inspiration: July

July always seems to be the slowest month. it's summer in full swing, vacation season, and, to be honest, not super sartorially inspiring.

however, i've always found July to be a good time to reflect. perhaps because half the year is officially over, and the brief summer slowdown also quickens the reminder that fall is on the horizon.

the packing list | Joan Didion

via

note to self: before packing for a trip, ask the all-important question: "what would Joan do?"

inspiration: Vera on Vera

via

"Getting dressed is a whole thing for me. My closet is organized by tops, pants, and outerwear, but not a lot of dresses. Like most designers, I have a uniform, and mine is a legging. And if it's not a legging, it's a pant that's like a legging. They could be from Balenciaga or Givenchy, or from Danskin or my Kohl's line. Then I throw on a T-shirt. After that I'm a complete outerwear freak. I work very hard to look casual. It's deliberate to look like you didn't try too hard, as my old boss Ralph Lauren would say."

–Vera Wang on her style uniform

inspiration: Kate Young

photo credit: Jed Root

"The most important thing to me is that people feel really good. And there are definitely times where I say, 'I think you need to push your comfort zone here. I know this doesn’t feel right, but I feel very strongly about it, and I think you’ll be happy with how you look and with the picture.' But I really want their clothes to be representative of who they are. My clients don’t look alike, for the most part. I don’t come in and make them look a certain way. That doesn’t really interest me. I really want it to be the best, most flattering, most clean and chic version of them."

–Kate Young, interviewed by The Cut

in this age of cookie cutter Celebrity Fashion, i really love her considered, rigorous approach to style and styling. and yes to Hillary Clinton rocking a jumpsuit. read the rest of the interview here.

what's inspiring you lately?

on film: Tom Ford // Visionaires

"Style, for me, is someone who figures out who they are, what works on them, what they feel good in, and develops that, develops their character, and the outer expression of their character is what is style."
                                                                                                                                                 –Tom Ford

one of the most insightful fashion documentaries i've seen in a long time. the man is insanely talented, sure, but what really inspires in this film is the depth of his intelligent mind, and his clarity of perspective on life, culture, and the things that really matter.

have you seen this? what do you think?

foundations: timeless essentials

Susie Bubble in her Barbour via

i've set up a new essentials feature in my blog tabs menu. this will allow me to periodically assess what is working in my wardrobe. i've also organized accordingly some of my relevant older posts and reviews, so hopefully it will be helpful as well!

incidentally, i found this rather charming article on the storied Barbour jacket.

committing to a look

there's a pretty great interview online with Carine Roitfeld, ex-EIC of French Vogue. she addresses many of the gossipy questions surrounding her departure with coy diplomacy. but one thing Carine says in the interview particularly resonates with me:

Style.com: Now a lot of editors—Anna Dello Russo, Giovanna Battaglia—have become street-style stars, but you started it.

Carine: Because I have a specific look. Black eyes, hair in my face, high heels. Maybe it was a strong look in the streets that made me the first one. Anna is funny, she has an incredible look. And Giovanna, she is very chic in an Italian way. And there are other ones coming. I’m sure there is a lot who want to push me out of the way, because this is fashion. It’s never very faithful, you know, and people want change all the time. This is the purpose of fashion, so I don’t know what is going to happen with me. But my look is not going to change very much. 

Carine's point that in spite of the fact that fashion isn't faithful, that it's all about change, but she's going to stick to her 'look' regardless is something i've been thinking about. maybe because i'm no longer a teenager and over the past few years have been building up my own style point of views... well, let's take skinny jeans for example. if i had a uniform, this would pretty much be it.