Julie- it’s actually a lovely chance to rebuild. Your body may change, your lifestyle certainly will (chasing after little humans!). Welcome the challenge to build a closet full of workhorses as a smart shopper!
Love these weekly posts, as I could stand to work on my closet & these help shift my thinking.
I’ve already decreased how much I buy & try to buy better quality, but now I need to really focus on buying workhorse items and not one off things I kinda like that I hope I’ll wear often..
Beautifully said! No one off things that we buy in hope. And I’m learning all the time too. Easy summer dress- great useful purchase. Another pair of shorts - not useful.
Hat's off for attempting a capsule wardrobe. I've been trying for years and still haven't done it. I have a base color, two accent colors...and then all the other colors that keep appearing via gifts/impulses/this-was-made-for-me!
Still, I'll keep at it. I love the idea of being able to dress in the dark and look flawless and easily pack everything I need in fewer pieces.
Thanks for this! I’m breastfeeding my newborn and needing to find clothes that fit my postpartum body but also can button down quickly 😁 I bought the Tuckernuck dress, Z supply shirt, and Anthro pants (in 3 sizes because I have no idea what size I am)!
I really love your style and recos. Interested to know your laundry habits. Do a lot of these pieces wash (& hang to dry) & wear well or is there ironing involved?
Love these pieces. I’m very excited to do a similar curation of my own closet, for me it will have to wait as I’m pregnant. But next year for sure! Since the pandemic hit, I’ve worn leggings off and on for four years and I’m so sick of doing that!!
Love these weekly posts! As someone who loves to scroll hunt and absolutely sees fashion as my hobby, I enjoy the peak inside your brain and closet - consuming less, thoughtfully putting together a wardrobe, and discussing fashion in the context of higher ed, thanks!
I've been enjoying your substack! Thank you! I'm an Emory MPH grad, now living back home in Seattle.
I'm working with a limited clothing budget so appreciate your budget items. I see you linked Quince and I'm curious to know your thoughts on the brand as a clothing lover and marketing professor. It seems they sell dupes! Are they getting away with the lower price point in part because they are not designing original peices?
Hi Lizzy and fellow Eagle! I wish I could answer this succinctly. I would like 1000 words on the topic please. But here's 3 points:
This is such a big topic — I could easily write 1,000 words on it, but here are a few highlights:
1. Unless you’re at the very top of the design pyramid (think Chloe, Missoni, etc.), almost everything in fashion is a “dupe” of something else. J.Crew, which I’d rank a couple tiers above Quince, is “duping” too — so holding Quince to a different standard doesn’t really make sense (and I’m sure they have in-house designers, just like J.Crew does). Compared to true fast fashion brands, what Quince does better is use quality materials: poplin cotton, linen, Italian leather.
2. In the long run, I actually see Quince as a helpful training ground for consumers. It teaches people the difference between cotton and polyester, linen and a cheap blend. The designs might not be as polished as Tuckernuck’s, but for $60 I’d rather see someone get real cotton poplin than a mystery fabric that lasts one season.
3. Lastly, I think about my students who are just graduating and need to build a basic wardrobe on a budget. A white button-down shirt isn’t a proprietary design. I’d rather they buy the Quince version in good fabric than a polyester version that costs the same and makes them sweat.
Now...if you've made it this far. How do they get away with a lower price point? That I would like to write a post on, because I do inherently understand their P&L and could compare it to J.Crew and explain. But based on my assessment "stolen designs" is not one of the key contributors!
Does the clothes make the person or the person make the clothes?
I think that I could wear anything (I wanted to buy a kilt for the hot humid summers but was strongly dissuaded by my wife) and no one would bat an eye.
Isn't the truth? No one would bat an eye. I dress to feel confident and comfortable. And, often as I sign of respect for the event I'm attending or the classroom I'm leading. During the summer, when classroom/events cease, I can survive on 19 pieces of clothes!
Julie- it’s actually a lovely chance to rebuild. Your body may change, your lifestyle certainly will (chasing after little humans!). Welcome the challenge to build a closet full of workhorses as a smart shopper!
Love these weekly posts, as I could stand to work on my closet & these help shift my thinking.
I’ve already decreased how much I buy & try to buy better quality, but now I need to really focus on buying workhorse items and not one off things I kinda like that I hope I’ll wear often..
Beautifully said! No one off things that we buy in hope. And I’m learning all the time too. Easy summer dress- great useful purchase. Another pair of shorts - not useful.
We are growing as better consumers - together 🙌
Hat's off for attempting a capsule wardrobe. I've been trying for years and still haven't done it. I have a base color, two accent colors...and then all the other colors that keep appearing via gifts/impulses/this-was-made-for-me!
Still, I'll keep at it. I love the idea of being able to dress in the dark and look flawless and easily pack everything I need in fewer pieces.
Thanks for this! I’m breastfeeding my newborn and needing to find clothes that fit my postpartum body but also can button down quickly 😁 I bought the Tuckernuck dress, Z supply shirt, and Anthro pants (in 3 sizes because I have no idea what size I am)!
I really love your style and recos. Interested to know your laundry habits. Do a lot of these pieces wash (& hang to dry) & wear well or is there ironing involved?
This is the cutest and most realistic summer capsule wardrobe I’ve seen! Thank you for creating this!
Love these pieces. I’m very excited to do a similar curation of my own closet, for me it will have to wait as I’m pregnant. But next year for sure! Since the pandemic hit, I’ve worn leggings off and on for four years and I’m so sick of doing that!!
Love these weekly posts! As someone who loves to scroll hunt and absolutely sees fashion as my hobby, I enjoy the peak inside your brain and closet - consuming less, thoughtfully putting together a wardrobe, and discussing fashion in the context of higher ed, thanks!
Love that this can be helpful for you who loves shopping! That makes me feel very good 😊
I've been enjoying your substack! Thank you! I'm an Emory MPH grad, now living back home in Seattle.
I'm working with a limited clothing budget so appreciate your budget items. I see you linked Quince and I'm curious to know your thoughts on the brand as a clothing lover and marketing professor. It seems they sell dupes! Are they getting away with the lower price point in part because they are not designing original peices?
Hi Lizzy and fellow Eagle! I wish I could answer this succinctly. I would like 1000 words on the topic please. But here's 3 points:
This is such a big topic — I could easily write 1,000 words on it, but here are a few highlights:
1. Unless you’re at the very top of the design pyramid (think Chloe, Missoni, etc.), almost everything in fashion is a “dupe” of something else. J.Crew, which I’d rank a couple tiers above Quince, is “duping” too — so holding Quince to a different standard doesn’t really make sense (and I’m sure they have in-house designers, just like J.Crew does). Compared to true fast fashion brands, what Quince does better is use quality materials: poplin cotton, linen, Italian leather.
2. In the long run, I actually see Quince as a helpful training ground for consumers. It teaches people the difference between cotton and polyester, linen and a cheap blend. The designs might not be as polished as Tuckernuck’s, but for $60 I’d rather see someone get real cotton poplin than a mystery fabric that lasts one season.
3. Lastly, I think about my students who are just graduating and need to build a basic wardrobe on a budget. A white button-down shirt isn’t a proprietary design. I’d rather they buy the Quince version in good fabric than a polyester version that costs the same and makes them sweat.
Now...if you've made it this far. How do they get away with a lower price point? That I would like to write a post on, because I do inherently understand their P&L and could compare it to J.Crew and explain. But based on my assessment "stolen designs" is not one of the key contributors!
I appreciate your thorough reply and would love a longer essay on the topic! Thank you, I feel better about shopping at Quince.
As always, a thoughtful post.
Does the clothes make the person or the person make the clothes?
I think that I could wear anything (I wanted to buy a kilt for the hot humid summers but was strongly dissuaded by my wife) and no one would bat an eye.
Isn't the truth? No one would bat an eye. I dress to feel confident and comfortable. And, often as I sign of respect for the event I'm attending or the classroom I'm leading. During the summer, when classroom/events cease, I can survive on 19 pieces of clothes!