Nov 10, 2023·edited Nov 10, 2023Liked by laura reilly
LOVE the Extreme Cashmere dress — it harkens back to one of my all-time fave purchases (from 1998!!), an Ann Demeulemeester wool sheet that similarly transforms into a sarong, dress, skirt etc. Earmarking this one to purchase as I could use decades of joy just as my original brings me. Crazy enough … the AD dress above is featured in the fashion essay collection I am pitching to book agents as it really led to some spectacular moments in life.
this is so amazing - really makes me feel the longevity of the EC I just brought home, and a further testament to the kind of pieces maimoun brings in. let's check in in 25 years and see what we've accomplished with these bizarre and infinite pieces!!
I’m newly obsessed w extreme cashmere having mixed it up w some other line when I was in Italy & .. ?begrudgingly had done sent to my room to try on.. each one more perfect
Cut. Quality. Color
The navy mystery wrap appears so different in photo 1 vs 2’.. oh they look so terrific xo
first of all, it's not an ad! i thought i was pretty clear when i said that in the same paragraph, and it's the truth. i'm friends with the hotel group—also something i never hid—and this was something i thought readers might be interested in, as I got a lot of questions on IG about it.
second, the entire rest of this newsletter is a "space for independent designers" like the ones you lament having died off.
finally, i don't charge readers to read this newsletter. (and i noticed you don't pay for the premium tier that benefits mutual aid.) if I DID want to run ads, that would help me continue to produce content at no cost to you. it may not be immediately clear for some reason, but producing these newsletters twice a week takes a lot of time and energy. whatever job you may have, this is mine. i would never ask you not to expect to be paid for your work, so i find it pretty bold that's your expectation for me.
I deleted my initial comment because your research into my background combined with public castigation made me feel exposed to online bullying or professional retribution, since I used my full name and you have a large following. I did not intend to insult you and I apologize that I clearly hit a nerve. In answer to your interest in what I do, I am an independent designer. This came from a personal place.
I commented on the opening of this newsletter because it was such an obvious trade. I have plenty of journalist friends who enjoy free vacations in exchange for endorsements, and it's obviously a perk of the job. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't make a living. If anything, I wrote what I did because I believe in what you and Leandra do and was disappointed to see this newsletter start with something so obviously transactional.
You write beautifully, and I have in fact paid for your higher tier for the last six months. I merely intended to say that we've all seen fashion writing get progressively homogenized with the same sponsored content, and I think it would be sad to see this medium go the way of Instagram or print media. Vogue will likely not be in print in a few years, and their online lists have started to share the hucksterism of WhoWhatWear. I understand how you monetize your newsletter, and I believe as you do that there is a balance that can be struck by endorsing brands you truly believe in while maintaining the individualism that made these Substack newsletters so appealing.
I will say that I was disappointed by the sarcastic tone mocking me for "lamenting" the shrinking opportunities and platforms for independent designers. I am aware that they didn't die off, but it is certainly harder for them to get seen or compete with larger brands when opportunities for exposure are increasingly and obviously pay-to-play. They may not be dead, but there are certainly fewer surviving small brands and they have a much harder time getting seen than they used to. A voice like yours is an antidote to the increasing mainstream uniformity in fashion. You made the point that the entire rest of the newsletter after the hotel endorsement was devoted to independent designers. I applaud you for that and don't understand why you would mock a reader for sharing your concern that lesser known creatives might be drowned out by the higher potential for sponsorship from brands that can afford to pay you more.
Finally, know that you have a following, and when you do this kind of "research" into the profession and financial contribution of a reader who comments on a public platform to shame them into silence before your audience, you expose them to harassment. Again, it was not my intention to insult you and I am sorry that I did.
hi! I appreciate you taking the time to get back to me on this—I obviously have a huge vested stake in supporting and promoting emergent fashion brands and stores, I started this newsletter for exactly that purpose, so i empathize with you feeling like the spaces for discovery are disappearing or shifting.
I also want to thank you for reading it and having paid for it in the past, but i do feel the need to address a few of your points, since it seems we're still in disconnect:
- again, the life house code was not an ad, nor a trade. i went for the friends and family weekend, as a close friend of mine is their marketing director. the code was something we came up with together afterwards to test on this platform to see if it was something readers might be interested in hearing about. i have since learned from your reaction that it isn't.
- more importantly though, you have now accused me of "public castigation" and "online bullying or professional retribution" for defending my newsletter. nowhere in my response did i suggest that i did any "research into your background" beyond searching within my own substack dashboard to see your membership tier. this is because i did no such thing. I never once searched your name in google or social media nor did i have anything in my comment that shared any information about you whatsoever.
should i have just said nothing at all? accepted your incorrect assessment? serious question.
all in all, i am open to feedback and criticism, especially from those who actually read and care about the content of the newsletter like yourself. but i also deserve the space to respond. if you feel comfortable enough submitting your two cents, you should expect to receive a few back.
LOVE the Extreme Cashmere dress — it harkens back to one of my all-time fave purchases (from 1998!!), an Ann Demeulemeester wool sheet that similarly transforms into a sarong, dress, skirt etc. Earmarking this one to purchase as I could use decades of joy just as my original brings me. Crazy enough … the AD dress above is featured in the fashion essay collection I am pitching to book agents as it really led to some spectacular moments in life.
this is so amazing - really makes me feel the longevity of the EC I just brought home, and a further testament to the kind of pieces maimoun brings in. let's check in in 25 years and see what we've accomplished with these bizarre and infinite pieces!!
EC so Extremely great
🙌🏻
Such great fits, worth the pics 🤎🤎
I’m newly obsessed w extreme cashmere having mixed it up w some other line when I was in Italy & .. ?begrudgingly had done sent to my room to try on.. each one more perfect
Cut. Quality. Color
The navy mystery wrap appears so different in photo 1 vs 2’.. oh they look so terrific xo
hmm i have a lot of thoughts about this comment!
first of all, it's not an ad! i thought i was pretty clear when i said that in the same paragraph, and it's the truth. i'm friends with the hotel group—also something i never hid—and this was something i thought readers might be interested in, as I got a lot of questions on IG about it.
second, the entire rest of this newsletter is a "space for independent designers" like the ones you lament having died off.
finally, i don't charge readers to read this newsletter. (and i noticed you don't pay for the premium tier that benefits mutual aid.) if I DID want to run ads, that would help me continue to produce content at no cost to you. it may not be immediately clear for some reason, but producing these newsletters twice a week takes a lot of time and energy. whatever job you may have, this is mine. i would never ask you not to expect to be paid for your work, so i find it pretty bold that's your expectation for me.
I deleted my initial comment because your research into my background combined with public castigation made me feel exposed to online bullying or professional retribution, since I used my full name and you have a large following. I did not intend to insult you and I apologize that I clearly hit a nerve. In answer to your interest in what I do, I am an independent designer. This came from a personal place.
I commented on the opening of this newsletter because it was such an obvious trade. I have plenty of journalist friends who enjoy free vacations in exchange for endorsements, and it's obviously a perk of the job. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't make a living. If anything, I wrote what I did because I believe in what you and Leandra do and was disappointed to see this newsletter start with something so obviously transactional.
You write beautifully, and I have in fact paid for your higher tier for the last six months. I merely intended to say that we've all seen fashion writing get progressively homogenized with the same sponsored content, and I think it would be sad to see this medium go the way of Instagram or print media. Vogue will likely not be in print in a few years, and their online lists have started to share the hucksterism of WhoWhatWear. I understand how you monetize your newsletter, and I believe as you do that there is a balance that can be struck by endorsing brands you truly believe in while maintaining the individualism that made these Substack newsletters so appealing.
I will say that I was disappointed by the sarcastic tone mocking me for "lamenting" the shrinking opportunities and platforms for independent designers. I am aware that they didn't die off, but it is certainly harder for them to get seen or compete with larger brands when opportunities for exposure are increasingly and obviously pay-to-play. They may not be dead, but there are certainly fewer surviving small brands and they have a much harder time getting seen than they used to. A voice like yours is an antidote to the increasing mainstream uniformity in fashion. You made the point that the entire rest of the newsletter after the hotel endorsement was devoted to independent designers. I applaud you for that and don't understand why you would mock a reader for sharing your concern that lesser known creatives might be drowned out by the higher potential for sponsorship from brands that can afford to pay you more.
Finally, know that you have a following, and when you do this kind of "research" into the profession and financial contribution of a reader who comments on a public platform to shame them into silence before your audience, you expose them to harassment. Again, it was not my intention to insult you and I am sorry that I did.
hi! I appreciate you taking the time to get back to me on this—I obviously have a huge vested stake in supporting and promoting emergent fashion brands and stores, I started this newsletter for exactly that purpose, so i empathize with you feeling like the spaces for discovery are disappearing or shifting.
I also want to thank you for reading it and having paid for it in the past, but i do feel the need to address a few of your points, since it seems we're still in disconnect:
- again, the life house code was not an ad, nor a trade. i went for the friends and family weekend, as a close friend of mine is their marketing director. the code was something we came up with together afterwards to test on this platform to see if it was something readers might be interested in hearing about. i have since learned from your reaction that it isn't.
- more importantly though, you have now accused me of "public castigation" and "online bullying or professional retribution" for defending my newsletter. nowhere in my response did i suggest that i did any "research into your background" beyond searching within my own substack dashboard to see your membership tier. this is because i did no such thing. I never once searched your name in google or social media nor did i have anything in my comment that shared any information about you whatsoever.
should i have just said nothing at all? accepted your incorrect assessment? serious question.
all in all, i am open to feedback and criticism, especially from those who actually read and care about the content of the newsletter like yourself. but i also deserve the space to respond. if you feel comfortable enough submitting your two cents, you should expect to receive a few back.