Hi pals. How are we doing? Hot? Sweaty? Happy?
I am. I’m one week in to a “Dry July” (which started on July 5th…) and I am, in fact, feeling good! I am California Sober, which means a heavy reliance on THC products, which I’ve written about at-length for Your Mom, but not so much here, so LMK if that’s something you’d like to hear about. How to dabble, products I love, some things I’ve learned about the cannabis world… but anyway, my style vibe has been very mom at the pool, or mom at the farmer’s market, or mom packing the dogs into the station wagon to go throw a stick at the beach. Very relaxed! Very tan. Lightly stoned and very happy. Mom is tan you guys.
Anyway, I haven’t been getting properly dressed, I’ve been taking a shower and throwing something on without underwear or a bra, or borrowing things from my husband because they’re soft and loose and smell like him. So tricky style pointers yee shall not find here, but great, easy things - yes.
Monochrome Stripes
I got this dress a while ago, and it’s been a godsend. It’s super light, and with the sleeves rolled up, looks nice. The other day, I was wearing it out of the shower, and tossed on my husband’s blue Birkenstocks to take out the trash. The blue dress with matching blue shoes isn’t something I’d normally think to wear, but as soon as it was on I was really into it. I’ve avoided color lately, and especially matching head to toe color, but something about this felt elevated and cool to me - not too perfect.
Sure, it’s kind of boring, but this week is all about kind of boring outfits that are less and less boring the more you look, and are easy to wear and feel good. And it’s a little hard to tell the color of the shoes in this photo, and it’s not the best angle of me, but what you don’t see in the background is my husband giving me the side eye because I’m taking pictures of myself in our entryway again. It really is the perfect thing to throw on after a shower for a day of running around, getting on calls, making a tasty snack, whatever. It’s great, and infinitely more interesting (and comfortable) than leggings and a tank.
1. The dress! It has pockets, it’s super light, and is 100% cotton. It’s nice and classic, but not girly. Mille, $198
2. I loooove this brand, and this dress is so beautiful. It’s a mix of cotton and silk, has a subtle shirting stripe, and a classic collar. I also like that this one buttons all the way down, so if you want you can make a little bit of a slit. So good. Asceno, $475
3. Ok, in terms of shirting, it doesn’t get any better than Charvet. Net-A-Porter typically stocks a few of these nightshirt style dresses, and right now they have linen in yellow and orange. The yellow can do the same thing as the blue! AND MORE if you have a tan. If you’re looking to buy yourself a really beautiful thing that you’ll get infinite wear out of, I suggest this. Charvet, $800
4. My husband’s Birks! These are great - you pretty much can’t ruin them. They’re the best beach/pool/water shoes, but you can also wear them around and not feel too yucky. Birkenstock, $70
5. Some beautiful yellow sandals from The Row (on TheOutnet!) to go with a yellow nightdress - or jeans, or basically anything. The Row, $402
6. Vibi Venezia makes gorgeous slippers, with real soles on them so you can wear them outside. I love this golden yellow color, but also the navy. I have a few pairs of these and they’re great. Vibi Venezia, $110
7. A preppy, schleppy tote. I know the LLBean is the classic, but after the craze of everyone getting random sayings on theirs, I kind of like this one from J.Crew as a palette cleanser. It’s just not as ubiquitous. J.Crew, $98
8. And here! A sweet yellow Bottega bag on TheOutnet! There’s actually a great selection of discounted Bottega there. Bottega Veneta, $1,365
9. Super pretty chunky gold bracelet to wear with literally everything, all summer. Laura Lombardi, $105
10. And then…my favorite sunglasses this summer. The oval cat eye is novel and cute, but not so statementy that they’d be the first person someone notices on you. Celine, $440
The Best Tee
My husband is extremely selective about his own clothes. When he buys something, it’s usually after a good amount of research, and it’s always something I want to steal. He wears these shirts by Velva Sheen, they’re kind of a slub material, but not too slub… the texture reminds me of handmade paper. They’re great, but they’re his, and there’s a tag in the bottom hem that sticks out, which I don’t love. THEN! I met my friend’s boyfriend and he was wearing a shirt so similar to my husband’s, but it was softer, thinner, and like 1/3 of the price. And it was this one.
The arm holes are perfect, the drape is perfect - not too drapey - the weight, the fit, everything. They’re all garment dyed too, which gives them a fully saturated look, but washed a bit. Not too vivid. In this picture, I was (like the one above) fresh out of the shower with slicked back wet hair and no bra. But you can’t tell there’s no bra! It’s just the perfect weight. Not too thick and stiff, but also not too fluid or sheer.
1. The shirt. ALSO! The maker of my favorite sweatshirt of all time (here is my ode to it). I’m wearing a size M, and I’m 5’8” and am a 2 or 4, just for reference. Comfort Colors, $13
2. If you don’t love the men’s tee fit, try this one from Madewell. It’s also soft and vintage feeling, but is boxy and cropped enough to look cute with slouchy, baggy jeans. Madewell, $19
3. Here’s one of those Velva Sheen tees. They’re really, really good if you like something thicker with more texture. I love them. Velva Sheen, $42
4. So the jeans I’m wearing…I stole them from my husband. He used to buy raw denim from 3x1 (RIP!) and then would wear them every day, until they looked like this, and then he’d buy a new pair. So these are authentically worn in by him. They’re so soft, so baggy, they’re almost like Pajama pants to me. I live in them. So, I can’t sell these, but I will say that it’s nice to wear low-slung baggy jeans with a bigger tee. I wrote something recently on proportions, but traditionally I’d usually think something small on top with something baggier on bottom. But! I think the double slouchyness here works really well. I love these from Citizens of Humanity. I’d buy them in at least one size too big, and then wear them all day, every day. Citizens of Humanity, $238
5. And if you want to wear in your own raw jeans, go here! I like that these have a straight leg, and will just get more and more perfect for your body as you wear them. APC, $232
6. I think these Chimala jeans might be the closest to mine. Soft, worn-in Japanese denim in a slightly wider-leg, slouchy shape. Also, there’s a ton of good Chimala on TheRealReal. Chimala, $255
7. A perfect vintage-style bucket bag. I’m still hardcore Old Celine, but I have to admit, there are a few new Celine things I love. The 70s-inspired accessories , like this, especially. Celine, $1,700
8. I also love this bucket from Sezane, the mix of suede and leather is so nice. Sezane, $250
9. A great little pair of fisherman sandals! If you want to look a little more pulled together, I’d go here. Massimo Dutti, $199
10. I love these Manolo sandals, it’s a style they’ve done for a while, and they go with everything, and dress everything up a little. Manolo Blahnik, $569
11. And now! Cutie pie for running errands, cream colored Vans. Vans, $60
12. I wish I had been wearing a belt, especially this suede one. I love this chestnut suede color, and the the sculptural buckle is so nice. Khaite, $420
13. And then this! A navy, woven elastic belt! My dream! It’s very New England dad, and for that reason, I am in love. Andersons, $160
Goofy Tank
And now, consider me influenced by my own work. After writing last week’s ode to Freddie Mercury, I was looking for clothes for my kids, and I came across this pack of tank tops by Stella McCartney, which came in sizes up to 16 years. I figured…maybe they’ll fit me, maybe they won’t. If not, I know plenty of teen or pre-teen girls to gift them to. And lo! They fit. They’re so far outside my typical style comfort zone, but I just love them so much. And now that I’m looking at all of them I’m kind of like…what was I thinking. I will likely be gifting 6 of them to pals. Go in on it with your friends!
It is not quiet, nor is it subtle, but still, I love it. I really love it with these baggy, men’s cotton trousers from The Row. I feel like myself in 7th grade - this was pretty much exactly how I dressed - except now I’m a hot sexy mom. This has 100% approval for a hair-still-wet post-shower outfit, even though my hair was dry when I snapped this. I’d wear it to go to dinner with my husband and kids in LA, and feel styled and cute, but it takes no more effort to put this on than it does to put on workout leggings and a sweatshirt.
1. The tanks! All seven are pretty good, and they really hold your boobs in so you can go braless. I’m typically a women’s 4, so a small or medium in tops (not an XS) and these fit me perfectly. Stella McCartney, $134
2. A more serious, more fashion version - I love the cut of this little tee. Gucci, $550
3. And now! A full, grown, adult sized strawberry tank from Kule. The cutest ever. Kule, $75
4. Yes, this is an extremely Gen Z take on the way I wear my men’s pants, with the Dickie’s logo showing, but that doesn’t negate the fact that if you’re looking for 7th grade girl in the year 2000, these are spot on, and are cut for a feminine shape so you won’t get diaper booty in them, like I do in my men’s pants (I don’t mind). Dickies, $75
5. I love the look of these men’s pants, and they’re on sale under $200. The navy is perfect, the cut is beautiful, and they’re a sturdy cotton twill. NN07, $179
6. I have these men’s pants in tan, and I love them. They’re a great example of men’s pants that are easy to wear as a woman. They do give me a slightly droopy booty look, but I like that. If I’m going to wear men’s pants, I want them to look like men’s pants. AYR, $225
7. If I had a penny for every time I reached for these sandals…they’re just perfect. I’m working on a whole post about shoes and what they should/shouldn’t do for next week, but these tick two out of my three necessary boxes for shoes, and I go to them again and again. The Row, $690
8. Very rarely am I attracted to logos, but when I am, 99% of the time it’s Gucci. I love that the way they use the logo feels less earnest than other brands. It’s all kind of funny and ironic and unnecessary. These shoes really bring me back to being in 7th grade - the platform is spot on. I also think my brain makes the tiny cartoon apples → Gucci connection because of that really cute strawberry motif (this too) a few years ago. Gucci, $690
9. But then I saw these in the men’s section, and I like them even better than the women’s slide. This is the dumbest shoe of all time, and I’m desperate to own them. Gucci, $690
10. Which then reminded me of this pair - i’ve tried these on a million times, I just for whatever reason haven’t bought them. They’re also men’s, and I wish they made them in women’s sizes so we could all wear them, but lucky for me I’m a women’s size 10.5, which is roughly a men’s 8, so I can freely wear men’s shoes. Gucci, $750
That’s it! This weekend will be another edition for paid subscribers, going into the things I splurge on, vs the things I don’t. It should be cute.
Love, your friend,
Laurel
If only my husband had blue birks or cool jeans
The goofy tank outfit screams HOT MOM to me and I will be immediately looking to copy in my closet.