LE CATCH

There was a period of time when my skiwear was…ahead of my skis. As in when I was learning and swishing down the bunny hill with my young children. The clothes I wore suggested confidence, fluency, expertise. The reality on the mountain did not. Which meant that once I left altitude, those pieces stayed firmly in the gear bag. Wearing technical, profesh-looking ski gear anywhere but atop a Ajax felt like cosplay. Aspirational at best, fraudulent at worst. But skiwear has since doubled down as legitimate everyday winter wear, and somewhere along the way, I caught up to it. Not necessarily by becoming an expert skier (though I can now ski Jackson’s blues with little hesitancy!), but by growing into the confidence to wear things for what they are, not what they imply. Performance puffers, insulated layers, and weather-proof shells have crossed over because they’re well-designed and practical. Plus, they’re damn expensive and I might as well amortize the cost per wear! I no longer feel like I need to earn my outerwear through vertical feet or black diamonds. I wear my ski stuff at sea level now—on sidewalks, running errands—because it works. Which brings me to J.Crew’s partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and its just-launched limited edition capsule collection. It’s the equivalent of a bluebird day, with fresh powder on top. I love the sweater puffer, above, the fair isle roll neck and vintage-looking sweatshirt. Even the socks are way cute! Guest in Residence, Gigi Hadid’s cashmere line, has also joined the lift line, offering pieces that work from city streets to snowy summits (or at least from après to school pickup) without feeling precious: the fair isle sculpted cardigan, the fringed shawl, the color-blocked zip-up, all pictured below. Additional cross-overs: these shearling boots, this and this: It’s the same thesis across categories: clothing that doesn’t demand credentials. Or an Epic ski pass.

I don’t work out only to stay strong. I also work out to de-stress—by which I mean fully exorcise the boiling-to-the-brim anxiety that likes to quietly accumulate until it suddenly does not feel quiet at all. Cardio helps. Lifting helps more. But if I’m being honest, there’s a third reason: I work out to feel good in my clothes. This is where good workout gear kicks in. Lately, I’ve been noticing it more in classes like Burn in Brentwood, where the average age feels…28? Or at least everyone looks and dresses like they’re 28. Effortless ponytails. Perfect matching sets. That very specific “I just threw this on” confidence that is, of course, extremely intentional. And while I’m not trying to compete with that energy, I am trying to meet myself where I am now. Showing up feeling leaner, longer, and fitter—in my body and in my clothes—has become part of the feel-good experience. It’s not about shrinking or punishing myself into shape. It’s about feeling strong and sleek. Capable and pulled together. Like my body and my wardrobe are on the same team. I want legs that carry me through a long day—and the satisfaction of knowing my blazer fits the way it’s supposed to because I showed up for myself. For me, fitness isn’t separate from style—it supports it. The ensuing confidence? It reads before the outfit does. So yes, I work out to stay strong. And to manage my anxiety. But also—to enjoy getting dressed. To walk into rooms (and workout studios) feeling like myself, fully. That’s the goal. My latest go-to pieces: this Fabletics onesie and layered sports bra, the long-sleeve H&M top, above, that, if you squint, makes me look a little more like the 28-year-olds in class, these Left on Friday high-rise leggings (Every.Single.Day), this Beach Riot tennis dress (let’s hit this Friday, Meg Strachan!), the one-shouldered scalloped Wiskii set, below, and this cranberry-hued (read: different!) Rhone.

$179, mango

A jacket I can wear inside and outside is my kind of do-it-all jacket.

1. Mango jacket, $179, mango.com
2. Norma Kamali skirt, $305, mytheresa.com
3. Bvulgari diamond stud earring, $1250, saksfifthavenue.com
4. Akris feather-trimmed bag, $2410, bergdorfgoodman.com
5. Jo Malone hand cream set, $75, nordstrom.com
6. Staud suede boots, $416, shopbop.com

An invitation to New Year’s Eve dinner at a just-opened, mountainside private club in Jackson Hole arrived with a dress code suggestion that read simply: casual. Which, in mountain towns—and especially Jackson—means anti-flash by design (this is not Aspen), but never careless. I translated that as black pants (okay, jeans but no one could tell!) and a sweater that wasn’t at all straightforward, because it’s too cold not to wear a sweater. I chose a sparkly Simkhai knit. Upon arrival, it became immediately clear that I had aced part of the assignment—the sweater part. In deep winter, knitwear, is the main character, obviously, but it can’t be basic, and if it is, it has to be styled with intention and thoughtful details: socks with pointy-toe heels (a 2026 must!), a belt that actually matters, a sparkly necklace worn over the sweater (important/see below). Which is to say: Toteme’s newest lineup of knits has quietly become my winter-dressing manual, specifically the coveted cape-like sweater (also here in more colors and sizes), the shawl cardigan, and Not flashy, not precious, but considered. Exactly right for a place where understatement is the flex, and knowing how to dress for dinner in the mountains is its own kind of insider language. Also noteworthy: this White and Warren butter yellow cable-knit, this Khaite-like nipped-in cardigan, this blouson-sleeve cardigan and this Guest in Residence cardigan coat that looks like sleek fur!

$134, nordstrom

Stepping out into 2026, all warm and fuzzy!

1. Vince draped cashmere sweater, $498, saksfifthavenue.com
2. BLK DNM low-rise jeans, $270, saksfifthavenue.com
3. Shashi hoops,
4. Chanel Rouje Allure in Pirate, $50, nordstrom.com
5. Wellco Super Elixir Greens Caddy, $24, welleco.com
6. Pascal lab-grown diamond leather strap watch, $385, nordstrom.com
7. Jeffrey Campbell calf-hair flats, $139, nordstrom.com

I don’t know about you, but the first Monday of the year feels more like back to school than September ever does. The calendar flips, the inbox refills, and the rustiness is real—evident in something as small as having to pause before writing 2026 instead of 2025! And yet, there’s clarity here too. I find January doesn’t ask for reinvention so much as recalibration. The reset isn’t loud. It’s subtle, almost practical. What worked last year still works. What didn’t, quietly exits. Which brings me, inevitably, to clothes. The new year can tempt with the idea of new: new wardrobe, new silhouette, new self. But the smarter move—the one that actually sticks—is closer to editing than replacing. The refined basic that sharpens what’s already in rotation (in every color!). The warm sweater that layers without bulk. The cute coat that makes everything else look better (see below). The chic blazer (above) to throw over everything. I’m talking enhancements, not overhauls. More examples: these suede Prada kitten heels (everyday-worthy!), this faux leather t-shirt, these rigid trouser-like jeans (read: dressy), and these satin pull-on pants. P.S. I’m Day 5 into using this do-it-all greens powder and already I can feel a difference! And started using this hard-core hydrating serum in Jackson Hole to combat the dry mountain air and will continue because it’s made my skin glow—truly!

I took what turned out to be my first selfie of the year, above, without much thought, only later noticing Jackson Hole’s iconic bucking horse right behind me. Very apropos as it’s the Year of the Horse! Unplanned, of course, but the best symbolism always is. The meaning—whether we’re talking Chinese zodiac or Western iconography—is forward movement. Charging ahead, yes, but with purpose. Clothing-wise, I’m leaning into that energy too. Pieces that feel like they can keep up: confident layers, everything intentional. Things that say “Let’s Go!” whether conditions cooperate or not—i.e., flaming-red Jorde, above, the sparkly Simkhai sweater, these AYR black jeans, this Varley fair isle zip-up knit, these ribbed Cordova base layers (crazy comfortable, double as leggings, plus heat-trapping top!), and this deep V-neck Pixie Market sweater. Heading to the fresh snow now!

I’m spending this last day of the year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where perspective arrives immediately and with galactic ceremony. Standing in the cold, dwarfed by snowy peaks and moose-filled valleys, it’s hard not to see the year laid out like a graph: sharp climbs, sudden drops, no smoothing of the line. 2025 asked a lot. The Palisades Fire. My eldest leaving for college—equal parts pride and free fall. My father’s life retrospective in Amsterdam, which had a way of collapsing time. Moving into a new rental home, learning (again) how little permanence is promised. I know it wasn’t just me. So many of us had an excruciatingly challenging year. We made it through a little tattered, maybe, but stronger in ways that only reveal themselves after the fact. I surprised myself. I learned. I grew. I kept going. Forward, with intention. May we all find the peace, love, and healing we deserve in 2026. Of course, some stylish body armor couldn’t hurt heading into the new year such as this, this and these (very Khaite!). Let’s goooooo!

My last Substack of the year just went out—and, no, it’s not about my resolutions. But if I had to single out an intention here, it’s this: to share more. Substack feels different. Less polished, more process. A place for the behind-the-scenes moments that don’t quite belong on the grid—the trips that never made it to Instagram (hint: the latest post), the inspo, the half-formed thoughts, the things that inform what you read here five days a week without announcing themselves. If you’ve been curious about Le Catch beyond what shows up here, this is where I’ll be leaning in even more. Less broadcast, more conversation. Please join me!

After weeks of holiday parties and big dinners, restraint sounds downright appealing to me right now. Not in a big, life-changing way—just in a “maybe I don’t need another basket of bread” way. I’ve already indulged. This in-between week calls for a lighter touch. A reset, not a resolution. Enter these pieces pictured here: practical, unfussy, and mercifully low-stakes: The lace-trimmed Reformation pants (in these colors too!), the H&M cardigan (size up and wear like a jacket!), the peplum knit (belt it to crank things up a notch) and the coated skirt, above. No fantasy dressing, no post-holiday splurging—just clothes that feel like a palate cleanser before January starts asking questions and demanding accountability!