Maven pick: The Sweatshirt

Good afternoon, Friday. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...Khan is on the mend and we're hanging out resting up a bit today- been a bit of a tough week for the little guy but he's pretty much back to normal after a bout of what can only be described as an allergic reaction to Kentucky. You can take the dog out of Brooklyn I suppose, but...you know the rest. He's more of a city dude, much like his mama.

And because I've been trend spotting here in Brooklyn (right along with Vogue as mentioned yesterday), I'm feeling a real craving for super casual attire- fortunately for me, I work in advertising, where we get to basically wear whatever we want. But it's still not cool to make no effort at all- you can do casual as could be, but making it cool is good form.

And though this trend has long since jumped off, I'm all about a simple sweatshirt come Fall. I'm noticing some leaves turning crispy under my feet (already- weird) and wondering what my wardrobe will feel like as we transition into cooler days and nights. I love how a sweatshirt is a pure expression of that effortless chic that is so my cup of Darjeeling- Proenza Schouler set the bar for me with their super budget busting look below ($1500 for a sweatshirt simply not going to happen), but as we continue to live in a very democratic age when it comes to fashion- fear not. There's loads of options out there for the rest of us.

The best way to wear said sweat frock? I love it with a short skirt and heels, I adore it with a fresh white collar popping out of it with a pencil skirt on the bottom, and I adore it with leathery leggings to give it that athlete with an edge kind of vibe. Below are some wonderful street style examples- fabulous, non? A full skirt works great as well- have fun playing with the variations, just make sure to get the proportion spot on like the gorgeous girls below. Oh and I LOVE it with a leather skirt as well- the softness of the sweatshirt is divine with the toughness of the leather.

One thing I don't love with this banded must have? Jeans. Unless they are boyfriend and work with the proportion of the sweatshirt for that slouchy coolness. But jeans are simply too expected, so classic is great (black pencil skirt for instance) just not regular old jeans. It's not about looking like a 50s high school girl- it's about a more grown up version of this lovely staple. Here are some of my favs out there- I do so love the classic heather grey but also adore a witty take on the trend, like the Brian Lichtenberg "Hommies" jam below. So great- my fav below is definitely from the good old Gap, as well as the one right below from Phillip Lim- love the rock and roll addition of the zipper and the cool graphic.

3.1 Phillip Lim, $575

Gap heathered hoodie, $23.99

Zoe Karssen sweatshirt, $80.64

Brian Lichtenberg sweatshirt, $109

A.P.C. Atelier, $175

Alexander Wang double knit sweatshirt, $225

American Apparel tri-blend pullover, $38

And that's what's up this sweaty Friday in my lovely neighborhood. Keepin' it casual all weekend. XO