148: Everything on this list is under $250

Tabi mules for $128, a waistcoat discovered in the spreadsheet, and the Zara sweatpants I chased down in an airport.

Sep 22, 2023

I don’t usually go around recommending Zara products, but I had to call out these sweatpants I saw on a woman who was boarding my flight to Copenhagen that I loved so much I shouted at her through the connecting hallway to ask where they were from; Tekla’s poplin sleep shirts are satisfactorily crispy and more than appropriate for waking wear; I think there’s just one of these Wales Bonner shirts left, and it’s a great deal at 75% off; same with this By Malene Birger blazer with a great deep-buttoning front; and for everyone with Carolyn Bessette on the moodboard (that makes all of us), look to vintage Yohji, who she wore religiously.

Did you catch the Prada show? Work jackets are positioned to be big these coming days, and this Carhartt WIP one is a lot less than the Prada will be, I can tell you that much; a Flore Flore long-sleeve staple in the season’s best red for lots of interesting layering potential; a long-enough shirtdress by Skall Studio that I discovered through the spreadsheet and am determined to wear under an almost-as-long wool coat; another spreadsheet discovery—this insane curvy waistcoat by A Personal Uniform; a Niccolo Pasqualetti corded necklace that satisfied the wearable object inclinations also tackled by The Row and Lemaire, but for a more approachable $165; and in other cord news, the hunt-ending corduroys that will be the last cords I buy, from Agolde.

The Row jeans we’ve all been clamoring over, listed on The RealReal in a size 6 for $165; a less-is-more puffer from Uniqlo C (Clare Waight Keller’s latest project); with so much button-down styling coming up this season, might be a good idea to get a good one finally—this one from Bourrienne Paris is on sale for $138; I mentioned this men’s COS car coat in the Havaianas post, but it’s still so, so good…I’m in love with nylon lately and the sloping shoulders and cropped collar all work so well together; and Reformation does a good job with the trouser skirt, getting the mid-rise and back slit right for easy, everyday wear.

And a whole slide for just shoes, starting with this pair of excellent Banana Republic riding boots some lucky size 8 should scoop up immediately; these Tamara Mellon boots on TRR look even better to me than I imagine they would brand new; up top, a pair of A. Emery sandals for all of your open-toe fall looks (I know this claim is cliche now, but they really do look like The Row to me); just below those, a very smart-sophisticated pair of Pleats Please loafers you wouldn’t immediately think of, which is what makes them brilliant; below those, a pair of G.H.Bass Mary Janes that build on the beloved classic loafer without overthinking it; scooping up to the lop left, a pair of COS flats that are obvious rips on the Alaias, but considering you can’t even find those in stock anymore, I say it’s fair game; you can’t see from the angle, but those innocuous sneaker mules are actually tabis from a Scandi-Japanese brand called Tabi Footwear that are only $128; and lastly, I dug a little deeper into those great knit flats from the fashion week send and found the lace-up version—there’s also a mule version, a studded version, and a leather Mary Jane—thank you Arcopedico!