When there’s no one to dress for

We all dress for someone because we all dress to: appease a gaze, to thwart a gaze, earn a gaze, ruffle a gaze, deflect a gaze, become a gaze.

But the thing about living in New York is that this gaze is often faceless. We don’t know who we’re dressing for, but we know we’re dressing for someone. At best, it’s the strangers we live among and because of that anonymity, it feels more benevolent. Like it doesn’t strip you of your personal power.

Bode tank top (a good square neck goes a long way), Madesome.world pants (maybe the fall equiv is track), The Row loafers (these are still here, my endorsement’s still effusive), Dries van Noten scarf bag, Chanel sunglasses; a good thing to do with your summer anklets is turn them into arm bands when you’re ready for something new.

On the contrary, there’s a magic and a mystery about it — the outfits wrapped up in the rush of leaving home to go out for coffee. To drop off our kids at the bus. To get on the subway, or hit up the farmers market, to get some frozen yogurt.

It’s part of the deal with living in New York and one of the reasons that even if you come in thinking that you don’t have or care about style, your perspective eventually shifts.

And even the expressions born out of convenience inherit what becomes an intentional gaze. So, yes, there’s always a third party gaze at play, but I suspect that the reason they often say that the style in New York is so “out there” is because it’s not personal, because we dress for strangers. As a result I think these expressions start to feel more intentional, can get freakier, a little more risky.

The stakes are low! They don’t even know me! The lurex, the surf pants, the weird ribbon too! It’s all coming out today.

Indress lurex button down shirt (great price, great color — esp for lightwash denim), Valentino belt, St. Agni hot pants. Flowze sandals (I don’t think it’s excessive to suggest these as successor; thank youuuuu Liana Satenstein!!!)

Re: lurex, this dress with sock boots and the right over thing (suede shirt) feels like the right idea.

But during these last quiet weeks of August, when you can count the passersby to your right and left, when the stale air starts to move and there are people out there but not nearly as many as you’d imagine — when you can actually feel the city’s resting energy, like the raw material that emanates from the pavement, you realize that all this time, you thought you were dressing for the strangers but in fact they were just burying the character that is New York. When it’s the city you dress for, when no one else intercepts, what is it that you reach for to wear?

Turns out when it’s just me and the streets, I live out many of the island’s stereotypes.

All black

L’Agence off the shoulder bodysuit (one helluva deal when you consider this competitor), here are some great black pants. Ray-ban sunglasses (Soeur’s will give you a more total rendering of Sarah Michelle Geller’s ‘Cruel Intentions’ character)

The sandals are The Row (one pair left in a 38.5 right here, also good and maybe more fall apropos are these); Manolo’s ‘Susa’ is good here too. Ditto that Khaite’s Aimee, which, in suede, will look very cool with sheer black socks.

Viva toe ring (but this is our rip curl)

Efficient

Attersee shirt, Kye Intimates bathing suit top, Live the Process knee cap leggings and Phoebe Philo sandals (never not pushing these as their alt)

Ring’s mine, silver chain is mine (and makes a big dif on the outfit!). Here’s a good cuff

This outfit was born at pilates

Animated but still straightforward —

Versace ‘foulard’ top (a more fall forward print), LMC x Aflalo mezuza necklace, these are your shorts alt, The Row black clogs

Cool

I love Khaite’s ‘Maeve’ tee for a graphic tee alt. Don’t mind Isabel Marant’s ‘Marant’ eyes either, a chill white skirt (it’s got to be fluid to not feel so matronly, but maybe this crushed velvet guy could work for the stiffer fall rendering, or not to throw you off completely but like…), with sock boots instead of flip flops. Or vibrams instead of shoes, hehe. I’m kidding. I mean I’m not, but then you’ve got to go sleek jean.

More worn-in, black-base graphic tees here, here, here.

Casual

The sandals are Emme Parsons (brown satin! And a good contender for fall because they’re easy on with [grey] socks). Khaite rectangular sunglasses (a good alt for Ray-bans if you can’t get down with them). Here are some good utility pants

All Three baby tee, RIP Alex Mill Ivys, a good collar necklace for you is here, here — or you can wait for the upcoming LMC fine x Aflalo launch —

And yourself to some black pearls! And semi-precious tiles! Racquet string bracelet is still avail (and back in stock! Free shipping! Free returns! etc), she’s coming with new string soon.

The last 3 looks here, more than anything else, reflect an in-between weather inversion.

Christopher Esber bathing suit as top, Gaultier jeans (an extra 20% off at checkout…), Marisa Klass sphere necklace

Bode tank top (Rue Sophie’s yellow one with slits is nice), High Sport pants, Khaite boots

The window is tiny for this impulse but the gist is simple: tank tops and closed toe shoes (as opposed to like, sweaters or jackets and open toe shoes).

Maccapani bustier, Still Here ‘sport’ jeans

And The Row’s updated ‘Tyler’ loafer (the black ones are better for the upcoming season. Picture them with sheer socks and dark blue jeans)

Suit comes in green, looks like this; is 50% off in orange. I think I’m the only one who bought these jeans? Emme Parsons ‘Danielle’ loafers

More loafers to contemplate here, here, I really love these, !here!.

Baby stud in classic hole, gala drop at cool hole.

All I want to do is wear cropped flares (great fit) with cowboy boots these days

If you have an anklet and don’t feel like wearing it over there, she makes for a good arm band

One chip in the way of reinforcement, if you’re to ask me, that the west is coming for us.

Valentino belt, B-low the Belt belt. What a name. The Row silk shirt (I recommend this for the alt. Silk Laundry’s bias cut top is a great shape too), Valentino pants (this shade of washed blue is so great too but the overall key to take away is a cropped flare), Bottega boots (I bought them second hand for about the same price as linked above) but here are other options).

Enjoy the last week of August.

Love,

Leandra