148/ What I'm Wearing (& Buying) no. 51
Four recent purchases + hatscapades + accessorizing an LBD
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.
Dear readers,
Back in September, my father — who has been living in Seoul for the last 25 years — came to Toronto for a routine visit. Five months later, he’s still here. After an unexpected three-month stay in hospital, he moved in with us to regain his strength with the help of a revolving door of health professionals and plenty of Korean takeout. In true Asian dad fashion, I’m positive that planning his next meal, and then the next, is what’s kept him going.
In a week, he’ll be heading back to the ROK at almost the same level of health as when he arrived. I let him know that he was welcome to stay with us as long he needed, but he’s decided that it’s time to go home. And, I get it, because is there any sweeter feeling than the familiar scent of your own home after a long trip away? Laying my head onto my pillow (soft, low, down-filled), recognizing the precise firmness of my mattress (very) and the exact thread count of my sheets (don’t know, but IYKYK) tells me I’m home.
Yet, throughout my life, I’ve found Thomas Wolfe’s statement, “you can never go home again,” to ring true. These past five months have changed all of us, and our relationships to each other. Family dynamics and roles have shifted permanently as we’ve had to confront realities that previously felt far into the future. Even though I’ve smoked too many cigarettes and I’m convinced my hair will turn fully grey within six months, I’ve framed this time as an “I get to” rather than “I have to.” I know it’s unlikely I’ll have such a large chunk of time with my father again. Indeed, it’s our longest stretch together since I was eight years old.
With everything going on around here, I’ve taken comfort in dressing super simply. Most days I’ll pair a foundational bottom with a monochromatic foundational top and feel really good about it. The shapes feel good, the fabrics feel good, in part because I’ve significantly reduced the number of “placeholders” in my wardrobe. It’s worth noting that these “no effort” outfits take the same amount of thought as throwing on my workout clothes — that is to say, none — which highlights the heavy lifting that good foundational pieces can do for you:
Still in sweats, I hastily got out of the shower, threw a blazer over this monochromatic set, and ran out to dinner:
On the topic of elevated basics, I had to retire my longstanding grey Aritzia hoodie, and instead of replacing it with another basic sweatshirt, I applied the same principles as I did when I recently purchased new pants. I chose a structured and shapely Dries Van Noten sweatshirt-like top in its place:
Another recent purchase was the Monarch butterfly version of this smocked Toteme swimsuit that I already have in dark green. Finding a swimsuit I feel good in has been an on-going struggle, so I felt okay about buying a repeat. Here’s a taupe one which a reader told me was not see-through despite being unlined because of the heaviness of the smocking.
Two recent jean outfits. I’ve been favouring my Goldsign pleated jeans and De Rococo straight leg jeans lately, even if Alix Earle’s Frame skinny jeans debuted this week and sold out in 24-hours! What I find interesting about this launch is that there’s no noticeable iteration distinguishing these jeans from the skinny jeans of past…which makes me wonder if they’re strictly marketed towards young Gen Z. Most of us probably have this exact jean in our closet…if we haven’t purged them already.
I reached a point where I got tired of wearing sweatpants and jeans, and began experimenting with my R13 sweatshirt dress. I threw a navy collared shirt underneath, wrapped a printed scarf around my waist like I would a sarong, and topped it off with Liam — the only blazer that would fit over those exaggerated dolman sleeves:
My third purchase was a black wool cocoon dress from COS which is similar to the sweatshirt dress, but I’m hoping more versatile. As a big skirt wearer, including sheer ones, I’m hoping the length of this piece will come in handy!
Let’s talk about my headwear for this outfit. Last decade I went through a big hat period. Not a long period of wearing hats, but a period of wearing Big — wholly impractical, eminently unpackable, will fly away at the first gust of wind — Hats. Like short hair, I’ve been feeling the hat itch ever since last year’s Altuzzara show, and I finally decided to pull the trigger on that Altuzarra hat I loved from the FW24 collection (at right):
On the topic of all black evening wear, I recently worked with a client who wanted help accessorizing an outrageously chic black evening gown. Good on her, she chose it herself. I found her a vintage beaded evening bag on Etsy which levered her of-the-moment gown into a different era.
As I wrote previously about buying vintage:
Expanding your scope to vintage and resale allows you to tap into decades of fashion from designers who have come and gone, who were inspired by the cultural and social mood of the time, and also fashion from around the world. You are the three-dimensional (4D, if we’re getting metaphysical!) sum of your whole life experience; wouldn’t it be wonderful to reflect that in your clothes everyday? Vintage helps you do that. Every piece brings its own history you can carry with you, and conversely, you now impart your own interpretation to it.
For her shoes, I found a few options on The Real Real, one of which Saint Laurent’s black Vesper slingback at a great price (if anyone sees one in FR38, please let me know!). I also sent her a Magda Butrym mule with a rose embellishment and a pair of vintage Christian Lacroix. If you’re looking for excess, opulence and textures, take a dive into the Lacroix archives:
Speaking of excess and opulence, Cara Cara kindly sent me this velvet, feathery, printed number, which I wore to a friend’s birthday:
That’s all from me!
Love and gratitude to all,
Irene
Hi Irene,
Hats off (no pun intended) to you for supporting your Dad during this difficult time and helping him regain his health. You will always feel good about what you have done here and also the time he's had with your boys.
Love, love the pizza hat. I hope you still have it. All these outfits are fantastic.
I noticed you have a Freja bag in the last photo. I just purchased one and I'm very happy with the quality and price point (US dollars).
Thanks for another great post!!!
Glad there is a silver lining to your last few months.....This read is great!!! Love your pics, you look fabulous !!! So many new items to ponder......brilliant.....
The Altazarra hat is too good..... and I am seriously thinking about tailored fleece...,bags, shoes, great oversized dresses....Maybe you do better when you don't plan outfits ahead....just a thought (not for BIG events). My brain would explode just planning meals .......cheers to Irene !!!!