5 Outfits I’ll Have On Repeat This Spring (Hint: Leopard Is Involved)

Dressing to combat anxiety = lots of J.Crew, Jamie Haller, and also some brands that don’t begin with J.

When things feel heavy—and a lot feels quite heavy, right now—I shut down, get small, stop making an effort. I’m like the human equivalent of my phone’s low-power mode; work and kids get attention, but nothing else does. Unfortunately, that feeds my depressed feelings, and sadly when I look like shit, I feel like shit, and so the vicious cycle goes. Happily (ish?), I’m starting to detect the patterns earlier, and can make an effort to interrupt them.

In this case, the tipping point was this video, which felt grounding. Then, I made a point of upping my cardio and cardio sculpt workouts via The Ness, as classes with choreography are one of the only things that gets me out of my head for a 30-minute period. And then, I decided to stop dressing like a lazy college student in the middle of midterms.

Inspired by Nikki Ogunnaike and Jane Herman, I decided to push myself out of my workout clothes and threadbare lounge pants and actually get dressed the last couple of weeks. Sometimes I even remembered to take photos of the finished results! Even better: Some of these outfits are good enough to officially join the seasonal rotation. (I tend to create a bunch of outfits every season and then just wear versions of them on repeat. Just now realizing that I’ve never really discussed this. Do you do this? Am I weird? Feel free to be honest.)

Is getting dressed resistance? It might not change anything today, but I know that it made me feel a little more hopeful, and helped me focus on what I can control (voting with my wallet every day) and what I cannot (executive orders). And we need hope if we are going to protect our most vulnerable communities over the next four years, so if that starts with getting dressed, I’ll take it?

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You know that old saying about how summer bodies are made in the winter? I loathe that statement. That said, I do think this is a good time to rehab my feet, which have been neglected as of late. I got a really thorough pedicure, and have been slathering my feet with my beloved Hanni The Fatty Stick ($28) every night in bed, and honestly it’s shockingly effective, hence why I keep yammering about it. I have naturally disgusting heels, which got worse after I had kids, and this moisturizing stick helps like nothing else. I also have been using it on my hands, which are crazy dry too. Just saying.

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Trouser Skirt + Leopard Cardi + Bitchy Low Heels

You know that I’m a longtime lover of floor-length skirts and dresses for daytime, but normally I wear things that are silky or stretchy, not really structured, per se. But lately, I’m drawn to pieces that have that businesswomen’s special vibe, like J.Crew’s Trouser Maxi Skirt ($94.50, on sale now). She’s a little polished, but not too prissy, and really fun to wear. I styled it with my go-to sweater, Rixo’s Peony Leopard Wool Cardigan ($325), an ‘80s working girl bitchy little heel, Jamie Haller’s The Kitty Points ($595), my always-on Khaite denim jacket, which is on sale at few places, and a structured new Valentino bag.

For sizing, everything’s pretty typical for me: The skirt is a 6, the cardi is small, the black leather shoes are a 38.

Will I clean the mirror? Maybe some day!

Gray Pleated Skirt + Gray Cropped Sweater + Olive Green Slingbacks

When I’m feeling defeated, my instinct is to wear black. When I’m feeling defeated but trying to turn it around, my fallback plan is to just wear a monochromatic outfit, hence this mostly gray look. Staying in a single tone is easy, and you know I love a cropped sweater and mid-length pleated skirt moment. This one is Jamie Haller’s The Accordion Skirt ($550), which I love because it’s a deliciously heavy weight and really keeps the pleats. I wore it with my longtime standard J.Crew Cashmere Shrunken Crewneck Sweater ($118), my told you I was buying them, and they’re even better than I imagined Manolo Blahnik Maysli 70mm Buckled Suede Slingback Pumps ($925), and my possibly most worn Dior bag.

FWIW Jenni Kayne has a similar skirt style on sale right now.

For sizing, the skirt is a medium, sweater is a small, and shoes are a 38.5 because I find Manolos often run narrow, though this style doesn’t, and I mildly regret not getting my usual 38.

Leopard Shirt Dress + Simple Waist Belt + Bitchy Low Heels

Told you I am having a leopard moment! I didn’t have the highest of hopes for this J.Crew Drapey Pleated Shirt Dress ($188), despite my long-standing love of the brand, but I am DELIGHTFULLY surprised. The dress, which comes with a slip that I immediately removed, is wonderfully heavy, beautifully made for the price point and is machine washable! There are lovely pleated details on the back of the dress, and I like that you can customize how much you show or don’t, thanks to all of the working buttons.

It comes with a simple, thin tie belt, but I like it with something sturdier, so I added the black version of Bettter’s Leather Belt ($270), which I also have in army green. I also like J.Crew’s Double Buckle Belt in Italian Leather ($89.50) as another good option, which I also own and love. Again, the shoes are Jamie Haller’s The Kitty Points ($595), but also have been wearing them with the wonderful Gianvito Rossi buckled leather boots, which are on sale and run true to size, or Staud’s suede knee-high boots with a low heel.

For sizing, the dress is a 6, the belt is a small, and the heels are a 38.

Slinky Floral Dress + Olive Green Slingbacks

Okay you caught me: I have not worn this look this week, because I have not had cause. However, I am deeply obsessed and wanted to discuss because I love this Veronica Beard Gemma Floral-Print Silk Blend Satin Maxi Dress ($698) with the passion of a thousand suns. It’s body skimming and sultry, interesting without being too obvious, and I love the unexpected elegance of the green background and unfussy floral print. An unstructured style like this is not my moda operandi normally—I feel better in more structured pieces and would happily wear some sort of Vivienne Westwood-style corsetry every day—but this dress is truly fabulous.

In addition to being an excellent choice for cocktail parties, as well as spring and summer weddings, the dress is also more versatile than it seems at first glance. I will definitely dress it down with boots or sandals and my oversized denim jacket, and I think it could work with a moto as well for date night. While I love the green Manolos with it, a wispy gold sandal would look nice as well when the weather warms up.

For sizing, the dress is a 6 and the heels are a 38.5.

Paper-Bag Pants + Long-Sleeve T-Shirt + Slouchy Camel Coat + Bitchy Low Heels

By now, you might find yourself wondering: Are those the same bitchy low heels that she wore for two other looks, but in burgundy this time? Are those pants and the bitchy low heels and the gray skirt all from the same designer? Is there something undisclosed going on between Hillary and this Haller designer person? And the answers are: Yes, yes, no. Y’all, I don’t know what to tell you; I am just giving all of my money to Jamie Haller. I don’t know her. I don’t work for her. I pay full price, happily because you vote with your wallet and I want my money going to support small businesses and female founders as much as I can. She just makes the clothes I want to wear right now. I don’t know what else to tell you.

And speaking of which: A weird olive green plus an unusual relaxed trouser shape plus my most shopped local designer? That adds up to a winner for me! As I’ve mentioned previously, I have Jamie Haller’s The Everything Pant ($598) in both black and this utilitarian green and they are treasures. This style can be worn three ways, and I do wear them all, depending on my mood and the vibe. They’re so so so soft and cozy, so naturally I wore this with my other essential: Negative’s Long Sleeve Shirt ($110) in Black. Two great items, that feel great together.

Because I’m constantly freezing these days, I threw on an older A.L.C. coat that is slouchy and plush (you’ve seen it here for years; I love her). While my exact one isn’t available anymore, I linked to a delicious camel coat from Toteme, which isn’t the exact same but still really cool. I regret to inform you that Max Mara makes an insanely chic iteration, and while The Frankie Shop’s version has buttons, the color is great and it’s actually a slouchier silhouette than I realized.

Bitchy Low Heels are the same Jamie Haller as the black ones, but in maroon suede. For reasons I do not care about, the suede ones are slightly bigger on me, so I went down half a size. So comfortable and cool. Bag is the Coach Brooklyn 39 Shoulder Bag ($495) and remains perfect. Can fit a large laptop in a case and a smaller handbag into this bad boy, and still have room for more. 11/10 recommend.

For sizing: The pants are a size 4, the shirt is a medium, the exact coat is unavailable, and the shoes are 37.5.

Oversized Cotton Sweater + Dropped-Rise Pants + Pop Socks + Fuzzy Birks

But for really real? This is what I’m wearing on a sexy Friday night, while I’m working on this newsletter and the kids are asleep. My current lounge uniform feels more intentional, which makes me feel less depressed. The sweater is Gap’s 100% Cotton Oversized Boyfriend Sweater ($79.95), but my color is sold out. I am living for oversized thick cotton sweaters this winter, and J.Crew’s men’s rollneck is another favorite of mine that is in stock, and they have crewneck version too.

Pants are my YCOHO choice of loungewear pant, The Great’s The Jersey Crop ($145) I just love the shape and they’re so wildly soft. Socks are an old pair from Madewell that aren’t available anymore, sadly. I did notice that fashion insider favorite Comme Si has a red pair available right now, or you could get some extra cozy burgundy cashmere socks from J.Crew, yum. Shoes are Birkenstock Arizona Big Buckle Shearling Sandals ($190) from a few years ago and no longer seem available in my exact olive color. That said, while they’re a big more in your face than my pair, I also love these super extra Arizonas, especially in this hue.

For sizing: Sweater is a medium, pants are a 1 (I also have a size 2 and a size 3 and love them all), socks are one size, and fuzzy birks are a 38.

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