A heartfelt thank you to fellow Bazaar alum Christine Lennon for including me in her story in last weekend’s WSJ Off Duty section about the elusive search for well-made black clothing, an idea that seems to be returning with a 90s bent. (I’m into it.) Sorry it took me a bit to get this up (some snippets below); I’m currently in Ireland watching the moody winter Atlantic Ocean from my window while writing this and am admittedly distracted. I think it deserves my own black clothing edit so stay tuned. Follow my IG if you’re into my holiday posts and back to you next week!
Yes, to all of this!!
“It’s over-stylized and hyper-feminine. It’s hyper in so many ways.” – You nailed it, Jennifer. I can’t find a home in all of the ruffles, prints, and pastels that flood my Instagram feed. And maybe that’s inherently part of the problem; black garments on an Instagram feed quickly turns boring to our eye. We need to be entertained. Less social media and more simple classics are in my future.
Simple classics always!
Jennifer, I’m so glad you recapped this! I had sent a link to the WSJ piece to my daughter and it resonated deeply with both of us – particularly since I’m making my way through your wardrobe project (just sent the 4th box to The RealReal). I’m all in on fewer, better; more classicism and forever pieces; and just a few targeted buys to add seasonal freshness. And yes, I do always feel a little more elegant, and sharper, in black!
Oh wow! Good for you. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer your words are so true. And I love the images of the 3 models. Takes me back to a place and time. All fabulous then and now. Thankyou for staying true to who you are and thus allowing us to do the same.
The pull of nostalgia, but it still looks good.
Thank you! Your words are so true. It’s so hard to find simple basics that aren’t too something. Even Cos is too trendy for me. If it isn’t ruffled or puffed it’s oversized, boxy, cropped, dropped shoulder, and the list goes on.
A true classicist!
Jennifer, This post hit a chord with me and sent me down a rabbit hole. After attempting to replace worn out favorites, with no success. A realization hit me. As I was growing up, into my teens and later a young adult most young women aspired to dress like grownups. In some ways it was a right of passage to buy better quality grownup clothing. Now, the trend is to dress grownup women like little girls. Recently, I’ve noticed quite a lot of bloggers and such, do posts on CBK, Jackie Onassis, and Audrey Hepburn’s style. All of these women dressed like grown women. Not only do I want better black clothing but I want clothing that honors my 63 years of life experience.
Right? 63 and chic sounds like a good idea to me.
Jennifer,
I absolutely loved this article. I grabbed screenshots from your Instagram Stories and keep coming back to reference them. I wear almost exclusively black and find that it is chic, easy and timeless (which I am sure you and your readers are well aware of). It’s refreshing to find those of us with a similar mindset in the days of fast fashion, feathers (WHAT is with that trend?) and the ‘more is more’ approach. I’m happy to have found those with a similar outlook.
Marcheline
Thank you Marcheline!