Ask Me Anything!
It's been a while so let's catch up
I love a good substack AMA. It’s fun to be able to expand a little on some of the questions you’ve written me recently. Most of the questions I got were about style which is great! I’ll answer as many as I can, but know I keep track of every one and it helps inform what I write about…so thank you for the questions and please keep them coming! A good example: I got a lot of questions this time about summer sets. I’ll share a few today but plan on publishing a full summer sets edit next week.
But first…A lot of questions about this outfit! The sweater is a new find from Donni. It’s definitely a splurge but one I am loving. I love the high v-neck as a nice change from the crewnecks I always wear and the ribbing detail along the v and sleeves. It’s 100% cotton and the cornflower blue is gorgeous…both making this a great summer option. The jeans are the AYR Bud jeans I’ve been wearing a ton thissummer. They look and feel so much like my AGOLDE 90’s but with stretch for the days I just want to feel a little more relaxed. I love these jeans. They come in 3 lengths. I actually ended up wearing these on an overnight flight to London this week instead of sweats or lounge (they’re that comfortable!).
Ok let’s get into it!
Favorite white tee? I get asked this multiple times a week and it’s a great question. I wear a white tee multiple times per week. Right now, my favorite is the AGOLDE Adine. It’s slightly cropped with shorter sleeves and looks great with jeans, skirts, shorts, etc. For a more relaxed, borrowed from the boys look, I also love the soldout.nyc perfect tee. For the best value and for the best layering white tee, size up 1 in the Uniqlo.
Favorite cover up? So many good ones! I spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer and love a sarong (this, this or this Amazon) or a white button down. My Julia Amory is a luxe option you can wear at the beach and to work (so versatile) and I also love my J. Crew.
How tall are you? he AGOLDE jeans look cropped on you but are full length on me (I’m 5’6). A lot of questions about my height. I’m also 5’6’’ with long legs. I don’t hem my jeans (I would tell you in sizing details if I ever did), but I think the AGOLDE jeans shorten a touch over time with washing (I’ve had mine for 3 years). I actually like to wash my jeans a lot and find when they dry, a slightly tighter look and feel works best for me. If you do want to hem your jean I’d aim for middle of the ankle bone. That’s always been the length that works best for me.
What’s your strategy on sizing up in sweatshirts and sweaters? How many sizes up, and when? This is such a good question! One thing I’ve realized as I’ve rediscovered my sense of personal style is that sizing is really more a matter of personal preference and varies a lot from brand to brand so I tend to order multiple sizes of a given piece and keep what feels best without being concerned with what the label says. I’ve found that for cropped sweaters, I tend to size up 1 so it’s a bit more boxy and relaxed fitting so it swings the way I like throughout the day. For a premium sweater, they usually come oversized so I tend to take my true size. The best way to get a premium look and feel with a sweater from a more mainstream or value brand is to size up 1 (or even 2).
A lot of questions about matching summer sets! I’m going to do a full substack post when we get home from our trip, but until then…I saw my friend in this set and was shocked when she told me where it was from! Also love this and this set. Sold out (and for good reason, but sign up for a restock of this set - I own and love and want another one for this summer!)
What do you do to stay fit? I could write full article about this one, but will try to keep it brief. For me, it’s all related. Getting dressed, working out, eating real food, sleep consistency, etc. Here are some of my hacks. First, I try to move my body every day and I try to reframe it in my mind from “I have to workout” to “I get to move my body today.” I like to run or go for long walks and Melissa Wood Health is such a great workout. My two secret weapons are definitely my lymphatic drainage routine and sauna. I believe so strongly in both of these! We focus on eating dinner as a family every night and aim to cook at home 5-6 nights a week and meals are pretty simple! We have a rotation of salmon, veggie burritos, and pasta + salad that we eat pretty much every week then figure out the rest. I do love dessert and a glass of wine here and there and I try not to live with restrictions. My grandpa used to have a scoop of ice cream every night and lived well into his 90’s. I try not to live with restrictions, instead I try to be guilt free with everything in moderation.
Any tips for rebuilding a summer wardrobe? Yes! See my post here.
Love your style, but as a mom of 2 littles I can’t invest right now. Go-to brands on a budget? This is such an important question. Let me first say that my goal with all of the clothes I recommend is “value". That means pieces I think you’ll get a ton of wear out of and that are worth the price tag. That is why I recommend both AGOLDE and Levi’s. They both make unbelievable jeans and for the price the Levi’s 501 90’s are a 10/10. If you are in a season of life where saving is the priority here are some of my favorite value picks: Gap oversized cotton sweater, Gap drawstring pants, Amazon tank, Amazon skirt, Amazon sarong, Target jean shorts, Uniqlo white tee, Schutz flats, J. Crew Factory summer sweater, Steve Madden jelly sandals, Baublebar necklaces, Levi straight leg jeans and Levi white denim shorts. The other thing I’d recommend is keeping an eye out for sales. J. Crew goes on sale a lot and the Nordstrom anniversary sale is coming up in July.
What is your dream job? I think part of what I do now is my dream job. I love sourcing product and helping women get dressed. I love hearing from you all…that I’ve played a tiny role in helping you feel like your best self again. But I definitely want to keep figuring out other ways I can continue to help others. That’s my North Star. I’d love to mentor other purpose driven creators. And as we’ve started to think about a little renovation for our home I find myself loving the process so could see myself working on some offline projects in that space too.
Beach sweater for New England? This might be my favorite question because there are few articles of clothing I love more. If I could only pick one, it would be the J. Crew 1988 rollneck. There’s just something so iconic about it. It’s a men’s sweater so comes perfectly oversized. It’s cozy but not too hot. Other ones I love include the soldout.nyc favorite crew, the Tuckernuck William in navy, and the J. Crew 2025 rollneck. All are amazing cotton sweaters. Perfectly chunky but breathable. It’s truly a matter of personal preference on the subtle style elements.
How many new clothes do you buy each month? Believe it or not, my closet isn’t all that different in size than most women I know. Because this is what I do for work, I order a lot of product to try to make sure I truly love something before recommending and to make sure I get sizing right for all of you. I see part of my job trying & testing the newest from our favorite brands and discovering new brands for us. I like to say that I do the ordering so you don’t have to! I say no to about 95% of gifting from brands because I don’t want to be biased in my review which means I need to order a lot on my own. But that means I also get to give away and donate a lot. It’s one of my favorite things about what I do. If this wasn’t my job I’d order way less (both for cost and sustainability). I think having a wardrobe of elevated basics is the key to being able to order less. Then I think picking up a few new items each season to keep things fresh and fun is 100% fair plus a few items for special occasions.
Do you have a summer sandal round up? No, but we can create on right now! My favorite and most worn by far are my Margaux Wrap sandals. If you’re not ready to invest, TKEES makes a pair that look similar (I love my TKEES flip flops so I’m sure they’re comfortable). I also would pick up a slide sandal and a strappy sandal (this or this…both are amazingly chic and comfortable…or these for something a little more affordable). Finally, I love jellies (both the Steve Madden and the Black Suede Studio get a ton of wear in the summer).
Going back to work and need a good blazer and work tops. Wishing you the best reentry! I found this to be so hard but so exciting at the same time and it definitely feels good to go back in some new clothes. For blazers, I love this, this, this and this. It’s a mix of price points but the cuts are so nice and I think all would work beautifully! For tops, a crisp white tee (sized up 1) is my favorite look, but I also love this, this, this, and this.
Are Marine Layer dresses worth it? If so, which model(s)? 100% yes! The Darcy is truly the most flattering smocked dress I’ve found. I size down 1 to an XS.
How do you keep your white shirts looking brand new? (Or are they? haha, they aren’t brand new, unless I say this is new!! My goal is really to wear and love my clothes - it would be so much easier to only share new, new, new but that’s not as helpful for you! I do try to wash white with white and add vinegar + baking soda to my detergent every few washes if I’m noticing they are starting to look dingy! I know it sounds simple but it usually works like a dream.
Do you ever miss your corporate career? I miss the people so much! I got to work with some of the smartest, kindest and coolest people and miss working with them. I feel like we all grew up together from our early 20s - finding our partners - getting married - starting families - and I miss those relationships a lot, but I don’t miss the commute or the job. Believe it or not…I actually think I put in more hours now. I still film edit and post every weekend and on vacation so I don’t get that true PTO like I used to. But the flexibility and being my own boss is something I don’t think I could give up at this point!
Can you share some basic tanks? Loved your tee recommendations! Love to! I’ve owned this $8 tank for 2 years now and it’s still in heavy rotation. A great basic tank that fits and washes well. We’re going to see a lot more scoop neck tanks this summer - and this and this one would be my top suggestions! Both would look great with your favorite bottoms - or even lounge shorts/active for your more casual days. For a tank with a little more movement I can’t get over how incredible this one is - comes in 3 colors and I wish I owned them all. I found it runs big and sized down to the XXS.
If you were early postpartum this summer… what would you wear? Great question! Welles was born July 3rd, so I can totally relate. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about maternity and postpartum style recently. If I did it again, I wish I had given myself permission to pick up a few things as my size fluctuated. I couldn’t rationalize buying something I would “only wear for 9 months,” or afterward, but looking back, I’ve realized I would have worn my maternity clothes for both pregnancies (almost 2 years!) and the post-maternity period afterward. Instead, I stretched out my favorite clothes and then didn’t want to look or wear them afterward - leading me into a year-long style run. So for summer, if I were post-partum, I would focus on light, breathable clothing. A fresh cotton tee (size up 1 from your current size), linen pants (cool and you don’t have to show your legs yet if you’re not ready), this active skirt for walks with the baby, or cute enough to wear all day with a white tee, a cute set, a throw on and go dress. A cute lace tank (this or this) with a pair of jean shorts (maybe these or these).
Summer Wedding Dress Recommendations? This is definitely tricky! You want to look nice (it’s a chance to get dressed in something special) but you never want to take away from the bride. If I was going to a summer wedding this year, I’d love to wear this, this, this or this! If it’s a really close friend/family getting married and you can splurge a bit I think Ulla Johnson would be my first choice! Everything she makes is so great and I find myself reaching for her clothes more and more for a special night out.
(Toddler mom) What did you do when suddenly it’s 3PM and you’re still in pjs? Give yourself grace!! We’ve all been there and life is full of seasons. Soften into the season you’re in and cherish it (easier said than done I know). That said I think anytime before dinner is still a great time to get dressed. Give yourself permission to put on a quick show for the littles, take a shower, put on a fav playlist and enjoy the 15 minutes of you time while you put on a clean outfit, maybe tidy your hair and put on moisturizer. You’ll feel 100% better for the second half of the day. Also, this has nothing to do with pjs or not, but I also always find that playing music throughout the house helps romanticize the days and puts us all in better moods. Anyone else?
What’s your biggest wish? For good health! I know it sounds pie in the sky, but I truly want as many people as possible to thrive physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Yes, I’d focus on me and my family first because it hits super close to home when someone we know isn’t well. I want to live in a world where everyone has the opportunity to be their best selves if they try their best.
That was so fun! I’m sorry if I didn’t get to your question this time. I hope it was helpful! Everything is linked here!
We are on vacation so I’ll still be publishing content just not as much as usual. I hope you have a great weekend!
xx always, Meg