228: AMA!
Lesbian wedding dresses, "swag"-ful denim shirts, Moschino skirt suits, and a $6,000 baby bag.
Last week, I invited you to Ask Magasin Anything for our inaugural reader-directed AMA. Your questions centered on the most special of occasions—what to wear to your lesbian wedding—and the philosophically quotidian (what even is a shirt?).
In addition to those quandaries, I take on the issue of baby bags that don’t look like them, Em addresses a need for a bar mitzvah skirt suit, and Louis uncovers the best high-waisted pleated pants and refreshes a “swagless” denim shirt.
After this month’s intro send, all but one of these reader-submitted questions are going to be exclusive to paying subscribers. If you haven’t already, please consider upgrading your membership to access the full issue and support Magasin.
Have a question for our team? Drop it in the replies or comments—as with today’s send, anyone who submits a question we select for the next AMA will be gifted a free annual subscription. Let’s get into it!
Question 1: I’ve been regaining interest in raw denim lately and I’ve found a raw denim button down collar shirt I got from Uniqlo years ago to be incredibly versatile. Perfect for Zoom, can get dirty and treated horribly, and can be layered like a light jacket. Unfortunately, the denim color is fading swaglessly so I want to upgrade to something nicer. All I’ve found are western shirts however whenever raw denim is used. Different vibe imo. Any recs? Also, raw denim jackets that aren’t slim and boring?
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When I read your question, there was one person I knew I had to call—Andrew Chen, the founder of 3Sixteen, a brand that for the last 15 years has done more for raw denim than almost any other in the United States. He immediately understood your predicament. “I especially felt for him when he said it faded poorly,” Chen told me. “This is going to happen when you buy a denim shirt from a brand that does not focus on denim.” Chen’s first piece of advice (and mine, and designer Carter Altman’s, who you’ll hear from shortly) is to either go digging through a great vintage selection, or to buy the best new version you can from a raw denim specialist. In short, skip the middle ground.
As for the best new options: Chen likes the denim shirts Margaret Howell and Studio Nicholson have made recently, but given that you said you like to layer and are also in the market for a jacket, he suggests taking a look at raw denim chore coats, which function like a jacket but are still nice enough to wear on their own. His picks for those come from Studio D’Artisan, Iron Heart, and The Flat Head, though personally 3Sixteen also makes maybe my favorite of the lot.
I also hit up Carter Altman, whose brand Carter Young makes some beautiful Americana. Carter had recently helped his brother tackle your exact same question, and pulled a lot of the same links I found, which jump between price points. They are: the Beams Plus Raw Denim Oxford Shirt, with a curved hem, the slightly more classic YMC Raw Denim Curtis Shirt, as well as Evan Kinori’s Raw Denim Field Shirt. Finally, I was delighted to learn from him about Camisas Manolo, a shirting line out of Spain, who make a raw denim piece with a pretty amazing frayed hem. (For his brother, Carter eventually settled on a vintage Ralph Lauren ‘Blake’ shirt, which already had a faded-in wash.)
For what it’s worth, Chen also put me on to Caron Callahan during our conversation, who makes beautiful workwear inspired clothing—including raw denim—but cut for women. Good to know.
Question 2: I’m looking for a beautifully embellished blazer or jacket I can wear with slacks or a knee-length skirt for a bar mitzvah. I need both the blazer and slacks/skirt. I like the craft level of Giambattista Valli, Andrew Gn, maybe even Self-Portrait...and I hope to be able to re-wear the separates…either together or with other pieces.
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Maybe this is just my Jewish calibration, but when I think “bar mitzvah” and “suit” I can’t help but beeline for the Fran Fine outfit database—who else has worn separates to a simcha with such aplomb? If you want to go full Nanny, Moschino Cheap and Chic has a surprisingly bountiful archive: This leafy skirt suit from the show and its color-reversed counterpart both go for around $350. If that hemline is too short for synagogue, this tan skirt suit might work—the bottom is nothing to write home about, but the thickly-fringed jacket has a ton of wearability potential, with cream-colored, tailored shorts or any old denim taking it in an almost Bode-ish “boho” direction. An under-$200 pinstripe set has a similarly adaptable jacket situation with a subtle peplum and big statement buttons, but if this has all been hedging too much and you want to be the belle of the Bar, swing for the fences with an orange tiger-stripe set that seems to be in perfect condition.
Stepping away from Moschino, this sweet ‘60s set looks like it’d be even cooler close up while vintage Yves Saint Laurent and Oscar De La Renta swerve past caricaturish Chinoiserie while duly inspired by pan-Asian textiles and styling. If you’re screaming at your screen for something more “minimal,” I’d say go with anything gray or off-white from the ‘50s or ‘60s—this French-feeling set or this tweedy number, say. If all else fails, you seem to like botanical patterns—grab a $62 floral blazer (Liz Claiborne!) and a white, knee-length pleated skirt and circle up for the horah.
Question 3: I’m slowly getting back to myself after having a baby two years ago, and I’m looking for a bag that can do double duty when I’m with my son AND when I’m baby-less and on my own. Functionality is key (spacious yet lightweight and fairly durable) but I also want to look pulled together and not schleppy. Basically I want to look childless even though I have a child ha. I’ve been eyeing Tomas Maier era Bottega hobos cause they seem to fit the bill. I missed the one you sold on Vestiaire… was that a large? Did it hold a lot? TIA!!
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I almost skipped this question because I’m sharing some brand news on Tuesday that I think addresses this perfectly, but other commenters came in to say they were in similar boats—no harm in having options. There are a bunch of great bags I can think of straight away, and yes that Tomas Meier Bottega is one of them; mine is the XL version I’m seeing less and less of lately, at steadily higher prices. For your purposes, I don’t think the Medium would be satisfactory mostly because the flat-laying hobo shape means it’s not the most comfortable when stuffed to the brim. The Large…maybe. Another bag I own that fits the bill is my Mansur Gavriel Candy bag. It’s so impressively ample I’ve been effectively using it as my grocery shopper for the past two weeks (on one of those days: three to-go salads, tin of fish, slice of wedding cake, spare sweater, just-bought dress, phone wallet, keys). It has a sturdy base so you can sit it upright at any fill level, which is helpful when juggling other things in your hands.
From my wishlists, I’ve pulled a few others: Is The Row’s Alexia tote an obnoxious suggestion? It’s $6,000 but would make the least “schleppy” baby bag known to our species; importantly, it’s the right size and configuration to do the job exceedingly well. Metier’s Cabas and Marsell’s Orizontalle are similar stories for around half the price. Brochu Walker’s Everyday Tote is comparatively cheap at $898, and Mark and Graham’s Elisabetta a steal at under $400. Lastly, I’ve spoken about Coriu once before in this newsletter and still consider it something of a guarded secret (just look at its Stella—a cousin of the Margaux—for $531); this open tote for $444 has a superb oversized East-West shape, and thus good strap length, that fits the bill.
Question 4: Any recommendations for men’s double pleated pants or trousers? I’m open to all suggestions including high waisted.
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If you’re asking this question, you’re already excited to add some width to your waist. Your next question is: Do you want to stay wide and bold all the way down, or taper to a quieter finish at the hem? Let’s start with the first option. Beams Plus, the Japanese savants of heritage American menswear, offer a confident cropped flannel pair (with a charming ticket pocket). For width without the crop, Universal Works makes this navy twill pair. UW is sometimes joked about as “the boyfriend shop” in London because of how many girls dress their boyfriends in its corduroy chore coats, but that’s just because the clothing feels good and is priced well.
Now, for some slightly quieter options, I’d suggest Velasca’s 100% linen pair if you’re going somewhere sweltering, or Casatlantic’s cotton twill pair if your waistline fluctuates throughout the day (that 1.5-inch waistband adjuster comes in very handy). Both of those are made from pretty tough fabrics, but if you’re okay with a more delicate proposition, Kit Blake launched its entire company with this double-pleated pair, shown here in a lemon-leaning ecru that’s pretty special if you have the confidence to rock it. The wool is made from Fox Brothers Flannel—you can’t really do better. Finally, not to cramp your style, but it is worth just double-checking that you wouldn’t be interested in some single-pleated trousers—like these from Anglo Italian—because if they make you just as happy, they are going to be just a touch more versatile over the years.
Question 5: What should I wear to my lesbian wedding? My partner is thinking along the lines of Kallmeyer or vintage Prada. I'm more femme but not that femme—I like the idea of Sandy Liang or Cawley Studio, but neither is quite weird enough. No ball gowns, please. TY!
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For someone who cannot envision themself wearing a white dress while walking down the aisle, I spend an inordinate amount of time bookmarking the best ones I come across in my time on the WWW (white-wearing web). You didn’t specify white, or a dress, but for the sake of not going insane recommending every single pretty thing I’ve ever seen, I’ll focus on anything-but-traditional takes on the wedding classic. Starting with the most straightforward, Bevza does a hell of a white dress at least once per season, and this one’s gracefully lopsided neckline, drop waist, and tulip skirt make it a surefire—but just offbeat enough—pick. Di Petsa’s “Breastfeeding Bride” dress, with its Michaela Stark-ian bodice designed to configure your chest in an interesting but not nip-slip-baiting fashion, is a subtly subversive option. And under-the-radar Sylvi Sundkler makes a scrunchy pseudo-dress that you’d have to pair with a trouser (or these sporadically-ruffled lace leggings by my beloved Yuhan Wang?) but which toes the line between graceful and abrasive with aplomb.
Evade House offers a few versatile options—for colder months, this buttoned-up calico jacket-dress could work and has great rewear potential, this dress pokes fun at a “traditional” white gown with a rosette that connects a sternum-baring neckline and thickly ruched skirt, and for a really wild card, check out this distressed gown centered around a literal stick, like, from a tree. If your wedding M.O. is to be as naked as possible at the altar, this shimmery net of a dress by Diotima would work (I suspect the label will expand further into the bridal world soon), as could the Grace Gui “Good Luck Wedding Gown,” gaping at the chest, gorgeously embroidered, and fastened with a mohair knot in back—if you’re looking for “Sandy Liang girl tries Molly for the first time,” Super Yaya’s staggering Beatrice Bow Dress ups the ante on both the “precious” and “perverse” fronts. Congrats on true love!
Question 6: I have to ask. Am I the only one who is UNABLE to find tops to wear day-to-day AND also day-to-night that are: nice fabric; good construction; interesting but not over-designed; washable or dry-cleanable; wearable with different pants, jeans, and skirts; and under $500 each? I own plain tank tops, t-shirts, and button up shirts that I all like and wear repeatedly. But I'm missing the other kinds of tops... elevated? date night? cooler? more interesting? I've scrolled SSENSE's tops category for far too many pages. Everything looks either too cheap, too expensive, too trendy, or just meh. Perhaps I'm not the only one?
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Can I just start by saying I know exactly what you mean. I have had this same spiral before and even started going about my days with the added goal of getting reacquainted with “tops”—what did people even wear? What did people who actually looked good wear? It was solved in large part when I discovered summer knits. They come in many of the same cuts of our boilerplate basics, but possess a refined quality that turns everything else up by one degree without effort. Cashmere is deceptively breathable, as with a sleeveless vest like this Extreme Cashmere crewneck (or this equally compelling though differently vibed buttoned version) that reads very Naomi Pierce. I’m inclined to recommend The Row’s Comi vest, too, but I’ll be mindful of your budget and link to this LA Apparel one, which is $190—they both remind me of the MNZ Apollo I styled an ode to last summer; I still love and wear it so, so much and it’s in stock for a change. Naked Cashmere has a buttoned style for $175, I’ll add.
For some more variety, let’s move on to the crossover top, which I’m seeing a lot of lately and I like: You know them from Khaite’s pages, but for fewer dollars, Interior’s Tawny Crossover Top is a great short-sleeve option, and even though this Another Tomorrow top admittedly breaks the under-$500 rule, I think it’s extraordinarily elegant as a long-sleeve alternative. Polo shirts are another option I’d largely forgotten about until this year (blame Miu Miu). This open-weave one by Caron Callahan (Louis also smartly shouts out Caron above, it’s a brand worth delving into on many fronts) gets more beautiful the closer you look; an oversized, tissue-thin knit from COS; and a more traditionally sporty cut in lightweight lambswool from &Daughter.
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Social image via Fran Fine Database
For the last question, I would recommend adding Velcro shoulder pads to an understated top that you already own. A minimal 1980s peach crepe short-sleeved blouse of mine was transformed by this small mod. OR, since brooches are re-emerging, plunk an antique pin on a modern shirt (or a floral corsage).
Question: I’m planning a trip to Iceland and need a jacket/coat and hiking sneakers that are both water-proof but STYLISH. Help!