This week I’ve been thinking about the way we actually get dressed. I don’t mean for the big occasions or the outfits we spend time consciously planning, but just the everyday moments when we open the wardrobe and want to be able to reach for something that makes us feel good, without really thinking about it.
I’ve been listening to the Anine Bing podcast recently. She is an LA-based designer who visited Australia recently. I’ve found that so much of what she talks about resonates with me – particularly the philosophy of having a few really great pieces that become your uniform. The pieces you reach for again and again because you know they work.
For me, it’s incredibly simple: a beautifully cut navy blazer. A relaxed white tee. My Le Bon Jean. A pair of loafers. And a great tote and a pair of sunglasses.
That’s it.
There’s something so chic about not trying too hard. This is the sort of outfit I would wear for coffee with a girlfriend, running errands around Sydney, having lunch with Dad or travelling. Change the loafer for a little heel and suddenly I can go somewhere lovely for dinner.
It’s also very Paris to me. I’ve always loved watching women there and noting how the best dressed often seem to be wearing the simplest things. Nothing looks too new, too matched or too contrived.
That was really the thought behind our new navy blazer that I wrote about on Thursday. I wanted it to be one of those pieces that simply lives in your wardrobe and quietly makes everything else look better.
That’s very much how I’ve been wearing mine this week. Life has been happily normal after all the excitement of the new collection arriving. Family coming and going, catching up with friends, working on what’s coming next for Jac Cadeaux.Our pooch Susie, as always, likes to be involved in absolutely everything and follows me from room to room while I’m working. Snow the white ragdoll takes the opposite approach and finds the sunniest, quietest spot in the house, occasionally opening an eye to check that we’re all still there.
I love those ordinary little moments at home. Perhaps that’s why I’ve been thinking about simplicity so much this week. Life is busy enough. Looking and feeling good should be an antidote to that, not an added pressure.
I want my wardrobe to be full of things that I love, that work together and that I can wear without thinking. A great blazer. The perfect jean. A beautiful tee. A knit I’ve had forever. Pieces that become part of your life rather than just part of a season.
This weekend I’m aiming to curl up with a book I'm enjoying called Paris Match, by John von Sothen. It’s a witty memoir about an American who falls in love with a French woman, moves to Paris and gradually learns the quirks and rituals of French life.
Bon weekend ❤️