Silly Little Outfits To Boost Serotonin For Sad Days Vol.13

First things first, oh my gosh, wowee, people are becoming paid Hautties! Thank you! This means the world, especially since, with the exception of some freelance projects and “for the plot” side quests, I’m currently not working and trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

I welcome all feedback on prices, as I really have no idea what I’m doing. The monthly fee has been set to the average US pricing ($8) as the majority of my readership is American (California - I see you, I love you!), despite me being in Australia. I understand everyone is feeling the pinch of simply existing, so if you think pricing is cooked, just slide into my DMs.

Paid Hautties will have access to the archives (cool stuff I wrote for free but was too scared to charge because I thought it was shit, or I would get bored with Substack and wasn’t ready to commit). New articles that required a lot of time and effort will sit behind a paywall, but Silly Little Outfits and Legit Lists & Awards will be free, baby.

If you’re new to this series or the sub, welcome to Silly Little Outfits! Here’s what it is: outfit storytelling from my own POV. A no affiliate link brain dump of what I’ve been wearing, buying and wishing I was wearing and buying if I had the bread. Here’s what it isn’t and I promise never will be. “What the cool girls are wearing.” It’s just me, unfiltered and a little stiff on camera, but way hotter IRL. Also, if you read all the way to the end, you get a bonus picture of my cat.

If you’ve been following along, I’m counting Sexy blindness and sloppy DIY-ing as Vol 12, making this newsletter lucky number 13! In the previous edition, I asked my readers what to name this series, and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping “Silly Little Outfits To Boost Serotonin For Sad Days,” despite it being a big, tasty mouthful to say. However, I realized I only set the poll for 24 hours, and due to time zone differences, the data may not be accurate, so just once more, for my own sanity…

It’s been a long, slow start to Fall as old mate climate emergency dragged Melbourne’s warm weather out into early May. It got to 27 degrees (80 F) on my birthday, something I’d never experienced in my lifetime. Therefore, I’m still on my skirt bullshit.

A silk or satin skirt encompasses both essential and trend status. It’s effortless and, depending on styling, can transcend all aesthetics. It’s only continuing to increase in popularity - Google searches over the past year showed that polka dots experienced the most significant growth in “satin skirt” queries in the UK (+600% YoY), the US (+250% YoY), and Australia (+350% YoY). Unsurprisingly, given the print’s virality.

Complementing bodoir and pajama dressing themes, searches for “satin and lace skirts” have also been on the rise in the UK (300% YoY), US (250% YoY), and Australia (190% YoY) over the past year. Searches for the humble black satin skirt even noted double-digit growth.

Anyway, don’t let the numbers get in the way of a good story. Against the dystopian backdrop of the red and amber leaves out of place amid heatwaves, a slinky black slip skirt felt like a sartorial silver bullet. Yet in my wardrobe, there was a gaping hole where one should be. Why don’t I own one? Probably because I’m a die-hard trouser kinda gal.

Instead, I have a Marc Jacobs black slip made from 100% silk (it’s very Charmed season 1) that I thrifted in 2023. As a slip dress, it’s a bit shorter than I’d like. The kind I’d want to wear with platforms, and seeing such occasions are few and far between, it typically serves as a layering piece with jeans and a tee. I didn’t want to damage the fabric with safety pin modifications, so lately I’ve been tucking it into my underwear band as a skirt. Thus…

It seemed to work pretty well. So then I just got lazy. This is my life now.

The slip as a skirt made for a solid addition to my in-betweenie-season wardrobe rotation (side note: does anyone else really love wearing boots in warmer weather?) Inspo for the slip skirt with the zip-up jacket (an old work sample) combo, of course, came from the sporty-femme vibes of the SS25 Saint Laurent girlies in their anoraks and silky underthings. However, it just makes me feel like a yassified Paulie Walnuts, which I think is even cooler.

Speaking of Saint Laurent, the cold weather finally kicked in and I used the Fall 2026 show as a reference point to mix fur and lace. The jacket is a vintage fox that my dad gave me, maybe a decade ago. I’m doing some repairs on it, so she’s a bit of a work in progress, but that’s a post for another time.

Beauty - Rhode Pocket Blush in Freckle. I’m a bit wary of celebrity beauty brands and ultra-hyped products, and I’m still at a very experimental phase of my blush journey. However, I was pleasantly surprised and thought it gave me a nice, sun-kissed flush that should keep me going through winter.

Reading - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I think I’m a bit late to the party, but I just devoured it, and I mean DEVOURED. Topsy-turvy, enchanting world-building and great for escapism. I still have so many questions, so if you’ve read it, I encourage everyone to please talk to me about this book. 4.5/5.

Gifties - In addition to the cow-print Sambas my friend Maty gave me, my birthday twin, Mija (whose style I’ve written about before), made me the cutest sardine lighter holder out of resin, which makes me just want to smoke all the time, though I have reluctantly cut back. Wah.

Drinking - Back in March, I went to check out a tequila launch, Insolente Plata Rosa, courtesy of Bianca ONeill ‘s Miro. It’s a pink tequila aged in red wine barrels, made for sipping like whisky rather than shotting or mixing into a marg. It’s been my go-to nightcap ever since - super fresh with a slice of lime, though the warming hint of vanilla also makes it delish for cozy winter nights.

Substacks - At the event, I met the very talented Juliet from the Internet who writes The Juliet Report, which is filled with top-notch Melbourne food content and beautiful fashion illustrations. A must-read.

New Purchases - Has anyone tried making solid perfume with Vaseline? I’ve seen it on TikTok and would love to have a crack. I recently bought the Estee Lauder mussel perfume compactor on Etsy that I’m planning to fill with my own fragrance. Keepsake culture and whatnot.

Wishlist - I missed out on a Prada bowling bag in the brown and red, great quality and good condition, so I’m pretty bummed about that one. I’m also ready to take the plunge with some big ass buggy sunglasses, like the Celine Discs. I’ve always thought, with my very prominent nose, that oversized frames don’t seem to suit me. Now, I just want to serve big sunglasses, big honker and zero fucks.

Oh yeah, cat.