082/ #ICYMI no. 3: Long Torso Swimsuits, Resale Round-Up & Substacks I'm Reading
#ICYMI is a mishmash of things I’ve mentioned in my Instagram stories that I expand on and immortalize in my Substack.
Long Torso Swimwear
Never did I imagine myself modelling swimwear for my Instagram followers, but here I am showing you the fit of Toteme’s smocked one-piece.
I love its dainty, tubular straps, relatively low-cut back, and I absolutely ADORE its deep forest green shade (also available in black, a lovely lichen (on sale!), almond beige (same!)). But most importantly, it comfortably sits on my long torso with room to spare, while providing full bum coverage. Having tested it through a range of motions including rag dolls and squats, I’m fairly confident that bruised tailbones, wedgies and camel toes will be minimal.
“Room to spare” is important, because a couple of people messaged me to say that they could have sized down in this suit. I’m wearing TTS (small) and I was able to stretch it vertically by a couple of inches to demonstrate that if you are taller/have an even longer torso than me, this suit would still fit. However, pretty much every time I size down in something, it turns out to be a mistake (I can think of one exception, an oversized striped COS shirt), so I’m sticking with small, and will keep you updated on fit as I wear it more.
I also posted about my ordering spree over at Left on Friday, which arrived last week. I can confirm that the long torso (Tall) Weekender Suit fits very well in TTS and I’ll be keeping it! It’s very low cut in the back and not as full coverage in the bum, but those few extra inches in the body of the suit make all the difference in being supportive versus everything spilling out. Same for full full full coverage Hi Tide bottoms. Keeping those, too!
It’s when bottom coverage gets skimpier that I (and I think others with long torsos) run into sizing issues. Both the Hi Hi and Throwback Bottoms were quite small on me (they don’t come in Tall). I’ve reordered the Hi Hi in medium, and am returning the Throwbacks altogether. All of the tops were too small for my 32C chest, so I’ve reordered those in size medium as well. I will give you a full update — maybe even with pictures! — in an upcoming newsletter.
Resale Round-up
I haven’t done a Resale Round-up in almost two months, and I’m due! Resale Round-up is a series where I share my best resale finds from around the web with paying subscribers … like these very well-priced Cecilie Bahnsen pieces on Poshmark Canada, both new with tags.
If you want to get my edit of resale finds in your inbox, consider becoming a paid subscriber today! You can get a glimpse of past editions here, here, here and here.
By the way, is it me, or are prices on Poshmark US generally higher than on Poshmark Canada? For example, the Cecilie pieces above, and also these white Prada slingbacks which I was trying to find a suitable client for for the past month (now sold). C$500 = US$370 seems quite reasonable? Especially since they were under US$800, so if you live in the US, you wouldn’t have had to pay duties on them?
Back to Prada and moving into the resale finds I shared on Instagram, I posted VSP’s listing of Prada’s white floral appliqué pumps a few days ago and they went in minutes (they were listed for C$995 and are currently on Prada’s website for C$1950). But her grey sister pair is still available:
VSP is currently having a 15% off site wide sale on new and sale collections (some exclusions apply, like on these Pradas), so head over and have a look. When there is no sale, you can use my code IRENEKIM10 for 10% off site wide.
On the topic of consignment shops and discount codes, Canadian-based Mine & Yours also offers 10% off with the code IRENE10. I did a try-on back in November, and filed under “I can’t believe this hasn’t sold yet” includes this silk Prada sequin dress (IT40, C$680).
More Prada! I was over on Dora Maar today, and saw three pairs of Prada wedge heels. All of them belong to Lauren Levison, who has an incredible maximalist closet of adventurous pieces for sale on the platform. Dora Maar is a US-based resale site whose offerings come directly from the wardrobes of its “Muses”, Lauren being one of them, as well as myself and
(Rachel’s closet is here), among many others.Over the holidays, while drugged up on pain meds for my tooth, I stumbled upon The Sequel Sale, a Canadian-based reseller worth checking out on the reg, e.g. for these good foundational Tibi trousers (size 12, C$265), or this Jil Sander wool dress (size 4, C$585). Also, thank you to a friend over at Tibi Fans who shared this UK-based eBay reseller who sells a fair bit of Tibi.
Zara Silk Mesh Top
Zara came out with a black version of last year’s silk mesh white top. It sold out pretty soon after I posted it, but put your notifications on and hope it comes back in stock. Have you tried playing with sheer underlays this week?
Alaïa Summer-Fall 2024
At the other end of the price and craftsmanship continuum, Alaia’s latest collection is on Moda Operandi.
Around Substack
Who’s doing the War & Peace read-along with
?! How is it going?! Let me know in the comments!British national treasure,
, just joined Substack!I met Susan Cain many years ago when she gave a talk in Toronto on her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking. She’s also now on Substack:
. Her newsletter is on the pricier side but with titles that resonate so hard like “Do You Love Individual People, But Feel Unsafe In Groups?” and “Do You Wonder Whether You’ve ‘Achieved’ Enough In Life?,” I’m guessing I’ll be pulling the trigger on that soon.Speaking of introverts, I read
’s book, Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come (Introverts: has there ever been a more relatable title? Oh wait, maybe Susan Cain’s book…), and in the same vein, her newsletter, (again, relatable!) is one hilarious turn of dry wit after another.
Laura Vidrequin, whose style I so admire on Instagram, is also on Substack with her newsletter,
.My favourite minimalist, Sylvie Mus, has quietly been doing her minimalist thing on
. Her use of small caps is on brand.I’m always eager to jump into Articles of Interest from
as soon as it lands in my inbox.I’m drawn to
’s personal essays on covering midlife, motherhood, and getting back to her Korean roots.Something about the way Sarah Shapiro writes makes me want to be her friend! The next best thing is to read her newsletter,
.Not a Substack, but thank you to the Toronto Star and The Kit for including me on your list of the year’s best dressed Canadians!
On the next edition of What I’m Wearing, I’ll be sharing low-key occasion outfits for, you guessed it, low-key occasions, and Part 3 of How To Build A Foundational Wardrobe is in the pipeline.
Love and gratitude,
Irene
Loving the War and Peace readalong over here! I am actually reading it every second day or so since some of the chapters are too short to get into the flow. Loving the Substack weekly summaries and how much the quirks of human nature persists across the centuries
I’m another reader happily repping the IMV/W&P crossover! And yes to all the rabbit holes of European history.
As a new IMV subscriber, I’ve also been reading back through your archive and have been especially intrigued by the pieces about closet editing/building a foundational wardrobe. I had been slogging through a closet edit for a few weeks but had been stuck on clearing some things out. Your discussions around that topic have really helped me think about it more clearly. Was finally able to make those last decisions today! Just wanted to say thank you and tell you I how much I appreciate your clear writing and insights. It’s been super helpful! I’m really looking forward to the next installment