Hi People!!!!!
Welcome back to the newsletter. As you may have guessed, I have given up on any semblance of a schedule for publishing, but I’m doing my best to spend some time writing everyday and hopefully we’ll get a little bit closer to our weekly contact. (I had severe deja vu writing that sentence, so I apologize if I said the exact same thing last time.) Either way, I’m glad you’re here. In the spirit of not beating myself up for not doing enough, enough writing, enough working, enough socializing, enough of anything and everything, I decided to take it somewhat easy and simply answer a couple of your questions this week. I hope you enjoy it, and please submit any of your own questions using the button below!!!!
Question #1
“Heyyy! Really loved this column and timing is perfect as I’m planning a summer trip to Chicago next month for the re-dedication of Wrigley Field. Remembering that I’m 64 (how did that happen?!?) and I have never been a baseball fan (we’re meeting friends who work for the Chicago Cubs), how can I add some fun baseball vibes to my wardrobe without looking like either a super fan, or an awkward tourist?”
I love this question mostly because talking about what to wear for a specific occasion is exactly the sort of mind wandering activity I enjoy, but also because this particular outing allows me to talk about my newfound love of baseball hats. Well, I personally only have one baseball hat that I wear regularly, a precious relic from Man Repeller (may she Rest In Peace), but I plan on adding a Yankees cap to the rotation to mark the occasion of my very first Yankees game.
So, if I were you, I would dial ye olde internet and purchase this cap or this one or perhaps this vintage one. (Or maybe just plan to purchase one at the airport if you’re in a time crunch.) The hat can be worn with basically anything else you would wear in the summer heat but not to a baseball game. Lean wayyyyyyyyy out of the sporty vibes and/or the team colors, slap your hat on top, and you’re good to go. If this sounds rather unspirited, that’s because it is. If your goal was to look like a fervent fan, you’ve come to the wrong place. No, my sole goal is to look at home with this group walking into the stadium.
In my opinion, the key to great style is always having an element of the unexpected. So at something like a sporting event, straying so far away from the typical attire for the rest of your outfit actually makes the baseball hat an even more satisfying surprise. If you’re wearing jeans and a plain white tee plus a baseball cap, it’s standard fan apparel. The obvious choice. Put a baseball hat on Carrie’s head, and it’s a fashion statement. Does that make sense?? You have to lean way out of the team spirit for it to not be corny when you lean back in.
While the outfit on the left has more of the team colors involved (not intentionally), it would also blend right in on the Italian Riviera. The look on the left is sportier, and therefore more expected for a baseball stadium, so I purposefully stayed far away from the team colors. Both of these looks work well without the baseball caps, but I think they add the perfect amount of rah-rah team spirit in a way that feels as fresh and unexpected as wearing a baseball hat to a baseball game can be.
Now if baseball hats simply aren’t your thing (which I understand because it took a while for my tiny head to warm up to them), there are other options of course. I think my next move would be to bring just a single pop of the team’s colors to an otherwise neutral outfit. The term “pop of color” makes me gag a little bit because I instantly think of someone wearing tight white skinny jeans, a white scoop neck tee, and bright blue cork wedge sandals. There’s just nothing interesting happening there. So how do you avoid looking like Memorial Day Barbie? First, you can choose slightly off neutrals for the base of your outfit. Think creams, khakis, browns, and olives over white or black. Something about white and black just intensifies whatever color you add to it, and really we want to make it more chill. If you decide to go with white or black, however, just remember to keep your materials and silhouettes more modern and strange to counteract the basicness of the color contrast. I’ll show you an example of both here.
As you can see on the left, the pop of bright blue looks cool paired with a sporty, modern, white pant, but if you swap them out for white skinny jeans, it’s a disaster. The sporty, slightly strange pant balances the feminine top, and a traditionally ugly shoe brings interest and just a tiny touch of team spirit to an outfit that could’ve easily flopped. On the right I went with more classic silhouettes, but in those off-base neutrals I discussed above. This outfit isn’t terrible if you swap the khaki button down and skirt for white or black versions because the accessories are good, but this is definitely more elevated.
Ultimately, just like I talked about in the vacation newsletter last week, it’s about making sure the elements of style are still present while embracing a little bit of your surroundings. So for a baseball game, that means a tiny bit of team spirit along with your usual style adjectives. My style is a little bit classic and preppy and sporty but it’s also ironic, so I actually like to lean away from those things into the more fun/chic/modern side of my style for such a sporty event. Whatever your style, just remember to make sure you bring it with you to every environment.
Question #2
What should I wear with boyfriend jeans?
For this question I’m going to parrot Amy Smilovic’s rule for proportions which is Big Slim Skin. If your boyfriend jeans are feeling a little bit blah, then it might be because you’re breaking this rule, which simply states that each outfit should have something bigger in size/volume, something slimmer, and a little skin showing. (This of course applies for the unfortunate tight tank top, mini skirt, high heels combo too - not just oversized items.) If you’re interested in “flattering” your body in the traditional sense, this means you’re probably going to want to pair your boyfriend jeans with a tighter top that shows a little bit of skin on your arms or neckline, demonstrated below.
DISCLAIMER: I swear all of these outfits look better IRL than in these photos. If you haven’t figured it out by now, photography isn’t my strong suit.
The pair of jeans I’m wearing for all the outfits I concocted here are actually high-rise, straight leg jeans that I bought a couple sizes too big in order to have the option to wear them low and slouchy or belted around my waist. In this first collage I’m using the slouchy jeans as my “big” element, so I paired it with a slim fitting racer back tank top and slightly chunky sandals for a casual, errand-running or dog-walking look. For a “casual-chic” dinner (as so many restaurants like to describe their dress code), I swapped in a silk long sleeve button down. It’s not necessarily tight, but it’s definitely tailored to my form. And since it’s buttoned all the way up without much skin showing, I added a strappy sandal for a little bit more slim and skin at the bottom of the outfit. Finally, for a more festive occasion, I added a white sequin top with a plunging neckline and a pair of yellow pumps. We’ve got slim and skin on both the top and bottom, but the shoulder pads and chunky heel bring a little bit of big too. Not necessary really, but more interesting.
However, it’s very important to remember that proportions are all relative, and you can also use this rule to come up with an outfit that is visually interesting and pleasing without focusing on showcasing your “assets” (barf). As you can see below, pairing your boyfriend jeans with an even bigger, more voluminous top, but balancing it with a slim, airy shoe, is still a very cool option even if it doesn’t advertise your waistline. When it comes to the Big, Slim, Skin guideline, I find it helpful to pay attention to which garments/outfit elements draw attention out away from the body and which ones draw it back in. The mix of both is what makes it all work.
For my casual, daytime attire, I chose my absolutely gigantic Sleeper pajama shirt as the big item. You can clearly see how the jeans look slim by comparison. Leave it unbuttoned, roll the sleeves, and wear a light shoe for the skin portion, and for a little extra slim you can either half tuck the shirt or tie your sandal straps around your pant legs as I have on my right foot. This part isn’t necessary in my opinion, since the pants ARE slim in proportion to the top, but it’s good to have options. I also included a fall look here, mostly to show that you can wear baggy jeans with an absolutely massive blazer. Just roll the sleeves for a little skin (bonus points for the cut out on my top), and choose a non-chunky boot for the shoes. For the more festive outfit option, you can see that big doesn’t necessarily have to mean oversized. The volume of the sleeves here outweighs the bagginess of the jeans and the crop shows a lot of skin, obviously.
At the end of the day, Big Slim Skin is more like a tool than a rule. If you feel fine in whatever you put on with your boyfriend jeans, there’s no need to make sure it complies. Same goes for all of my other style suggestions above. If you feel like yourself in head-to-toe Cubs gear, then by all means go for it. I assume you feel similarly to me style-wise or you wouldn’t come asking me for advice, but it’s important to look inward first. What do YOU want to wear to the baseball game? How do YOU feel when you pair your boyfriend jeans with cowboy boots or a tube top or whatever combination you happen to try? Start there, and if you’re satisfied, then that’s wonderful. If you don’t quite feel like yourself and the message you’re trying to get across with your fashion choices isn’t coming through, then that’s where I like to think I come in. SO ASK ME SOME MORE QUESTIONS THX!
Recs of the week
The Happiness Lab podcast - My new favorite hobby is listening to a podcast largely about mindfulness while multitasking.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City - If you’re a housewives fan, you need to watch the first season of this franchise before the second season begins. It’s a truly delightful little binge.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman - I don’t think I’m even halfway done with this book yet, but I’m really enjoying it thus far. It is really long though, so I’ll get back to you 2-6 months from now when I finish it to confirm the rec.
The magnificent croissant I had from Le Fournil on 2nd Ave yesterday morning.
That’s all for this week! Thank you so much for reading, and please feel free to comment, DM, or email me with any questions, comments, concerns, etc. You know the drill. I’ll see you when I see you!!!!!!
Cheers,
Maddy
P.S.
I ended up going to my first Yankee game right as I was finishing up this newsletter!!!!! I pretty much ignored all of my own advice and wore my blue Scout Goods vest set, white Veja sneakers, colorful jewelry from Don’t Let Disco and Roxanne Assoulin, and my brand spanking new Yankees hat. I present to you a third idea for baseball game attire: a slightly strange silhouette for the occasion in a color that’s almostttttt the team color but not quite.
Baseball games & boyfriend jeans
Thanks for the great advice…I’m going to apply it a lot! Love your game day look, and your Paige Powell piece in the background!
Cute outfits! Lots of variety with the jeans! I really like the suggestions and hoping i can use the formula for an LsU game!