240: Cashmere in summer is a hill I will die on

Introducing my limited capsule with Linnea Lund.

So, I designed a cashmere collection. It’s at the very least changed the shape and texture of my summer, and at most changed my life.

I first connected with Linnea Lund in Paris last year, where I’ll be again this Tuesday onward for men’s week (see you there?). I went to a breakfast LL was hosting out front its Left Bank boutique, yummy Swedish cardamom pastries set out in front of a space so teeny two people could barely stand in it at once. Nevertheless, Charlotte Björklund took me inside and pointed out all of the cool shapes and thoughtful, unpretentious, and unafraid colors her brand was creating out of this incredible quality cashmere. We connected over the greater need for meaningful relationships with our clothes. I met interesting and diversely talented people over excellent coffee. I remember thinking, this is what a fashion brand should be.

That day, Charlotte gifted me a dark navy tee in the brand’s signature cashmere—I called it a “rock-hard” essential after wearing it for the first time and then proved myself right time and time again over the next nine months, until the idea of a collaboration came up. I’ve never designed anything outside of middle-school experiments with my mother’s sewing machine, much less collaborated with a legitimate brand on designs that’d actually be produced and sold. But given all of these strong and positive touch points, it seemed like a good idea. The original Ingrid t-shirt (as my navy blue one was called) was a solid starting point, but I liked the idea of one with a high v-neck. Then, I added a long skirt that would sit low on the hips and have a slit that could be worn back or front. And a scrunchie, too. They’d come in white and blue, the colors of my pet parakeet, as a reminder of the airiness of cashmere.

Since receiving the final samples, every day has been the perfect day for a cashmere tee or a cashmere skirt or to quickly tie a cashmere scrunchie in my hair, and I’ve been delighted by how seamlessly they manage to integrate with the rest of my emerging summer capsule. In the “does this work” test, an instinctive shuffling of whatever is at the top of my clothing pile, the cashmere always passes with panache.

There have been many more, but I wanted to share a few of the outfits I’ve put together with these collaborative pieces in the short time since I’ve had them (not least of which as proof that cashmere is a summer textile).

You can see and shop the whole collection here, which I’ll note seems to have sold through a few sizes of ready-to-ship units already. One of the things that drew me to Linnea Lund in the first place was how responsible it was with production volumes, a practice that’s offset by the brand’s ability to create pieces on-demand very quickly. If you’re interested in buying an item from the collection (thank you <3), but your size is out, you can place an order and expect to receive in the next two or three weeks.

Linnea Lund x Laura Reilly Laura Tee, $395 / vintage Courreges skirt (similar, $292) / J.Crew Berkeley Bucket Bag in Leather, $119 $198 / Lucasheva Patent Leather Black Mules, $595 / Marni Rainbow Mountains Sunglasses, $220 $355 / Little Liffner Banana Chain Bracelet, $575

After wearing this out to drinks at Anaïs in Boerum Hill, I could see the cashmere tee becoming something like a wine bar uniform. I don’t do much “going out” anymore since Covid or being in my 30s or getting married or all of the above, but the conversation around what to wear out persists. We want the feeling of effort and intention without giving up our comfort or situational mutability (there is no more “desk” or “dinner” of women’s magazine parlance, there is only the one true wardrobe that must serve every purpose). Well-executed knits can code switch, so you don’t to overthink the dress code.

Linnea Lund x Laura Reilly Amba Skirt, $450 / Linnea Lund Ingrid Tee, $315 / A.Emery The Kinto Sandal, $160 / artisan straw bag from Mexico (similar from Inès Bressand, $528 / Little Liffner Banana Chain Bracelet, $575 / Loren Stewart Domo Ring, $362

I wanted to bring the original Ingrid tee back into the fold, whose Midnight Blue I knew would look gorgeous against the Klein-ish cobalt blue that makes up one half of the collection. Another eye-opening moment from my weeks testing out the pieces: the under-sung comfort of cashmere and flip-flops.

Linnea Lund x Laura Reilly Amba Skirt, $450 / Comme Si La Shirt Classica, $275 / Marni Rainbow Mountains Sunglasses, $220 $355 / Martiniano Glove Shoe in Ivory, $490

I spent this weekend at Callisto Farms in Hudson Valley on a trip organized by my friend’s newest venture, Vescorp. Between the city’s temperature spikes and the long hours spent in the sun upstate, I had plenty of opportunities to trial the cashmere in high heat. The way the Amba skirt sits, like a column dangling off the hips, was easily conducive to air flow—very little of the fabric is touching skin and breezes let themselves in through the reversible slit.

Linnea Lund x Laura Reilly Laura Tee, $395 / Silk Laundry Black High-Rise Lounge Pants, $281 $360 / Le Monde Beryl Regency Leather Wedge Ballerina Mules, $555 / Flattered Clay Clutch Suede Sand, $325 / Marni Rainbow Mountains Sunglasses, $220 $355 / Little Liffner Banana Chain Bracelet, $575 / By Pariah Sabine Hoops, $200 / Loren Stewart Domo Ring, $362

I was told to pack light for this weekend’s trip as there’d be some things waiting for us that that we’d need to take home, so this clutch is actually my toiletry bag, too. A loose-fitting cashmere also belongs in a multi-hyphenate travel capsule—it’s a straightforward tee here, but it could also be layered over a crew-neck or button-up with the sleeves rolled, or been the pop of color beneath a plainer cardigan. Range!

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