Chewing the Fat
Digesting everything February had to offer — including a Big Fat Fashion Month download and emerging brands on my radar
Quick housekeeping! With all the imagery from fashion month, you’ll have to take this send out of your inbox to read in full. I also have a couple affiliate links for some of my shopping suggestions, where I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase.
We’ve made it through the worst. I hope I don’t regret saying that. February moved at hyperspeed, downtrodden only by two separate snowstorms that exposed the laziest parts of New Yorkers (looking at you, dog owners who left shit in the snowbanks). We earned this 7pm sunset, listening to Islands in the Stream beneath the sun with UV 5. As new beginnings bloom, I’m carrying forth a mission to really Chew The Fat of Life.
I haven’t given myself nearly enough time to put distance between me and everything I’ve consumed/experienced in the last month to put ‘em in neatly outlined buckets. In lieu of deep research, I’m doing my best to cover the breadth of collected runway shows (the more I wrote, the more I realized I was a fan of this season!), emerging brands, books, shower thoughts and cultural discourse that have come across my desk. Cue the download!
READING
As part of a friend’s book swap club — consider it less like organized conversations, and more Sisterhood of the Traveling Books — I hustled my way through Jacqueline Suzanne’s The Valley of the Dolls. Don’t read it if you can’t stand it when no one “wins” in a story, because you’ll be stuck wishing one or two of the characters were real so you could gift them a swift uppercut. If, like me, you can withstand alladat for the love of Hollywood Regency and the heartbreaking trope of American ambition, dive right in.
One of my goals this year was to read and write more inspired poetry, and my first pick from the library could not have struck me any more than it did. Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, particularly the titular piece but also From the Desire Field, shook me up, spun me around, then told me to sit still and listen. I read one or two a night for the better part of a month, fully engrossed in her transcendent, personal language of family, love, spirituality, the environment, and basketball. I want to describe everything with the attention and connection that she expresses.
On my flight to LA last weekend I conveniently flipped through the contents of AD’s spring issue dedicated to the city, a year out from the wildfires. As a sucker for Californian art deco & forest-y Frank Lloyd Wright delights, Bill Kaulitz of Tokyo Hotel/Davide Rizzo and Scout Willis’ homes were immediately saved to my future home mood board. It’s the way they both integrate nature… think a stone conversation pit in the garden, exposed beams and monastic arches or stained glass that look out to lush, native greenery.
In “Is fashion just for billionaires now?”, CNN Style reporter Rachel Tashjian takes the moment Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan arrive at Prada’s AW26 show to muse on the ever-growing hand billionaires play in pop culture, high art and public institutions. “Like it or not, fashion is becoming the new playground for America’s technocrats, who are just as susceptible to the allures of Prada as anyone else…Perhaps the tension of fashion’s big ideas and its, sometimes, oblivious consumers is what makes it so fascinating — not a problem to be resolved but a contradiction to be embraced,” she writes. When our government is bent on publicly courting the 1% (as well as making up, breaking up, over and over), I feel drawn to observe who in fashion is following suit. Billionaires seem to prefer silence in Senate Committee hearings, and turn the volume up elsewhere, puppeteering their way around arts and culture as they see fit.
That part.
FASHION MONTH
In our generation’s era of class warfare, one of our few institutions that serves as a great equalizer is the public park. Jonathan Anderson, at the height of his powers in his new role as Creative Director at Dior, understands this deeply, placing it at the heart of his AW26 collection shown at the Tuileries Gardens. An open-air affair complete with lily-covered sandals, polka dot pumps and layered hems reminiscent of garden florals, Dior presented a swirling, fantastical romance that nods to the parks and promenades of the 18th and 19th centuries while providing room to still make out with someone on a picnic blanket in present day. Hell yeah. I’ll follow him wherever he goes.
Chanel is layering the whimsy: so much so that it jumps out at you. Feathers and loose, multi-stacked tweed rustle in the open air as a sort of halo around the body. It’s consistent with the code of the SS26 presentation, creating a clear lineage for Matthieu Blazy to establish, but someone has turned up the velocity. Mandy Lee @oldloserinbrooklyn said it best in this reel: world-building is incredibly important to the storytelling of a creative director, particularly at such a storied house, and Blazy’s unencumbered joy seeps through every thread, flows from the models on every catwalk. Before Blazy, Chanel never seemed to tickle my fancy — while my wallet is still light years away, the culture of this Chanel is something worth participating in. And with mother-of-pearl knitted skirt sets, why wouldn’t I?
Ralph Lauren you are my everything. Muted browns, Western leather waistcoats, knee-high boots with pants tucked into them. There were opera gloves, carpet-like jackets and draped scarves fastened by gilded brooches. Large belts — long velvet dresses with trains — elbow patches — dangly earrings — shimmery fabrics meet earthy hues… there were just SO. MANY. TEXTURES. TO. LOVE. Watching the show, I felt like my youngest brother when he was five: constantly running his hands along walls, furniture, anything he was walking past. I want to sink into these clothes and run endlessly across a field of tall grass in a flyover state. Nobody does Western like Ralph!
At Proenza, the fringe-and-grommet combination on some of the pieces caught my eye, making the garments have a glorified rug look to them (see RL). Certainly a conversation starter. Some of the gathered, off-shoulder tops felt too similar to everyone’s jeans-and-a-going-out-top ensemble these days, I didn’t love the stark white contrast buttons on the suiting — too large? Too white? — but the trenches (in houndstooth and then leather) were fab.
In show notes, Marc Jacobs cites collections from Yves Saint Laurent couture ‘65, Perry Ellis SS93, Prada SS96 and a slew of his own archives in a stripped back demonstration. Like many figures this season, the viewer’s eye goes straight to the hips, which were cut dead across and slightly extended no matter where it sat on the model. Hands were pocketed inside the skirts for many on the catwalk, and while I’m not entirely sure . Tucked underneath maxi skirts were calf-skimming knee-high Catwoman boots, and strappy chrome sling back heels paired up with black hosiery on the leggier looks.
Pieter Mulier’s final collection at Alaïa - stun. It wasn’t Clothes That Cry part II, but the figure-skimming dresses and ribbed drop waistlines, monochromatic reds and infinitesimal pleats felt like the cross fade into his future at Versace while retaining the sculptural and hip-enhancing silhouettes that he honed in his tenure at Alaïa.
Beginning with Autumn/Winter 2026, London Fashion Week is formally adopting Copenhagen FW’s sustainability requirements, stipulating that participants must meet a minimum of 18 criteria across six different areas of their production/value chains. Designers must also agree to not destroy unsold clothes and samples from previous collections — given that 73% of textiles apparel waste is landfilled or incinerated globally, the new protocol to skirt around fashion waste on one of the Global North’s biggest stages is no small feat.
While opting for Paris over London this season, Stella McCartney took LFW’s measures to heart in a collection featuring (among a graphic tee S/O to her dad) deadstock fabrics, lead-free crystals, viscose and RWS-certified wool. It felt like a head-to-toe commitment to eco-material innovation, rather than a concentrated portion of the collection that virtue signaling brands often do, which feels a bit too reserved and lacking climate urgency.
Apart from the sex appeal of a slivered chest (for men, by way of skinny tie; women, a narrow plunge of an undone button-up), what I’m most interested in from Tom Ford’s presentation are the transparent rainproof skirts, jackets and visors. It’s not not a nod to climate preparation and resiliency, and how fashion has to both signal and adapt to this progressive future change.
Louis Vuitton (above) and Miu Miu took touching grass to heart. In the former, the set design translated an environment-meets-engineering conversation… places where the natural world finds symbiosis with man made design, and where the two powers diverge. The greenery was as geometric as the broad shoulders, as the contrast hems on piece-y skirts. Sherpa-like hats and hoods were uplifted by flouncy, flimsy pant legs, like Ghesquière was pushing the mountains and woodlands together.
With scraped-back hair and a combination of girlish delicacy and outdoor apparel tech, Miu Miu explored a worn-in collection in the dichotomy between the “smallness of the human body in the vastness of the world,” as Miuccia put it. I find it to be quite a subtle statement to place a few Gen X muses (Gillian Anderson & longtime Miu Miu muse Chloë Sevigny) known for their unabashed and liberating takes on beauty and aging, in the cast of a presentation of youth. Contrary to LV, Miu Miu went the organic route and let the moss creep up and cover the runway, untamed.
Ending with Issey Miyake — woah. “Creating, Allowing” presents Miyake’s draping expertise as a study in how garments can emerge through minimal intervention. In a sea of designers (and a society!) focused on one body type, this runway felt like a knockout in its approach to utilize techniques that work with, not against the body. While not strictly an environmental play, Miyake makes a pointed remark on enhancing existing beauty with technical prowess, rather than extracting and engineering your own perfect body/environment.
EMERGING BRANDS ON MY WATCHLIST
Centered around limited themed capsule collections, Irish-based Taippe works exclusively with natural fibers and partners with an ethical manufacturer in Portugal (one of a couple notable countries with fair labor regulatory practices, worth keeping in mind). They recently dressed Brittany Broski for the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man premiere in an ensemble that declares they won’t shy away from mixing prints. It has some crossover with a sort of Damson Madder type: classic UK/Irish pieces like trenches in energetic, picnic-worthy prints, graphic tees and billowy skirts that all play a mix of the masculine and feminine.
I haven’t partaken in my annual swimsuit indulgence, but if I could do my California weekend over again I would bring something from 75 & Sunny. Based in Newport Beach and made from regenerated ocean waste, this slow fashion and AAPI-founded swim collection was made for a cheeky afternoon spent seaside.
We started off blissfully warm in New York last week, but we all know better than to pack away our knits too soon. The Endery (deadstock yarns made in Peru), &Daughter (100% natural fibers by artisans in Scotland and Ireland), and Whitley (LA-based Grade A cashmere), despite their sprawling geographic pins, share a similar ethos to responsibly-sourced and produced knitwear. No shortage of gorgina jumpers here.
Los Angeles-based Ossou has all the makings of a 2026 woman: leather belts with long ties, buttery twill button-ups with extended sleeves, structured (Japanese!) denim that poses an understated approach to wide legs or flare hem. Perfect for those of you who add influencers wearing some combination of button-up/relaxed wide leg trousers/flip flips to your Pinterest boards. I’m partial to the Field Jacket and Sweep Denim Jacket with the tie belt.
While I’ve previously written about the dangers of PFAS-laden polyester sports apparel, I will on the occasion look for vintage sportswear pieces. Now more than ever, this category is becoming overcrowded with people hoping to dress a bit funkier than their Set Active gym compadres. Rummage Stretch has a well-sourced collection of vintage finds across Nike and Adidas’ golden days that will make any Gen Z’er nostalgic for the moments they were ten years too young to experience firsthand.
Amy Powney’s latest venture AKYN has a transitional collection for spring inspired by the harmony of yin and yang, utilizing organic cotton, Lyocell and Tencel (one of my favorite fibers!). Featuring asymmetric necklines and organic pearl fastenings for the freak and sleek in us all. Now that’s a yin/yang I can understand.
Friends of mine are having a courthouse wedding this week and have dubbed their reception dress code as a sort of Dionysian paradise. What else would you expect from a couple well-versed in art history and wine? I may scrap something together from my closet for the rendezvous, but Nation’s Pima cotton midi dress in Laguna blue (Pima uses 50% less water than regular cotton, FYI) and chunky, spiral silver cuffs would help me look the part otherwise. With a boat neck and wide sash on the drop waist, it has my preferred ratio of effortless-classic and effortless-casual.
STYLING PIECES TO POP OUT IN
Between Harry Styles’ cover story shoot for Runners World and the Winter Olympics, a windbreaker has never been more appealing. My Reebok one always garners some compliments (& requests to source similar ones for friends); luckily, eBay has no shortage of them. I think this yellow one deserves a special home. If you’re looking for something less like 80s gymnastics and a bit more cutesy, the Hikerkind team have kitted me up with this sailor-style one (below).
Knee-high (and a few over the knee) boots cropped up everywhere on the runway this season, but particularly so in the vicinity of hunting and equestrian sports. I think a flat boot has a place in every pedestrian’s wardrobe, so I’m here for it. Loads of riding boot variations can be found secondhand (primarily RL and Tommy Hilfiger) for < $100.
Silken accents like scarves, shrugs, and skirts will be back in action once the sun is ready to clock back in and COMMIT to spring.
Glove-like footwear are akin to Miyake’s ethos of forming to the body this season. They’re sorta malleable and practical physically, seductive in a way. Kinda like how “Oreos Enrobed” feels like they tried to name the chocolate-covered version of the cookie after a marketing executive told them “sex sells!” Anyway, I am enrobed in these flats from Margaux for the foreseeable — what you can’t see, however, is that there is a plush footbed underneath.
EATING
Yes I went to California and got the Erewhon HB smoothie. It tasted like a strawberry milkshake (complimentary), in no small part due to the strawberry sea moss gel in a thick, gelatinous streak lining the cup. I proceeded to go home and throw a dollop of this multivitamin-like gel in my yogurt bowls. Expensive-sounding? Ridiculous? Not entirely, though I may pick it up for a month and forget like my actual multivitamin supplement sitting in my pantry cupboard. At least this one tastes good.
On a bakery crawl of Brooklyn one rainy morning, I was lucky enough to encounter Radio Bakery’s tang-tastic yuzu croissant, cut by a healthy swirl of jasmine meringue. I think I exhaled into a “Wow” every three bites.
Everyone has different preferences on how they like their tiramisu proportions — while I have been in a more purist, espresso-forward camp, my fluffy, fudge-laden serving at Jupiter reminded me of the compelling “more is more” approach to chocolate’s role in the recipe.
TUNES
For that sacred, sacred time we’ll be living in for the next month or so.
SHOWER THOUGHTS
I feel like I need to say something about chilled red wine. Great for a low tannin, light-to-medium bodied red like Beaujolais, Pinot Noir or Rosso that have notes of berry. Like orange wine before it, chilled reds are moving past local natty wine bars and deeper into the restaurant scene. I didn’t invent it, but I’ve had to point it out once or twice recently and need to put it in writing so my dad can have a bottle prepped for us to sip on the patio when I’m home later this month.
That said, don’t be a source of education to people who don’t give a shit. Words to live by in your dating life, that one niche interest of yours that you’ve become an expert on, or if you write about sustainability and fashion, ahem. Most people just want their ego or disposition validated and don’t care about the rest. Read the room and proceed accordingly. Maybe they’ll ask you for more!
Back to chewing the fat for a second — take longer in a museum, with the words on the page you’re reading, people watching! Embrace the moment and stretch it further.
Being a student of life is en vogue. Exhibit A: junk journaling as a trend. It’s really just writing in the margins or adding sticky notes, but I digress. The latest facet of lit girl supremacy takes a stab at the idea that we should not only consume great works, but we should also take stock of our approach to the material, what sticks out, etc. Relatable for Gen Z grads who may still be licking the wounds of COVID college + faced with a volatile, depressing job market. However you come to it, I’m just happy to hear reading and writing is cool. It earnest approach to interdisciplinary hobbies, at a time where social media convinces users to put up a facade of being In The Know, is a turn in the right direction.
Having allegiance to a brand isn’t something many shoppers consider in the rise of e-retailers and IG/Tiktok Shops, but maybe it should. With thirst trap-like content of CBK in Calvin Klein (because duh, she worked there) and Jacob Elordi and his collection of Bottega Veneta bags, I’m curious as to how that may look at the Joe Schmo level. How do we incorporate that in our closets without looking like a cut-and-paste of a designer’s own styling?
My friend pulled tarot cards for me to represent each month of the year, the Magician representing March. Upon looking it up, it apparently serves as the reminder that I already possess the tools for my success. Allow me to share this as a reminder for you, too <3
Bring the shoes! And lmk if I’m sposed to tell your dad about the wine, or if you already did😉