Chances are, if you know me in real life, I’ve brought up Ruby. We’ve been best friends, a story we recount with the same kind of eye roll that married couples give each other when someone asks. Iowa. 2015. All our friends thought we’d hit it off. She was studying in Florence. I was at FIT. One fateful summer night, a friend introduced us at dinner. We had breakfast at La Mie the next morning.
There’s a lot to love about Ruby. Of course, I’m the most biased, but indulge me. It’s my newsletter! She’s super smart, a whiz in the kitchen, loyal, a great eye at the thrift store, and a superb reader. I don’t use that word lightly. When we met, I thought an MFA was a sports league and was reading Jojo Moyes.
She reads widely and constantly, making our near-decade-long friendship a beautiful conversation in books. “You’ll like this” from Ruby is a directive to immediately run to the nearest bookstore, preferably Three Lives, where she was a famed bookseller, and pick up a copy. I take her recs very seriously.
And now, you can, too! After some loving prodding, my best friend and favorite reader started a substack called Ruby’s Recs. Fans of Molly Young or Stephanie Danler picks, right this way. Intimidated by reading and looking to get back on the saddle? Ruby’s your girl. But please don’t inundate her with requests for personal recs. That’s my job.
How long have you had this piece?
Six years! I bought this trench/coat in 2017.
Where did it come from?
A beloved vintage store in rural Delaware that has since closed (I'm still in mourning). My mom read about the store in a local newspaper. We went on a lark and it was the best vintage store I'd ever been to. The first floor was all jewelry, accessories, and some home goods, and the second floor was all clothes. Almost everything was under $10. It was the kind of place where I'd always leave with a garbage bag full of stuff and the bill was never over $100. The owner once told me curators from the Met's Costume Institute would often come in and buy things for the museum's collection. This coat is definitely my most worn piece from there, but my best find was an Hermes scarf I bought for $60. I knew it was closing for about a year prior (the owner was retiring) and I made 4 separate road trips from New York to buy up everything I could and say my goodbyes.
How much did you pay for it?
I believe it was $7.
How do you wear it?
I wear it over everything. It isn't warm, but it's oversized enough that I can wear a thick sweater underneath so I end up wearing it in the colder months, as well as a light jacket in the spring and fall. It is definitely the coat I reach for the most. I've had all the buttons replaced and it is now starting to tear and fray in certain places, but I will continue to mend it. If it eventually falls apart, I will pay an obscene amount to have a tailor remake it for me.
What does it represent?
It feels like a security blanket. I love that it came from a place I loved. It is practical and classic but it feels special because I've worn it to so many important things and to so many ordinary things. I've brought it around the world with me. It represents my love of vintage and reminds me that all of my most worn items are thrifted. Even when I've splurged on fancy things I always end up reaching for my scrappier, thrifted pieces instead.
Thanks for coming on, Rubes! And again, subscribe to Ruby’s Recs for the kind of recommendations that some random listicle could never offer you. Tell her I sent you x
Archived Outfit
Ruby’s more of an IRL thrifter, but our emails back and forth are a constant chain of links. In her honor, here are some trench-y jackets for your shopping pleasure.
Kind of fun in army green? $30 and Calvin Klein.
Similar shape to Ruby’s! Under $30, too.
Lucky you if you’re an XS! Fung Lan for $48.
And I just had to throw this one in. It’s Louis Vuitton for $350 but honestly, I’m in love.
Honorable Mentions
I mentioned it on my Instagram, but this moisturizer is my trusty dusty. Come back to it. Use it liberally. That sort of thing. And due to a last-min FSA situation, I discovered this brand of period underwear. Very into it.
Good Rich People—Thriller anyone? Tore through this.
More books to come next time, but who am I kidding? Go to Ruby for that. Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, shop my Notion template, and as always, respond to this dispatch for my direct line x
The LV trench! Had to ask the internet to convert a French size 34 and the answer broke my heart.