008: MEG STRACHAN
lives in oversized classics.
When it comes to building a wardrobe, we usually start with what. What you’re actually buying - the physical item - a vintage skirt, for example, or a Bottega bag. We make a checklist of whats. I need a pair of slacks, a button-down shirt, a midi skirt, etc.
But when it comes to steering that wardrobe towards the personal and functional, the how is just as important. How does something fit? How do you wear it? Oversized? Tucked-in? Slung over the shoulder? How does it feel - both physically to the touch and mentally when it's on? How is the quality? How will this piece fit into your specific daily routine? All of those little hows are the secret ingredients to a distinct sense of style.
This idea crossed my mind while ruminating on today’s newsletter, which features Meg Strachan, the founder of Dorsey. Meg wears very classic pieces but she makes them work for her by playing with size or shopping in the men's department. I’ve talked a bit about sizing in past letters - how subjective it can be, and how liberating it is to separate yourself from the number on the tag. Meg demonstrates this beautifully. Her style is her own not because of what she wears, but how she wears it.
At the end of 2019 Meg Strachan founded Dorsey, her jewelry company, after many years of leading growth marketing teams at companies like Anine Bing, Goop, and Girlfriend Collective. Named for Meg’s grandmother, Dorsey disrupted the lab-grown gemstone space, which was traditionally only marketed towards brides, with well-crafted and actually cool, wearable designs. Meg, who lives in LA with her husband and daughter, took her idea and grew it into a seven-figure business in less than 3 years. I’m quite in awe of her. I asked Meg about the clothes she’s living in now.
Almost everything that I wear is oversized because I buy things one or two sizes larger than I ought to wear on my frame. I really value feeling comfortable in my clothing, and adding some room lets clothes hang in a way that feels more relaxed (especially for pieces that aren’t typically worn very relaxed). I like to feel pulled together but able to do my day. It took me a long time to figure out how to get dressed after the pandemic years, and I’ve never bought more menswear. From basic cashmere, to blazers, and button-down shirts, I consistently find that mens clothing fits the way I want it to, while at times women’s clothing can feel a bit too tailored and cropped on me. In the end, like so many of us, I always go back to the classics.
MEG’S MOST WORN:
Wide leg trousers. I probably wear wide leg trousers 5x a week through every season. I somehow think they’re easier to wear in summer than dresses. In warmer months I opt for lighter colors in linen and tend to tailor mine to work only with flats.
Anine Bing, Interior, The Garment, The Row (resale from TRR), The Row (resale from Reluxe) Oversized Button-Down Shirts. There’s a new movie that came out recently that stars Camille Rowe (ed note: movie here). It takes place in France during depths of summer. For most of the movie she’s wearing very oversized men’s shirts without a bra and barely done hair. To me they’re the perfect top.
COS, Dorothee Schumacher (resale from TRR), Chava Studio (beautiful shirts that I discovered on Meg’s IG) , Maria McManus, Alex Mill, Charvet (resale, these are surprisingly cheap on TRR) Oversized Beige or White Sweaters with Denim. I live in California where it truly is always sweater weather. For some reason, and I’m not exactly sure why, I have a stack of white and cream fisherman sweaters that are all a bit oversized (some are mens and one specifically is my husbands that I took after he never wore it) that I have collected over the years. I like to throw them on with old Levi’s.
L.L. Bean, Jenni Kayne (resale from TRR), Toteme (resale from Reluxe, they have a lot of Toteme right now!), The Elder Statesman (resale from TRR), La Ligne Oversized Menswear Blazers. A few weeks ago I was running out the door to a dinner and I couldn’t find my usual somewhat tailored black blazer so I went to the back of my husband’s closet and took one of his. It fits exactly how I wish my own menswear-inspired blazers would fit me, so now I’ve adopted it for myself. If you can find the right size in mens blazers, and are open to a bit of tailoring, they fit better than womenswear inspired by menswear.
Vintage Jeans. Of all of the denim that I own, I really only wear one pair of Levi’s 501’s that I found in a stack of jeans at What Goes Around Comes Around in Los Angeles. I keep trying to find denim but I have a really hard time and I’ve mostly given up.
ED NOTE: I’ve written about finding vintage denim here.
White Dresses. In silk, in lace, in linen. Short, long, oversized. Lace, no lace. Collared, no collar. I ruin a few each summer but it hasn’t stopped me from putting them on all the time, in rain or shine.
Baseball Hats. I was home this past weekend and I traded my grandfather a baseball hat with our DORSEY logo for an old Golf Open baseball cap of his from around 2010. I wear baseball hats all the time, more often than I really should.
Silk Blouses. My grandmother, Dorsey, was often in a silk blouse. I find they’re light in the summer and look great with a riviere necklace (my usual jewelry uniform). After taking a look through my closet this morning, most of mine are in the cream family.
Thank you for reading this week! As always, if you liked this post, share it with a friend or drop me a note.
P.S. Meg is also a Substack enthusiast. I’m subscribed!
