What have you been wearing lately?

Sunglasses indoors, fashion caps, "main event" garments, Jamie Haller ready-to-wear, leggings as pants et al

What have you been wearing lately? Have you been feeling inspired?

I used to assign myself a story every winter, usually around fashion month but not exactly on the nose. The premise of the story was that I would live out of a carry-on suitcase for a week even though I was home. The underlying conceit was that it would reinvigorate the rest of my wardrobe, make everything in there feel fresh during peak winter malaise — and I do still suspect I was right, if only because every time I got home from fashion week with my carry-on, new ideas did seem to explode out of the old clothes that were waiting for me.

But there’s something to actually going and being in a different environment. The change of scenery wakes you up — and even under the circumstance when you go away (fashion week or not) and the trip kind of sucks, the pay off is such that when you get home, (if you are lucky,) you’re reminded that it’s not so bad here, in the life you’ve created, where you live day in and out.

Routines that become so automatic you don’t have to think before living them out have a way of making me feel like I’m kind of sleeping through life. Do you ever get this feeling?

But somehow this sensation only feels insufferable in the dead of a city winter. Which I guess is because in a city, winter kind of gets in the way of your living life. It doesn’t exactly fold into it or became part of it with the same calming embrace you get when its warm.

One of my mentors always suggests that I take up drums this time of year — play them or listen to them while I physically shake my body and every time I sense that a pattern is forming (in the playing or the shaking), to disrupt it and do something new.

It’s the less expensive/time intensive way, I think, to go away and then come back.

I just returned from a family trip and while I don’t feel incensed to get dressed some new way, the change of scenery did help push some of the ways I’d been thinking about clothes through the door. Here’s what’s on the other side.

Main event dressing

Towards the end of Jan, I was starting to find that I just wanted to wear the same thing everyday but with a small kick in the ass. This kick in the ass could take many forms: a jacket, a cap, a pair of shoes.

Nackiye leopard anorak, Loewe sunglasses (these from Dior are great too), Margiela sequined cap, Gucci platform loafers to write home about. I’ll never stop pushing The Row’s Penelope on you either

Red floral brooch from Etsy collaged over a Neiman Marcus metallic jacket ($75, ppl) with fringe detail, Nina Ricci black brooch

By Malene Birger sunglasses, La Commune Magique jacket (comes with no fringe too), Khaite jeans, The Row fairy slippers

I call this “main event dressing” — when you organize an outfit (usually one that is basic and time-tested) around a single piece that does the handiwork of completely transforming it.

The ones I have on my mind: An overwhelming floral brooch like this one (its in the collage above and I did buy it on Etsy late one night last week — not here yet). It will make any old blazer and pant combo look more like:

Willy Chavarria, Spring 2024

Or so one can hope. My plan is to style it with a striped mariner shirt, overalls, and a camel blazer that’s kind of like this.

Another example: a knit swim cap like the ones we’ve seen on the recent runways. You can get one with sequins in real time if you really want to go for it.

The SSENSE sale ended, so I guess its back to full price?

Look what it gives to the most basic outfit of crew neck sweater and jeans:

Venstore sweater, Blaze Milano jeans, The Row moccasins (try a pair of suede boat shoes — THESE ONES have beads and fringe!)

And what happens when you add A CAPE:

She comes short too

Speaking of caps (not to be confused with capes), have you been following the shows in Europe? Here is the incomplete hat report from London and Milan:

Simone Rocha balaclava

Connor Ives headband

Emilia Wickstead trapper

Moschino’s cowboy hat

Emporio Armani’s pill box

Prada’s feather thing (and don’t sleep on the letterman either)

Prada part 2 — leather arm cuff-for-bag notwithstanding. There is so much more where these two came from.

A baseball cap for contrast

I’m newly intrigued by adding them to an outfit. But I’m talking about a classic baseball cap. I like what they do in the context of a fashion look.