Posts Tagged ‘Nili Lotan’
Anatomy of a core wardrobe, Part 1
One of the most overdone fashion magazine stories in the history of fashion magazine stories—and one they’ll just keep running, because we just keep eating it up—is the Fashion Uniforms story. There are women for whom clothes are a canvas, and every day is a fresh opportunity to Create anew—and that is fabulous and a gift; it is. But the notion of getting it all down to a science is vastly appealing to a lot of us. And not because we don’t love clothes or getting dressed any less, but because we want to be able to put our finger on a look—or even just a set of pieces—that we can say is identifiably ours. And to return comfortably to this as home base, even if we wander (and, in fact, precisely because we do wander). I definitely have a uniform—more now than ever, probably, although I would be hard pressed to name it. And it’s absolutely centered around a handful of essential pieces, although I could never have predicted which ones those would turn out to be. Do any of you remember last June when I asked whether you thought this Nili Lotan top was worth $285? Reactions were mixed, and when I visited the store to check it out for myself, I decided it wasn’t even close. Then, on my visit to LA in January, I came across it in black, marked down 30%. I wear it endlessly. Here it is, also on sale.
Madewell makes a lot of their tees with linen and—as I have said before—I can not say enough good things about this. They wear and hang so well, and much better if you hand wash them (possibly you have noted by now that I’m a touch obsessive on the topic of hand washing favorite t-shirts). This stripey one is in such regular rotation that it’s slightly embarrassing.
I love a nice wraparound sweater, and own enough to outfit a small dance company. If I wasn’t holding myself to an indefinite embargo on buying more, I’d definitely go for this little number from Alternative Apparel, because it’s just $68 and lightweight cotton and would layer so well.
This is the season that I walk away from skinny jeans with my head held high: more power to those who can still occupy that space, but I can’t take the jeggings-ness of it all anymore. I’ve transitioned to the slouchy skinny jean, which is a different beast entirely. Check out this pair from J Brand. They’ve got a boyfriend shape, but then taper, which is so much more flattering. And I continue to like J. Crew’s toothpick jean, but sized up—for that all-important slouch.
I thought you guys would make all sorts of diaper load jokes when I bought these R13 crossover jeans, but you were actually rather supportive. Even I had my doubts, but these are so flattering that a dear friend who came over for dinner not long ago made me change out of them so she could try them on, and then grabbed my laptop and ordered herself a pair on the spot.
These Zara trousers are a nice spring-weight alternative to those, and mighty cheaper too. Although it’s always a crapshoot with Zara and pants when it comes to sizing, lord knows.
Red clogs. I know. Nobody could have been more surprised than me. They’ve been sitting in my closet since the nineties, I’m pretty sure, and have rarely gone farther than around the block for milk, but suddenly I think they’re the shit. Go figure.
Big hoops for going out to lunch or a party. I have a nice gold pair, but live in fear one will fall out and I won’t notice until later, so usually they stay home and I wear a dirt cheap pair like these instead.
These excellent star studs the rest of the time. (Here they are in silver.)
Saturday: a retail recap
I got a pedicure Saturday morning; my first of the season, and it wasn’t pretty. As the nice lady buffed a winter’s worth of callous and dead skin off my feet, I flipped through the fashion mags and found these Pikolinos sandals in Marie Claire. There’s nothing I’m a bigger sucker for than Maasai beading, and as it turns out, these are the real thing: the bead work is done by Maasai women; all profits from their sales go back to programs helping their community. There are a half dozen or so sandals to choose from, but these are my favorites.
Also: for the pedi I went with Nars Jungle Red. Because I’m old school like that.
Afterward I dragged my newly prettified feet all the way to Tribeca so I could try this top on for myself at the Nili Lotan store. And it did look nice, but in the end? $285 = way too much for an item I will inevitably spill coffee on.
Next up: I walked uptown to Greene Street so I could check out the new Acne store, which is full of beautiful things I would like very much to own, but which is laid out—as you can see here—like the world’s most fashionable corn maze.
Continuing north on Greene, I popped in to Kirna Zabete—from whom the Acne people could learn a thing or two about creating innovative-looking stores that are also happy, intuitive places to shop—to gaze at all the pretty Duro Olowu dresses.
And then also: Space NK—which I love because it reminds me of being in London, even if lots of the brands they carry are American— and picked up this this exfoliating scrub by Malin and Goetz. It’s all fresh and pepperminty, and perfect for washing your feet after wandering all over creation on a hot summer day.
Would you ever pay $285 for this top?
Because I’m actually thinking about it. At first glance, this Nili Lotan shirt looks like something you could find anywhere from H&M on up. But upon more careful observation, it becomes clear that pretty much every detail is on point: the sleeves hit at the exactly right spot; the pintucks are super-subtle, and the fit looks snug enough to be flattering but roomy enough to be comfortable. I touched on this topic in a recent post and am curious to know what you think: is it ever worth it to splurge on something crazy pricey if you love it so much you’re certain the cost-per-wear will eventually work out in your favor?
