holy shit yes!

SOMEONE PLEASE WEAR THIS TO A WEDDING SOMEWHERE

Half off at Pour Porter, the original where-do-the-cool-girls-shop



(Thank you, Rachie!)

Where do the cool girls shop? Part 2.

(Canvas tote with rope handles from A Détacher)

It turns out the ladies over at Erica Weiner read ESB, and when I put a call out for submissions to Where do the cool girls shop? this guide from Erica herself (jewelry maker/vintage shopper EXTRAORDINAIRE) quickly appeared in my inbox.

Erica was too modest to include her own stores in the guide, but, just FYIZ, you can shop her original designs and antique jewelry finds in Nolita + Boerum Hill + of course online.

Without further ado, here is E's (mostly) New York City-based installment of Where do the cool girls shop? (with a little London + Maine thrown in for good measure):

A Détacher—A place that's inspiring to be in, if maybe a little unaffordable.

Stock Vintage—Mostly for menswear, which I love.

Doyle & Doyle—Shout out to this Lower East Side shop where my hubby bought my engagement ring.

(Vintage patterned wedding band from Doyle & Doyle)

Rowan & Rowan—A London antique store with the craziest, oldest, creepiest and most beautiful antique jewelry in the world, all museum-quality.

Beads of Paradise—New agey organic stuff: pictures of Ganesh, flowy pants, overpriced face creams, and jewelry findings.

Goodwill in Camden, ME—Some of my best vintage and old LL Bean stuff comes from here.

Love, Adorned—Obvi.

9th Street Haberdashery—A miniscule shop in the East Village specializing in truly vintage clothes—stuff from the 20s, 30s, 40s. Guarded by a taxidermied dog.

Rachel Comey sample sale—Happens twice a year in a gymnasium on Mulberry and Prince; totally worth the wait/hype. All the girls at our studio have scored like crazy here.

Holler & Squall—The Atlantic Ave strip is filthy with top-notch antique/salvage furniture shops, but Holler & Squall is one of the best. 

Sharktooth—A former employee of the above store recently opened her own antique textile and rugs shop. Also fantastic.

(Erica Weiner's work on display at Malin Landaeus)

Malin Landaeus—I'd call this Williamsburg vintage store an institution at this point. The owner and I met years ago at Artists & Fleas, both hocking our wares, and now she sells our jewelry at her store. So much of my vintage comes from here.

If you're interested in writing a guide to shopping your city/eBay/your fave Goodwill, hit me up!

Where do the cool girls shop? Part 1.

(Garrett Leight from Mohawk General Store)

The people have spoken, and they have demanded a Where do the cool girls shop? series. (But you just launched a new series! I KNOW, IT'S CRAZY.)

To start, I figured I'd hit up some of ESB's best/coolest shoppers. Duh.

Here's Rachel A\\\\\, who just so happens to live in my neighborhood and also has AMAZING HAIR. Is that relevant? I think yes.

Anyhoo. Here she is, with a guide to shopping Los Angeles/online/the mall/your mom's closet....

Los Angeles is, bar none, the most versatile clothes-shopping city on the west coast. We're equal opportunity -- whether you want to look like a hipster farmhand, a platinum-card princess, or a derby doll, we've got you covered. Still, I’m such a magpie scrounging clothes from all over the damn place that when asked to share my favorite places to shop, I generally freeze up. A list of where I wished I shopped, or where I solely window-shop, would be far easier… but for the first time (only for you, ESB), I'll try. My top places where I’ve actually bought more than one thing ever include:

aerie - The "vintage lace bikini" from AE's aerie line is my biggest life-improvement secret. You're welcome.

(Vintage lace bikini from aerie)

American Rag - Their denim bar is the best. Stuff that isn't sold anywhere (Naked & Famous!) turns up there. I haven't bought anything else at AmRag in years but if your pockets are deep it's a great resource for everything else, too. P.S. My second-favorite jeans are from Forever 21.

ASOS - THE BEST ONLINE SHOPPING EVAR. Shipping is always free, there's a new vintage section that seems really rad, and their sales are great for stuff like a wool-and-leather cape that sounds insane but turns out to be indispensable.

Barneys - Since we don't have Bergdorfs, when you need big-girl clothes the next best is Barneys. 

Designer sample sales - 100% A-#1 way to shop. Every LA-based designer has to get rid of backstock at some point, and R29 is really good at tracking all the upcoming sales.

Jet Rag - for vintage that isn't (necessarily) costumey, Jet Rag is a joy. Their racks of everything-under-the-sun are arranged by category and color (<3 <3); they have loads of great leather jackets and so-hot-right-now vintage Hawaiian shirts if you want to bring your guy along; I got my Enid Coleslaw outfit there; and my very favorite skinny teal belt is from their weekly $1 Sunday sale.

[Editor's Note: I've now been living in LA for 7+ years. How have I never heard of the $1 Sunday sale??]

J.Crew - wait for their sales, when all the best weird sweaters, ugly-patterned pencil skirts and sherbet-color ballet flats get marked way way down. I also want 9 million of their super-flattering "perfect-fit" tank tops to wear under EVERYTHING.

Jenette Bras - for those on the stacked side (or just weirdly sized like me), Jenette's skivvies selection and ferociously knowledgable ladies are lifesavers. 

Mohawk General Store - I hate how much I like Mohawk General. Their independent clothing and shoe designer roster is flawless, but it's the gorgeous mid-century decor, jewelry by my lovely friend Kristen Elspeth (OBSESSED with the silver finger chain I just got from her), Garrett Leight glasses, CDG clutches, and Mast Bros. chocolate that make you want to move in.

My lady relatives - I've raided the closets of my mother, my stepmother, my aunts, my grandma, my other grandma, my best friend's grandma, my mother's boyfriend's mother… this isn't a store, it’s just a tip: befriend All The Moms.

Steven Alan - I used to work in Venice and stop into the neighboring SA store almost daily to try on shoes by Marais and Rachel Comey, floral button-downs, leather bags, and the wonderfullest little gold rings made by Steven's dad.

(Boyfriend shirt from Steven Alan)

Zara - fun for basics, incredible for shoes. SHOES SHOES SHOES. SHOES.


If you're interested in writing a guide to shopping your city/the mall/online/your mom's closet (or whatever your version of that is), hit me up!

Speaking of sheer tops....

Kidchamp just found the ultimate in what to wear under sheer tops.

I MEAN:

Right??

(I'll take the sweater, too.)


**UPDATE: kidchamp reports that the straps are flimsy. Sadly, this bra may not be rated for ppl who need bras.**

welcome to my new favorite shirt

This mesh tee from Sarafan + Duende arrived in the mail from Pour Porter yesterday and I almost lost my shit. Even H said, "Wow, that's cool" the instant I opened the box.

[Update: They are now SOLD OUT!]


p.s. I got an email recently asking "where do the cool girls shop?" Pour Porter is definitely one of those spots.

p.p.s. Maybe "where do the cool girls shop?" could be a new series. Or would that be redundant?