From Want to Worth
The Fashion Brands I Trust, the Ones I’ve Outgrown, and What I’ll Still Buy in 2025
I’m particular about everything I buy and wear. I like to sniff out interesting things and feel a connection to them, rather than simply covering my body. I know not everyone cares this much about clothes and personal style, but if you’re like me (and you do care), keep reading! I posted an article last year about how to be a savvy online shopper, if you haven’t read it.
The happy medium I’ve arrived at, given my love of clothes but lack of love for waste, is to be a minimalist.
My spending has been significantly curtailed since I haven’t been working full-time, but I still have opinions! Now more than ever, I believe in vintage, resale, and in mindful consumption. I’m also moving away from stuff and toward experiences. But I’ll always love clothes, color, little treasures, and investment pieces.
Right now is also a strange time in fashion more broadly. The industry’s wastefulness has been well documented. We overproduce, overbuy, and end up sending tons of scrap clothing to third-world countries.
What’s more, the value proposition of many luxury fashion brands is becoming more tenuous—people are realizing that many products are priced according to how prominent their brand marketing activities are, not according to the real quality of their products. This is a subjective matter, for which only you as the buyer can decide if something feels “worth it”.
I buy quality, I buy vintage, I adopt a uniform, and I wear, wear, wear and wear some more.
In my most recent professional chapter at an online fashion retailer, I was deeply enmeshed in the constant push-pull of offering discounts on high-end fashion goods, which both diminished their initial value proposition at full price and conditioned consumers to wait for prices to drop.
Online retail is now a constant bidding and cross-comparison process, in which consumers decide when to buy (or how much they’re willing to pay) and retailers tinker with promotions, offer cash back or free shipping or flash sales, all to gradually tempt their shoppers to “place order.”
The easier option for brands and retailers is to instead court the ultra wealthy with things like exclusivity and personal attention, which I imagine encourage them to more readily pay full price. In classical economics, there’s such a thing as a higher price inducing demand because higher-price items are perceived to be more valuable or rare.
The whole system feels so inefficient, so empty. We accumulate all manner of stuff, including mountains of clothing, only to resell, donate, or trash things we never should have bought in the first place, probably because they were “a good deal”.
On the other hand, many of us will always want style in our lives, and all physical things have a natural lifespan. We can’t stop consuming entirely. If we’re smart, we can do it in a way that isn’t egregiously expensive or wasteful to the environment.
t-shirt: Everybody World, necklace: Alighieri, ring: Bottega Veneta, earring: Martine Ali, sunglasses: FACTORY900
The happy medium I’ve arrived at, given my love of clothes but lack of love for inefficiency, is to be a minimalist. I buy quality, I buy vintage, I adopt a uniform, and I wear, wear, wear and wear some more, until I’ve squeezed the most use out of an item. My pair of Hoka Bondi 7 sneakers are falling apart, but I’ll wear them until they disintegrate.
To me, the worthy “investments” are leather goods and jewelry—which naturally have a more durable lifespan and tend to transcend trends. What I am less likely to pay a premium for: shoes (they get trashed), t-shirts/tanks, workout clothes, and hats (see last section about merch).
In my 20s I went big on labels because I felt a comfort and a smug superiority in having a wardrobe consisting of Prada, Bottega Veneta, Lanvin and Jil Sander. While living in Italy I explored the world of second-hand luxury like Giorgio Armani and Lanificio Colombo, and Los Angeles taught me to love vintage American sportswear like Russell Athletic and workwear like Carhartt.
So what am I buying these days? The following are some of my go-to brands or retailers, with a brief explanation of why I think they’re interesting, cool, and worth the money.
SSENSE
This online shop sells hundreds of fashion brands, but I like it because their buyers source super interesting things, like Japanese eyewear (Factory900), fun jewelry (Faris, Martine Ali), Italian hike-chic label ROA, plus staples like Birkenstock. SSENSE’s UX is clean and fun to browse and the site does twice-yearly seasonal sales. I curate my wishlist year round and then watch prices drop around Thanksgiving in the fall and May in the spring.
LN-CC
LN-CC originally stood for Late Night Chameleon Cafe, but I imagine was shortened for ease. Their selection and buying team are a close second to SSENSE in terms of interesting high-low combinations and cute matching sets. They also have decent sales, putting brands like Bottega Veneta on deep discount from time to time. I found my purple tracksuit from Patta on LN-CC. This store is UK-based, which may incur duties on delivery.
District Vision
This LA-based brand started with Japan-sourced eyewear and has since expanded into a full line of performance garments for biking, hiking, etc., as well as collaborations with brands like New Balance on super unique sneakers. Their aesthetic is modern, and their garments are made in Eastern Europe (mostly Romania I believe) of super high-quality technical fabrics from Italy. Big fan of District Vision!
Edie Parker
This brand was founded by a former fashion PR professional who, apparently, loves cannabis, as much of the label’s offerings are geared toward those who partake. I particularly like their quirky, cute smoking pieces, as well as the personalizable acrylic clutches and bejeweled lighter cases. What fun! And, her stuff is pretty reasonably priced. Check out the recent Edie Parker x Wes Anderson collab.
The Row
Founded by child stars and sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The Row is known in the industry for its eye-popping prices and little or no visible branding. It’s the ultimate, and I mean truly ultimate, in stealth wealth or quiet luxury. I can’t say I’ve ever been able to afford their garments, but the brand feels like a pure expression of subtle sartorial excellence—gorgeous colors, forgiving silhouettes, and as far as I can tell, excellent quality of construction. Occasionally it goes on sale.
Lululemon
For everyday durability and interesting colors, not just dark neutrals like most athleisure brands, I still love lululemon. This is partly because I live in a warm climate where shorts are the norm, and shorts are one of their strong categories. However, I bought a matching navy blue business casual set (trousers and jacket) from lululemon recently and have been impressed with its comfort and lightness. I don’t think the brand is right for every occasion, but for the rigors of the daily routine, and to look reasonably polished and fashion-forward away from the gym, it’s one of my consistent go-tos.
Resale sites: Fashionphile, Rebag, TheRealReal, Grailed
If you want a special treat to carry, but can’t justify the thousands of dollars most luxury brands charge for bags, consider a gently used one. Fashionphile and Rebag focus on bags, and they will still be pricey, but good ones can be found for less than $1,000. TheRealReal and Grailed deal in every category, from shoes to sunglasses. It’s helpful to know what you’re looking for (for example, this gorgeous vintage crossbody Hermès Onimaitou pouch) in order to home in more quickly.
Italist
Italist is my former company and genuinely offers many great deals compared to American department stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. For example: these new design Tod’s fold-back loafers are $522, compared to $875 at Neimans. Assuming you know your size and wouldn’t likely return the item (which isn’t free on italist), you’d save $353 (40%)! I wouldn’t buy lots of things on italist, knowing the sizing might not be perfect, but for brands you already know well, it can be an incredible source of savings.
Glasses: Native Sons, Necklace: Alighieri, Sweater: Our Legacy, Bag: Jil Sander, Pants: Vintage Carhartt, Boots: Diemme
Industry of All Nations (IOAN)
IOAN is a brand whose ethos is to manufacture products around the world “at the source” by local artisans (in India, Bolivia, El Salvador, among others), using natural, renewable fibers, using all-natural dyes, and reducing waste. Here’s more in their own words…
“Industry of All Nations (IOAN) is changing how things are made because we believe the world is a global village. For thousands of years, people around the world have been making local products in the best way possible, but in a globalized manufacturing system, cultural heritage is lost and resources are depleted. We bring manufacturing back to the original makers at the source of the raw materials, utilizing ancestral methods paired with modern practices to make non-toxic clothing, accessories and objects for the next chapter of humanity. IOAN is a vision for the future shown through everyday goods.”
IOAN also employs a talented chief designer (my friend Eric!) who gives their array of rustic, all-natural clothing and accessories a sartorial edge. I like their indigo corduroy shorts and wore their reversible alpaca liner jacket all last winter in LA.
Our Legacy
Our Legacy is a Swedish label founded 20 years ago that to me, mimics the best of American casualwear circa 1998. With a keen eye to details and textures, Our Legacy makes great closet staples (like denim, button-down shirts, rib-knit sweaters, and leather jackets) that feel both classic and modern with the quality of Made in Portugal. It’s Banana Republic and Club Monaco from 3 decades ago, with a Scandi twist.
Shop Local/Vintage
At the end of the day, supporting local retailers and designers means keeping local small businesses alive, and reducing the carbon footprint of shipping a million little cardboard boxes across the world—and frequently, returning them.
In Tampa, I haven’t found a great source of second hand/vintage fashion, but I’m on the lookout.
In LA, I highly recommend browsing places like Wasteland and Crossroads (many locations in the city), good for designer stuff, Varsity (East Hollywood) for denim and sweats, and shops like Wilder Vintage (Echo Park) and Red Vintage (East Hollywood) for neat vintage tees. Some of my favorite shirts are from these places.
Merch
When I was a kid, wearing embroidered hats or t-shirts emblazoned with local businesses was only for dads. Today, it’s a whole vibe, and the kids are making the “merch” (merchandise) cooler than ever.
A lot of the t-shirts used for merch these days are sorta garbage quality (they fit weird, wear out faster than they should), so I try to not buy them very often. I do however allow myself a few ball caps every so often. I’m currently rotating one from MOCA, the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA, and one from the Tampa Firefighters Museum displaying Tampa Fire Rescue’s 1970s logo.
Buying merch from your travels, from places you’ve visited, comes with a story.
They end up being great conversation starters.
Once in a while, a company or business will use higher quality “blanks” upon which to add their design or logo, and in that case, if you love the business/brand, design, and fit, I say go for it!
I’d love to know what brands or retailers you like, and why. What’s been hitting just right for you lately? What brands or items in your closet always make you feel like a million bucks? I’d love to know.