Posts tagged ‘shopbop’
The Perfect White Tee
Clockwise from top left: Etoile Isabel Marant | Rag & Bone | R13 | Topshop | T by Alexander Wang
There are a couple of things I consider to be essentials in my wardrobe — a leather jacket, flattering jeans, a classic black bag — but I’ve found none to be as versatile and important as the simple white t-shirt. Worn casually with a basic pair of jeans or dressed up with a floor-length skirt, the options for styling a plain white t-shirt are literally endless — it’s the finding of the ultimate PWT (plain white tee) that can be tricky.
I used to wear white Hane’s t-shirts exclusively — they’re just so affordable and easy to find! — but realized that their boxy fit and crunchy fabric wasn’t the most flattering to my shape. I then turned my attention to American Apparel tees that feature a softer fabric but still have the unfortunate quadratic fit. Knowing fully well that I needed a better option/go-to for a white tee (and aware that I wasn’t alone in the quest to find the perfect one), I started to think about all the qualities I look for in a good tee. The first thing that came to mind was thinness; I want the fabric to be worn-in enough that you can see my areolas bra beneath it. The next thing that perked up in my noggin was obviously the shape of the tee. I don’t want anything too fitted, but I also don’t want to look like I’m wearing a shirt made for Spongebob. A slight tapering at the waistline with a looser and wider fit at the hemline is ideal. Then there’s the sleeve situation. I hate when sleeves are baggy and long, fitting like an extra large sweatshirt sleeve cut just above the elbow. But I also hate when the sleeve is so tight it looks like it’s pinching my sagging tricep arm. There should be a happy medium between the two where the hem of the sleeve sits about 4-5 inches below my shoulder and has room to slip one to two fingers between the fabric and my skin. I’ll bet you never thought someone could get so particular about something as simple as a white t-shirt; or maybe you have and that’s why you’re still reading this post. The good news is that there are multiple brands that understand the art of the perfect white t-shirt and though they’re not as accessible as a Hane’s t-shirt at your local Duane Reade, they’re just a click away from your fingertip (after you put in your credit card number and billing zipcode but whatever you know how to online shop).
My favorite t-shirt brands include but are not limited to: Etoile Isabel Marant, Topshop, T by Alexander Wang, R13, Rag & Bone, Wilt and LNA and can be shopped in the slideshow below.
Coordinating Pink
I was back at home in San Francisco a few weeks ago doing what I always do when I find myself sitting indian style in my childhood domain: reminiscing. I skimmed through old, embarrassingly honest diaries (shout out to my 4th grade crush, Jonah!), dug through boxes of saved memories (see: my first bra), and flipped through yearbooks of my awkward youth. While looking through class photos, I noticed how considered and coordinated each of my classmate’s outfits were. Plaid bows matched plaid smocked dresses, ruffled socks matched ruffled blouses, dimpled chins matched runny noses, and then there was me, the girl standing front row clashing in floral leggings and a striped t-shirt, an overly excited grin spread across her face. Of course I thought I looked awesome, and given the return of 90s fashion in today’s trend-o-sphere, I suppose you could say that I looked awesome by today’s standards, too; but in the eyes of parents, mine included, I’m confident that I looked more like a colorblind and confused kid who ate boogers for breakfast. However, where once I rejected even the thought of coordinating my days of the week underwear with their coinciding day, I now find myself drawn to matching pieces together as if they came in a set.
Another fashion element that I once rejected but now embrace is the color pink. Until recently, the girly stigma-ridden hue was only faintly represented in my wardrobe. Sure I had the occasional pink sweater or pink pants for days when I felt particularly…”girly”…but those days were about as common as a dog walking on its hind legs. This infrequency was largely due to the fact that I just couldn’t figure out how to wear the color. A pink blazer paired with my go-to black pants felt a little too, “Prima Donna Punk.” A pink shirt styled with a pencil skirt looked too “Mildred Goes to High Tea.” And pink pants worn with just about anything screamed, “Hello, Valentine’s Day!” So, though I found myself accumulating pink pieces against my better judgment, I was more or less unable to wear said pieces because I was never satisfied with how I styled them. That’s where the coordinating came in.
It was a typical morning for me as I reached yet again for a pink blazer hoping that today might be the day that I break through my style block (similar to writers block). Seemingly endless frustrations of testing out clashing looks and overly simplified outfits amped up with the pink blazer resulted in piles of clothes strewn about my floor as beads of sweat consolidated on my forehead and upper lip. But just as I was about to give up, I noticed a pop of pink poking out from the back of my closet — a pair of pants trimmed with a hue undeniably identical to the blazer I was currently battling! I instantly knew that pairing the unexpectedly matching pieces together would not only yield a look that implied I purchased them together, but would also finally give me the opportunity to wear pink. You see, the pink on it’s own was too loud, too in yo’ face, but with the hint of the same hue poking out around my waistline (or hipline? I really can’t tell these days, too much cheese), the bright fuchsia color adopted a more subtle tone.
Oh, and the fact that the bows of the shoes matched didn’t hurt the coordinated pink situation either.
Maje blazer | Splendid shirt | Mikkat Market pants | Sophia Webster heels | Zara clutch
// photos by Emily Malan
Go On, Get Your Sale On!
3.1 Phillip Lim shirt | Tibi shorts | Missoni dress | Tom Binns ring | Asos bag | Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti pants | Stella McCartney blazer | Saint Laurent heels
Sale season is one of those unpleasantly pleasant reminders that my addiction to shopping is incurable. Each day something new comes on sale. Each day another markdown drapes itself over a most coveted designer piece. Each day my temptation is tested. But when the season inches closer and closer toward its end, my resistance lessens and justification expands like a mound of rising dough. For when else am I going to snag this pair of Saint Laurent heels for 50% off?
Today not only did The Outnet announce its Clearance Sale (up to 85% off!), but Net-a-Porter’s Season Sale is coming to an end, Shopbop is adding new sale items and markdowns on a daily basis, and well, I just can’t contain myself! But while it’s necessary to snag some current season markdowns to wear right now, it’s also a great opportunity to buy some pieces for the — don’t hate me — colder months and store them in the back of your closet just like I did this lobster dress. So in the image above you will find some of my favorite sale items for right now, and below you will see some of the pieces I plan to sniggle snaggle for fall and winter (ugh).
MiH corduroys | All Saints leather jacket | DANNIJO necklace | Tibi sweater | Alice + Olivia skirt | Chloe boots | Alexander Wang bag
And while you’re getting your sale on, how about a throwback jam like “Get Your [Sale] On” by Missy Elliot. (See what I did there?)
The Daily Scroll
I have this thing where I online shop. As a girl who works in fashion, this probably doesn’t sound all that ridiculous; but I can assure you, it is.
It’s not that I do a lot of online shopping in the sense that I buy everything I see — my bank account isn’t quite so accomodating — but I scroll. Oh, how I scroll. Multiple times each day I frequent my favorite sites — The Outnet, Asos, Net-a-Porter, Shopbop, Yoox, Topshop — just browsing. I click over to the “Just In” or “New In” section, hover my mouse over the “View All” button and watch as my browser loads a forever-scrolling stream of new clothing, shoes, and accessories for me to ogle.
I imagine that this is something a chef does in a high-end grocery store like Citarella. Maybe she doesn’t need anything, but simply enjoys the process of walking up and down the aisles taking mental notes on all the different types of pasta — orrecchiette, fusilli, tagliarini, fettuccini. Or maybe this idea of “just looking” is more like a birdwatcher who finds nothing more relaxing than sitting out in a meadow, binoculars in hand, waiting for sparrows, orioles, and bluebirds to let out a song or take flight. I’d hate to compare myself to a birdwatcher, they always seem a little strange to me, but maybe we’re not so different after all. We’re both not here to disturb. We’re “just looking.”
It begins around 9AM, after I’ve finished my morning workout routine and had my first few sips of poorly made coffee — an art I’m still trying to master. Then my fingers slide over my MacBook Pro’s sleek black keyboard. My right pointer finger draws down to swipe across the smooth silver mouse pad so I can click the circular Google Chrome application icon and begin my daily scroll.
I usually start with something like The Outnet, whose daily updates rarely exceed 100 new items. When I go to type its address, my computer is already well ahead of me, finishing the URL before I even hit the letter ‘h’. A few seconds later and I am into the scroll. Silk Equipment shirts. Bright Dolce & Gabbana bustiers. Strappy, 4-inch Jimmy Choo sandals. This. Is. Heaven. With just a bright screen and colorful spurts of ready-to-wear glowing before my tired eyes, I forget all that needs to be done that day. Instead I imagine how each piece, whether I like it or not, would fit into my wardrobe. Can I pull off an oversize leather vest? I wonder how Mother Denim would fit over my bubble butt. Holy Abraham! There’s that pair of towering, Frida Kahlo inspired Charlotte Olympia heels in my size. Glancing at the price, a hefty $494 down from $1,272, I hesitate for a moment. Is it worth it? Do I do it? Oh God, it’s so tempting. That’s 61% off (The Outnet told me that, I don’t do that kind of math). I can feel the saliva building in my mouth and my breath quickening like Wile E. Coyote eyeing The Road Runner. But no. No! My bank account can’t handle that. Don’t do it, Sonia. Keep scrolling. Just. Keep. Scrolling.
This kind of inner monologue repeats itself for about an hour, or until I come down from garment heaven and realize it’s time to officially start the day. Emails. Edits. Blogging. Meetings. Work is calling and it’s time to click out of this temptress browser. But like Facebook functions as the ultimate procrastination tool for high school and college students, I know it’s only a matter of one or two hours before I’m back online, torturing myself like a diabetic in Dylan’s Candy Store. Here is all this sartorial eye-candy, but thou shalt not feast upon it! And so my index finger and I continue our fast-paced scroll, making sure not to hover over anything for too long and give into temptation.
Oxblood
Before each Fashion Week I get a little nervous wondering if the on-trend silhouettes and color palettes will be A-OK for little miss Sonia. I had a minor heart attack last Spring when every runway had an array of pastel colors as the light hues seriously wash me out. This fall however, is showing perhaps one of my favorite colors of all time, oxblood (otherwise known as maroon/burgundy for the PETA-enthusiasts).
I was browsing through AllSaints the other day with my friend Suz, blabbering about how we’re both in need of a new leather jacket this season. Normally, I would dive for black as it’s the most versatile “color” in my fall/winter wardrobe, but the buttery bloody ox leathers (ew) were calling my name. SooOooOooOoooooonia!!!
I showed major restraint by not purchasing anything, but the jackets I saw have positioned themselves at the forefront of my mind. Seeing these also launched my desire to infiltrate even more of my wardrobe with the dark moody color. I’ve long had the Proenza Schouler PS1 bag in burgundy on my “must-have” list, and let’s not forget that I dressed in an head-to-toe maroon outfit back in January.
In anticipation of the day that New York decides humidity is a climate of the past, here are some oxblood pieces I hope to sink my teeth into in the very near future.
Clockwise from top left:
AllSaints Leather Jacket | Isabel Marant pumps | Tom Ford lipstick in Black Orchid | Marc by Marc Jacobs Doctor bag | JW Anderson x Topshop sweater | T by Alexander Wang skirt | Alexander Wang booties
