Good morning, Thursday. Thanks for all the love and support yesterday. It means the world. I'm so excited to rediscover my passion for an industry I hold very dear to my heart- I have always loved photography and its ability to document where we are in time and how imagery can reflect our collective mind and mood. I'm speaking on a few panels later this month on where the industry is and where it's headed- more on that soon.
So speaking of mind and mood, I wanted to talk about a fashion moment that seems to be taking the nation by storm- behold, the pants suit.
Many of you old enough to remember "Working Girl" will inevitably remember Melanie Griffiths' big shouldered suits in that film- a nod to women taking care of business in new, powerful ways. Enter Hillary Clinton, who is arguably earning her place in American culture each and every day, and who will hopefully be our next President.
A friend of mine is working on a cool event called "National Pantsuit Day"- on October 22nd in both Philly and New York in which women will rock a pantsuit to show their support for HIllary, with events in Boston and Dallas to follow, and an opportunity to set up your very own well suited event in your own city or town. In partnership with Dress for Success, this event is a fun way to get involved and walk in solidarity with fellow no nonsense ladies who want to help get HIllary all the way to the White House. I've worked with Dress for Success and I'm a huge believer in the organization- helping women get back on their feet and get ready to work is an amazing endeavor. I can't say enough about them. They're going to donate all of the suits at the end of the day to women in need, so yes- #imwithher but #imalsowiththem.
It must be said that there are certainly a lot of ill fitting options surrounding the cult of pantsuits. But wow, are there some wonderful ways to be chic when it comes to this trend. Many of you read Stacey London's stellar piece for Refinery 29 where she shouted out the pants suit as her favorite way to dress as she becomes more and more comfortable in her own skin and gives less and less f's as she ages. She mentions Emily Meyer as her go to designer of choice- and a quick scan of her website shows that this bespoke, sartorial approach to suiting is elegant, timeless, and really cool. I would love to have a suit made, and you all know I'm a fan of menswear inspired dress and find it sexy and strong and beyond bad assed. And true, most of us can't afford custom suiting, but there are plenty of options in your favorite retailers everywhere- from COS to Zara to your fav vintage store, where you can buy a men's suit and take it to the tailor for some feminine nips and tucks.
And just yesterday, I was scanning the hilarious Instagram account "everyoutfitonSATC", which documents all the looks on the now infamous show of American female empowerment, Sex and the City. Yesterday's look was Samantha Jones in a hot pink Ungaro pantusit, described as "the power suit to end all power suits" and a look Hillary should wear to the Inauguration. I do believe pants suits are having a very real moment- updated to reflect current tastes, of course but indicative of all the incredible things women are doing at this very moment in time.
I loved Hillary's look at the convention- the all white Ralph Lauren that said very strongly, "I'm here and not going anywhere". Yes. It was perfection.
And perhaps no suited look is more iconic than YSL's le smoking- shot by Helmut Newton and worn by Charlotte Rampling, I can't think of a cooler silhouette that is more covetable or timeless. I'd rather wear this than most anything- super sexy and strong and perfect.
And no post I write on the suit is complete without shouting out Jena Lyons, J. Crew big cheese and amazing wearer of clothes. I love her style and the range of looks she has- from dressed down to formal with a variety of silhouettes. She's so major. And such a big star. Oh and at the top of this post is my boo Stella Tennant- photographed by Peter Lindbergh who has always celebrated women's natural beauty while looking incredibly powerful. Love.
Obviously the whole pantsuit thing can be a disaster- ill fitting, scratchy, Teletubbie colored- but really, if you find the right way around this iconic look, you can shine. I for one will be out for this event, most likely wearing something from COS in black with my HIllary tee shirt underneath. Connecting power with who wears the pants has never felt so right. We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. Cause that's what's up this kicking ass and wearing pants kind of Thursday in the borough of Brooklyn. Yours, in TCOB. EVERY DAMN DAY. XO