LE CATCH

If haven't yet fulfilled your post-holiday sale shopping quota, make a beeline over to My Theresa's 30% off sale, brimming with delights such as the cute Khaite, above, this forever Stella McCartney coat, and this classic Chloe bag.

I rang in the new year in bed, with my right ankle massively swollen from a tennis injury, reading Puck's Line Sheet, the fashion-oriented, insider info-steeped newsletter, written by former Business of Fashion journalist (and my former co-worker at Lucky Magazine) Lauren Sherman. It comes out twice a week, and each dispatch makes me 10x more knowledgeable. Her last one touched on everything from Unilever's acquisition of K18, a three year-old line of science-based, superhero hair products (which prompted me try the hair mask that reverses damage in 4 minutes!) to Sporty & Rich's founder Emily Oberg (and her $30M a year in sales). While most of her writing is objective reporting, she did reveal her bias for Reformation jeans, explaining that they're designed by denim expert Benjamin Talley Smith who also designs/consults for Khaite, Ulla Johnson, Re/Done and Everlane, and feature zero branding and flattering fits. (P.S. They're also under $200.) Sold on her rec, I snapped up the wide-leg pair, below, and then further pursued the (new) denim beat and bought these on-sale Nili Lotan jeans, the slim-fitting H&M, below, and the pleated, gold-buttoned English Factory, last pic. New year, new jeans!

I always find myself envying the woman who shows up to a party underdressed. To me, it signals confidence: she wears what she wants, what feels comfortable and authentic, rather than conform to a dress code. However, in order for the outlier outfit to pass muster in my book, it needs to be elegant and considered, glazed with festive formality. In short, there's an art to underdressing, and it's one I want to master. I'm deriving inspiration from the look, above, a winning mix of polished denim, glistening patent leather, sheer tights (I have these socks!), and sumptuous satin (on sale here), along with Leandra Cohen's sequins and leather, below. (Shop here and here.) Some of my favorite pieces invited to the party: this striking Cult Gaia metallic top, this Marissa Webb blazer vest, and this embellished Toteme sweater.

Photos: Symphony of Silk, Leandra Cohen

Leave it to the Huberman Lab to make sure my New Year's resolutions work like a science. It advocates a three to five-minute "science-based protocol" that simply entails writing down plans for the day, things to strive for, things to watch out for, fears and resentments, and gratitude. I like! I can do! However, I want to add one more action point to my daily to-do list: show up! Because how I show up everyday affects how I feel everyday. My Monday-to-Sunday goal: comfortable, solid, pulled-together. Thankfully, I have an accommodation to execute: new tailored yet relaxed and thoroughly versatile pieces, specifically the styles pictured here from Apiece Apart. They include the double breasted crepe blazer, above, to wear with, well, everything, cropped, loose-fitting trousers (in the color, above), this outfit-making red cashmere sweater (below), these mesh Christopher Esber flats, these roomy Toteme jeans and this vest. I think I've nailed my 2024 uniform!

Last night before going to bed, I scrolled through all of my pictures taken in 2023 and paused when I saw this snap from November 8. It was shot during a festive luncheon at my house, one of the few I've had this past year, but perhaps one of the most fun. It features me (Rothy's Mary Janes) and my friend Asha (Rothy's clogs), but what it actually captures is pre-holiday me (polished/prim) and post-holiday me (casual/easy), because I'm now living in the clogs. I'm even wearing them as I write this! Though these styles may seem vastly different, they're both grounded in comfort, and for me, that's a year-round style mandate. I love them both!

After Christmas with my family, I am feeling full in every sense--like I need nothing more to make me happy. That being said, a new pair of cuffed jeans that are coming in hot for 2024 will, I am sure, amplify my everyday joy. Particularly these by Mother (nearly sold out but also here), Citizens of Humanity and AGOLDE.

My last Substack of the year is out and it's all about my peripatetic adventure in London and Alta Badia last week--and my never-ending quest to dress for all occasions, stylishly. My La Ligne pajamas certainly lived up to my velvet and mirror-paneled hotel room at The Twenty Two in London, above. Now that I'm back in LA, I can assure you they're definitely not sleeping on the job! Please read it here!

Hair of the dog for today's (holiday-shopping) hangover can be had in spades here, here, and here, but I also suggest you knock back Le Catch's past posts, newly and neatly archived here, so you can shop what you missed, most likely at a deep discount. Merry Christmas!

If you're wondering what I'm planning to wear now that Christmas is over, the answer is two night stay at a spa. Any spa.

I took my sister skiing yesterday for the second time in her life. I'm not sure who was the braver one among us as it was my first time skiing The Dolomites, where the trail maps are written in German and Italian (and, truth be told, I can't read maps). Thankfully, we managed to swish around without incident. When she complained that her ski boots were painfully uncomfortable later on in the day, I consoled her, explaining that ski gear leans more function than fashion--and a lot less comfort. Hence, I sported my Miu Miu sweater and brand new (actually comfy) Bogner pants to compensate/carve the Alta Badia slopes, only to lose my (style) steam for apres ski, when things suddenly became more about fashion than function. Yikes! People pulled out all the stops: prints, stripes, a million-ply cashmere. Most intriguing to me was the prevalence of these cropped, kick-flare, figure-flattering pants that almost looked like ski pants but absolutely were not. Comp in the pic below, to shop here, here and here. These cute pants were finessed with all kinds of knitwear and shoes! One woman had on the coolest sweater set that had both my sis and I coveting, which we tracked down and found here (on sale!).We also spotted: this, this, and this. Need to level up for the next Euro Apres pronto!