Long Live My Custom Summer Suit
On the Mexico City designer you'll be obsessed with, a wedding countdown, and a secret Halloween shopping resource.
I’ve been excited to share about this outfit for months. That’s because, the process of of falling in love with the look, sending im my measurements, and waiting patiently for it to arrive in Brooklyn from Mexico City took that long. Meet the magic of made-to-order shopping. Imbibed again is the intention that makes shopping so special. I called it the antidote to fast fashion in this story I wrote for The Zoe Report, which might have been a little hopeful or hyperbolic, but that’s show biz! What I meant to say is that we can train ourselves to want things in a different way. Chava Studio has been a big part of that unlearning for me.
Olivia, the designer behind Chava Studio, makes clothes that feel damn cool. Yes, they’re timeless! They’re interesting! But a fact proven by the pop up I shopped this fall (my bridesmaids gifts are from the brand), people who wear Chava Studio look effortless. It’s one part the made-to-measure effect that ensure each piece is truly one-of-a-kind and another part Olivia’s careful eye. No detail is spared. Monograms are edgy again. And the fabrics are so good, I won’t even bother trying to describe them in words. When I touched the linen she made my suit out of, reader, I audibly gasped.
Back to my own Chava love story! I knew I wanted an all black summer uniform that would make it easy for me to feel presentable, even on the days when Manhattan transforms into a borough from Hell. Something sleeveless was on my mind, as were pants with enough attitude to disguise the fact I was trying to wear a South Carolina beach mom cover up on the streets of New York. I emailed Olivia my plight. We went back and forth on details, and the suit that showed up at my door exceeded every reasonable expectation I had. Scroll to the bottom of her website to subscribe to her thought-provoking, statistically robust newsletters. Even if I’m not in the mood to shop, I always come away with a new outfit idea.
The moral of the story is this: if I could tell my twelve-year-old self who wore her sweats past her hip bones and stretched the arms of her shirts past her wrists to stretch out the sleeves that someday I’d be buying clothes made just for my impossibly long body, I’d cry. I mean, lots of things would have made my cry in retrospect, including the realization that I’m living with someone I’m not yet married to and that I have a bob, but that’s not the point. It’s a special, special privilege to be on the receiving side of fashion as art, made just for you.
Archived Outfit
My single comment on the Queen’s death is this: she was no fashion icon. I saw a Tiktok of a woman who shares an ex-boyfriend with me acting as such, and I was furious. There is a single royal dresser whose outfits will live on forever. Long Live Princess Diana. Long Live her impeccable ability to layer.
Larry Levine for under $10. Go forth!
Am I getting distracted, or is this the whole point? Show up anywhere in this baby blue pinstripe outfit, and immediately be best dressed.
Who cares if this is a PGA reference? I love to imagine it with a white button up underneath and pants.
Honorable Mentions
I’m making a list of the wedding-related things I hope to accomplish by the next newsletter. You thought this was about vintage fashion! Welcome to my accountability group.
Pick up my look from Bode + try it on with shoes
Hide said look from Christian somewhere in our 750 square foot apartment or hide at friend’s place
Try a “tucked in with little rubber band” hair style I saw on Tiktok
Finish bridesmaids gifts
Book menu-tasting with Sauced
Place cake order from Costco
Practice deep breathing
How To Change Your Mind—I read this book for work. Yes, it’s super long. Still yes, if you’re into psychedelics + their potential, it’s super worth it.
Acne—Last time I was reading with Ruby, I saw her reading this. So I added it to my library hold list, and loved every page. Written by a TV writer, incredibly moving, I cried twice. And maybe the best argument—it’s a Ruby pick.
The Years—Annie Ernaux is one of my favorite writers. In fact, she was basically my whole personality my last term at Bennington.
Halloween! Noihsaf Bazaar (my Vogue debut) is curating a Halloween section. You’re welcome.
Thank you so much for reading. I’ve recently written about a woman with a great piano, the color white, Cetaphil, and the chair in my bedroom. See you next, next Thursday! x
Costco cake! Yes yes yes!!!