LE CATCH

I’m sitting here in my workout leggings, my most hard-working under-eye masks firmly in place, having been awake since 3:30 AM thanks to a mosquito that would not stop buzzing in my ear. (Let’s just not bring up the current surge of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in LA.) I’m already dressed for an 11 AM Zoom with my NYC-based physical trainer, but my Comrad leggings are are also earning their keep while I sit here working: the compression helps with circulation during the hours (and hours) I spend at my desk. This morning, however, they also feel like they’re holding me together! Which is helpful because I somehow need to stay awake and go to a friend’s birthday dinner at Steak 48 tonight. I’ve been selectively scrolling through the morning news because there is only so much I can process these days, and having decided to keep this Le Catch missive squarely within my wheelhouse, I’m going to share the only breaking news I can handle: Prada just showed Spring 2027 in Milan and, there was not a single pair of pants or a dress on the runway. Just skirts. Skirts, skirts, skirts. Mostly landing just above the knee, some pleated and swingy, others wrap-like and diaphanous, several sitting low on the hips, a few minis, spanning from bold jewel colors to neutrals, worn with everything from motorcycle jackets and button-downs to bras and sleeveless knits. What does this mean for us? I think it means we should probably start looking at skirts, and, oh, you’re welcome, I’ve already found a stand-in from COS, below. Also gleaned from my highly-edited news intake this morning: Noora Brown’s Avoid the Americans Paris restaurant guide, which I immediately saved and will share with no one but you. P.S. For those of you who would rather stick with pants despite Miuccia’s apparent objections, COS also has a pair of cummerbund trousers that basically styles the outfit for you. Add tab shirt from Wiggy Kit. And/or J.Crew men’s barn jacket. Leave house. Sidebar: after seeing Lisa Aiken in a lace Khaite dress in New York last week, I have been thinking about lace again, specifically how to get something approximating the same effect without buying the Khaite dress. H&M, as it happens, has an answer, along with this studded belt. For more answers today, head to Banana Republic’s 40% off sale, which will honestly surprise you with yes’s, including this ruby red skirt! For now, I’ll be moving on to these sunnies, given the (not) news-breaking LA heat today, and because, well, you know why!

London Fashion Week is making an extremely convincing case that the quickest way to make everything already hanging in our closets feel new has very little to do with buying more clothes. It’s the extras. The attendees are underscoring what’s been building all season: accessories aren’t finishing the outfit right now—they’re making it. A bright sweater tied around the waist of jeans. A big, bold bag against otherwise completely ordinary clothes. Mulberry’s new purple satchel, above, may just be the go-to of the moment. (Also in red, below.). A belt cinched somewhere it hasn’t been cinched before. Or, as Ralph Lauren would have us believe, several things tied, wrapped and buckled around the waist at once, pictured below. I want to replicate this belt situation with this great leather conch cincher from Johnny Was (in this size too), and this similar-looking scarf. And pile on the extras with Steve Madden, Vera Bradley (hello, Celine), this tassel belt, these Warby Parker statement sunnies, this Moma’s Eye pinkie ring and this leather B-Low the Belt cummerbund.

$59, h&m

The decorative knot button makes this a day-to-night standout.

1. H&M jacket
2. Frame jeans
3. Effy gold and diamond ring
4. Aurate lab grown white sapphire drop earrings
5. Warby Parker sunglasses
6. K2O by Sprinter Advanced Skin Hydration
7. JS Health Pure Marine Collagen Formula
8. Banana Republic leather barrel bag
9. Banana Republic loafers (40% off!)

This past week felt like everyone in LA decided to come out of summer hibernation at once. Three dinner parties, a trunk show, coffee dates, lunches, meeting new people, catching up with longtime friends who scattered away in late June—it feels like everyone is suddenly back in town and making up for lost time. Besides the obvious pleasure of seeing everyone, all this going out has given my closet a vigorous wake-up call. Things that have been languishing in my closet are finally seeing some action: the Chan Luu dress that practically dressed me by itself, below; the Merlette pants that only needed a jacket (with nothing underneath); the Jamie Haller shoes that make jeans feel dinner-party appropriate, above (denim is Kallmeyer, BTW). And, naturally, being out—and seeing what other women are wearing—has only made me consider more things: a spot-on pop of color across the table, a new pair of Saint Laurent sunnies that simply read COOL, a bag I clock from three people away, below; Cinq a Sept’s embellished tank (vibing Prada, no?), Steve Madden’s cap-toe slingbacks, Guest in Residence’s bandana print cardigan and the cute $50 mariner bracelet (last pic). P.S. I could not have faced it all without this miracle-working energy formula and new Caviar Stick Eye Shadow from Laura Mercier (in Mixed Metals) that literally made me appear way more wide-eyed than I actually was!

The High Street is looking extra compelling right now—and not in a “can you believe this is from…?” way. Just compelling, period. I’ve already gone on about the very IYKYK appeal of Valesque, and now H&M is riffing on that same clean, pared-back bag idea, above. I also like the Dolce Vita luxe-looking tote, below. Especially for $148! Beaded Asos, also fun, plus pretty (Doen-ish) Topshop lace, black and blue Zara, Mango’s super cool wide-collar knit and Madewell’s lace-up oxfords in oxblood (for 25% off, no less). Even Walmart has some look-twice pieces in the mix: the denim cropped jacket and this pleated denim skirt. Consider this your reminder to keep the radar wide: good things are turning up everywhere.

Last night, it was a jacket that dragged me off the couch. It literally greased my wheels all 10.9 miles to Crescent Heights and Sunset for a dinner party. Which is why, if there’s one thing worth investing in this fall, I think it’s this: the jacket that gets you places. The one you can throw over whatever you’re already wearing and suddenly look like you had a plan. The one that helps me become one with Waze. I’m especially drawn to this season’s styles with a high neck, an embellished collar, some kind of fastening or flourish that makes everything underneath almost beside the point. Here are others that will earn their keep: the embroidered Never Fully Dressed, above, this Theory shirt-like jacket (on sale—I almost wore last night!), this vegan leather Modern Citizen blazer, the $49 Zara lace situation, below, the Polo Ralph Lauren cropped jacket (the denim version is compelling too), and Hill House Home’s chocolate herringbone.

The latest addition to my precious metal collection.

1. Rohe sweater
2. Phoebe Philo pants
3. Alexis Bittar stud earrings
4. JS Health Skin & Digestion Formula
5. Fallon chain maille bag
6. Partlow boots
7. Dries Van Noten Velvet Violet Eau de Parfum

I recently found myself sitting around a table with a group of women who essentially style, shop and recommend clothes for a living, and, not surprisingly, we got onto the subject of jeans. The interesting part was how much our answers overlapped. The same brands, the same styles, the same very specific fits kept coming up. An entirely unofficial denim focus group—and, somewhat surprisingly, a pretty strong consensus. Considering how many pairs have collectively passed through our closets (vetting processes), I figured the intel was worth sharing, starting with Levi’s (of course), Pistola’s Cassie Super High Straight Jean (if you like a bowed shape, this is it), AGOLDE’s 90’s Pinch, Mother’s Reifler jeans (hands-down, the most comfortable), Madewell’s vintage-inspired denim (the nicest price), Ossou Noon jeans (sleek, chic), and Still Here (whatever is not sold out!). Some new additions to the collective rotation: J.Crew’s carpenter denim that I saw everywhere in NYC in blue, but I like the berry wash better, (also Phillip Lim has a really good pair that’s selling fast), Reformation’s baby boot cut jeans, and Citizens of Humanity’s new crisp dark denim.

I went for a walk early this morning with energy healer Jakki Leonardini, whom I met many years ago in Aspen. I’d signed up for one of her workshops at the GOOP store on the eve of New Year’s Eve and pretty much instantly decided I needed her in my life. And not just because she was wearing the chicest Western boots I’d ever seen. That helped. In fact, I bought my own! Jakki’s philosophy is that intuition isn’t some special gift bestowed on a lucky few; It’s a skill we all have and can strengthen. Her work draws on energy healing to help clear out some of the old stuff that can get in the way of actually hearing ourselves. She does private sessions, groups and workshops, and I always leave her feeling a little more tuned in. This morning, after I told her about my very compressed, very social, very energy-intensive Fashion Week in New York, she prescribed a little (ongoing) replenishment: Creatine Monohydrate for less brain fog, better muscle tone (I’ll take both, please) and Adrenal Health to, as she says, “keep calm and carry on.” Apparently running around Manhattan, talking to approximately 4,000 people and getting dressed three times a day has an energetic bill that eventually comes due. But my bigger takeaway from our walk was simpler: recovery isn’t necessarily doing nothing. Sometimes it’s being a little more deliberate about what—and who—you let refill the tank. Anyway, consider this my post-Fashion Week energy edit!

Sézane is in refresh mode, and while there’s plenty to discuss—the sharper styling, more directional clothes, generally elevated point of view—I think the bags might be making the most convincing argument. Evidence: most of them are sold out. They’ve landed in a particularly useful sweet spot: interesting enough to change an outfit, practical enough to use every day, and priced at a level that doesn’t require a lengthy justification caption. I took my Sézane clutch to New York and it ended up working overtime—day, dinner, Fashion Week, repeat. Naturally, it’s now sold out, although a new suede version is available for preorder. More interestingly, a new batch is currently sitting in the “Coming Soon” section, including several I’d put on the short list now rather than discover three weeks from now when they’re marked “Notify Me.” My frontrunners: this suede bucket bag and this structured tote. (Plus: my sweater and skirt!)