I love clothes. My maternal grandmother was an extremely talented seamstress and my aunt is a former patternmaker, so it’s in my blood. My grandmother’s style was classic and European, and while I didn’t always like what she made me as a little girl (a two-piece Christmas plaid skirt suit with a velvet collar and shoulder pads comes to mind), it has molded how I dress as an adult. I still wear a lot of her designs and knitwear. When I shop, I often think about whether she’d like a piece I’m considering.
One trend I’m seeing everywhere that my grandmother would appreciate: pleated skirts. (Is modesty dressing coming back?) She loved a pleat and would even make me pleated skirts by hand. I’ve always had them in my wardrobe, but now, they’re all I want to wear. (It has to be wool, and I prefer a wide-pleat calf-length skirt paired with a slouchy, oversized sweater so I don’t look too schoolmarm-y.) Luckily, they’re easy to find vintage, secondhand, and new. Here are some of my favorites.
The most affordable option is from GU. It’s polyester, but when I tried it on, I was pleased by the width of the pleats and the midi length. It comes in three colors, some of which read more “school uniform” than others, so choose wisely.
Comme des Garçons and all its various lines make really excellent options, but they’re obviously very expensive. I love this, as you don’t often come across a pink pleated skirt, but it’s definitely a look. (The RealReal is a trove of more attainable CDG skirts, pleated and otherwise.)
I am tempted by this tartan skirt from Irish brand O’Neil of Dublin that I saw at Rennes in Philadelphia, my favorite store.
Noah just released a capsule line of womenswear, including this made-in-New-York-City wrap skirt.
I was served an ad for this skirt on Instagram and felt compelled enough by how it was styled (with lots of layers) that I took a screenshot. It’s much more affordable than the options above, but it’s made of a wool-polyester blend.
I personally love scouring Etsy and eBay for vintage pleated skirts. I have a gorgeous vintage made-in-Italy skirt from Saks Fifth Avenue’s store brand that I consider the platonic ideal in this category, but it’s slightly too small. I think it was a hand-me-down from my mom’s friend. I have yet to find another, but I persevere. Here are some other promising options.
Here’s everything else I’ve seen recently …
I’ve been on a vintage Laura Ashley kick as well. I understand the risk of veering trad wife with this style, but I wanted one of the brand’s paisley or floral corduroy dresses to wear for Christmas.
I went to Maria Tash in Noho the other week and got a second lobe piercing. I had dainty hoops put in, so now I need non-studs in the lower holes to balance out the look. Somehow, I don’t own any simple gold hoops. Either of these would be nice for every day.
Something dangly would also look nice. I’ve always wanted a pair of Ted Muehling earrings and have my eye on these “gnats.” I also like these elongated “rice” earrings that I first saw on a colleague, Strategist senior editor Hilary Reid.
Just a PSA that Zara Kids makes incredibly stylish, warm, and affordable down winter coats that are also water-repellent. My 5-year-old has been wearing L.L.Bean’s Kids’ Bean’s Down Jacket and my 2-year-old Patagonia’s Baby Hi-Loft Down Sweater Hoody, both of which I love, but I wanted to try something new as they begin to grow out of them. My older son especially loves his Zara coat because it comes with internal “backpack” straps for easy carrying. He also reports that it’s “the warmest jacket I’ve ever worn.”
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