The Best Thing I Ever Thrifted With Dianna Cohen

The Crown Affair founder's mint green Chanel tweeds are the stuff of dreams

Dianna Cohen is the ultimate cool girl. She’s a hugely successful entrepreneur (her haircare line, Crown Affair, is sold everywhere from Sephora to Moda Operandi), very knowledgeable about art and branding, and looks like a Disney Princess. She also pens a great Substack, FYI.

Like me, Dianna loves vintage — and it shows in her line! Much of the brand’s creative direction is derived from the 1990s yet feels incredibly timeless. The mint green of Crown Affair is perfection and ties in to one of her vintage finds, as detailed below.

Most importantly, though, is that Crown Affair products are excellent. I use my hair towel every single time I wash my hair, and I apply the leave-in conditioner just about every day.

I am so tremendously impressed by what Dianna has built as a founder and CEO — and I’m also inspired by her own aesethetic. It only made sense that I ask about her best vintage find ever. Boy, did she deliver.

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“Without a doubt, my greatest thrifting triumph—if you can call it that, given the level of hunting involved—is my Crown Affair green Chanel tweed jacket (with the matching medium flap bag) from Karl Lagerfeld’s 2003 collection. I found the jacket on The RealReal in near-pristine condition, in my exact size, and when it arrived, it fit like a dream.

The moment I saw it, I just knew—it was one of those dream pieces you never expect to find, especially in such beautiful condition, given how delicate the color is.

The shade of green even mirrors Crown Affair’s branding, and I ended up wearing it for our very first photoshoot back in 2019. From the silhouette to the color, it’s the perfect blend of timeless and distinctive—one of those rare pieces that elevates absolutely everything.

The bag came later, discovered at a South Florida gem called Miami Twice—a resale/thrift treasure that’s been around since 1985.

I had been tracking it on resale sites for ages, but it was always sold out. I reached out to the owner of the store, a local spot known for unexpected finds, and sure enough—she let me know when one came in. I braved an hour of traffic to pick it up, and it was so worth it. Such a fun, surreal moment to find a piece like that right here in South Florida.

Finding both the jacket and the bag felt like fate.

I ordered the jacket back in 2019, before Chanel prices started to soar—it was $620 on The RealReal. The bag, which I found in 2022, was three years later— I paid $4,000 for it as Chanel prices, both retail and resale, had already begun climbing. Since then, I’ve seen it listed online for nearly double. Timing can be everything when it comes to collecting special pieces.

I keep both displayed in my closet near the front, and I reach for them most often when it comes to brand events. The jacket has become like a piece of armor to top off any look if I'm not sure what to wear for a work event. It makes any look feel more polished, but because of the fit, it has an ease about it too.

The bag I use often. It's a lighter color, which is great for Miami year round, and I find that tweed Chanel bags add a fun dimension to most looks and it's perfect with jeans and a t-shirt for any day.”

Thank you, Dianna! What an honor.

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ODDS & ENDS

• I am a sucker for a good before and after and this under-$50 cream has them in spades. It tackles everything I worry about: fine lines, dry skin and acne and red spots. I shared this on Instagram and heard from a friend who uses several products by this line and swears by them all.

• J. Crew’s new Icons collection is so good. It’s full of iconic pieces from the brand, but with a twist. What’s in my cart: this striped roll neck sweater (the pink and brown colorway is very good), these chocolate-brown flares, and the red barn jacket, which is already broken in.

• Another recent discovery for me are these protein powder packets. I love that they are individual sizes, so I can travel with them (I mix the cacao + strawberry flavor into bowls of oatmeal, which is easy to find at basically any hotel). I also like the vanilla flavor, mixed into smoothies.

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