122/ What I'm Wearing: Week 36
Three days at NYFW + taming the lion's mane + a birthday surprise!
What I’m Wearing is a series where I share all of the outfits I’ve worn over a given week (or two), along with styling notes, links and related thoughts. If you see an outfit you like on my Instagram, you’ll find it here.
A quick WIW from my whirlwind weekend in New York!
Two days before I left, I had a hair appointment with Hayley Bloomfield, whom I’ve been going to for five (?) years now. Hayley was the first stylist who told me I had naturally wavy hair and it BLEW MY MIND.1
I can’t believe I went 39 years thinking that my hair was DEFECTIVE because I didn’t have the thick, pin-straight hair I thought all Korean women were supposed to have! Curls go in-and-out of style in Korea, and I figured the curly hair I was seeing were all perms (and to be fair, most probably are).
Rather than fighting to straighten my hair by brushing and blowdrying — leading to very poofy and frizzy hair which I lovingly refer to as “the lion’s mane” — Hayley told me not touch it and let the waves do what they were born to do.
I’ve since embraced and love the hair I never knew I had! Thank you, Hayley!!
For the last while, my hair was on the shorter side and I’d been looking to Mica Argañaraz for all my hair inspo. Watch me diffusing it here with a colander (it worked!) and here with the Dyson Supersonic.
As it’s grown and the extra weight pulls my waves straighter, I wanted to try slightly shorter bangs à la Lou Doillon:
It’s early days and I clearly need some time to get the hang of them:
Day 1
I had an early morning flight and appointments before I was able to check-in to my hotel, so I chose a wrinkle-resistant plane outfit because it was what I’d be wearing all day. I’d planned my route and knew I’d be walking a lot, so I also always carried an extra pair of flats with me to pound the pavement between meetings. For the life of me, I couldn’t find my Issey Miyake pleated bag before I left, so I ran out the door with this humble tote bag that Mine & Yours gives you when you buy something. It’s not capital-F fashion, but it did the job!
I don’t think I’ve ever layered my navy vest under my navy Liam before, but it’s kind of obvious now? I can see myself wearing this combo with so many different bottoms!
In my last newsletter, I shared these Agmes earrings I bought from Absolutely Fabrics and they have since sold out (they were on sale and in CA$, you lucky Americans!). But, they’re still available directly from Agmes’ site, even if at regular price:
Day 2
My day look, and on my way to the Tibi show while not wearing any Tibi:
As I was throwing things into a suitcase at midnight (five hours before needing to wake up), this outfit jumped out at me. I wasn’t worried about not wearing Tibi (I didn’t last year either), but I was cognizant of the fact that the outfit didn’t seem “Creative Pragmatic” to me, and that I was probably violating the “Rule of 3.” Despite that, I felt a strong compulsion to wear it, and didn’t want to wait for a better occasion to come along.
When I think of Tibi and of being a CP, above all I think of “ease,” followed by “balance.” While lining up for the show, I saw so many amazing outfits along the Creative-Pragmatist spectrum that I felt a bit self-conscious in my choice of Slim-Slim-Skin, fringed suede, gold hardware, and ribbed sheer. With a smile on face, I silently ate the words from last week’s newsletter:
If I were to wear it today, I would be aware that the silhouette feels dated, but I wouldn’t care because I love it enough that I would wear it with pride.
What’s the moral of the story? There isn’t one. I wore it and felt self-conscious, even though I loved my outfit!
I received a few messages asking about my earrings; they’re Dorsey’s Hendry bar studs in the 5mm. I’m wearing two side-by-side, and a simple gold hoop in my third piercing.
My evening outfit was another combo that seemingly jumped out at me 12am: my Magda Butrym sheer sweetheart bustier, but over a tank top. These old Zara trousers were the first bottoms I reached for, and they felt right. For accessories, the Agmes earrings felt too heavy and competed with the focal point of the outfit (my chest lol). Instead, I really liked the layered effect of the 16” and 18” riviere necklaces.
Like the navy vest + Liam combo, this is the first time I’ve worn the bustier with something underneath, and now I see a lot more potential to wear it in the colder months.
The casual tank also tones down the dressiness of the bustier, so I don’t even need to limit wearing it to just evenings. A close-to-the-body under layer seems ideal, as does a high neckline so not to compete with the bustier’s own neckline. I’ll try more options and get back to you with my findings!
Oh, by the way, Day 2 was also my birthday! Earlier this week, I sent out this thread to paid subscribers because having you continue to read In Moda Veritas is the best gift!
In the evening, I dropped into the YSE Beauty party hosted by
at Fouquet’s. I guess word got around that it was my birthday, so Molly (who is filming) and her guests surprised me with an ad hoc macaron “cake”! I was so touched! This is 44!Day 3
I was planning to wear something else for this day,2 but after finally buying a pair of Calders at the Tibi store, this outfit felt like the right choice. I think the combination spoke to me because it does a really job at equally balancing Ring 2, 3, and 4 colours:
Why did it take me so long to get the Calders which I know I’ll wear a ton? Probably because I already have two pairs of sweatpants that get plenty of wear — my men’s grey Nike sweatpants that I found on the $10 rack at VSP and a black pair of men’s H&M Blank Staples (RIP). Are they elevated? No, but I’ve made an amazing number of good outfits with them!
I bought the blazer back in February but barely wore it this past spring, so I’m looking forward to incorporating it into more fall outfits.
More thoughts on fashion month and other regularly scheduled style letters are coming soon. Sending you good energy for the rest of your week!
Love and gratitude,
Irene
I’m probably a 2b on the hair curl chart.
Namely this one.
Gasp! Your outfits for NYFW are each so good but I'm partial to Day 2/Tibi and that incredible Grace Ling skirt. I think I would break my neck watching your walk by. I find it so lovely that you wore what YOU wanted to even if it wasn't the specific brand for the show.
Can I ask how tall you are? I’ve debated between long and reg Calders at 5’4” and change…