His
/ 1 / Robert Mueller’s Classic Digital Watch $12 / 2 / Bloomingdale’s The Men’s Store Cashmere Quarter Zip Sweater $99 / 3 / Majestic International Waffle Knit Robe $60 / 4 / Cole Haan Office Approved Waterproof Boots $168

Her
/ 1 / Nike Air Max 270 Premium Sneakers $150 / 2 / Cuyana Cami Sleep Set $85 / 3 / CalPak Travel Wallet $70 / 4 / J. Crew Sherpa Lined Chelsea Boot $250  / 5 / Celine Lefebure Victoria Convertible Clutch $420

Kids
/ 1 / Faces Organic Cotton Leggings $24 / 2 / Lenon & Wolfe Supima Cotton Sweatshirt $72 / 3 / Great Pretenders Color-A-Cape Fairy $24

Summer Essentials for Him & Her

Mid-summer dressing can be difficult. It’s still hot enough to wear shorts, but if you stay outside past 6pm the breeze rolls through and all out pants! Sift through the 12 curated Summer transitional pieces, you’ll want them all.

What to Buy

/ 1 / Onia Calder 7.5″ Swim Trunks $65 / 2 / Krewe St. Louis Mirrored Seaglass Sunglasses $255 / 3 / The Face Tan-Lux Anti-Aging Rejuvenating Tan Drops $60 / 4 / Riviera Cotton Mesh and Canvas Espadrilles $75 / 5 / J.Crew Stretch Cotton Poplin Crop Pants $85 / 6 / & Other Stories Leather Snake Textured Bag $79 / 7 / Massimo Dutti Cotton/Linen Bermuda Shorts $70 / 8 / Soludos Frayed Mules $65 / 9 / Free People The Isha Tube Dress $88 / 10 / M&S Linen Miracle Tailored Fit Blazer $175 / 11 / Odette Kaj Earrings $165 / 12 / Zara Belt Bag with Ring Detail $20

Joseph Altuzarra, the “thinking woman’s designer,” has been compared to fashion luminary Tom Ford and his story is a fashion fairytale. Born in Paris to a Chinese-American mother and French father, this multiculturalism juxtaposed American ease with French sensibility. Surrounded by film and dance, an appreciation for the arts was natural; Joseph studied ballet for 8 years as a child and wrote an essay linking YSL’s Opium perfume advertisement to Toulouse-Lautrec.

A love of fashion was spurred by Art History at Swarthmore and with no formal training took an internship in NYC at Marc Jacobs before a post at the burgeoning Proenza Schouler. Joseph then proceeded to apprentice Nicolas Caito at Rochas, where he learned pattern-making and draping. Caito encouraged Joseph to go back to Paris, where he met Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Givenchy and became his assistant for two years.  At just 4 years out of college, armed with impressive experience, encouraging mentors, and clear vision he launched ALTUZARRA during the recession of 2008 – a bold and precarious year to start a luxury business. He won his first accolade in 2010 and they haven’t stopped since, winning CFDA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2014, and most recently the Accessories Council’s Designer of the Year in 2017. He has designed costumes for the NYC Ballet and collaborated with J.Crew and Target. His story might seem unbelievable until you meet Joseph. Utterly kind, thoughtful, and passionate he is a grounded person in fast moving industry and this is evident in his work.

Known equally for feminine tailoring and exquisite embellishment, high slit skirts, vibrant use of color, flowy dresses, and fitted jackets are his signatures. However, his most compelling looks are usually the simplest. The fabric, cut, and details lend to their utter elegance and eventual endurance.  Altuzarra is a collection for women who are creating and defining their own leading role for their life – they are not bystanders. They are the ones confidently taking the reigns of their destiny. At only 10 years in and growing we are fortunate this fairytale has only just begun.

My topic of discuss for a few months now has been my concern for long-time favorite J.Crew. It practically keeps me up at night, I simply can’t imagine retail without them.

Since the announcement of Jenna Lyons and Mickey Drexler stepping away from J.Crew, James Brett from West Elm has taken over as CEO. It seems it will take at least 2 years for J.Crew to climb out of the debt, the widely lauded Drexler, drove them into. He didn’t anticipate the dramatic rise of tech in the retail sector and that lack of ability to morph and change with the times, ultimately failed J.Crew. While the new CEO has officially started taking over the reigns, Drexler is still advising on matters.

While they have ebbed and flowed in my top ten through the last decade, they will have a special place in my heart. In high school – when you had to mail-in orders (shudder) – my sister and I finagled opening up a J.Crew credit card to call in and secure our orders. So it’s a personal mission to keep J.Crew doors open and in lieu of continuing to write them ideas about how to save their business, I am dedicating this newsletter to them in hopes that you shop to your hearts content. Click the image and shop the look, with a few extra below!

Him
/ 1 / 1040 Athletic Selvedge Raw Indigo Denim $168 / 2 / Oxford Shirt With Embroidered Rabbits $88 /3 / Bowery Slim Pant Glen Plaid Wool $98 / 4 / Navy Italian Silk Tie $70 / 5 / Italian Merino Wool Cardigan in Forest Green $108 / 6 / Keaton Plain Toe Boots $248 / 7 / American Pima Cotton Plaid Blue Shirt $65 / 8 / Sailboat Print Swim Short $50 / 9 / Wallace & Barnes Chore Blazer $150 / 10 / Ludlow Italian Stretch Wool Suit Jacket $425

Her
/ 1 / Orbit Earring $48 / 2 / Italian Silk Scarf in Paisley $70 / 3 / Colorful Floral Hoop Earrings $65 / 4 /Destination Italian Silk Scarf $35  / 5 / Double Strap Leopard Flats $258 / 6 / SeaVees for J.Crew Legend Velvet Sneakers $88 / 7 / Parke Blazer in Caramel $178 / 8 / Floral Silk Ruffle-Bib Top $78 / 9 /  Mens-y Cardigan With Tiger Patch $80 /10 / Collection Thomas Mason Sleeveless Top $118