A silly little robe that makes me happy.
10/10 would buy again.
A $400 terry towelling robe sounds like a ridiculous thing to purchase in this economy.
Blueberries are like $8.95 right now, what are you thinking?
I’m not going to go on about the benefits of cost per wear etc.
But the robe in question is from one of my favourite Australian brands, Lucy Folk, and I bought it as a gift to myself when I was heavily pregnant. It was a way of reclaiming ownership over my future wardrobe, when I’d absorbed so many cliches at that point about living in trackies once the baby arrived, my hair in a sloppy mum bun.
“Enjoy wearing all those lovely whites and neutrals now, you’ll never wear them again,” someone quipped over a well-meaning dm when I shared my OOTD - white knit pants and a cream collared sweatshirt. The audacity!
What do they say in the States? You can’t wear white after Labour Day? Hmph. We’ll see.
So I drove two hours to Sydney, I charged into the Lucy Folk store on Gould Street in Bondi and I dropped an absurd amount of coin on a robe. And it was eggshell. So there. I’d wear it in the birth suite! I’d wear it while breastfeeding! I’d wear it to the shops. It’s one of those robes you can dress up or down, I told myself.
This might be the part where you expect me to say I was wrong. That the dm lady was right. That I never wore cream or white or eggshell again, and a fancy robe is a frankly ludicrous thing to buy before you have a child.
But actually no. I was right. Maybe in spite of the cost of it, or the Instagram message, or the fact that I lusted over it for so long before I made the leap, I’ve worn the robe endlessly. I’m wearing it right now after a shower, and the other day I wore it to dinner with heels.
And I still live in neutrals and dress my baby in them most days, and you know what? That’s what Napisan is for.
This got me thinking about the things I’ve bought in the last year or so that I get the most wear out of. Not because they’re necessarily “staples” or part of an elusive “capsule wardrobe”, but because they make me feel comfortable and cool and like the best version of myself, every time I wear them.
I thought I’d share a few more of those MVPs with you.
Nudy Lucy knit pants
I’ve said this on Instagram a lot, but Aussie label Nude Lucy is doing some of the best casualwear and loungewear in this country. About 70% of my postnatal wardrobe is from there and I’m still living in the pieces most days. I bought several of the flared ‘Cupro’ pants in white, pistachio and chocolate when they were on sale and I basically just rotate them. They run long, but I don’t mind my pants lingering just above the ground. It’s the look, guyz.
Rejina Pyo wool jacket
This is of those trendy, spendy London labels I’d heard about and followed online but never bought anything because $$$. She wasn’t cheap, but this jacket elevates every outfit and never fails to elicit compliments. Zero regrets.
Kmart denim shacket
Perfectly oversized length with just the right durability and thickness in the denim, this has become one of those things I throw on twice a week with flared pants or jeans to feel effortless but still pulled together. Best $25 I’ve spent this year.
Friend of Audrey knit
Not much more to say except this is the perfect Breton stripe knit. And I searched for years to find it.
Balenciaga platform slides
I knew I wanted a pair of big, stompy logo slides and when I saw these marked down on the Matches.com end of season sale I snapped them up. For about 3 months they sat unworn in my wardrobe because I was lacking places to wear them in our sleepy coastal town, then I thought fuck it. I’ll wear them to coffee or whatever. And I do! They’re surprisingly versatile, whether anchoring a smock dress or doing *something* to a blazer and jeans. They’re a bit silly but then so are some of the best things in my wardrobe, like my robe.
The big shoes and the robe are proof, I think, that when it comes to buying clothes, or getting dressed, you should follow your own internal compass and throw everything else in the bin. That’s where personal style comes from, that’s how we tap into the confidence that helps us get shit done and feel good doing it. To me, that’s what clothes and shoes and nice handbags are for.
So all of this to say - feel free to disregard any and all “advice” extended within this newsletter, if it’s not your cup of tea. I am merely here to share my own experience with clothes and fashion because it’s what fills mine.
I’ll be sharing my thoughts here semi-regularly, generally on a Monday or Wednesday because that’s when my daughter is in daycare and I have a moment to think and absorb what’s happening in the fashion zeitgeist. To nerd out a bit (a lot) on fashion culture. I’ll be looking into viral trends, over-analysing red carpets and runway shows and mag covers and all of that. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know the vibe.
If you’ve got pressing style questions that you would like my thoughts on, send me an email or dm and I’ll try to answer them.
And if you like what you see here, please subscribe and share this newsletter with your fashion-loving friends. That’d make my day!
Tam x
So glad it's not just me! I asked for the pink version of this robe for my bday and my partner almost had a conniption... but it brings me joy and I wear it all the time.