5 Great Things

Creeping into the holiday season with mock turtlenecks, satin shoes, non-leather totes for leather jacket wearing, socks to be seen and a pair of at-home (and airplane?) pants

Welcome to November’s Five Great Things. As a reminder, paid subscribers will get a head start on 5GT emails on Sundays (it’s only fair!) and will open to everyone on Monday. Happy reading!

Mock turtles

You know what looks great on a zoom call? A mock turtleneck! You know what feels great as the weather inches colder but you haven’t quite reached chunky sweater territory yet? A mock turtleneck! I’ve been in a real long sleeve t-shirt zone for the past month, which is almost never me. I’m usually a t-shirt and sweater kind of gal. But the unseasonably warm October dove straight into this past week’s urgent desire to be cozy. Enter the lightweight turtleneck that cosplays as a complete top. The kinda baggy turtle that you need not fold and need not layer. I’ve been rotating between two for my most casual days: a striped Caron Callahan number and a white Auralee men’s (which also comes in a beautiful blueish grey). With my chinos. With jeans. With wooly drawstring trousers. With my “at home pants” which you will read about below. It just feels cool and unfussy and not dressy but not schlubby either. I think you will agree.

Caron Callahan striped mock turtleneck (I’m wearing XS) with white baggy jeans. You can of course tuck it in if this is too sloppy for you. But I love the floppiness of it. Citizens Ayla jeans. Bally booties. You could add a fun barn jacket making this a whole look of very unique “classic” pieces that don’t feel snooze-ville. Since the Filson is still sold out, I like this one, which I still love seasons later.

How I wore this turtle last Thursday (albeit with grey socks…more on that below). The Auralee turtle (I’m wearing size “3”) with Maria McManus trousers, Tory Burch shoes (size down a full size!) and at right the Theory coat that never made it into my suitcase last March but I’m so glad I kept! Here is probably the most similar option on the market now.

It’s kind of hilarious with a diamond riviere draped loosely over it. But I think actually…I love it? The Auralee turtle with a Dorsey necklace, Alex Mill chinos and Khaite loafers from last winter (these are a great alt!)

Non-leather winter totes

The toughest part about a leather jacket (for me) is not wearing the jacket itself, but finishing off the outfit and getting out the door, which I mentioned in the intro to this newsletter. To make it all work, I’m embracing non-leather totes. Here are the two I have been enjoying the most. And a few more ideas below that.

A black basket with leather trim feels much better than pale straw in November. Here’s what I wore to a client fitting and then straight to cocktails last Thursday night. Hunting Season tote with a brown leather Toteme blazer (I’m in a DT32, size down!), Naked Cashmere sweater, Maria McManus pants.

I had been hemming and hawing over this tote for a while, and I think the Chloe newsletter put me over the edge last week. I influenced myself, HA! I love the carpet-y fabric of this tote, and the chainlink pattern. The big arm hole for shouldering over coats. And the perfect length for a laptop and then some. I just love a weird tote. And this one does the 70s thing I’m craving at the moment while remaining uber-functional and semi-professional. Do I wish it didn’t have a big T on it? Yes. But I just tuck that in. It has the softness and quirkiness I have been looking for to make a black leather blazer feel like…me! This one is Bally which somehow was on sale at Luisaviaroma!? Back to full price on NAP now but my favorite leather jackets are all in this newsletter.

I’m hoping this can be the little nudge to remind you that a great “designer” tote does not need to be leather. In fact, it is kind of cool when it isn’t! You can wear something a little weird as a neutral. Especially since you’ll be in your tan or black or grey coat all winter anyway.

From left: Rue de Verneuil pinstripe wool flannel tote, Hunting Season straw tote, Tod’s boucle tote, Miu Miu corduroy tote, Y’s canvas pouch-y tote

Grey socks

The Miu Miu effect is real and long lasting. I’m referring specifically to the silky grey mens socks they style with just about everything. It all started with the Spring 2022 collection which was actually shown in October 2021. And it’s almost 2025!!! So as you get dressed these next couple weeks, consider baring your legs and adding a grey sock to tone down your strappy sandals or dress up your loafers. It is weirdly flattering and your ankles will thank you when the sun goes down.

by Malene Birger wool ribbed socks with a girlish suit: Club Monaco jacket from this newsletter. TWP shirt. A.Emery pants. The Row sandals (but these would look great. And I wouldn’t actually mind something a little dressier too.)

Grey silky wool socks from the men’s store The Armoury. They’re a little big, naturally, but I think that kind of makes them cool? A very lady outfit that I look forward to wearing all December for schlepping around town to meetings. It’s definitely more of a Milanese winter idea, but I’m adopting it for here. I also would argue that somehow the midcalf sock makes my legs look longer!? Fforme coat (on major sale), Lisa Yang sweater, Organic John Patrick skirt which is long gone but here is another great yellow, Bally loafers.

An update on an outfit I wore in this newsletter, for the holiday season! The grey roll socks have been in my drawer so long I can’t remember where I got them but these and these are great alts

With your cropped jeans and a sweater. Insert your favorite loafer or sneaker here. I just wanted to really drive the point home that I think grey is meant to be seen all day. Not just for a party. :) &Daughter sweater, these jeans for a good crop, Tory Burch shoes and grey socks.

I am wearing the by Malene Birger socks here, but I have to say, I would not actually in the wild because I have a logo on my dress. I do not double logo under any circumstances. So you should wear these if your LBD has a logo too. But since most LBDs are logo free, you will be safe with the bMBs. In other styling notes, I consider this a minxy little dress and the grey socks make it more playful, less serious, which LBDs can tend toward. Try it! My favorite LBD of all time from Versace with the most comfortable heeled wedge you could imagine by Larroude.

Satin shoes

Satin shoes are on the brain because of these guys from Prada FW24. They just feel like the right amount of fun and festive while not really needing to do too much else differently with your outfit. I like them with black pants and a sweater, with white skirts and leather jackets and with a very seasonally festive fairisle mix. Not pictured, but they also work great with jeans a black silky button down for dinner around the corner.

Satin on satin with a shiny dress pant (a similar shaped Kallmeyer here and shiny Totemes here), and balanced with a chunky textured knit (this one by Caron Callahan), a turtle, fancy necklace and shiny leather black bag. So many extremes working together here!

With a white skirt in winter, one of my favorite things (who can forget this newsletter!?) This is an old Miu Miu TRR find. But I like the look of this. And I recently tried on this, it was so beautiful. The satin pumps layered with a leather blazer, a scoop neck navy sweater and white tee making them feel very November.

Color on color on color.

At home (or airplane) pants

A few weeks ago, a friend was going to come over at 9am on a Saturday morning with her son for us to have coffee and our kids to play. It’s funny how hard it was to get dressed for the occasion. I wanted to still be in PJs but that didn’t feel right. And jeans didn’t feel right either. And then I remembered I had these in my pajama drawer that I bought as airplane pants for a few trips that I had this fall. All three were cancelled and therefore I kind of forgot I had them. Sigh.

Anyway, I threw them on with a grey long sleeve tee and felt so perfectly comfortable and just the right amount of dressed. And since then I have been wearing them to the bus stop at the corner and for writing at home (wearing them right now, funny you should ask!)

The pants in question. With a Skims grey l/s tee, which could be it’s own “thing”!

How they will be accompanying me to Minnesota next week to take care of some family business. Please note the grey socks. Me+Em pants, Lauren Manoogian sweater from seasons past but this looks like the idea I was going for. Nikes. Wayfarers.

On that note, there will be no newsletter next week so I can focus on my family while I’m traveling. I will be back in your inbox the Sunday after Thanksgiving. So if I don’t speak to you before, have a very happy holiday. And when we are back, we will be in full festive mode with a delightful little gift guide and a very special surprise holiday kickoff on Dec. 4th. I am ITCHING to share it with you. Until then…

Yours TRULY,

Becky