The Shopping List: MARCH
Each month we share the 10 things we can't stop thinking about and the reasons why.
When you fantasise about owning a specific item of clothing, are you dreaming about wearing the clothing itself, or the scenario in which you might wear it? Does your sense of how that item will transform your world stop at the seams of the fabric, or does it extend beyond the practical and into the emotional?
We ask because we’re conscious that these shopping list edits come around thick and fast every four weeks, and we don’t merely want to churn out 10 (what we think are) beautiful things for you to look at/ ponder/maybe even add to your fantasy shopping list.
We think there’s more to be explored through the simple act of compiling a wishlist.
There’s a lot of value (economic and otherwise) in interrogating why we dream about owning certain things. Rationalising our acquisitions with ideas of ‘investment’ and ‘cost-per-wear’ can help lessen the guilt we might feel about certain purchases — and sometimes these ideas are genuinely useful filters to parse your wardrobe through. But if we take that interrogation one step further, and ask ourselves what gap (emotional/physical/spiritual?!) we’re trying to fill with that beautiful new top, we can be more discerning with what we’re spending our hard-earned on.
For us, these monthly shopping edits are exercises in self-editing (you may not be surprised to hear that in working on homeroom, our eyes consume a LOT of desirable things every single week). They’re also an exercise in resolving exactly why we’ve each selected our five items.
Most of the time, we don’t actually buy what’s on our monthly shopping lists (we live in the real world!) but that’s almost besides the point. The goal is to be crystal clear on the gap we’re aiming to fill so that, if we did decide to make the financial commitment, we know it wouldn’t be money down the drain.
But, if you don’t have time (and, let’s face it, who does?) to sit down every month and think long and hard about all this, there are other ways to be more thoughtful about what makes it out of your wishlist and into your cart.
We’ve been recommending Carted for the past two months and our belief in its usefulness only continues to grow. It allows you to add links to all the things you’ve been eyeing online, create lists (you can find ours for March at the bottom of this newsletter), get notified if something gets reduced in price or comes back in stock, and share your lists with friends/loved ones. It’s very intuitive to use — the interface is really excellent — and helps give you that bird’s eye view of your wishlists in one place so you can pause and prioritise before you commit to buying anything. The only thing we don’t like about the app is that we didn’t think of it first.
Thanks for being here with us, we hope you love this month’s picks, as well as our reasons for including them!
Sophie & Annie
xoxo
Sophie
DOF STUDIOS / Claudia — $379.95
I may have found the perfect work heel. Actually, I pretty much solely wear sneakers to work so it’s not my work heel but if I did, these would be it. Instead it’s my ideal everything else heel. I want to wear everywhere with my favourite relaxed, everyday denim. Simples.
Annie
NAGNATA / Brushed Alpaca Cardigan — $580.00
Last winter, I bought — and lived in — this grey cashmere knit from Assembly Label. I bought it several sizes up and it was the perfect thing to slouch around in with a four-month old baby. I still love it and will wear it this winter, but I would love an alternative (and equally warm) knit to mix things up a bit.
I tried this Nagnata knit on at Mane a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love. Nagnata does the whole ‘comfy athleisure with a difference’ so well, and this piece definitely nods to the brand’s connection to physical activity (the stripe gives the cardigan a sportiness which is a little unexpected). Yes, this is also grey, but it’s got a few critical points of difference:
As a cardigan, any tee or long-sleeve top layered underneath will be more on show and therefore add more of a dynamic visual component to the knit itself
The blue stripe running down each arm is so simple but so impactful, visually. I’m not one for patterned knits (I love them on other people, I just don’t love them on me) but the tripe adds a level of playfulness that I’m looking for from my clothes right now.
Furry buttons. Furry. Buttons.
It’s not cheap, but it is (almost) softer than my baby’s cheeks, and that is the level of softness I want in a knit.
Sophie
OROTON / Flora Fine Knit Stripe Polo — $179
I’m really loving the resurgence of polo tops. I own an Elka Collective one from last season (on sale here, this one is also cute and very affordable) which i’m obsessed with. I love it because it’s one of those pieces that instantly elevates a look without jeopardising comfort. Absolute key. It’s basically my only not-a-tee-top in circulation right now and i’m looking to purchase another because it makes me feel so good. Sexy even.
I love the fully buttoned vibe but i’ve been channeling my inner Miley and wearing mine a la that Gucci Flora commercial. But with a bra unfortunately, because, breastfeeding. I broke the news to my partner recently that my boobs wouldn’t be returning to their previous stature post breastfeeding and he thought I was joking, lol. Here’s hoping he’s fond of pancakes.
I digress. You know when something becomes so trendy you almost get the ick when you’d previously been lusting after it (Kings Of Leon, anyone?)? I’d been having this feeling towards rugby stripe polo knits recently, now that they can be found at every corner of the internet. But I hated the KOL haters back in 2010 so I did a little soul searching to work out how I really felt and I do think this can be more than a flash in the pan trend, especially if you invest wisely in a quality piece.
I adore this Oroton iteration in a merino cotton blend, both colour ways are very good. It’s a perfect interesting base layer for the cooler months, without being too much. I also have my eyes on this Assembly Label piece, I know it’s grey but it will also double as a light jacket!! And this is the perfect vintage inspired piece by Bassike.
Annie
CAMILLA AND MARC / Ava Slipper — $700
The Cut can write all the think pieces it wants, I am never going to buy or wear a pair of snoafers (sloafers?). I am simply past that point in my sartorial life. But after a summer spent slipping my feet willy-nilly in and out of slides, the idea of bending over to zip a boot or tie a shoelace feels like a bridge of effort too far. Does that make me lazy? Perhaps. But, trust me, the last thing you want to contend with when you have a toddler tugging at your leg and a dog hyperventilating with excitement at the prospect of a walk at the end of the day, is to have to stop for even a second to affix a shoe to your hoof.
Sadly, though, open-toe-shoe weather in Melbourne will soon come to a close. I need something to see me through the autumn and into winter (maybe with the addition of a cashmere sock).
I really love these black bobbly slip-on flat mules from Camilla and Marc. The upper section is made from satin ribbon that’s been crocheted by hand (hence the pricepoint). I’ve been looking for a closed-toe shoe that isn’t a sneaker, a boot, a loafer or a clog and while there are some beautiful, more traditional flats available at the moment (I still love these from A.Emery), there is just something about a ballet style flat that feels too conservative to me. I want something with a little bit of weirdness to it. And a bumpy, braided, padded little black slip-on mule is it for me.
Sophie
ANNA QUAN / Sable Skirt — $590
There’s something about this skirt. I keep thinking about it. There’s definitely a little 50’s influence in my wishlists of recent, I adore 50’s fashion (one of my favourite jobs i’ve ever styled is a period commercial for Dan Murphy’s). I want to wear it with everything: a baby tee, a stripy knit, a polo. I like adding a piece like this to my otherwise incredibly casual repertoire because it keeps me feeling ‘done’ without trying too hard.
Annie
BASSIKE / Vintage Stripe Long Sleeve Baby T-Shirt — $220.00
I own two of these long-sleeve baby tees from Bassike: one in white and one in a khaki-ish colour. Both of them were on heavy rotation last winter as a base layer under a knit, or a trench or cardigan. The thing about Bassike’s cotton tees is the weight of the cotton feels like the perfect amount of worn — like a vintage t-shirt you’ve worn and washed a thousand times, so much that it feels like a safety blanket or a second skin. That is why I can justify the price of such a, well, basic piece of clothing. It’s the way it makes me feel.
I really adore this stripe update to this cut. It’s perfectly vintage-inspired but is bang-on for the moment, too. I love that the length isn’t so long you have to tuck it in, but not so short that I’ll be exposing my tummy (don’t let the model above fool you — she is 178cm tall). I’ll be wearing exactly as pictured, with the jeans I recommend below.
Sophie
SENSO / Hula — $199
Too late in the season? Me thinks not. I happily remain in denial that the weather is about to turn and will continue to free my toes as long as goddamn possible. I love a winter look with a thong (i’m so torn with the introduction of ‘flip flop’ to the Australian vernacular, but thongs do evermore sound like underwear) — they always give the perfect weight of both casual and cool to an outfit. I really struggle with flats in winter!! Loafers I feel mumsy, sneakers I feel frumpy, etc. etc. More on this to come, but for now my toes remain destined to a life of frostbite.
Annie
INCU / Crash Baggy Jeans — $220
Incu Collection really bats above its weight when it comes to design chops versus price point. I see a lot of great international design references in their pieces but they’ve translated them for an Australian customer and context, which is why we love them so much. These jeans might’ve cost more like $500 had I looked for the same sort of cut and look from a more luxury local designer, but the end result wouldn’t have been very different IMO. They are a great cut — sitting slightly lower on the hips, straight and baggy through the leg and skimming over the hips/butt area with juuuuust enough hug. I tried them on a couple of weeks ago (I am on the right in the pic above) and was instantly sold. For reference, I normally wear a size 27 in jeans but I took a 26 in these because I wanted them to sit slightly higher on my waist and I also felt like the crotch was a little too baggy in the size 27s). These are great autumn/winter staples and I know I’ll be relying on them heavily to take me out of my silk stretchy waistband pants era.
Sophie
OROTON / Paisley Scarf — $59
I continue to be obsessed with introducing a head scarf to my accessory rotation (I previously spoke about this here). It really goes against the purely functional type of dressing I currently have going on: i’ll be honest it’s not my cutest fashion era, which is why you wont always see me fronting the looks i’m yelling at you to wear from the other side of the screen, while not so secretly donning sweats. So this little scarf feels representative of something bigger. A page turning. A new day. A green shoot. You get the gist.
In 6 short weeks my baby boy turns one. ONE. It’s been nearly a whole year since I gave birth yet I continue to refer to him as my newborn. I’m certain that I will also still refer to myself as postpartum when he’s 30. Anyway. I’m choosing to see the desire to procure this square piece of silk as an attempt at dressing for joy again, rather than pure function (and social cohesion). A useless little accessory never hurt anyone. It doubles as a muslin!
I feel a Pinterest board coming on — to be continued. Two Oroton pieces this month! I do love Oroton.
Annie
PARIS GEORGIA / Mae Skirt — $660.00
Unadulterated fantasy stuff, this. I have very few reasons to own this skirt, but, my god, I know how good I would feel wearing it. I actually included this piece in a personal essay I wrote back in January when I was grappling with the question of whether I still loved fashion (the skirt was/is an example of why I do, in fact, still love fashion). At the time, the skirt was sold out in my size, but it is now back in stock and back at the very top of my fantasy wishlist of impractical clothes that speak to my soul. It’s so 90s, so whimsical, so ready for a party and so elegant at the same time. Is it the skirt, or is it the girl I’d be in the skirt? Truthfully, it’s both. And I guess that’s what puts the wish in my wishlist.