Notes from September
A random handful of things I enjoyed last month, including my favourite clothing item(s), and a small outfit round-up.
A fun month, despite some work challenges that filled me with self-doubt and stress. My family visited from Singapore, so there was a lot of socialising and eating and sightseeing, and I am ready to chill out a bit this month.
I shopped a fair bit but no regrets, they’re all pieces I enjoyed right off the bat. I resolved to take a break from shopping for at least six weeks, initially out of guilt, but now that I’m settling into it, it feels like a chance to just fully appreciate all the clothes I’ve bought in the last 18 months, and also adjust to the warmer weather. Who knows what needs might emerge and there is no need to rush to shop in anticipation.
I’m also trying to document my outfits here in these monthly round-ups, instead of just posting them sporadically on IG. Seeing it all in one place like this has given me ideas for more mixing and matching of various pieces
Things I did and enjoyed
Listened to this song from the Tàr soundtrack. This song haunted me (in a good way) for days — it felt to me both sweet and mournful and I loved how it was performed and recorded so simply.
Watched this performance by the Sydney Dance Company. I haven’t seen a dance performance in a while and this was amazing — it was three separate pieces by different choreographers and they each had the their own energy: moody, energetic, lush and provocative. This is only the third or fourth time I’ve seen anything live since the pandemic wound down, and I’m reminded of how much I’ve missed them.
Bought a Dries jacket. I’ve always prefer jackets with a sportier, casual feel so blazers aren’t a feature in my wardrobe, but this one (I wrote about it here) captured my fancy the minute I saw it. I recognised the lustrous plaid fabric from an old Dries Van Noten collection that I quite liked —it felt heritage without being heritage, refined without feeling fussy. I love it, even though I’m still not quite used to the sight of me in a blazer.
Watched some old Dries Van Noten runway shows. I was on a Dries kick and fell down a rabbit hole of watching 10 seasons’ worth of his runway shows and it was glorious to see the clothes in motion. I loved seeing how masterfully he mixes colour and print and how balanced all the silhouettes are. And there’s an incredible timelessness — even though there were nods to the prevailing trends of the time, a show from 15 years ago could have been shown yesterday and not feel out of step with the times.
Watched this video on alterations. I’m quite fascinated by alterations, as you might know from this post, so I deeply enjoyed this video by the Armoury, which is an excellent look at the work of Sarto, a Japanese tailoring business that specialises in high-end alterations. Even if you’re not into tailoring, the video gives you an idea of how good quality clothing is constructed, which is very useful for honing your eye to spot quality when you see it.
…And this ironing video (among other ironing videos). This video, also by the Armoury stands out for being well shot and easy to follow. I’ve always struggled with collars and I found his technique the best for the way I iron. Also the Armoury is based in Hong Kong, and as someone born and raised to do laundry in a hot and humid country, I appreciate that they take humidity into account in clothing care. They also have good videos on ironing trousers (even though I never do the front crease ever) and suit jackets.
Favourite item(s) of clothing of the month: This fleece vest from Beams Plus…what can I say? I’ve bought a lot of lovely things this year, but this one makes me smile for being so purely delightful. The wool and poly blend is soft yet springy, which makes it very satisfying to touch (I find that I hug myself a lot when I wear this vest). The boxy and oversized fit gives my outfits an off-kilter touch. The pockets are generous and lined with a soft jersey fabric that feels cozy. I found it secondhand, which always feels special to me. I’m only sorry that the weather warmed up considerably in September and it’ll probably be time to put it away soon.
I say “items”, because I love the striped cotton shirt I’m wearing in this pic so much that I had to give an honorary mention. The warmer weather has put me in the mood for clothes with a crispier, cooler hand feel, so I’m reaching for this shirt a lot. It’s also a secondhand purchase, and I love how it fits — just dropped and oversized enough in the shoulder without me swimming in it. It’s also the bright pop of colour I sometimes crave in my outfits.
September outfit round-up
Spring is still springing and the days are now split between chilly and warm-ish; you can sort of tell from this little outfit round-up: some days I’m enjoying breeze, crisp pieces; other days I’m still falling back on cozy layers.
This is a very typical colour palette for me, not unlike what I wore during the colder months, but there are little shifts in textures that signal the change in season; the fabrics have a more crisp texture, and I’m opting for white over black.
Here’s to October. What have you been enjoying lately?
the main thing that jumps out at me from that Dries collection is the shoulders on those jackets - they have the appropriate structure/softness depending on the fabric, but none of them extend several inches past the wearer's shoulder as is the apparent trend in the late 2010s-early 2020s for "oversized blazers" (can't even call them 80s-like since that era's shoulders at least had the structure to hold them up).
love the blazer, I'm another one who struggles with 'proper' blazers but I do love the handful I have (one in a linen blend) and don't mind experiencing the Office Arctic so I can keep my jackets circulating.
So many styling ideas on the Dries catwalk ! The sizing and make of their clothes rarely work for me but combining army-green with silk and florals is something anyone can try at any budget.