The Bottom Line
1 year of newsletters + Being judgemental + Shorts inspo
You may have noticed that I write The Restylist kind of like a story or like I’m talking to a friend about something on my mind that then I translate into some kind of fashion inspiration…I’m happy with that format but have recently been jotting down some ideas about how to add maybe a mini post or a little something in between that’s not as in depth…maybe this is what Notes is for? Does more volume get you more readers and/or paying subscribers? I have 285 people as of today that read my newsletter and that’s totally nuts and blows my fucking mind!! I’m still figuring it all out, but I feel like I’m on the local train making a lot of stops right now and maybe it turns into an express at some point?! This letter marks one year (here’s the first one) that I have been writing on Substack (well, anywhere really)…I am finding my groove and I really like it…there are some practical issues I struggle with around not wanting to sell shit to gain readers. I like that my take is using inspiration versus affiliate links (I occasionally link items specific to the newsletter topic, if relevant). I want to make this newsletter the most successful and best it can be without needing people to buy more shit! I am happy to give recs of things I love and that’s what I clients pay me to do… that’s part of the service of personal styling and years of experience I provide…and I’m not talking in a gatekeeping way, but if I’m just recommending a pair of jeans and getting 12% and not actually helping with the styling part I think there are other people you can go to for that. I want to take up more space in your brain with inspiration rather than a link that’s going to give you an item and me $17.50 or whatever. There’s a beauty brand that I literally had never heard of until 2 days ago and now I have seen it in no less than 5 Substacks (and counting). I don’t want to hock products…sure, if you are really into a product or it’s your favorite pair of jeans, I get it but I just can’t fuckin’ take all the blatant selling and constant recommending across the board.
So anyway, I was working with my 50-something tech biz client. As we were putting looks together for some upcoming travel and events, I was taken by the fact that she really leaned into shorter skirts and dresses. I only mention her age as part of my realization that I was holding some pre-conceived ideas about age and style. I felt, dare I say, a little judgmental and that took me by surprise! I think I am pretty accepting when it comes to something a client likes that I may not…I don’t want to do a complete 180 on a client’s choices, and to be honest it felt off that I wasn’t 100% sure about hers right away and realized I needed to take a look at why. Many of my clients that have worked in more corporate worlds seemed to always wear knee length or longer skirts because that’s what those environments warranted (that’s probably a whole other discussion, right??). I think I was used to some of the younger clients in more creative fields embracing shorter lengths and why didn’t I question that? I realized I did think a bit about this when I decided to try out a sheer pant 2 summers ago. Age is just a number and obviously if you don’t want to show your legs for whatever reason I support that, but if it’s just about age or feeling that it’s not “appropriate” I say FUCK IT! With the warmer temps of spring and summer around the corner, it definitely got me thinking and looking at inspiration to see how to make showing some leg more comfortable and appropriate (not in a decency way but in a suitability way). Am I walking around NYC in this outfit below anymore? NO, but I am reserving my judgement and also decided that maybe my legs are not what they used to be but are still pretty damn good at 61 so I put together some inspo to help us make shorts or short(er) skirts work in ways that can be comfortable, practical and sophisticated.
The takeaway for me is balance…if I am going to show leg I need the proportion and coverage to be right and that’s this inspo is all about that. There was definitely a collective “ooooh” when the airport pic of Margot Robbie in a black long sleeve t-shirt and shorts hit socials…it’s a good easy look, not earth-shattering in anyway, but a good illustration of proportion and balance…bare-ish but totally not, and definitely something I feel would be a comfortable starting point. And that’s where I think I found the sweet spot…coverage on top…long sleeves or a jacket is going to be the route I take no matter how long or short I go. It definitely harkens back to the 90s everyone is so smitten with right now when these silhouettes were very prevalent as well as the 60s and 70s when a long sleeve mini dress or boho blouse with cut-off denim was the rage.
Here are a bunch of ideas we can play around with...and now I’m going to shave my legs!!!
Wearing a long shirt, trench or jacket over your short piece can help you feel covered even if you are showing a lot of leg.
There’s more inspo for paid subscribers behind the paywall. You can subscribe for just $5/month or $50/year.