Last week, thanks to a dear friend, I found myself at a Brooklyn Heights gallery event. Apart from the arresting art, the space was studded with professional women (or professional moms with spouse-sponsored wardrobes), their suited husbands trailing behind them. These women—completely au current and utterly urban—looked fabulous, even after the glow of the sheer expense of all they wore had faded. And they were ladies, not Juicy-clad girl wannabes. I was inspired.
Alas, I had no camera with which to capture them. But I observed, inspected, and have attempted to boil down the essence of this look—the Brooklyn lady—to a few choice tenets:
*Put on a dress, damn it!
Shirt dresses, wrap dresses, whimsical jersey numbers…you name it. These women eschewed separates in favor of the feminine sophistication only a dress can confer, not unlike this sleeveless mini caftan by Rachel Pally:
(Photo from shopbop)
*Slap on some heels
A dress and heels—sounds tarty, right? Not a chance. Chunky-heeled slingbacks and strappy sandals abounded, with various but always stylish results. Bare-legged with a navy jersey sheath? Sexy sophistication. Worn with tights and a collared shirt dress? Perfectly geek chic!
(These are the Rupert Sanderson Carmen sandal, an exclusive on net-a-porter. Fun fact courtesy of an old friend with an eye for a good deal: look no further than Century 21 for a pretty sweet Rupert S. collection…)
*Always accessorize
Bangles, pendants, earrings… these women were not modest with the precious metals. They showed a clear preference for gold; I love the addition of a little enamel:
(This one is from J.Crew, but I just found one on eBay for about 1/4 of the price. See?)
*Thou shalt not manicure
Ah, a delicious truth: femininity need not entail prissiness! Why can’t we all just clip them short, and leave them be?
*Don’t forget your status bag
Be it a messenger, hobo or satchel, these ladies were all about haute holdalls. I spotted one by my new local favorite, hayden-harnett:
(That, FYI, is the Mercer Nico XX bag in Chocolate.)
And—true of bag and look—no status beats Brooklyn status.
