Introducing: Downtime Edit, a style and shopping column
In this first installment, I answer reader questions about spring shopping.
Downtime Edit is a new column exploring personal style and featuring the best shopping finds.
Dear readers,
A few days ago, I shared on Instagram that I’ve always been excited by style and sharing my best finds. Fashion is fun and expressive. Style requires play and creativity, opportunities to mash up various elements to make a cohesive whole that feels right to you. Style and design are important pillars of my downtime; I love editing my surroundings and my clothes intentionally in a way that pulls beauty into the everyday and makes me happy. This is a long-winded way of saying that you’ll see more style and fashion content in the newsletter, starting with this column, Downtime Edit.*
Let’s not get carried away, though. By “style and fashion,” I mean fairly basic and easy-to-grok stuff. I recognize there are tons of fashion influencers and newsletter writers (especially here on the Substack platform) doing a phenomenal job, but I’m writing for a woman similar to myself: I mostly WFH, I’m at the point where I can invest in items but don’t have an endless budget, I’m not going “out out” much, and I’m likely never going to wear an outfit that involves heels unless it’s a wedding. I need clothes for the basic stuff of life, like doing Zoom calls, daycare pickups, going to my monthly brunch or book club, or (once in a blue moon) dressing up for a nice dinner. So that’s what you’ll find here—style and design ideas to elevate the everyday.
(*I know that not everyone is into shopping content. If this isn’t for you, you can always opt out of this column here; no hard feelings.)
Right now, I’m in a phase of rediscovering my personal style. It sounds like a lot of you are, too (is it a millennial thing? or a post-COVID thing? or, for me, a postpartum thing?), so I want to share my discoveries and thoughts with this community. If you ever have shopping requests or questions, please reply to this email or send me a note - I love being put to work in this way. I also recommend viewing my finds as inspiration—you don’t have to buy the exact piece or feel pressured to buy anything at all1. Maybe you already own something similar that could work. Maybe you can find stuff secondhand (I love TheRealReal and Depop especially).
Finally, I just want to say thank you if you’re still reading this and feeling excited. A lot of online style content today is dominated by white influencers (as are the sponsorship dollars), so it feels intimidating to “step into” this space fully. And if you’re a petite (I’m 5’0”!) and olive-skinned gal like me, I hope you’re especially excited to follow along. And if you’re not, I hope you’re just as much looking forward to discovering our style together.
In this first installment, I’m answering your best spring shopping questions. Next up in this column, I’ll share my shopping guidelines, what’s on my spring wishlist, and the very specific method I use to avoid impulse purchases as best as I can. 🌸
x Alisha
Reader Shopping Q&As
I asked our subscriber chat what you’re shopping for and need help sourcing this spring. Thanks for all your great questions! Here are some of my answers below…
“I need some great elevated but basic tanks to wear with skirts and high-waisted jeans. I want them in a premium cotton or cotton blend or something a little more sturdy. No thin cotton or 100% silk, as I need to wear supportive bras underneath them.” —Ash W.
This AYR tank has been my favorite for the past few years. It has a high-neck cut without being too extreme; I can usually get away with wearing a regular bra vs. a racerback bra. It’s made from ribbed pima cotton and modal, so it feels soft while also giving you just enough stretch. The material is thick enough but not too thick.
If you need alternatives, I’ve tried this J.Crew tank. It looks like they’ve since updated the cut to be a higher neck, which I actually prefer for more coverage. As far as the fabric quality goes, it’s got room for improvement…but the price is right.
Lastly, I just ordered this tank from Donni. The ribbed construction pulls this out of the “boring and blah” category into something just interesting enough to pair with jeans. But beware, as the material seems a bit thinner. The website claims it’s structured enough to wear this without a bra, but I’m not sure that’s the case for us gals above an A cup. I’ll report back. ;)
“Long white cotton skirts - out of my comfort zone, but I want to see if I can make it work!” — Maggie
I love this question, as I’m in the same boat!
Some under $200 options:
Cuyana’s poplin skirt looks is 96% cotton and is a great option; I love the pull-on waist. I love the fullness of this A-line skirt (it comes in petite and goes up to size 20), and here’s a $60 option made of 100% cotton and an elastic waist.
A few investment-worthy options:
I've been eyeing this one by Doen (waitlisted except for size XL) or Apiece Apart. If you’re able to invest and open to something other than cotton, I also love the nylon fabric here by Tibi. The nylon adds an air of rough-and-tumble ease that would contrast well with a cotton top.
Lastly, do you already have a white dress in your closet that could be worn with a relaxed-fit cotton sweater* on top? I’m planning to wear my Vince dress, pictured below, this season in a similar fashion with some minimal sandals. (Vince no longer sells this dress, but you can find it on The Outnet or, weirdly, Amazon). You gotta love a two-fer.
*sweater sizing goes to 3X
“My girlfriend works at a bank and needs commuter-friendly loafers so she can stop carrying a spare while she commutes in sneaks!”—Diana M.
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