002: PATRICIA LAGMAY
lives in mac coats and Tabi flats.
This week’s newsletter feels just right for the time of year. Many of us who live in four-season cities are inching towards “in-between'' weather. Personally I enjoy this, because you can still wear layers or a light jacket, but you don’t have to be covered from head-to-toe. It is especially liberating to throw my heavy boots to the back of the closet and finally expose my ankles to the world. I think that these sandals from the Row are going to be my spring shoe of choice. I wore them this weekend with socks and jeans for grocery shopping.
That said, I know that many people find transitional dressing frustrating, so I’m glad to share a look from the lovely Patricia Lagmay, who has a simple and adaptable outfit formula to propose.
Patricia is an LA-based art director and stylist. She works with brands and personal styling clients, most of whom share the desire to be streamlined and intentional when it comes to clothes. Patricia’s modus operandi is all about less-is-more. Less shopping, less stuff. She is a pure minimalist who always manages to look very cool with very little. I really enjoy her newsletter and her Instagram, where she shares insights on closet editing, timeless style, and thrifting (Patricia is a champion thrifter). I asked Patricia about the outfit she’s living in now.
"It has been extra chilly in LA these last few weeks, so my long coats have been getting a lot of wear. This is a vintage one that I thrifted eight years ago when I was still living in Vancouver. I used to wear it as a dress with the sleeves scrunched up into some sort of bubbly shape, but these days I mainly wear it with jeans. It looks great styled open with a v-neck sweater and white tee, or closed with no top underneath and just a necklace. Wearing it closed with no top underneath has become a very easy way for me to feel dressed up while still feeling warm and comfortable when I'm going out to dinner.
It has a little note stitched on the inside that says: "Your new London Fog garment brings forth more than 75 years of excellence in durable, water-repellent fabrics and timeless styling, backed by our commitment to keeping you warm, dry, and protected from the elements." I just looked up how old London Fog is and they turn 100 this year, which means this coat must be almost 25 years old! It shows almost no signs of wear so they weren't lying with that note. I feel like I'm wearing Lemaire when I put it on and some people have told me it looks like The Row. It has a wonderful drape.
I've cut down on my shopping significantly over the last few years and I try to only buy things that I know I'll use for a long time. This means that I don't buy as many "fun" things that are interesting to me now but that I predict I'll just tire of later on. Alas the downside to this is that it's made putting together outfits that still feel novel in some way a little challenging. I recently bought these Tabi flats as a bit of an antidote to that. They're in a rich chocolate brown so they actually still feel quite timeless, but they help bring some perversity to an otherwise predictable look. And they're reasonably comfortable for being so structured (I have bunions that make finding footwear a challenge)."
PATRICIA’S MOST WORN:
Vintage jeans in blue and white
Editor’s note: Vintage denim people tend to fall into two camps - those who are appalled at spending more than $50 and those who aren’t. I am in the second group. I wear my jeans so often that, for me, they are a worthy investment, even if I know they exist out there for less. I have had a lot of luck at the denim bar at The Vintage Twin, which is heinously overpriced but, again, I wear their jeans to threads. If you want to spend less, my advice is to go to the best stocked vintage store near you and figure out what style numbers you like (I like Levi’s 517s, for example). Then scour eBay, Depop, etc for pairs with your measurements. Remember when it comes to vintage, you won’t wear your normal jeans size, so measurements are key. And don’t be afraid to tailor jeans (I talk to so many people who are)! Patricia did a great newsletter about the pair of jeans she’s wearing below.
Black and navy sweaters. A mix of thrifted, Uniqlo, and this one from Shaina Mote.
Mac coats. The black one I'm wearing above, this one from Mijeong Park, and this one from Priory.
Vintage London Fog, Mijeong Park (currently on sale), Vintage Burberry (I may need to scoop this one up myself!), Priory, London Fog from TRR Flats. An old suede one in black from Vince and, once it stops raining, these ballerina flats.
clockwise from top left: Margiela, Aeyde, Hereu, Shop Peche White tees. Either thrifted or 3-packs from the little boy's section.
Thrifted men's button ups
Editor’s note: The men’s section of the thrift shop will have plenty of options - bonus points if you can go to a neighborhood with lots of well-dressed businessmen (Upper East Side, for example). Look for high quality fabrics and timeless colors and patterns. Below are a few that I like from the internet.
A gold pinky ring from J.Hannah
My grandmother's old watch
Editor’s note: People tend to shy away from jewelry watches but I think they are so elegant, as Patricia proves below. Heirlooms are ideal of course - grandparents have the best costume jewelry - but these are abundant in vintage shops as well. Not all of them can still tell time, but that’s what we have our phones for, right? I found some really cute ones on Etsy (here, here, and here) and this one on Grailed. 1stDibs is a treasure trove as well, I like these two (here and here).
Thanks for reading this week! For more Patricia, check out her portfolio here. If you liked this newsletter, consider sharing it with a friend!
ugh, we love a good tabi and mac coat combo!
loved this post, such a fun read! 🤍