0 - WELCOME

Three Years

Can you believe that it’s been three years since I started this newsletter? Time flies when you’re having fun! Thank you as always for coming along for the ride.

True to my word last month, I spent an entire weekend meticulously documenting my wardrobe on Excel. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, but I now refer to it multiple times a week to put together outfits. As my boyfriend observed, “it was the hardest he had seen me work in a while” (which is true lol). My next step is to start tracking frequency of wear by item and figuring out the cost per wear.

Separately, later this month… is my birthday! I don’t have any plans yet, but we’ll see what happens. NYFW also starts next week, and I am looking forward to attending a few events. I might be biased, but February is always a nice time of the year.

1 - FASHION

Bag Lady

Every year for my birthday, I like to add a new bag to my collection. Last year it was the Idaho bag from The Row, and this year, I’m not sure what it will be yet. I’ve been seeing a lot of options lately with a shorter, elongated shape (after the success of Alaia's Le Teckel). The best version to me is by Jacquemus — I might even consider picking one up in suede. Below are some that I am considering:

Scarves

I have never been a scarf person — they always seemed so bulky, unnecessary and boring to me. But, it dawned on me recently that it was how I was wearing it that was the issue. And once that clicked, I’ve been excited to wear one since. I have been wearing mine long on one side and across the shoulder on the other for an elongated “L” shape. Lately it’s been this super soft, red Guest in Residence Scarf that I bought to ring in the Lunar New Year and add a pop of colour to my outfits. Shopbop also came out with a helpful reel showing different ways to wear a scarf. Anyway, here are all the scarves that I am now looking forward to:

Brands of Interest

Brand discovery is one of the reasons why I love fashion. There’s always something new — a new take on a look, a new fabric, a new way to style a piece. I am, of course, a fan of the usual suspects (Toteme, Khaite, The Row), but things have felt homogenous lately. With everyone sort of looking the same now, I find myself gravitating away from these three brands and towards others that are perhaps lesser well-known (and worn). Here are a few that I have enjoyed lately:

• Auralee: Japanese brand with great colours, fabric and fit. Truly everything is perfect (outerwear, sweaters, pants)

• Our Legacy: Some pieces are a bit on the edgier side, but I love their pants/jeans. I wear my corduroy pants religiously

• Attersee: Casual and elegant without being fussy is how I would describe Attersee. Their pieces are an investment, but well worth it. I love their Shrunken Jacket

• 6397: Classic with a twist and well-priced. I just picked up a cool brown marled vest. They also seem to run a Warehouse Sale online all the time with solid pieces

• Kallmeyer: I am always being targeted for Kallmeyer ads, but their clothes are so nice. I am obsessed with their jackets and am waiting for the right time to buy one

Five Things I Bought

Below are five things that I bought and loved last month:

2 - TRAVEL

Jackson Hole Travel Guide (Updated)

I spent an amazing four days in Jackson Hole last week, where I skied my heart out and took a 6 hour lesson. It was incredibly cold, but in hindsight, it wasn’t THAT bad. I guess when you have to do it, you just do it. Anyway, if you recall, I also visited JH in December 2023 and wrote a travel guide afterwards. Well, I owe it to you to refresh the guide because I feel like my original one was a bit sparse. So, here it is:

Do

• Winter sports are the thing to do in Jackson Hole — skiing and snowboarding of course, but there are other activities like snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skating and taking sleigh rides. The ski resort is close to an elk refuge, so keep your eyes peeled for elk sightings!

• The two places to ski are Jackson Hole (in Teton Village, outside of town) and Snow King (in town). Jackson Hole is much larger, while Snow King is a small, but convenient mountain. Both are fun (although I prefer JH for the variety)

• The town of Jackson has a lot of history dating back to the late 1800s/early 1900s. Walking around parts of town felt like going back in time. The town also has a lot of smaller shops that are worth a visit

Eat / Drink

• We spent every morning going to Persephone for baked goods. I loved their morning glory muffins (will recreate at home!) and ham/cheese croissants

• Teton Thai is a restaurant located ~10 mins walk from the base of the resort. I thought it was comparable to Thai restaurants in NYC — really delicious!

• For meals in town, we enjoyed Bin 22, Gather and Kampai. For coffee, we went to Snake River Roasting Company and Cowboy Coffee. We also got smoothies from Healthy Being Juicery

Stay

• You can either stay in town or at the base of the mountain (in Teton Village). We stayed in town, which was the better decision for us as we like to walk around and explore. Staying at the base is convenient, but I found it a little small and limiting

• Some hotels to stay at include The Cloudveil (in town), Amangani (not in town), and Four Seasons (at the base)

General Advice

• Jackson Hole is a more advanced mountain compared to other resorts — there are very few beginner/green runs. That being said, it has some of the best instructors, so it’s the perfect place to take a lesson. Pro tip: lessons are generally quieter during the week, so if you take a group lesson, chances are it will be a private (for the price of a group)! I was paired 1-to-1 with an instructor for most of my lesson, and it was delightful

• When I went in December 2023, it was too early in the season and the powder wasn’t great. This time around, in late January, it was awesome. JH is known for a run called Corbet’s Couloir, which has a 20-foot drop and 50-degree pitch… not something I will be doing soon, but maybe one of you out there is brave (and good) enough!

• Jackson is a low-key town. It’s not a place to dress up like Aspen (e.g., there is no need for fashion with a capital F). I effectively wore a sleeping bag the entire time (my long Moncler down coat and knee high insulated Bogner boots)

• There is Uber and Lyft! We took them to/from the resort to town, and it was very easy

3 - OTHER

4 - PARTING NOTE

What do you think about a giveaway (again) to celebrate the three year anniversary of this newsletter? If there are specific brands or categories that you want me to do a giveaway for, let me know!