Photo: Kathryn Brolin

The Love List is a style newsletter about the culture of shopping. Our community thrives on pleasure, indulgence, and the thrill of discovery.



Who is Jess Graves?

Photo: Kathryn Brolin

I founded The Love List in 2007 as a lifestyle blog and style column in Atlanta magazine, where I was a contributing writer for eight years.

An early publisher in the space, Barney's New York called it “The Blog That Started it All.” It was also crowned one of Town & Country’s favorite websites, and Southern Living named me one of the “75 Most Stylish Southerners.” I shuttered it in 2018 to focus on my client-facing business.

In 2021, restless for a new creative outlet, I revived The Love List as a newsletter. It is now one of Substack’s top 20 fashion and beauty outlets.

After spending ten years in Atlanta, I relocated to the Gramercy Park area of New York City, where I live today with my partner and two dogs.

My writing has appeared in publications such as Vogue, Town & Country, Complex, Vanity Fair, Eater, Four-Pins, InStyle, GQ, and Food & Wine. I am currently working on my first book.

Follow Jess on Instagram


Contact:

Jess Graves, heyjg@jessgraves.com

(Serious inquiries only; kindly do not email me to ask for a Zoom/coffee, etc., to “pick my brain.” Please do not DM me business inquiries; email is best.)

Management: Sophie Krakoff, sophie@friendsofthehousegroup.com

Literary agent: Dani Seglebaum, dani@arcliterary.com

Public relations: Gabrielle Katz, gk@accentprojects.co



What Others Are Saying:

“Your fashionable friend.” - Vogue
“One of the platform’s most popular shopping gurus, Graves is the rare Substack-er that gets a front-row seat to the Khaite fashion show. Retail guru Mickey Drexler recently hired her to curate a room full of cool girls for his line Alex Mill.” - Faran Krentzil, Business of Fashion
“A new breed of fashion voices [is] hovering around (and occasionally puncturing) the inner circle of fashion: the Substack writer ...[like] Jess Graves of The Love List. So what are they? Influencers? Critics? A new breed of retailers? The next generation of magazines?” - Rachel Tashijan, The Washington Post
“A fashion standard-bearer [and] certified cool girl.” - Substack

“A capital ‘F’ Fashion Influencer.” - Diana Pearl, Business of Fashion

“Fashion newsletters exploded during the pandemic. But the latest iteration seems to be missives built around commerce, aiming to cull the black hole of Google results and Instagram ads out there into a curated list with an editorial point of view. A standout of the genre: Jess Graves’ The Love List." - Véronique Hyland, Elle
“A fashion authority.” - Emma Childs, Marie Claire
“I recently came across a box of matches that said, in capital letters on one side, ‘The Row & Khaite & Toteme.’ The matchboxes were made by Jess Graves, who writes The Love List, a popular shopping Substack, as a kind of inside joke for her fashionista readers.” - Jessica Testa, New York Times

Press:

2024
Feed Me, Nov 2024: How to Make $100k in One Month on Substack
New York Magazine, Nov 2024: The Best Wine and Spirits Shops in New York
ShopMy, Oct 2024: Featured Creator
Maire Claire, Oct 2024: Where Did All the Size-Inclusive Fashion Go?
Business of Fashion, Oct 2024: Why Fashion is Maxing Out on Minimalism
Wall Street Journal, Oct 2024: Does a Status Bag Still Have Status in 2024?
ShopMy, Oct 2024: Behind the Scenes of ShopMy’s NYFW
Glossy, Oct 2024: Luxury Shoppers are Turning to Substack Before Adding to Cart
Substack Reads, Sept 2024: Fashion Month, Unstacked.
Marie Claire, Sept 2024: Fashion Authorities Analyze the Winter 2024 Trends
Marie Claire, Sept 2024: These Are The Fashion Girl-Approved Totes You Need
The Washington Post, Sept 2024: Substack Steps into the Fashion Spotlight
Marie Claire, Sept 2024: Hot Girl Minimalism is Here to Stay
Business of Fashion, Sept 2024: The Row’s $1B Deal, Explained.
The New York Times, Sept 2024: Why Do Americans Want to Dress Like Swedes?
Browser History, Aug 2024: She’s Right and She Should Say It
Objects of Desire, Aug 2024: People I’ve Met on The Internet
Good Thinking, Aug 2024: Substack is the New Talent Pool
Substack Reads, Aug 2024: Jess Graves Selects Her Top Substack Reads
Substack, Aug 2024: Featured Publication, Best-Seller
Grace’s Substack, July 2024: 16 Substackers on The Best Read of The Summer
Elle, July 2024: The Hottest New Place to Shop Secondhand? Substack.
Downtime, June 2024: The Travel Issue
New York Times, June 2024: The Row Relaxes at the Beach
Feed Me, June 2024: How Do You Make Money on Substack?
Business of Beauty, June 2024: Substack Chat Is Becoming a Focus Group
New York Magazine, The Strategist, June 2024: Ask a Cool Person: What Are The Best Sandals for Women?
Business of Fashion, May 2024: The Fight for Influencer Marketing Dollars Heats Up
Marie Claire, May 2024: Gigi Burris Will Make You a Hat Person
Wall Street Journal, April 2024: Executive Women Are Wearing Sequins to Work
Marie Claire, Apr 2024: The Best Spring Shoes, According to the Fashion Crowd
New York Times, March 2024: Are You Buying What Kylie Jenner is Selling?
Business of Fashion, Feb 2024: The Row’s Margaux is A Birkin in the Making
Fohr, Feb 2024: Desperately Seeking Substack
The Cut, Feb 2024: Would You Pay $900 For These Pants?
Elle, Jan 2024: The Rise of the Mended Haul
The Guardian, Jan 2024: Why Shopping Influencers are Flocking to Substack
Marie Claire’s Self-Checkout, Jan 2024: My Favorite Fashion Newsletters
Unpolished, Jan 2024: The Muse Directory, Vol 1.
Consider Yourself Cultured, Jan 2024: Cultural Icons Recommend Coffee Table Books
Long Live, Jan 2024: On Jess Graves’ Iconic City-Approved Handbag
Elle, Jan 2024: The Gleeful Return of the Sample Sale
2023
Glamour, Dec 2023: The Year of the Attainable It Bag
Double-Take, Dec 2023: How to Get Dressed for a Date
No One Asked But, Dec 2023: Are Substack Subscriber Chats the Best Place on the Internet?
New York Magazine (The Strategist), Nov 2023: What Are the Best Jean Jackets for Women?
Magasin, Nov 2023: Newsletter Pants
Wall Street Journal, Oct 2023: You Probably Already Own Fall’s Most Stylish Accessory
Substack Reads, Oct 2023: The Most Exciting Names in Fashion Are on Substack
Gatekeeping, Oct 2023: Jess Graves on Dinner Popcorn and Prada Flats
New York Magazine (The Strategist), Oct 2023: What Are the Best Cowboy Boots for Women?
Vogue, Sept 2023: Sophia Richie Personally Convinced Me to Get An Oura Ring
InStyle, Sept 2023: What is the Next Big ‘Ugly’ Shoe?
New York Magazine (The Strategist), Aug 2023: What Are the Best Ballet Flats?
PressHook, May 2023: The Best Substacks Written By Lifestyle Journalists
Things I Buy As a Civilian, Apr 2023: What Jess Graves Buys With Her American Dollars
Back Row, Apr 2023: Influencers Talk Honestly About How They Make Money
Elle, Mar 2023: Inside the Stealth Brands of Minimal Dressing
2022/21
Elle, Dec 2022: The Personal Stylist in Your Inbox
Substack, Nov 2022: Platform Best-Seller
Substack, Oct 2022: Featured Publication
Yolo Journal, Aug 2022: Postcard from Carmel, California
The Stripe, Jan 2022: My Favorite Email Newsletters
Atoosa Unedited, Sept 2021: How Being Single Saved Me

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The culture of shopping. The pleasure of the hunt.

People

I'm a New York-based fashion writer by way of Atlanta with two dogs and a lot of lost lip glosses. Fierce defender of the Oxford comma. Forever in pursuit of a dozen oysters. Find me in Vogue, Town & Country, Vanity Fair, Complex, and New York Mag.