Love Letter #002: Jane Birkin's bags
& more things I've been loving/consuming lately.
What does a good pair of vintage Levi’s and Doc Marten’s have in common? They get better with age.
These are both items that need to be truly broken in (and honestly, this can be applied to most good leather shoes and quality denim) in order to be enjoyed. To put it simply, you need to put some serious life into them. You have to really earn their comfort through a certain amount of wears before you can slip them on and of effortlessly.
While this was a tough pill for me to swallow at first — as someone that is more prone to soft clothing than hard clothing — I learned pretty fast that these items were certainly worth the wait.
This got me thinking if we’ve stopped buying clothing in order to wear it in. Dramatic as it sounds, I think with the rise of social media and influencer culture, the value of showing yourself became higher than being yourself. Our relationship to clothes followed suit.
Suddenly, we weren’t buying clothes to wear anymore. Obviously, we were wearing them in the sense that they were on our bodies — but for how long? It was more about showing them off, peacocking them down the street or online (temporarily), and then tossing them to the side to be eventually forgotten.
I think this idea was planted in my head when I saw a TikTok about Jane Birkin’s customized Birkin bag she would always carry. She would cover it in everything from beads, stickers, ribbons and tags. The edges were scuffed up and the handles had a faded color. And to me, her bag started to look way more desirable than a brand new one.
It’s not even that it made me want a Birkin Bag of my own, but instead I was craving to do the same thing as her; leave my mark on my wardrobe. What I desired is finding a bag (or piece of clothing in general) that I could put so much of myself into. It’s even more fitting that the inspiration for the Hermes bag (which came out in 1984) came from Birkin herself, who was known to drag her signature wicker basket everywhere she went in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
And I’d say, the reason it became her signature was not just because she styled it perfectly, but because of repetition. At the end of the day, repetition is at the heart of personal style. I mean seriously; if you had the ability to have a completely different outfit every single day of your life, would you? To me, that would feel exhausting, overstimulating, and the lack of consistency of the pieces that I love would make me feel like I wasn't in my own skin — simply wearing a different costume.
That’s why it’s no surprise people have gotten bored and tired of newness — it’s not as desirable to see influencers unbox a whole new wardrobe from a fast fashion brand — instead we want to know, How are they wearing it? Who are they? In many ways, I feel like the dopamine of shopping has overpowered the dopamine of dressing sometimes. I’ve fallen victim to it many times — being seduced by store windows, online sales, an item on a TikToker that I knew would change my personal style if I just owned it, bought it, tried it on.
That’s how fast-fashion and micro-trends roped us in; promising us the allure of newness, whilst not gifting us what we really need — something to truly wear into the ground.
So, what if we didn’t add things to our closet just because they were new? What if we added them because we saw a bright, long future with them where that dress, bag or pair of shoes (and us) age like fine wine.
🔮 TRENDS & TOPICS
The New Age of Shopping (in collaboration with Dibz)
I think the only thing more true than the fact that fashion is changing at a rapid rate, is that shopping is too. Largely due to fast fashion fatigue, many of us are wanting a more slow and intentional way of curating our wardrobe. This doesn’t just mean opting for more sustainable brands and second-hand shopping whenever possible, but creating a whole new approach to how we shop online and off.
Enter Dibz — a new experimental way of shopping that uses sustainable sourcing and ensures that what you’re adding to your cart truly fits your personal style. Instead visiting a traditional online shopping site, you’re joining an exclusive club that collects and curates a wardrobe that fits you.
How it works: After entering your phone number and taking a quick style quiz, you’ll get a secret text directing you to your own customized drop of pieces from brands such as Universal Standard, Steven Alan, Andie's swim and others. Why I love it: Not only is it like going shopping with your best friend, many of their pieces are sourced from leftover or unsold items. And all of them are exclusive to Dibz and aren’t searchable on other sites. Plus, they even have some pre-loved vintage pieces from designers such as Versace, Roberto Cavalli and others.
My first drop included, unsurprisingly, a ruffled floral skirt, a beach-y cotton dress and a perfect white button down — because my summer style philosophy is dressing like the lead in a ‘90s rom-com. I actually made a moodboard on TikTok that pieced together this exact aesthetic: the final scene of You’ve Got Mail, various street wear shots of Julia Roberts and screen caps of Elizabeth James’ character from The Parent Trap.
A sub-category of this is of course, the Coastal Grandmother — an aesthetic currently on the rise after TikToker @lexnicoletta coined the term. It seems like many of us want to feel like the leading lady of our own lives this summer — draped in linen, feet in the sand and bouquet of flowers in hand — and can you blame us?
If you take a moment to sign up for Dibz through my link here, you’ll get access to their curated Coastal Grandma collection, which includes pieces such as belted floral maxi skirts, ivory-colored sweaters and more. And if you’re still curious about the service, they also launched a Facebook community group where you can join to get more info and give feedback on your experience.
💌 A LOVE LETTER TO…
Things I’m loving this month.
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Silver Linings. There’s just something so understated and fresh about silver jewelry, which matches up with where my style is heading lately. These beautiful abstract pieces from Onkalo Jewellery look like they were almost melted together on an alien planet.
YouTube Seratonin. This month, two videos were the pure sources of dopamine for me: Brittany Broski’s and Sara Schauer’s newest Zillow Gone Wild review and Mike’s Mic’s 2-hour recap of Glee (seasons 1-3).
Floozy School. In a sea of “how to start your own business” or “how get rich in a year” advice videos on the internet, the only tutorial I’m interested in is how to be a good house floozy, a series hosted by @kittieharloe. So far she’s shared tips on hand washing your intimates, storing winter clothes and honestly, I need more.
Robin’s Style. This tweet got me thinking about this iconic Jean Paul Gaultier shirt, the projected return of screen printed fashion and Robin Williams’ iconic street style of the ‘90s.
Comically Long Shorts. At one point I promised myself that capris were a questionable trend that I would never reintroduce into my closet. The lavender plaid ones from 8th grade have done enough damage. But when I reflected on my recent purchase from Oak and Fort — a pair of fresh, extra long linen shorts that graze my knees, I began to wonder; where do the shorts end and the the capris begin?
Futuristic Fashion. It’s long been predicted that futurism style will be on the rise (specifically, the early 2000s interpretation of it). This creator @flamielove created an outfit that has since been burning a hole in my brain.
🔖 REQUIRED READING
In “Russian Doll,” Natasha Lyonne Barrels Into The Past — The New Yorker
The Rise and Fall—and Rise Again—of the Fashion Bow — Harper’s Bazaar