Eight Extremely Analog Things That Telegraph Niche Luxury
IYKYK, YK?
If I were to siphon the vibe of this newsletter to one word, it would be “discovery”. I want you to come here expecting an excavation. That’s why our tagline is “The culture of shopping. The pleasure of the hunt,” Because the hunt is half the fun. Our secondary mark is an oyster shell, because you have to work a little for what’s inside.
There are niche brands we reported early on that have today become staples among the fashionable and very online: Dorsey, High Sport, Chava Studio, Farah Homidi, Juju Vera, Underwater Weaving, Jamie Haller, Attersee, Comme Si, Esha Soni… the list goes on.
After almost four years of The Love List, I can clock a reader by how she wears these brands in the wild. I see y’all be-bopping around town in your kick flares and Margaux bags, shiny-haired and bare-nailed. Some of you even approach me asking for matches, which I love.
Matches as our singular merch moment was a deliberate decision. I wanted something collectible that was easy to pocket and served a purpose. Everything we do here is about purpose: buying fewer, better things, taking good care of them, and wearing them for a long time. But who says you can’t take pleasure in finding them?
That’s what we’re here for.
1. Yaser Shaw and his ilk.
I could go the rest of my life never again hearing the term “Olsen-coded,” but I do get the allure. Ashley and Mary-Kate are imminently stylish and shrouded in mystery, which makes us even hungrier for the few photos we get of what they’re wearing. Consistent throughout the years is their affinity for scarves, chiefly old Dries, Charvet, and Yaser Shaw which
did a fantastic in-depth letter about.Not long after, Rachel Tashijan recommended the brand in her invite-only newsletter Opulent Tips, noting the intricate beauty of Shaw’s scarves and their scarcity — the designer only allows a precious handful of stores to carry his work. I bought one of his pieces at Laura Vinroot Poole’s excellent shop, Capitol, which any Southerner will tell you is where you go to get anything colorful, exquisite, and top-tier below the Mason-Dixon.
» I’d also include other clock-able items from niche brands in this category like Brigette Tanaka’s organza bags, Martiano flats, Babaà and Lauren Manoogian’s knits, Flore Flore t-shirts, Maria La Rosa socks and silver rings from Old J — and the places that excel at curating them like Old Stone Trade, Outline, and the deeply missed Tiina.
2. European pajamas — ironed.
Casa del Bianco, Tekla, Paris em Lisboa, P.Lemoult, and of course Schostal all live neatly folded in the intimates drawer of many a globetrotter, collected from all over the world. I love crisp cotton pajamas. They’re inside clothes you can wear outside, especially if you live in a walking city and need to make a quick Deli or coffee run. But make sure they’re pressed. A curled-up collar or wrinkled cuff spoils it—bonus points for a discreet monogram. And if you’re crinkling your nose at the absurdity of ironing pajamas, I won’t try to sell you on the heaven of pressed percale sheets, either.
» For my fellow obsessives, your dry cleaner has a huge manual press for linens, and it isn’t expensive. I get my sheets and table linens done, and yes, also my pajamas.
3. Girl Scout-level preparedness
“Effortless” requires effort. Generally, the effort is front-loaded, though, which telegraphs ease when the moment comes. Example: I keep a train case permanently packed for travel. I don’t squeeze my moisturizer into little tubes; I buy a travel-size and stash it to minimize packing and, worse, unpacking. The one thing I always add? My prescriptions and supplements.
» I love Cadence’s capsules for pill org. I have day-of-the-week labels to keep myself on track, and they even make handy little adapters for my liquid supplements and connectors for chunky things like my Chewable Tums (life in your 30s means heartburn).
4. Butter as an aesthetic.
Every once in awhile, I get an intense craving for bread, butter and jam. But it can’t be any butter — it has to be the good French kind, salted, at room temp so it swirls in perfectly with my Bon Maman on the slice. I’m not entirely sure why our dairy choices have become such identifiers, but it’s melted its way beyond daily internet cadence and into our wardrobes. Butter yellow is everywhere, and only a particular woman is keyed into why she’s craving it.
» Memes and delightful think pieces abound.
5. Having a guy for that.
Always the first to the cool thing, always the leader of the group chat, always the one who knows the person for the best haircut, the PR girl who can get you a table at that one place, the one who has an SA who lets her shop before anyone else.
Oh, you want to shop the new limited-release Dorsey paracord pieces, but they’re not out yet? She has a link for that. That new mascara that just came out? She’s got a code if you want to try it.
» This is an extremely small drop, and I’m banking that they sell out before launch, so don’t pause. I got the camo.
6. Status-y facial aesthetics.
Speaking of “having a guy”. Gone are the days of the 20-step skincare routine. Minimal is the word on the street as we pare back our lineup to cleanse, treat, and moisturize. Not only are single products more technically advanced and effective, the women I know put their faces regularly in the hands of professionals — so skincare merely sustains these augmentations. But where you go (and who you know) matters.
Like a church denomination, aestheticians and doctors like Laura Devgan, Raquel Medina Cleghorn, Sofie Pavitt, Joseph Carillo, Elizabeth Grace Hand, Dr. Kassir, Crystal Greene, Devon Nagelberg, Joanna Czech, Denuta Mieloch, Aida Bicaj, and Tammy Fender (I could go on forever) all have their respective disciples. The downtown scene girls, the Palm Beach snowbirds, the West Village blondes, the fashion crowd, the Margaux-toters… and you can’t just get in — or walk in.
This is where the maintenance happens: facials, lasers, peels, botox, fillers, GLP-1 shots, and all that other under-the-knife stuff we don’t talk about.
» Hello, have you tried U Beauty’s Super Hydrator, Paula’s Choice AHA/BHA, Vintner’s Daughter oil or Sofie Pavitt’s Mandelic serum? TECH!
7. Media wealth
Maybe she gets the Times on Sundays, the Gagosian Quarterly, or looks forward to adding new volumes to her collection from The Paris Review or Fitzcarraldo Editions. Maybe she collects auction catalogs or vintage Playboys. Maybe her bedside houses three books at a time, all of which she’s reading. Maybe she’s plain ol’ book rich. Smart is hot, and nothing is more boring than someone lacking the depth of their own media diet.
» If she seeks it out in print, even cooler — she’s a romantic luddite who protects her peace. Further reading here and here.
8. Oversized tailoring.
I can’t tell you how many times I have seen someone on Substack modeling a “dupe” for something more expensive and completely missing the point of the expensive thing in the first place: fit.
Just because it’s a white button-down and boxers doesn’t mean that any ol’ pair will do. The Row is a brand I see covered a lot in “the look for less” pieces, which makes total sense: to the naked eye, they just look like basics.
But if you’re trying to emulate that look with clothes that fit close to the body, you’ve already lost the plot, because everything they do is very oversized. The reason this works for them (aside from the obvious superior fabrication) without swallowing the wearer whole is tiny adjustments like pant break, button placement, and other thoughtful tailoring.
» I’m not saying getting that look with pieces from The Gap can’t be done, but you should plan to size up and then throw some money at alterations after, otherwise it’s never going to look quite like the picture you’re trying to approximate. Proportion is everything — exaggerate!
This issue is sponsored in part by Cadence with additional consideration from our Aussie friends at YANETH.
You can shop the limited-release Dorsey paracord drop before the public, exclusively through this link.
Paula’s Choice is 20% off sitewide at paulaschoice.com.
Discount code recap: JESS20 for 20% off at UBeauty, JESS10 for 10% off at Sofie Pavitt, from last Thursday’s letter, our friends at KULE are offering 15% off with code MARCH15, and from Tuesday’s letter, code THELOVELIST for 15% off your first order at ILIAbeauty.com. As always, you can access every live discount code for our community on The Love List’s Discount Codes Page.
Ironed sheets....yes all day long!
Hooray for media wealth.
Also, ordered those Dries heels on the spot. Last year, you'd rec'd an all black pair with a similar heel and they sat in my Net cart for entirely too long--they sold out. Not this time!!