Letter of Rec #091: The clothes at Joseph deserve a second look

Here’s something I’ve worn a lot this week —

It’s a lurex turtleneck styled under two sweaters — this as the base and this as the one over + a leather single breast coat (Proenza’s is 70% off!!!; Massimo Dutti’s is here) with a poncho from a tiny Spanish knitwear studio called Maragua; this particular piece is from an edit handwoven by her mom. The shoes are last year’s hero: The Row’s ‘Tyler’

I have a basic theory that coats don’t have to be so warm — it’s good (and can be fun) when they are, but when it’s freezing outside (which it is right now in New York), it’s fully okay to focus on roominess as opposed to heaviness in a coat so that you can layer knits under and still move freely.

That’s why By Malene Birger’s Dalimas coat has been such a loyal companion these years. But the underlying layers — they’re crucial. I’m talking merino t-necks and medium-weight crews, maybe a collared shirt to affect an ideal shirt sandwich

Navy turtleneck styled under butter-yellow button down with Aflalo pink crew (warm as fuq; she’s next on my list of gets and here’s the new pant of the century!!!); Prada sunglasses I have been wearing like eyeglasses

and then The Big Sweater.

There is also the thing where after you are spending enough time going hard on the practicality element of getting dressed (that is, “Must. Stay. Warm”) and you just want to say something, anything that is different, that feels a little, idk, footloose, there is an alternative option to layer over your coat —

The ten-year-old Dries shawl you may remember from this story, styled with BMB’s Dalimas; she’s a good contemporary alt for the shawl, but there is also a trove on Etsy that is not to be missed

With a poncho (see also: ‘old beige’), a shawl, a thing like this. (Sleep not on this antique beauty.)

Anyway, what’s going on with you and your clothes? Have you been following the men’s shows in Paris? I loved the styling at Dries —

One more use case for the floral brooch, this time pinned into the side of a turtleneck; that white shoe string belt feels like a revelation; and the black brogues/white socks/black shorts pairing seems like it could be easily replicable.

It’s such a soft expression of masculinity that is warm and inviting and therefore pleasurably unusual when you consider that these are winter clothes.

Meanwhile, I spent like two hours on the Joseph website last Friday. It’s an unsung hero, at least as far as the lyrics round these parts go, of well-made clothes that are straightforward. The ‘Tafira’ pants are a great shape that come in, basically, every color under the sun (I’m v drawn to this shade of blue lately; it’s been on my mind since I saw these trousers from Valentino). And this poncho at 60% off could be the cozy, flirty vibe you crave. But what ultimately got me over the check-out like was this lurex turtleneck/pant combo (I was close on the dress instead for the pants) — an ideal night look that would ideally start its day before sundown.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I fashion myself to go out at night. I guess it’s the only time you can still dress a little frivolously given the practical reminders that are consistently smacking us around when it’s cold. I’m also drinking the 70s Kool-Aid by the gallon at this point and what I’m drawn to feels far more evening adjacent (the bags, the jewelry, the braids, the front fringe) than it does day.

I have fallen down various rabbit holes, least not among: