Dear readers,
It’s market week in Paris so the fashion community is back in town. France is in the middle of a searing heatwave, with a string of record-breaking 40+C (104+F) days.
The country has come a long way from recommending 1.5L of beer to make it through a canicule, as it did in 1975. But like everything else that’s just a bit different here than at home, so is the country’s relationship with (moving) air. Long-time resident Shelby Chambers breaks down the French mindset in a recent piece, as does Lindsey Tramuta in a piece appropriately titled, “Paris is Boiling.”
On the streets, people are wearing single-layer, breathable fabrics that can easily be tossed into the wash once they’re soaked through: elevated tees, button-downs, and tanks. It’s too hot for much else. Sounds boring? It doesn’t have to be if you follow my three-step approach to dressing up this summer.
I’ve also been eyeing the street style here and in Milan where temperatures are marginally kinder. If you’re looking for polished, warm-weather style inspo, Yana McKillop, Vogue Italia fashion market editor Marta Oldrini, Nordstrom’s newly-appointed EVP of global brand partnerships Yumi Shin, and buyer Kim Bui — whom I finally met IRL at the Lizzie Fortunato breakfast — are all worthy follows.
As for my own market-week wardrobe, I would love to walk around in a dress like this but I just…can’t. Instead, I turned to a reliable button-down:
Despite what the “must-have” lists insist, button-downs aren’t for everyone. But if they’re for you, it’s worth owning them in a range of proportions. Different lengths and volumes help avoid the pitfalls of Case Study #1’s wardrobe, where she found herself wearing the same silhouette everyday.
Shirt lengths range from cropped to very long, and from fitted to oversized. I’m actually not a big shirt wearer myself, but I pull this Soeur shirt out when I need a longer option (it’s the “Grenade” shirt if you’re searching secondhand). Note: it’s a good long on me, but completely overwhelming on my petite clients, so remember that proportions are relative!
My first purchase of market week was this Bevza brooch in their signature wheat motif, a national symbol of Ukraine:
To minimize decision-making, my original plan was to wear the same chino bermudas everyday — like I did with my Jacquemus Ovalo trousers for fall fashion week — but with the heat, they needed a wash by Day 2. (I also like the more relaxed, easy look of these elastic-waist, poplin bermuda shorts.) I chose to pair them with a backless Dries bodysuit and threw a sheer cape over my shoulders for propriety. A breezy scarf secured with a lightweight brooch would work just as well:
Despite appearances, this long-sleeve tee is 100% cotton, tissue-thin, and sheer enough to let a merciful breeze waft through once in a while:
I originally came up with the outfit on the left, but it was appropriate 15C ago. Instead, I left the house in an oversized cotton tee tucked into my bra straps — a signature styling move. Aritzia’s Pegasus tee has been out of stock for a few seasons, but it’s back! People are always talking about the “perfect tee” which I don’t think exists for the same reasons that I recommend button-downs in different proportions (and weights, for that matter). But, I can say this: the Pegasus is a reasonably-priced (hallelujah!) oversized tee in a nice, thick cotton yet also soft and fluid. It’s in good shape two years later.
My off-duty, Park Mom outfit:
What are we thinking about the dramatically shrunken silhouettes over at Prada mens? Opened by model Julia Nobis, the message seems to be that the silhouette is genderless…and perhaps a hint that slightly cropped, slim jean maybe coming (back) to a rack near you?
Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago and pre-canicule, I was in the mood to pull out my mid-2010s low-rise slim jeans. Many of you already know my issues with wearing low-rise bottoms — these are two sizes larger than my usual to achieve the fit I want.
Okay canicule, but Cordera’s pre-fall collection landed in my inbox this week with some Calder and Nylon Piped Jogger-esque styling inspo. The main takeaway is how to elevate the humble sweat- or trackpant by levering the rest of your pieces more formal.
Honourable mention for these slouchy white TWP jeans from their resort collection. Fight me, but slouchy is the only way I’m wearing white jeans:
I wanted to rip this beaded fringe top off the hanger and wear it over my sopping wet black bra:
And finally, thank you to Veronica Beard and Nili Lotan for these two sets. I wore the former to the opening of VB’s new Paris location where I had a lovely conversation with Noora Raj Brown on second acts:
A lot of my friends are in this funny place. In that we’ve had big careers that were very tied to our identities, and we thought we could see quite clearly into the future, but for some reason or another, eventually we realized that we wanted our lives to look a little different. And I know, for me, I’m still in the process of figuring out what that second act looks like.
You can read our full conversation here.
Articles cited:
Stay cool and hydrated!
Irène
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