001: This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship
All the fashion content you could ever want.
Welcome to outfit repeaters. Where we curate outfits, talk about them, wear them again and then obsess over them a million times over.
Each week(ish), this newsletter will share the 411 in fashion and composing a stylish lifestyle. There will almost certainly be unsolicited advice about styling your favorite (and least-favorite) items, insights into how best to serve your closet and feed your soul.
CM: A little background is due I think. Alyssa and I met at the pinnacle of teenage dreaming—16. There was this cute boutique in the local mall (remember when we used to shop at malls?) called Apricot Lane that was hiring for holiday help and bam, the meet-cute of the century. We were both small town Montana girls living big town lives via our closets and it was clear from the very start that our friendship was one of those soul-level connections. We spent our shared shifts *literally* talking non-stop about clothes, I drooled over how effortlessly Alyssa styled mannequins, we debated splitting the cost of an Elie Saab dress for prom, and though life took us both around the globe and back, 10 years later we’re still doing the exact same thing.
AB: 10 years. Yikes. Though it sounds scary, it’s actually the best thing ever. I went on to be a wardrobe stylist (job of my dreams), and Courtney went on to be a PR badass that pitched products and brands to magazines daily, landing amazing contracts. So, when Courtney texted me, almost a decade after our mid sales associate jobs, saying she was moving back home, wanted to go get drinks and catch up, I couldn't say no! We had years to catch up on, and the five plus hours spent at a restaurant at least twice a month really showed that. We don’t know how to stop talking, and it has to be that soul-level connection that lets us do that. Although we love a good dine-in, and especially a pink raspberry cosmo from our favorite spot to meet, we started meeting at each other's homes to avoid getting the lights shut down on us (and spending more than we should on said cosmos). All this to say that we are passionate about the topics we touch on, and spend countless hours breaking it all down, which feeds our souls. Now we want to share our world with the world in hopes we can feed more than our own souls! We both come from places where getting the opportunity to explore our passions and nerd out on all things creative wasn't always available to us, so finding each other was a match made on earth that felt like heaven! We hope that this space grows into a community where others can find that same thing.
CM: I think all of the above is a clear reason why we’re here writing this newsletter. Coupled with the fact that we are achingly separated by several state lines, we mostly just wanted to create the cutest group chat on the internet to swoon over the latest, greatest and sometimes just really-specific-okayest happenings in the fashion-sphere.
Sweatah Weathah
CM: If I could start buying fall clothes in July, I would. In fact, I did. It took me a very long time to warm to the clog trend, but I’m here now in my own quirky way. Rather than buy the Birkenstock Boston Clogs (no shade, I just live in Montana where people have been wearing these since I was 17), I went for these funky ALOHAS mules that are so chunky and square and perfect in every way. I also snagged this James Street Co. oversized green sweater (see above) during their archive sale, my mind has been whirring with styling options for months! I really imagine my 60-year-old self being one of those magnificently dressed style icons who gets early access to runway collections before the season arrives. I’m a planner and I deserve to plan my seasons accordingly!!!!
AB: I, on the other hand, am anti-shopping for anything new. Why? Because, I am 8 months pregnant and know that there are very few things I can commit to now that will carry into when I am finally not pregnant. At that point my body will be postpartum and I am giving myself space to accept a forever new body, as well as knowing comfort will mean everything. I’ll be tired and time won’t be on my side when it comes to self care. However, that doesn't mean I am not looking and dreaming. On my fall wishlist is really anything from Guest In Residence, but specifically an oversized crew neck in blue or their red hot cardigan. Oh, and also, for Christmas I would like a pair of their socks. For anyone who may not know GIR is only cashmere items (also creative direction of Gigi Hadid). So yes, it is an investment, but not the investment you’d have to endure if you bought an Elder Statesmen piece. Elder Statesmen is obviously cooler, and I prefer, but buying thousands in cashmere doesn't seem practical when you have a child lol.
CM: I would pay top dollar for a whole lookbook of pregnancy styles curated by Alyssa—she’s like my should-I-buy-this meter and I’d swipe that credit card for anything she recommends. To be honest, I’m still very much in love with my Pinterest fall board from last year. It’s all mini skirts and knee high boots for me—I spent two years searching for these boots, which I bought myself for my birthday last year and I’m still wearing them like crazy.
AB: My fall uniform this year is an oversized button down, trousers, a slide-on shoe like an easy tennis shoe, clog or even a sandal (while we still can), topped off with a trench coat. My prediction this year is that the shorter trench coat will be more the look than the long ones we've seen years past. I will be accessorizing with some type of dark navy color incorporated—this could be a baseball cap, the shoe itself, or in my case my nail color. I am in love with how moody this color is for the seasons changing, and how well it really goes with everything. Lastly, suede must be thrown in. Whether in the form of a belt or a handbag. The texture it adds is everything.
CM: I am all about the 2023 color of fall: red (see Alyssa’s GIR rec above for proof). I always want everything in red so it just fits my general aura. I wanted a very classic interpretation that would never ever go out of style, so I scoured the secondhand apps for this Sézane sweater. This year, my goal was to buy only from brands practicing sustainable and ethical manufacturing OR secondhand, thus the secondhand sweater (new with tags might I add). I’ll be pairing it with two of my current denim obsessions: these wide leg Reformation jeans (the perfect jean in fact does exist) and these custom Unspun *technically* wide leg jeans that fit more like a straight leg, which we will share more on in a future newsletter because I’ve already overshared.
Honorable Mentions
CM: It’s my birth month and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this year’s beautiful birthday present to myself (I do it every year and I’m not even sorry about it). Sometime last fall I just wandered on over into the world of Matilda Djerf and now I’m so deep into scandi-style I really can’t get out, let’s be honest—I refuse to get out. I have been slowly spiraling towards a quilted jacket, but again, I have the rules of sustainability to adhere to, and one of that ilk can cost $400+. I asked my mom if she could sew me a copycat patchwork quilt jacket that I’d seen in a Sézane release last spring, and though she said yes, it would require me to source my own quilt. AND THEN, around June I discovered @bethanymccole on Depop, she shared a couple of quilt patterns I loved last August and now I’ve once again bought myself another custom piece, pictures TBD.
AB: Piggybacking off of Courtney here with two things: one scandi-style forever. Their fashion week is elite and makes up the majority of my mood boards street style. Not to mention one of my favorite influencers, who I heavily relate to style wise, graced the Scandinavia Vogue in August with her PREGNANT BELLY! Ugh all the feels here. Pernille Teisbaek everyone.
CM: Scandi-style 4ever.
AB: Secondly, custom pieces are the move! I have not purchased a custom piece in a while, but I will always make the investment. This is how clothes used to be made! One-size-fits-all is a relatively new thing that saves brands money. Ew. If it's not custom to me I am a huge believer in working with a tailor. Especially with how much thrifting I do. Really makes the item yours and can make it feel like you paid hundreds for it even if it was $4.99. I am currently taking this a step further and trying to make my first dress with a pattern and my sewing machine. It's a bold venture, but I made a list of things I want to do before I am 30 and learning to really sew is one of them. So expect a very cute 70’s style dress this spring made with my own two hands! Doesn’t get more custom than that!
Deep Cuts
CM: This Khaite skirt is one of those pieces that stopped me in my tracks and has lived in my head rent free ever since.
I reeeealllyyyy want this Staud bag, please don’t ask me to change my mind.
I saw this post and I sent it to Alyssa immediately. Then subsequently went on a very deep dive for this sweater (it’s a FW19 Calvin Klein cold shoulder cable knit sweater that actually does not exist on any websites I trust). The cut-outs with the barrel jeans paired with the tucked-in hair and orange-hued makeup had me spiraling to recreate it.
I love this tailored skirt suit meets casual socks-in-stilettos look, I might ditch the hat (it’s not my vibe) but I would wear this outfit every day if I could.
AB: Cashmere on my mind. I still stand by my Guest in Residence piece, but I can’t stop thinking about the styling Net-A-Porter did with this sweater. Texture heaven. Beautifully done.
This Japanese brand Arcana Archive, but specifically this leather jacket. Been on my mind since the beginning of this summer. This will most likely end up in my closet.
Influencer, Interior Designer, and chef @eyeswoon. She is style, she is grace, she is aspirational. Although I may have a larger crush on @amberfillerup because she leans so hard into her creativity, and keeps it very real, as a mother of 4. I have now read two of her book recommendations, as well as started my list of things to accomplish before I am 30 because of her.
Before You Go
Diving deep into interior design. For the first time maybe ever, my Pinterest board is mostly interiors, furniture, and architecture. I have gone this direction possibly because I am pregnant and looking at fashion is both fun and very discouraging. But in the process I have really discovered a deeper sense of personal style, and how it is not subject to just wardrobe, but is everything! Your closet, your home, your cooking (re: eyeswoon), all of it! Style is a lifestyle ya’ll! Also, a gentle reminder to everyone that while it is a lifestyle, it’s also a functioning muscle you must exercise. You actually have to use this muscle in order to get yourself closer to a style that is authentic to you and feels good! I think the goal of personal style is for it to be just that, personal. We don’t want to be copy-and-pasted versions of each other. It's too easy, and really the average person falls into that. Exploring your style, really leaning into it, and blending it into your whole life actually expands your understanding of what you love and why!
CM: Louder for the people in the back AB!!!
Thanks for indulging us! Ciao for now. xx