What Two Hot Lesbians Wore To Weddings This Month
Meet the best dressed guests, Alana and Taylor
I’m lucky enough to have great friends who also have great senses of style. Taylor Hansen Hughes and Alana Dresner are the perfect example. Tay’s a stylist and art obsessee who isn’t afraid to tell me to get rid of a sweater I tried to mend on my own. Alana works at Depop and is the funniest person I know. Bar none. Remember Parker Posey’s sound bath guy? That was Alana’s doing.
I used to write about my friends’ outfits way more on Long Live and as we get closer to mat leave (!!!) I’m going to start bringing in more POVs on fashion other than just yours truly. I was thinking about what to wear to weddings, and The Poodles (everyone’s colloquial term Tay and Alana) have four THIS MONTH ALONE.
Plus, you couple Taylor’s professional aptitude for getting dressed fabulously and Alana’s innate sense of personal style, and they’re practically Long Live catnip. Plus, it’s Pride, people.
So here’s three weddings, six-ish looks, and plenty of inspo/secondhand options—all served Poodle Style.
Classic Chicago Wedding
Two things are steadfast: Alana will be wearing her Gucci aviators and Taylor will be in a brightly colored dress, usually by Oscar de la Renta. Also, Taylor is a stylist with relationships with brands, so she borrowed some pieces, for the record.
“I’m thinking never about comfort and Alana is always thinking about comfort. I’m always thinking about style and wearing a dress that looks perfect for my body.” Expect to see a lot of waist moments from Miss Hughes. Alana, like me, feels best in a collared shirt. Her equation is 90% comfort and 10% style. “I feel very lucky that Taylor influences my style.”
Set an alert for “Bernadette” on The RealReal and you’ll be able to find lots of wedding-approved looks for under $600, including this dress.
Tay bought her Bernadette dress on The Outnet “for nothing” and it’s a great resource for wedding guest outfits. This DVF dress is $192, and cotton poplin, so not for black tie, but great for garden.
The Poodles are in all vintage jewelry, which is a good reminder to always be curating pieces you love and can wear to events/in your real life.
My very chic friend, Camille Freestone, was in a Kenneth Jay Lane necklace at a breakfast this week and I’ve been obsessed with the 80s costume jewelry brand ever since. How cool is this necklace?
Upstate New York at The Caboose
The Poodles’ POV—if it says Black Tie Optional, go Black Tie. “It can be maybe a good thing for someone like Alana who doesn’t play by the rules of wearing a tux or a gown. The less rigid opens up more possibilities, which is how we landed on the CJR set.”
"In general, I just love Alana in anything she feels comfortable in. She’s done the full tux and the full gown thing, and I like when she lands somewhere in the middle.” Alana is bummed out seeing people who don’t look comfortable in what they’re wearing at weddings. Well, we can’t all date stylists, I guess would be my response, Alana.
For what it’s worth, Tay regrets wearing these Dries heels—perhaps a rare moment of practicality? Snatched from her TRR to sell pile at the last minute, her reflection on the discomfort of the shoes during a night of dancing can be summarized in one line. “Well, that was annoying.”
I stand by Galvan sequins, especially secondhand. I have this dress in navy and come back to it for so many formal events. It’s even better in silver sequin! And it’s $525 secondhand.
Or channel Taylor x GP at the Oscars with this Oscar de la Renta number for under $1,000.
On the right person, this is a wearable LBD! It’s also vintage Oscar and $400.
And here’s a completely different take on a sequin pant courtesy of Simon Miller.
Hamptons Black Tie
A final look at a true personality pic of the two of them. Alana is almost always in a lug sole—it’s her signature—so I’ll be sure to find a Gucci pair on TRR below. I asked Tay if she envisions her bridal style being different than her formal fashion persona. “If anything, it’ll just feel like the truest form of myself. In a past life I was royalty and part of that is reflected here,” she said. Alana doesn’t picture her and Tay as wedding cake toppers (suit! dress!) for the sake of tradition. She sees herself maintaining a certain level of femininity, but is still workshopping. Trust me, I’ll keep you readers updated on where they land.
The past life as royalty thing is no joke. I swear I’ve never seen anyone more comfortable at a private client preview on the 19838th floor of a Midtown building for Prada on a Tuesday morning with a glass of champagne. “Taylor is always polished and opulent so my favorite thing she wears is any of my oversized sweatshirts or raggedy graphic tees. Any time I buy something way more my style than hers, I love seeing it on her.”
While TRR marks these as a “Smart Investment” I might have to disagree, but they’re so fun and way less than retail.
It’s so easy to picture Alana in this Kallmeyer shirt.
$350 vintage Givenchy tuxedo on eBay! Bring to Ramon on the LES for tailoring or G&G on West Broadway and you’re good as new.
Bonus: Tanner Fletcher Bridal + Welcome Party Florals
Did I mention they’re models? The Poodles are close friends of the design duo Tanner Fletcher and were natural picks to walk the brand’s first bridal presentation a few months ago. Yes, I cried. Yes, I made sure the person I was sitting next to knew these were my friends.
I love the idea of chopping this $35 quilted trench into a little jacket for a bridal lunch.
I could see Tay in something like this vintage Jessica McClintock Gunne Sax dress. It’s $70!
I really did adore everything bridal from Tanner Fletcher, but this dress might be my favorite, with this blouse as my second fav.
I would add more tulle under this dress skirt, but for $170 on Etsy, you could!
Taylor’s love for Marni runs deep. I’ll never forget a Sunday afternoon she dragged me, Ruby's Recs, and Alana into the store to try on sneakers. She wore this dress to two welcome parties and I thought it was worth a mention.
Get into the Marni floral spirit for $200 on eBay!
A very cool floral option under $250.
This is a little borderline bridal, but it’s so beautiful and only $33.
Honorable Mentions
If you’re as obsessed with travel pouches as I am, maybe consider this pouch in a pouch system. Also a chic gift IMO.
I started talking very candidly about growing onSubstack on Tiktok + you can join in on the party.
My current happy hour sitch: ice cold Athletic Brew Hazy IPA and a tiny bowl of peanut M&Ms, that I’m pouring from this exact bag.
Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can preorder my romance novel, Exit Lane, on Bookshop or Amazon. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, and shop my Notion template. You can book my Office Hours to talk shop here. Get matched at EV Salon. And if you want to partner on a future Long Live, email evan@communite.co x
Best couple ! Best taste! I have been to too many Bat Mitzvahs to cosign the Jessica McClintok in good conscience though but that's just me.
Those stylish ladies are walking in Canalfront Park in Lewes, my hometown. Would love to meet them for coffee if they are visiting or getting to know the area. We can always use more style here in the Small Wonder!