What I Want to Wear Right Now
All the brands I'm obsessed with ATM
During and for a while after the pandemic, I kind of got uninspired by new clothes. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t going anywhere to warrant wearing anything interesting, but I found myself mostly throwing on vintage tees, sweatpants, or my workout clothes. If I did “dress up,” it was in something that had been in my closet for years.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself excited about clothes again. There are a whole new crop of brands and designers that are doing interesting things — some are even in the athleisure space so, even if you don’t have anywhere “exciting” to go, you can still look chic.
Here, I’ve rounded up my favorite brands of the moment, and hand-picked the items I’m currently lusting after (or have, in some cases, already purchased).
Strapless dress, Polo shirt, Ivory jeans, Terry bodysuit, Wide-leg pants
Tibi has been one of my favorite brands for many, many years, ever since I first drove to St. Simons Island, Georgia to shop at what was then a Tibi outlet. Now, the outlet is a real, boutique-style shop (though they do still have a selection of samples and deeply discounted merchandise in the back room)—and it happens to be the only Tibi boutique outside New York. The founder, Amy Smilovic, is from St. Simons, and really grew in popularity during the pandemic, thanks to the innovative style classes she hosts on Instagram (her new book, The Creative Pragmatist, is also amazing). The staff at Tibi is incredible and knows how to style EVERYTHING in the shop but if you order online, you can just watch the brand’s Instagram to get ideas. Everything is made to be worn in many ways, and serve as something of a capsule wardrobe. It’s the best. I went a couple weeks ago and got the above dress, a couple of bodysuits, and a denim skirt. I’ve already worn them all.
Trackpants, Mini dress, Button-up, Extra-long leggings, Cargo pants
WARDROBE.NYC was founded by Australian power couple Josh Goot and Christine Centenera (who, if you’ve followed street style within the past 15 years, you’ve likely seen a lot of). The idea is that every season, the brand debuts a capsule wardrobe. You can buy the entire season or just buy per piece. It’s pricey, for sure, but it’s the kind of stuff you’d have for years to come—and each piece is designed to kind of be the best version of itself. The best sweatpants, the best blazer, etc.
Slip dress, Orange button-down, Extra-long leggings, Ruffled dress, Poplin trouser
The brainchild of former Victoria's Secret Angel Elsa Host, Helsa has some really great going-out clothes that aren’t out-of-control expensive. Some of their stuff is essentially a dupe for higher-priced items (this jacket, for instance, is a take on Toteme’s best-selling jacket), but I really love the dresses and the silky button-downs, which look great tucked into jeans.
Tank sports bra, Ultimate leggings, Sweatpants, Oversized tee, Kelly green sweatshirt
For athleisure, I’m really into Adanola, which makes a range of activewear pieces that are functional and also happen to look great. The prices are also much better than some other activewear brands (everything seems to hover at or below $50) and the pieces would easily translate from the gym to the grocery story (or wherever you’re headed, post-OrangeTheory).
Recommended reading/listening:
Shiny Happy People offers a closer look at the Duggars (them of the 19 Kids & Counting-fame that eventually devolved into controversy.) There’s firsthand testimony from one of the daughters, a deep-dive into the “quiver-full” religious movement behind the family’s belief system, and a lot of head-scratching moments. Highly recommend.
Here’s a fascinating look at the plot by a long-time Coca-Cola chemist to steal the secret formula behind the brand’s can liner and sell it to a Chinese firm.
The new season of Netflix’s sketch comedy show I Think You Can Leave is, of course, hysterical. I have watched this sketch multiple times:
And I’ll leave you with this…