We’ve all been there: scrolling through endless options online for the perfect <insert item here>. It can be overwhelming, and recently one reader commented that she’d had enough:
of enthusiastically jumped in, saying she loved that idea, so we met offline and thought it would be fun to tackle this idea together. The result is this Live — the first for both of us! — a speed round of our “Best & Only”: if I could only own one <insert item here>, it would be…Here’s an idea for a column, Irene! “If I could only have one, I’d get....” Doesn’t matter if it’s high or low end so long as you’re truthful! If you could only have one pair of blue jeans, one pair of black jeans, one trouser, one sweat pants, one t-shirt, one cashmere sweater, one coat etc. The plethora of brands and recommendations can be overwhelming on Substack, then the working out of who is a sponsor (and therefore less effective as a recommendation from the writer no matter how much they avow they really love it)... I’m sitting here thinking that I’m sick of multiples, over-consuming and I just want to get the best version of a simple thing. Obviously this changes a bit on different bodies, but your styling is chic and your mix of pricey and affordable is realistic. That said, if everything is pricey in your “If I could only have one” I want to hear those without filter! Thanks for listening!
Looking back at our answers, I can say with confidence these answers are 100% truthful because these are the pieces we actually wear on repeat and you can so clearly see our respective styles in the pieces that we chose.
Everything we mention in the video is linked to below, but please do listen to the Live — my son was so excited to be involved!
Kelly’s Best & Only
Basic T-Shirt: Leset Margo OR Hanes.
Alternative top: A denim button down. Search for Ralph Lauren either new or used.
Crewneck sweater I’m a sucker for cashmere and the La Ligne Marin is such a flawless cut. It can be worn oversized, TTS, etc.
Secondary top layer: Leather jacket (leather blazer, leather moto, etc).
Denim: Levi’s 501 90s (I also love their vintage pairs but the 501 90s are shockingly similar and perpetually on sale).
Alternative bottom: Barrel pants (Nili Lotan Shon, or my personal favorite, Citizens of Humanity Marcelle. I also saw these on Gap the other day and the black looked very good).
Sneaker: Adidas Sambas although I was recently taken by the Adidas Toyko (I also own Puma speed cats, Onitsuka Tiger, Converse and I still reach for my Sambas most).
Boot: I have the Staud Wally which are great for an elevated look but my life doesn’t require that much. I wear my Hereu chelsea boot way more often.
Flat shoe: A flat or mule.
Accessory: A great embellished belt can really elevate an outfit and there are so many good makers of these now (Heaven Mayhem, Aureum, Dehanche).
Bonus round! What is our “Have To Have” as
says. Irene calls these “WANTS” in her Foundational Wardrobe series (it’s a must read here).Something printed to help level-up an outfit; that could be a graphic tee or printed pants. I’m currently hunting down a plaid jacket as a hero piece for my closet.
Irene’s Best & Only
Basic tee: COS mens brushed cotton tee (take your TTS in womenswear) or Aritzia Pegasus tee. It’s hard for me to spend much more than that, possibly because I haven’t found one that’s worth the price jump.
Alternative top: Definitely a sweatshirt. I have basic sweatshirts from Aritzia and Left On Friday that do the job well, but if I had to pick an elevated one, I’d go with this one by Dries van Noten.
Crewneck sweater: No surprise given how much I love my COS hero sweater. Although prices have gone up at COS significantly in the last couple of years, I would still probably still turn to them for my best & only slouchy grey crewneck sweater.
Secondary top layer: Definitely a blazer for me. I think one needs both a structured shoulder blazer and a relaxed one. For the latter, hands down the tropical wool Tibi Liam, and for the former, I have a few secondhand Celine and Dior blazers and their cut and quality are exquisite.
Denim: Not a huge denim wearer but lately I’ve been wearing my old Goldsign Jarvis jeans on rotation. I linked to a US$175 pair from the Outnet, but I paid CA$99 for them three (four?) years ago from Canadian retailer, Holt Renfrew.
Alternative bottom: Definitely sweatpants (see: Using Tension To Elevate Your Joggers), and 100% Tibi’s Calder.
Sneaker: Cariuma OCA Low — the most basic, normcore sneakers!
Boot: Refer to The Most Functional & Versatile Boot — no surprise that mine are over-the-knee, low heel sock boots. I have two pairs by Khaite — I found the Hooper secondhand and the Volos at a steep discount.
Flat shoe: Any Jil Sander flat!
Accessory: Aviator glasses or sunglasses. Bottega does amazing ones, but my Warby Parker and Ray-bans also do the job.
Bonus round: Give me art, give me drama, give me couture! I loved the Marc Jacobs recent FW collection as well as Schiaparelli’s couture collection!
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