquarius

As one of the vanguards of the zodiac, I can always count on you to be forward-thinking. Sure, among the gossipy cliques of the zodiac you have been awarded the “Most Likely to Pass Out Chemtrail Literature” superlative. And sure, I may have once baked an unleavened cake for an Aquarius’s birthday, decorated the cake to look like the earth, and then presented it to them as a tribute to their flat-earth truther tendencies. But this month, you will have the last laugh my friend. With Venus in Sagittarius this month, your future-driven nature should pay off big time. Take some time to write down the life you want for yourself and/or any prophecies that have been bouncing around ya noodle!

We have a full moon in Taurus on the 12th, and with this celestial arrival your gaze will be tugged back down to earth. Issues in the domestic realm may crop up, but most likely these won’t issues won’t come as a surprise. You may have seen them coming in a dream, or interpreted a flight of pigeons as a sign of your mother about to call you with an update about the ongoing scandals at her gardening club. Regardless of the situation, you will need to tap into the most tactful and generous side of yourself because we have Mercury in full retrograde until the 20th and you don’t want to say anything you’ll have to apologize for later.

Pisces

Pisces, you changeable feast, you basket full of wildflowers, November will be a gorgeous month for you. With Venus in Sagittarius on the first of the month, it is an opportune time for you to step into the spotlight. Have you been considering launching an Instagram account dedicated solely to documenting the life and times of your pet hedgehog? Maybe you have wanted to roll out that blog where you showcase your recipes for cakes that are decorated to look like other foods a la the recent gut-wrenching Great British Bake Off season finale (I am team Steph forever and you can fight me about it)? Now is the time! This charismatic alignment of planets will amplify your efforts and win you the esteem of fellow hedgehog-owning, cake-liars everywhere! But beware, with Mercury retrogradin’ until the 20th, you could encounter some scoundrels from your past that don’t want you to shine like the rainbow fish that you are. Don’t take the bait (re: that excellent pun: I am proud and I stand by it)!

The full moon in Taurus will bring revelations of all kinds. It may be difficult for your tender water-sign heart with your characteristic empathy-overdrive to stand up and assert yourself in some situations, but if you’ve been holding back in your relationships, these feelings can overwhelm you. It is time to say what you mean. That doesn’t mean you have to morph yourself overnight into a hardened tell-it-like-it-is alpha. You can bring all of your sensitivity and compassion to the confrontation. Use “I” statements, state your feelings clearly without blame, and just in case that fails, have a friend call you at an appointed time so that you can pretend something is on fire and make a quick exit, go home, block the person you were confronting on all social media, and have your mom tell them you have left the country.

Aries

For you, Aries, the stars predict a month that enters with a bang. Venus in Sagittarius at the start of the month has you itching to get out of town. This is the time to embark on a grand adventure. And when I say adventure, what are the first words that come to your mind? Hot air balloon trip, right? Or is that just me? Whatever your first words were, my celestial advice is to do that thing. Sure, maybe you don’t want to be miracuously lifted off of the ground in a human-sized basket as a multicolored balloon lifts you into the sky to the realm where only birds and gods dwell. Sure, maybe your adventure won’t give you the ability to stare down at the vast land below and laugh at the puny destinies of all the earth-bound mortals. That doesn’t mean that your adventure isn’t valid! The stars say take the leap!

A word of caution: Mercury is in retrograde until the 20th. So if your grand adventure does include travel, make sure you take the necessary precautions and don’t leave your cellphone in that useless seat back pocket on the plane where all my sunglasses go to die every time I board a plane. The full moon in Taurus will bring you the opportunity to let go of anything that no longer serves you. For all my fire-rams out there, it’s looking like this may mean letting go of some relationships or aspects of relationships that have grown stale and are holding you back from your grand destiny. I wish you luck and courage and chic adventure outfits in sweat-wicking fabrics.

Taurus

Salutations Taurus, I feel like we haven’t talked in three million years. What have I been up to, you ask? Oh, you know, thinking a lot about how we are trapped in these suits of skin that hang off a rack of bones and the whole business is, like, magically electrified and self-conscious. Also, trying to make knee high socks more of a thing in my life. Speaking of things in one’s life— how ‘bout that Scorpio season, huh?! This one should be a big steaming doozy for you! In a good way! Maybe! The stars aren’t giving me specifics, but as Venus pops into Sagittarius, it looks like you could be seeing some romantic revelation this month. Sagittarius is the no-nonsense tell-it-like-it-is friend in the film-adaptation of your chart. If you can harness that energy and say exactly what’s been on your mind in the realm of your intimate partnerships, you will reap grand rewards.

But here is the sticky-wicket: Mercury will be retrograding most of this month. This celestial equivalent of Mercury doing the backwards speed-walk of an experienced tour guide will make big conversations a little foggy and might antagonize misunderstandings. Deliver your truth with a satin hoof, my friend, and try to be patient and generous with whatever comes your way in response. Also, it is important for all of us to be extra careful when it comes to keeping our possessions close. As a sign that is well-known for loving yourself some earthly possessions, I recommend purchasing a cool glasses chain and maybe keeping your fanny pack securely fastened from takeoff to landing.

Gemini

Now that I have gazed upon your chart, I understand why I haven’t heard from any of the Geminis in my life for a minute! Y’all have been busy as the day is long! Well, actually, you are busier than the day is long, seeing as how I rose from sleep this morning at a reasonable daytime hour of 7 a.m. to such a pitch black darkness I wondered if I had recently fugue-shopped some black-out curtains on the Amazon (I didn’t, it’s winter, that’s how daylight savings and seasons and time and stuff work, okay I friggin get it Benjamin Franklin jeez!). What I’m saying is: This is a beautifully productive time in your life, my friend.

The energy of Venus in Sagittarius should fire up your creativity and when we get our full moon in Taurus on the 12th, you will be all ablaze with revelation. This might throw you off your balance, but hopefully with this forewarning, you can plan ahead. Creativity is a spiritual and mysterious force. We are not always in control of the things that bubble up from the primordial goo of our psychic undergirdings. We are in control of how we respond. Take time to slow down and nurture yourself even in the midst of this generative whirlwind. This kind of self-care will help you bring clarity and grace to the difficult conversations that might spring up due to our old friend Mercury getting his retrograde on this month. You may find yourself reconsidering decisions you’ve made or conversations you had last month. This is a foggy time and the more burned out you are the less clarity you’ll have.

Cancer

You know I always want to advise decadent baths and long periods of rest and relaxation. I am so happy that the stars of your chart have presented me with this opportunity. Dear Cancer, stop doing stuff. Or at least stop doing so much stuff. Or only add stuff to your schedule that is nurturing and soothing. With Venus in Sagittarius this month, both the romantic and the creative aspects of your life should receive a burst of energy. However, you might miss it if you don’t slow down long enough to attend to these parts of your life.

The full moon in Taurus on the 12th is going to be a big one for you. According to the stars, this time could feel like the emotional equivalent of sitting in one of those old-timey carnival dunk-tanks where if someone hits a target with a ball you would get submerged in icy water, only in this instance a whole world champion fast-pitch softball team decided to blow off some steam and you’re just getting dunked and dunked and dunked. I’m sorry that this may be hard to hear, but I’m not sorry in the grand scheme of things because this is actually a gift from a universe that loves and holds you. The key to making it through this emotionally trying time is to lean on your friends. Turn toward the people who care about you and let them bolster you, because I promise you they want to.

Leo

Oh you pocket-full of sunshine, you flash of ankle beneath a Victorian woman’s skirt, what a lively November the stars have lined up for you! We enter this month with Venus in your fellow fire-sign Sagittarius. This signals boundless depths of pleasure and fun for you. This month will be like going to a public park to cry only to find that it is national Corgi day and they are having a massive Corgi meetup right near the fountain where you like to publicly weep. So instead of weeping from whatever existential dread has you down, you will be weeping because you are now surrounded on all sides by a sea of joyful, licky, wiggle-bottoms that just want to have a good time. That is basically what you can expect this month in terms of your romantic and social life—a surprise coterie of wigglebottoms that do not know you but love you all the same.

More good news! The full moon in Taurus heralds a watershed moment in your career. I’m seeing you receive a call you’ve been waiting on, or perhaps finally meeting just the right person to put you on. As per usual when we are in a time of Mercury retrograde, I would caution you not to ink any contracts until that naughty planet goes direct on the 20th.

Virgo

Get ready to restock your autumnal scented candle collection because Venus is sliding into Sagittarius and this movement is bringing serious nesting vibes into your life. Which, as a decadance-loving, throw-pillow addict, I am wholly in favor of. You will find your analytical, detail-oriented personality not only makes you an ace at work and planning vacations and never overdrafting your account, but also can help you succeed in the pursuit of ultimate coziness. This is an excellent time to invite friends and family into your home to marvel at your tasteful decor and sip mulled wine.

On the energetic flipside, Mercury’s retrograde movement this month will have you applying that famed analytic mind to nit-picking every detail of conversations that you had last month. You will find yourself asking questions like, “When she said that she loved my new bangs was she subtely implying that I have a stupid forehead?” or “What did it mean when that dude I met at the work party said that he wanted to pick my brain? Are we flirting or are we leveraging?” The stars and I both advise you to ease up and when you notice yourself going into hyper-analytic overdrive, just take a big calming whiff of your gourmand candle until you chill out.

Libra

Hello Librans, did you have a fun birthday month? I hope that it was the birthday month equivalent of buttercream frosting and a memory foam pillow. Luckily, the fun isn’t over yet. With your ruling planet Venus moving into Sagittarius, a new level of passion is accessible to you. As always, balance is important and when Libras are out of balance they can tend toward the erratic. What I’m saying is, this new wave of passion could lead to a major breakthrough in your novel or you could find yourself in a tattoo shop getting the face of your partner’s dog tattooed on your bicep as a conciliatory post-fight attempt to make up. Make sure you check in with yourself before launching full-throttle into anything.

This is also important advice with regards to your career. This month is more focused on your money and your work life than last month was. The Mercury retrograde will have you re-examining deals or decisions that you made last month. Although this kind of analysis can bring you new insight, it can also become a terrible drag. My advice is to keep your eyes front and center, don’t get that tattoo unless the dog is objectively cute (like people-stop-the-dog-on-the-street-and-follow-it-on-Instagram levels of cute), and don’t be too hard on yourself as you navigate these uncharted waters.

Illustration by Audrey Weber. 

The post November Horoscopes Are Here and Somebody’s Getting Vegas-Married! appeared first on Man Repeller.

What I’ve Learned From Months of Studying San Francisco Style

Taxiing on the SFO tarmac, I’ve traveled 3,000 miles across three time zones by way of a steel ship in the sky. More remarkable, though, is the feeling that I’ve been catapulted six months into the future, where everything is in beta mode. Billboards for data encryption and cannabis delivery services greet me upon arrival. As per usual, landing in San Francisco reminds me of the first time I took an UberPool here, before they launched the feature in New York: I sat behind the passenger seat, where a man took a phone call, working himself up to a lather over his seed-round funding meeting at a venture capital firm where we’d soon drop him off. After years of spending the odd weekend on the West Coast, I’ve been logging more time in the Bay Area as of this summer, for a confluence of personal reasons. I recently described the experience to a friend as “microdosing San Francisco,” to which they replied, “that is so San Francisco.”

Due to my new-in-townness, I’ve been tasked by Leandra Medine with confirming or myth-busting the notion that everyone in San Francisco wears the uniform of the future: a Dropbox t-shirt and a pair of AllBirds. In the spirit of collecting quantitative data, my brother suggests I go to dinner at a string of nice restaurants (the Morris, Angler, Sorrel, Zuni Café) for a week and count how many hoodies I see. While this strategy sounds delicious, I decide to commit to a different approach: observing the hell out of what goes on around me from my various perches and pedestrian routes. Off the bat, it’s clear that style is not a priority for contemporary San Francisco (and why should it be?), but I press on, curious to uncover the story the city’s aesthetic predilections might tell.

Kindah Khalidy is a painter whose work is flush with optimism. She’s lived and worked in the East Bay for most of her adult life.

An early observation materializes: The generalization of the “tech bro” capsule wardrobe is equal parts provable (look no further than the VC Starter Kit) and not the whole story. With a population that clocks in at just under one million people, the squarish city can’t be pinned down with a single stereotype. Historically, San Francisco has seen groups of all stripes land here and develop a style of their own. It is a city of contradictions, famously a place where people feel empowered to forego wearing clothes altogether.

The hippies of the 60s—impossible to ignore where examinations of this city’s style are concerned—have always struck me as the starting point of San Francisco’s aesthetic sense of self. Before anyone ever uttered the word “prairiecore,” members of the counterculture movement wore 19th century pioneer dress and invented the Victorian-era Wild West aesthetic with the inventory they found in San Francisco’s legendary thrift stores. Maybe the reaction to the tech uniform has been so outsized because San Francisco has long fostered the environment of marching to the beat of your own drum, and a “VC Starter Kit” runs counter to that tradition.

Jillian Knox is an artist and stylist who has lived in San Francisco for eight years. She moved there by way of Chicago, IL and Savannah, GA, and is originally from Washington, DC. This year she’s styled a bunch of cookbooks: from Eat Something by San Francisco Jewish deli Wise Sons, to another on Baja California Mexico which will publish next year. She also just wrapped on Americanized, a short film directed by Erica Eng.Vintage lamé blouse -- another here, vintage military fatigue pants, Zelma Rose necklace and a vintage necklace I found in Mexico City, Levi's Made & Crafted jacket, vintage Stetson hat
San Francisco Cliques

Beyond the historical influence of the hippies, San Francisco is home to a litany of cultural cliques: there are the outdoorspeople, the tech workers, the next generation of Deadheads. What they all have in common is an aspirational relationship with transcendence: some try to reach it with the Henry David Thoreau approach while others inch closer with alternative music or by channeling Steve Jobs’ particular brand of reality distortion, aiming to push the limitations of our world through disruptive ideas. These archetypes set the city’s tone.

Which is to say: It’s not a very dressed-up place—a mood I clocked right away coming from New York, where looking informal or laid-back wasn’t typically my goal. I think the Bay Area’s relaxed posture is informed by a convergence of factors: There’s the lingering, liberal attitude of the 60s counterculture movement, pulsing quietly and course-correcting the culture when it gets too uptight. There’s the city’s proximity to nature (hiking trails, humbling redwoods), which rewards the person prepared for anything—a midday hike or bike to blow off some steam, a trip to Big Sur after work on a Friday, an off-site vision quest. The year-round season-less forecast is both temperate and tough to predict, as sunny or chilly or foggy microclimates hide in the slant of the hills. You pretty much always need a just-in-case fleece or sweater.

Because of the Bay Area’s thin membrane between town and country, Patagonia baggie shorts and leggings and normcore Outdoor Voices Megafleeces are acceptable everywhere. They’re not compartmentalized by activity or time of day the way they are in New York. (Anytime I arrive somewhere thinking I’m underdressed, someone else relieves me by showing up a notch more casual.) Tech recruiters wield this like capital, touting lax company cultures in order to win over the brightest minds in a competitive hiring pool. Style in San Francisco lacks the pretension that funnels down from New York’s lifeblood (finance), though I’d be naive to assume that that pretension doesn’t find a place elsewhere. In fact, in San Francisco, there seems to be more currency in appearing casual than there is in appearing affluent.

Torryne Leigh Dunlap Choate is a florist, ceramicist, visual artist, and music enthusiast whose floral design studio, Birch, has held court in Hayes Valley for years. Born in San Francisco in 1968, Torryne moved back in 1991. She’s now lived in Hayes Valley for 28 years. “SF style can be an oxymoron for the general population,” she tells me, “However, there are still folks who make a concerted effort to develop their own style. I am fortunate to call these people my dear friends. West Coast casual turned up to 11.” Torryne has a tabletop ceramics collaboration with Ubi Ind Denim and food stylist Jillian Knox launching soon.Wrangler shirt, Acne Studios jeans, Acne Studios shoes, vintage jewelry

Consider the Patagonia Better Sweater vest, available in a range of gravelly colors: It’s outrageously popular here—almost an icon in its own right. (New York is not exactly immune to the fever, either.) It may look familiar to you if you have an HBO subscription: Silicon Valley shows the Pied Piper payroll as a slovenly, ragtag crew, outfitted in the vests and zip-up hoodies. In the last year, there’s been no shortage of costume designers recreating the sartorial whims of the Bay Area onscreen, but many are broadening an outsider’s idea of what dressing here can look like. Across the bay in Oakland, Tessa Thompson wears earrings that could double as subtitles for Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You (designed by local artist J. Otto Seibold), and in Beautiful Boy, Steve Carrell and Timothée Chalamet drive between Marin and the Upper Haight in chamois shirts and hempy tees. The Last Black Man in San Francisco, meanwhile, focuses its lens on Jimmie Fails, skateboarding in and out of Hunter’s Point clad in his uniform of a red flannel shirt, chinos, and black Adidas Sambas.

As with any city, there are as many people who fit the archetype as there are outliers.

The Outliers

I’m still getting to know the city geographically and socially (and culturally and sartorially and meteorologically), so I’ve attempted to glean some perspective by photographing the style of a sample set of Bay Area residents whom I’ve met through one or two degrees of separation (their photos are seen throughout this story). I also make note of anyone who debunks the reigning stereotypes of San Francisco style.

Marie-Clare Treseder Gorham is a folk artist who has been on the Bay Area periphery since infancy. Recently she’s been doodling some spooky folktale characters for an upcoming letterpress collaboration with artisanal print shop The Aesthetic Union in the Mission. Gorham says the city’s style has shifted substantially since the days of her youth where she’d carpool in, anxious for Haight Ashbury’s unrivaled vintage. “Today, the city’s vintage scene is single-handedly kept alive by Cindy Spade, of Ver Unica,” Gorham asserts. She notes that not all hope is lost: “There are always a couple of cool cats around the corner.” She drew and designed this dress while pregnant but continues to wear it postpartum for comfort. It’s covered with medieval monsters, “influenced by chimaera from ye olden-timey days,” and was sewn by her longtime collaborator Nancy Bui, owner of North Beach Tailoring, SF.Dress designed by Gorham, Loeffler Randall shoes embellished with Gorham’s Grandmother's amphibious brooches by artist Mark Oberzil, woven plastic purse from Thailand thrifted in Oregon, rings designed by Gorham -- including the "Robin Ring" fusing her mother's wedding ring with her great-grandmother's jewels, and filled in with floral filigree, vintage Gucci sunglasses

One morning, there’s a girl sitting next to me at a coffee shop, studying for a standardized test in a yellow bowling shirt: It says “Frank” in looping, cursive embroidery. I spot an older woman at a toast joint in a red Kangol bucket hat, and another customer wearing shaggy, red crossover slides reminiscent of Muppet feet. Walking on the Embarcadero, I pass someone wearing a “FarmVille 2” t-shirt and can’t believe my luck. On Fillmore, I see a girl disembark the bus, almost in slo-mo like that Royal Tenenbaums scene when Nico’s “These Days” plays. She’s wearing a muslin-colored top that reminds me of Orseund Iris’ most Victorian blouse. Later I happen upon the clerk of a comic bookstore wheeling a clanky cart of graphic novels outside, the gold hardware on her black overalls gleaming in the sun.

Pockets of the city, where clothes look like a means to an end, catch my eye. By Ocean Beach, there’s the Outer Sunset, where Trouble Coffee and the surf shop Mollusk have shored up. Known for its cinnamon sugar toast and “thrash or die” coffee cups, Trouble sees a steady current of beanies, athletic shorts, and mid-calf socks whiz by on skateboards. Mollusk’s stocked with fisherman sweaters, barn jackets, and henleys, for those not in the market for a wetsuit and sex wax. Further inland, bakers in black t-shirts covered with flour at Tartine Manufactory and Josey Baker Bread’s The Mill knead dough with their hands and seem to ride a wavelength opposite to the city’s technologists.

Making weekend plans with friends, no one ever floats the idea of shopping as a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon. (Fine by me.) Unsure of where I’d go to find it, I suspect that Lisa Says Gah’s following is much more robust outside of San Francisco than the fanbase within the city limits. In the Castro, a local menswear shop known for its raw denim, wide wale corduroy, and Carhartt canvas called Unionmade recently shuttered. Julie Wainwright founded The RealReal in San Francisco eight years ago; I wonder how much foot traffic its SF-based consignment shop sees? While San Francisco’s not the monoculture or meme it’s made out to be, it’s fair to say that clothes aren’t topping the charts when you consider the ways this city radiates beauty.

Artist Jenny Sharaf has lived in the Bay Area for 12 years, and has noticed a shift as the cost of living has driven creatives out of the area: “San Francisco definitely used to have better style, as a whole. More artists. More bohemians.” She maintains that the city still has some of the best vintage stores in the world, though. I love Sharaf’s paintings—they’re gigantic and gloppy, which I mean in the most complementary way. She’s like the Michelangelo of spin art. When I visited her studio, she was getting cracking on a new book project, and she’s launching a new edition of risographs this month.American Apparel skirt, Opening Ceremony sweatshirt, Prada boots and headband, Celine sunglasses

Late one afternoon I have to head a few miles north, at an hour when the light makes everything feel sacred. Suspicious of motorized scooters and with no driver’s license to my name, I consider the ride-hail an occasional and necessary evil. A driver from Greece, with a 4.8 rating and a Gray Ford Fusion, picks me up.

We’re silent for a while. At some point, he slows for a speed bump and pauses to look up at an imposing, four-storied Victorian on the corner of Alamo Square Park. (Later, when I look it up, I read that the house has had many lives: First built by a German confectioner, it changed hands in 1928 when Czarist Russians transformed the basement ballroom into a nightclub called “Dark Eyes.” In the 60s, commune members performed Satanic rituals there and kept a lion cub in one of the towers, its claw marks still visible on a door frame.) Accelerating as we pass by, the driver asks me if it’s a house. I tell him I think so. Braking for a stop sign, he shakes his head in disbelief. “Wow,” he says, “I think San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world.”

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Post-script: Because it’s hard to write about the beauty of San Francisco without acknowledging its social challenges, here’s a comprehensive list of non-profit groups that need volunteer help or donations of specific items.

Photographed by Edith Young.

The post What I’ve Learned From Months of Studying San Francisco Style appeared first on Man Repeller.

Retail Therapy: Do You Do It?

We’re exploring the theme of adult friendship on the site this month, and while it would have made sense for November’s Good Evening theme to follow suit, we are, instead, going to talk about sustainability through the lens of retail therapy.

For those of you, btw, who are unfamiliar: Good Evening is the monthly conversation series we hold at Man Repeller’s HQ. It features intimate discussions with people across a pretty broad spectrum of vocational disciplines who we think are cool. What we mean by “cool” is thoughtful and intentional and pretty relentless about preserving the human spirit.

Glad that’s out of the way! So: why retail therapy, why now? Well! Since last May, I’ve had three breakfast meetings with Céline Semaan, the incredible MIT-educated brain behind Slow Factory and the non-profit education initiative called Study Hall (for which she now holds an annual summit at U.N. headquarters) and a lot of solid-ass writing on sustainability that’s been published in NYMag, Elle, and Vogue. Every time we sit down, we say we should host a panel discussion together after the topic inevitably comes back to sustainability through various doorways. (I know very little, she knows very much.) The one (doorway) that we keep coming back relates to shopping while sad.

Céline shared a statistic that 86% of her Instagram following expressed that they engage in retail therapy to make themselves feel better. This led her to develop a theory on mental hygiene and what she calls “the rebellious act of loving oneself as a sustainable habit rather than a hiccup of serotonin on check-out,” and ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, that’s what we’re gonna talk about. 

At the panel discussion.

That we’re finally

Hosting.

The timing of a conversation seems opportune, even independent of the site’s theme because it is November, after all, and as you know, when the clock strikes midnight on Halloween, early Fall ends and the Christmas shopping season begins.

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There are two kinds of people in this world: those who say it’s too soon, and those who say it’s right on time (

Office Apropos: 4 Fall Outfits to Copy Next Time It Rains

I love taking note of how people in the office style the same pieces different ways. They’re like superbly dressed Michelin-star chefs creating signature dishes out of the same store-bought ingredients. Today’s Office Apropos offers a perfect example of this vis-à-vis Harling and Amalie’s identical black AYR pants. Scroll down to see their delicious sartorial creations, proffered up on a drizzly 55-degree day.

Oh, and in case you’ve somehow missed it, we’re publishing fall Office Apropos one day at a time. Here’s what everyone wore on a recent Monday.

Harling

This is the third time I’ve worn this exact outfit in the past two weeks. I’ve worn the sweater alone even more than that. It’s the ideal oversized cardigan shape, which has eluded me for years. But back to the outfit–the reason I’ve been wearing it so much is because it’s been raining a lot and I’ve come to terms with the fact that I kind of hate rain boots, so sneakers–particularly these, because they have fun purple and yellow accents–feel like the ultimate 2-in-1 combo of water-resistant and outfit-enhancing instead of outfit-ruining. Because the outfit is so simple overall, I threw on a ton of bracelets and a pinky ring to jazz it up. I’m wearing all of this as I type and feeling great. I predict I will continue wearing this precise combo of pieces whenever it rains (or otherwise, honestly) all fall and winter.

Amalie

Today I met up with one of my good friends from college who I’ve known since I was 18. Candidly, we did a cappella together (lol I’m not a saint, okay?!). She lives in Paris and I get to see her so infrequently that when I do it’s such a treat. I was up and out by 7 a.m. and eating chocolate loaf with her by 8 a.m. I threw on this Jacquemus top I scored via The RealReal which is me, but a top, as well as these pants that came directly from whatever deity does or does not exist (but actually AYR). I saw Harling wearing them a few weeks ago for a shoot and I immediately pulled the trigger, since they had been sitting in my cart for a long time. They fit like skin on a fruit and have the magical, mystical quality of being casual and professional at the same time. I recommend them… so much.

Jasmin

Two things I seem to be really into these days is wearing all black and also wearing flares. Today I brought the two together. I’m also very into these Massimo Dutti sweaters, I also have one in beige. I had a bunch of internal meetings today, nothing client-facing, but in the evening Crystal and I went to an event hosted by the Webbys so I guess I was dressed up enough for that, too.

Maggie

I was truly in a work-from-home mood today, mostly due to the impending rain, but meetings and general need for accountability kept me in the office. BUT that didn’t hold me back from dressing like I was still cozied up in bed with no fewer than six pillows piled around me. With these boots, I feel like I can finally have that put-together rainy day look I’ve always dreamed of, even if that look is completed by a glorified sweat suit.

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Some Personal News: I Love Not Running Marathons!

In a minute or two, I’m going to tell you about my experience not running, but bearing witness to the New York marathon this weekend, which reminded me of the importance of community if not the actual point of being alive, but if you’re in a hurry or not in the mood for my emotional extolling, allow me to unbury the lede: Next time there’s a race in your city, it’s with a heart three times its normal size that I recommend you do everything you can to go. I know you’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating: Clear your calendar, set your alarm, show up with a warm drink and one of those noisy toys that makes runners feel motivated to keep going. Cheer your stupid little head off, marvel at the human propensity—no, desire—to endure, let the uncut optimism flood your veins. Forget yourself. Leave better than you came.

You don’t have to know anyone racing—I didn’t. I showed up at the Barclays Center at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning in a coat and gloves, looking around for my colleague and friend Gyan. She’d mentioned on Friday that she was planning to cheer on her friend Ben, and I shamelessly asked if I could join. I recalled the exhilaration—or was it a high?—of watching my brother run the Brooklyn Half in May and, not unlike a junky, wanted to feel it again. She said of course, and so I stood alone in the cold Park Slope sun, awaiting her group’s arrival, chills spreading across my skin every time I heard a crowd roar from a couple blocks away. It had started! People were running! Were they tired? Were they dressed appropriately? Were they okay?! Spectating a marathon is nothing if not an empathy binge.

As they passed, all of us hollering for them like our lives depended on it, I imagined who they were in their everyday lives.

Gyan, Michael, and Ben’s girlfriend Lou arrived a few minutes later. It was 50 degrees, and Ben hadn’t slept last night, Lou said. He was nervous. He was trying to do the race in under three hours—which means running a 6:50 mile pace for 26.22 miles, if you care to feel deeply out of shape. We settled into a spot near the eight-mile mark, joining the long snaking lines of buzzing spectators wearing beanies and pink cheeks, holding signs for their loved ones in their gloved hands. The racing path was currently empty, but the emotional buzz I’d experienced last spring had already returned. That the simple act of standing among fellow New Yorkers with a common purpose can move me to tears says more about the state of (my) modern life than I’d care to explain.

The first racers we saw were differently abled athletes—the subjects of the roars I’d heard earlier—speeding by in what I learned are called push rim wheelchairs or hand cycles (here’s how this looks). Next came the “elite women” runners, and soon after, the “elite men,” who sped by at what I would describe as a 100-meter-sprinter’s pace. Watching this kind of physical achievement is surreal. If you think their will and determination didn’t absolutely ruin me, I haven’t adequately expressed the sappiness a city-wide race serves up like free lunch. Every time someone passed, the crowds would shower them with so much encouragement the racers couldn’t help but smile through their pain. Name a more pure exchange!

At my most lost and cynical, I used to think running a marathon was a self-aggrandizing flex people pursued when their lives got boring.

Soon the rest of the runners came in massive droves—around 50,000 people participate in the New York City Marathon, which starts in Staten Island, snakes across Brooklyn and Queens, peaks in the Bronx then cascades down through Manhattan for a dramatic Central Park finish. It hits all five boroughs, and the participants are an appropriately diverse mish-mash of people. I saw old men and young women, runners of every race and every size, people in Spiderman costumes and religious garb. Sweat dripping down cheeks and arms, shoulders crunched up in pain, arms reaching out for high fives, faces breaking into smiles at all the cheers, pride radiating off chests. As they passed, all of us hollering for them like our lives depended on it, I imagined who they were in their everyday lives, and what had they given up in order to pursue this massive accomplishment. They were probably behind on Netflix. Their Screen Time must be way down. Good for them! (I’m sorry to say these thoughts actually crossed my mind.)

At my most lost and cynical, I used to think running a marathon was a self-aggrandizing flex people pursued when their lives got boring. And it’s true that only some have the resources to train, but I now see this pursuit as proof of the human spirit. The willingness to stare down an immense challenge and then push through it. And for the rest of us: the desire to show up, screaming until our voices crack, armed with a genuine altruistic desire to see others reach their goals. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to do this. What’s the opposite of heartbreaking? Heartwarming feels insufficient. Maybe it’s heart-healing or spirit-bolstering, although those aren’t quite right either. I guess the experience can’t be captured in words or on a screen, and that’s precisely what makes it a special, maybe even vital, reminder of what it means to be alive.

(Ben finished in 2:58, two minutes under his goal.)

Good news, fellow marathon freaks: There are 15 races happening this coming weekend all over the country! Find out if one of them is happening in your city here.

Feature photo via Getty Images.

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How to Do Anything: Clean Your Sneakers Juuust the Right Amount

“How to Do Anything” is Man Repeller’s how-to service franchise that rave reviews are calling “better than Google” (just kidding, this is our first one—but seriously, it’s like a search engine combined with a metaphorical pal who cuts out the ancillary information to tell you exactly what you need to know, and what’s better than that?).

One of my main takeaways from adulthood is that some things seem either too daunting or not noticeable enough to clean that you end up not cleaning them at all, and the suspicion that you should have been cleaning them this whole time is existential crisis-inducing to the point that it makes you delay investigating exactly how to start doing so. Prominent examples include: bras, air conditioners, and sneakers.

Maybe that’s just me, but I’m going to go out on a limb and surmise there are other fellow passably-clean-but-secretly-a-little-gross people out there who have neglected washing items that fall into this category. I’m not calling you out, just to be clear. The opposite, actually–I’m trying to establish that this franchise is a safe space for admitting you don’t know how to do something. Or anything! And I’m not just talking cleaning stuff, though that is the topic at hand for today.

Of the aforementioned hard-to-clean items that daunt and therefore haunt me, sneakers have been top of mind lately. Largely because I am a newly minted, self-proclaimed “sneaker person” (generous, perhaps, for someone who has only recently started obsessively wearing them in non-athletic scenarios), and the ones I’ve been wearing are already marred by some speckles of mud, but also because there’s a fine line between clean and too clean where sneakers are concerned. You don’t want to completely erase all the hard work you did to make them look cool and slightly worn-in, but you do want them to be clean enough that they aren’t smelly and don’t track dirt into the house. So what’s a gal in search of a fine line to do?

In pursuit of an answer, I reached out a group of geniuses who–in my experience–know how to do just about everything: my Instagram followers. True to form, I was inundated with helpful advice. About 50% of respondents recommended I check out the sneaker cleaning brand Jason Markk, so I noted that down quickly. But using products from a sneaker cleaning brand also felt like semi-cheating, so I was eager to apply the knowledge of a homespun expert as well. I found just that in a follower named Chloé, who told me she is passionate about cleaning her sneakers just the right amount, and does it religiously every night. Eureka.

To fully confirm that Jason Markk and Chloé’s methodologies were, in fact, effective, I decided to test them on really dirty sneakers–a canvas pair and a leather pair. Since I’m a sneaker noob and didn’t have the aforementioned goods, I procured some pairs from two dirty colleagues (JK they’re super clean) and got to work, using the following steps as a guide:

Chloé’s Homespun Method (For Both Leather and Canvas Cleaning):
This is basically how the sneakers looked pre-cleaning. Since you can’t smell them through the page, let me just say that “feet” definitely came to mind.

Step one: Start by wiping the excess/loose dirt with a dry paper towel.

Step two: Scrub the sole with an old toothbrush and some hand soap, making sure that all the big stains come off and that the sole is perfectly cleaned, front and back. Check if anything gross from the street is stuck under my shoes, and depending on how sticky it is, either scrub with a thick counter brush or apply water on that area and scrub with the toothbrush.

Step three: Delicately clean the entire sneaker with an old sponge soaked in a solution of warm water and laundry detergent, and use surface wipes to dab any excess.

Step four: Absorb leftover water with a paper towel (or fabric towel), and then let the sneakers air dry for a few days before putting them back in their original box. Never put the shoes out to dry in direct sunlight or underneath a heater. Try to place them in an open space so they can get all the fresh air they need.

Jason Markk’s Professional Method for Leather Cleaning:

Step one: Apply a generous amount of solution onto your brush and dip into water. Shake off excess liquid and begin brushing.

Step two: Wipe down and dry shoe with a towel.

Just the right amount of spick and span.
Jason Markk’s Professional Method for Canvas Cleaning:

Step one: Take a dry brush and gently brush the canvas. This removes any loose dirt and debris that can turn into stains when wet.

Step two: Apply Jason Markk sneaker cleaning solution on to the brush and dip into water. Shake off excess liquid and start brushing the canvas.

Step three: Use a towel to dry and soak up moisture. After, let shoes air dry.

I’m so confident in the hygiene of these post-wash, I would willingly place them atop my duvet.

The good news is that both methods were effective in terms of removing excess dirt and making both pairs of sneakers smell fresh as tangerines. The bad news is that my arm was sore the next day from vigorous toothbrush scrubbing. I would say that using the professional cleaning solution from Jason Markk is probably your best bet if you want cleaning a really dirty sneaker to veer on the side of easy, but if you’re down for a bicep workout, and/or if you get a sense of satisfaction from relying on basic cleaning supplies you already likely have on hand, Chloé’s approach is all yours.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go wait patiently for my Employee of the Month nomination–the only logical outcome after diligently cleaning my coworkers’ sneakers.

(Anything else you want to know how to do?)

Photos by Cody Guilfoyle. Prop styling by Sara Schipani.

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My (Shocking!) Autumnal Journey Into Maximalism

In partnership with Farm Rio.

Today I’m wearing black pants, a black sweater, gray sneakers, and a camel puffer. I can’t pinpoint exactly when I started dressing like this, but I do know I haven’t bookmarked a colorful outfit since 2018. Maybe it was all the pictures I saw of Susan Sontag in a white button-down that did it, or all the dapper men I started following on Instagram. Either way, this year has been one of simplifying for me, at least in terms of getting dressed.

But there are drawbacks to this approach. It’s not very fun, for one. Or eye-catching when you’re in the mood for that kind of thing. Sometimes I’ll see my editor Mallory perched at her desk in a pair of key lime pie-green pants, or our market editor Elizabeth stream through the office in a massive red sweater and I’ll think: How fun! Dressing that way every day doesn’t feel very true to me, but neither does only doing it for the occasional wedding. What about those days when I want my clothes to work harder for my mood? When I’m so supremely bored of myself and of beige that I want to dunk my limbs in a bucket of tangerine paint just to feel something?

When Brazilian womenswear brand Farm Rio, known for its bold prints and outerwear imbued with summer energy, tapped us to style an editorial with their Fall collection, I was the least obvious choice to tackle it. But maybe that’s why I was the best one. It made no sense, which made it interesting, and I was feeling a little bored of myself, which gave it potential. So last week, I trekked to the East Village with a bag of clothes more delightfully exuberant than my entire closet and explored my maximalist alter ego in Tompkins Square Park. Below, the learnings I’ll be taking back to Brooklyn.

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Maximalism for Beginners: Color Blocking

This color-blocked jacket was the simplest of the bunch, so I considered it my maximalist toe-dip. At first it read kind of “70s dad” to me (a good thing), but once I paired it with maroon corduroy overalls, a blue plaid turtleneck, and the wildest boots I’ve ever laid eyes on, I felt more like a kid on a playdate. Which, to be clear, is also a good thing. Possibly a great thing for a burgeoning New York cynic like me. I almost struck up a game of handball with the guy playing on the other side of this wall! Haven’t played in 20 years, but I’m sure I’ve still got it.

Takeaway: Hyper-focused color coordination can offer the same put-together feeling a neutral outfit does, with considerably more gusto.

Maximalism for Generalists: Pattern Loyalty

You can’t see it in full, but this jumpsuit is good. It fits like you wish every jumpsuit would fit, and everyone in the Man Repeller office kept commenting on it. That’s just a PSA. I paired it with a puffer jacket rendered in a similar pattern (and with shearling sleeves, because why not?) to create something akin to a monochrome look, but with print. Is monopattern a term you’re familiar with? Because I just made it up. Consider this Exhibit A. Despite this outfit only being comprised of two garments, it was loud and busy and fun. It felt like the winter equivalent of taking a summer vacation.

Takeaway: If you want your outfit to shout but pattern-clashing isn’t your thing, pattern-matching is streamlined without being boring.

Maximalism for Experts: No Rules Whatsoever

Enter the wildcard outfit. It was time to leave the nest and fly free. No more color-blocking or pattern loyalty, just a gentle kind of chaos. This puffer was the obvious choice: It’s a party in a jacket. I could examine it all day (in that sense it would make a great subway companion). I decided to pair it with some wide-leg geometric pants and a bold red sweater with matching sunglasses (replete with a multi-color sunglass chain). At first I felt a little silly, and then I felt kind of…great? Blame the cheerleaders on set, but I spent an unnecessary amount of time in this look, offering up poses after we’d already wrapped. Maybe I’m not as loyal to minimalism as I thought.

Takeaway: When in doubt, break all the rules.

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Photos by Sabrina Santiago.

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