Long Live A Good Blazer
On my new favorite peanut butter, a signature piece of clothing, and it's almost wedding time!
This is the last Long Live before my wedding. It’s relevant only because I’ll be breaking down each of the looks/pieces I’m wearing on the day on this newsletter. It’s a fun way to unpack the stories behind outfits that will always have a special place in my wardrobe. Plus, I’m nosy + love to read BTS on weddings. Don’t you?
As a treat, we have my dear friend Lily Sullivan, whose Instagram bio aptly reads, “probably in a blazer,” on the newsletter this week. She and I met on LinkedIn and then for martinis and fries. Lily’s a great friend who surrounds herself with brilliant people, almost always a spread with some sort of pickle or olive happening, and really, really good clothes—including, but not limited to, blazers.
Also, do yourself a favor and subscribe to her almost-launched newsletter, Love and Other Rugs. Expect funny, poignant essays on the ways finding a boyfriend can feel like scouring Facebook Marketplace for a sofa.
How long have you had this piece?
About a year!
Where did it come from? How much did you pay for it?
It was actually a gift, spotted at Beacon’s Closet by a friend—she knew I needed it. But trust me I’ve spent my fair share on my blazer collection.
How do you wear it?
Over everything—tiny dresses, formal dresses, with jeans or a pair of slacks. Sometimes it is the outwear or a layer but really it is a piece that goes day to night, professional to sexy.
What does it represent?
It was interesting because when first given this prompt, I thought about art—photographs of my mothers, prints I’ve spent small and large sums of money buying through the years, posters I’ve collected. Then my mind shifted to more solid decor—my two sets of red vintage chairs, one italian set I bought with a stimulus check and the others that lived in my childhood home scavenged by my mother in San Francisco in the late 80s. My iconic checkerboard rug from my cousins at Forsyth art, a burlwood card table—my home is full of stories.
The list got long—but then I thought more about the prompt, the one thing that stands the test of time, bucks trends, holds significance while also creating new meaning. In the five years since my mother’s death, I’ve come to see my style evolving to match hers. This is in part because when I cleaned out her house I dry cleaned 150 of her garments (at a midwest dry cleaner with a LOT of coupons) and sent them to my apartment in NY. This is also because she had a formula to her wardrobe at every stage of her life—it was simple yet iconic. She attributed this to being a ballerina. In her 20s it was sweaters and big skirts and dresses, in her 30s silk blouses and light khakis, in her 40s and 50s college professor-chic—thrifted Ferragamos, structured levis, white button downs, and a blazer. No matter what you put a blazer over, it gives structure and purpose. It is my belief that you can not look disheveled in a blazer.
I selected one, for the purposes of narrowing, and the one I picked well it’s a good one. But it also represents a catalog, a collection of interchangeable pieces.
Archived Outfit
This is the exact kind of outfit I want to be wearing these days. The weather’s still teetering on full-fledged fall, so it’s a great time to take advantage of bare legs. Realistically, I’d swap the sandals for loafers, but don’t let me hold you back. I would give anything for this blazer—perfectly oversized, the ideal shade of navy, and just the right length.
Blazers like these are pretty easy to find in thrift stores for $10. Here’s one on eBay if you’re lazy, like me.
I love uniform dressing SO MUCH. A Long Live deep dive coming soon. Until then, I leave you with this skirt.
Honorable Mentions
Horse Crazy—It goes without saying, Gary Indiana isn’t for everyone. But if you like Big Lights, Big City and describe your literary taste as “gritty,” go forth.
Memorial Drive—Ok, it’s another depressing memoir, but this one was written by a really incredible poet. Especially if you write nonfiction, read this to remind yourself what the craft can do.
Joy Enough—I still remember attending this book party in Dumbo under the rattling F train. The book is a moving portrait of love and loss. What else is new?
Graceland, At Last—If you love reading the occasional essay in NYT, why not read it in an anthology? Topics span from climate change to birds in the backyard.
Peanut butter! I know, weird thing to get excited about. But trust me on this. Teddie Natural Peanut Butter is under $5, only nuts and salt, and delicious.
Thank you so much for reading. Recently, I wrote about clogs for GQ and a loveseat for Clever. See you next Thursday! x
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