The Shopping List: JUNE (ish)

We're back with our top 10 picks for the month which, this month, includes 'sheer' sunglasses, a crystal choker on sale and a pair of shoes you'll never want to take off.

The shortest day of the year just so happens to fall in the month when time itself seems to speed up. June came and went faster than a dream. So our June shopping list is landing in your inbox in…well, July.

It may be late, but it’s a good’un.

Thanks for being here with us.

Sophie and Annie
xoxo

Sophie

SOEUR / Lee Sunglasses — $635 AUD

I’ve been thinking a lot about light-lensed sunglasses. They do so much for a look without trying to much, which is my MO when it comes to fashion. I want hard working pieces that don’t break a sweat.

There’s quite a large checklist I’m running through when choosing my sunnies. I want statement but not too statement. Cool but not too cool. I want to feel bold while also feeling beautiful. There’s such a fine line between bold and absolutely turbo. I love a turbo look on others but it’s just not for me, I feel more like an absolute knob. But that’s the key though isn’t it, you have to feel yourself in whatever you’re wearing otherwise people will see straight through you and you’ll look and feel so uncomfortable.

These Soeur ‘Lee’ style feel like my goldilocks of sunglasses. They’ve got that inflated vibe, but more subtle. They’re colour tinted but don’t feel too much. I know I could add these to a bland winter look and feel instantly polished and just the right amount of *cool*. If you’re more of a 60’s queen, I love this Deering style. For a more affordable and local 70’s vibe, these are also heaven.

I put a mini moodboard of sheer lenses together, because I love a moodboard.

Grece Ghanem

Annie

HENNE / Bowie Blazer — $449 AUD

Kudos to Nadia, Michelle, Laura and Henne’s entire design team — they are very good at reading the zeitgeist and (very quickly) turning RTW around to meet it. This blazer got my attention for its silhouette as well as its fabric composition: 75% wool and 25% silk, which surprised me for Henne. I like the boxy, wide shoulder and tailored waist on this; crucially, the buttons are placed higher up to elongate the quarters of the jacket.

I’ve got a wardrobe full of black blazers, which are just not getting worn in my current life stage. Even when I have an occasion to wear one, I feel like I am playing a character rather than dressing as my true self — which is more vulnerable than it was pre-baby. A black blazer feels too severe, too self important. But I do love them for instantly pulling me together, which is where a flecked/textured fabrication steps in. It’s softer while still being versatile, and adds a layer of dimension to your look which we love. Perfect with an all-white ensemble, as per:

Sophie

PORTER JAMES SPORTS / Tailored Hoodie — $239 AUD

Whenever I try to define my style the word ‘casual’ forever comes to mind. For the most part I like my looks to feel relaxed and have an ease to them, the opposite of ‘uppity’. In order to bring this to life there is often an ultra casual piece in the mix, like a zip-up hoodie.

I’ve been obsessing over kiwi brand Porter James Sports since stumbling over them on IG. Their ability to create quiet pieces that speak so loud has me wanting multiple pieces from their current collection. They are both ultra casual whilst refined. And they’re affordable.

To balance out the casual I like to add something tailored or refined, something polished. A tailored trouser, a stiff midi skirt, a leather loafer.

The double ended zip! The washed dye! The crop! I’ll be channeling Miu Miu Fall 2023 layering, and the roll-out-of-bed hair will also feature.

Miu Miu Fall 2023

Annie

JUSTINE CLENQUET / Silver Liv Crystal Choker — $115 AUD (on sale)

It could be some personal insecurities coming out here, but sometimes I feel like I could be mistaken for a real Charlotte York in “classic” jewellery pieces (a pearl or diamond necklace makes me look far too conservative with my fairly understated wardrobe). So, I always find myself craving a little bit of grit or playfulness.

This piece is not by an Australian label, but by a French designer (you can find a few of her pieces - mainly shoes - at Incu here in Australia). Her jewellery has a kind of irreverent, Vivienne Westwood glam punk energy about it which is so much fun, just the thing to transform a basic outfit into something a little bit more interesting. I’d been on the hunt for a tennis necklace that felt substantial enough not to feel preppy. I love the messy, intertwined strands and the slightly ridiculous glamour of this piece, which will do wonders for a basic knit and trouser this winter.

Sophie

BLANCA / Austin Blazer — $590 AUD

There’s been a lot of chat in our paid subscriber group chat recently about winter coats. It really has only just become cold enough to warrant the purchase so I really hadn’t been thinking about them till now. For the last five years or so I’ve solely wanted floor scraping coats, because, The Drama! But I now have a hangover and the antidote is: the shortest coats I can get my paws on. Also floor scraping coats don’t quite work with floor scraping toddlers.

Given I still love The Drama, it still needs to have a little something. Which is why I’ll argue tooth and nail that this BLANCA Austin Blazer is this year’s perfect winter coat. It’s short, it’s warm and it’s goddamn fringed. I love it. I want to style like the below look. Very Diana.

PS. Our group chat is absolutely the best thing about our subscription, next to the newsletters. The sense of community and sisterhood I’ve gained from this group has been so affirming! It costs $8 a month, for 3-4 newsletters that we spend days putting together, and 24/7 fashion support from a bunch of babes who also like to dress to feel good.

Pinterest

Annie

AJE STUDIO / Mira Coat — $379 AUD

As Soph mentioned above, coats are big in the chat right now — not surprising given the state of things in the southern states of Australia right now. But unlike Soph, I’m still partial to a long coat. They are just the thing to make me feel put together in a flash. I like the chest pocket on this Aje number — it stops it feeling like a dressing gown, which a lot of these buttonless wrap coats can look like to me.

Side note: when I’m bundling an uncooperative 15 month old into his coat in the morning, I make a big song and dance about putting my own coat to make it more of a game. And I feel like he’d really like this one. It’s cosy and fuzzy and the exact colour of his favourite bunny. Does anyone else get dressed for their kids? Is this yet another aspect of parenting that I had zero insight into until now??

Sophie

SCANLAN THEODORE / Long Panel Skirt — $600 AUD (on sale)

Not all (wardrobe) heroes wear capes. This piece will enter your life without making a splash, but quietly lift every single outfit you wear it with. I’ve been looking for a strong winter skirt to dress down and this is it. I’d wear with the above hoodie and my DOF riding boots.

If I had the cash i’d also be purchasing the funnel neck jacket. Ughhh ♥️

Annie

ELKA COLLECTIVE / Bronte Jacket — $299 AUD

Sorry friends, this newsletter is turning into a jacket lovefest. I’d been looking for a boxy, cropped leather jacket with a strong collar when Elka Collective kindly gifted this to me. I couldn’t believe my luck. It’s got a great silhouette and just the right amount of distress applied to it. I would’ve preferred it to be real leather, but it’s a very high-quality vegan alternative that I’d argue is virtually undetectable.

I’ve been wearing with long-line skirts and tees (see below for references) for when I’ve been sans-baby. Strong case for this being my MVP for the winter into spring.

Sophie

BARED / Emutail — $289 AUD

Holy crap, this is a shoe and a half. I don’t think i’ve ever owned a shoe like this — it honestly feels like you’re wearing a mature specialty shoe but while looking chic as fuck. The support and comfort this Bared loafer provides is unrivalled. I was gifted these last week and haven’t taken them off. As i’ve mentioned multiple times, I struggle with flats during winter but these are filling a major gap. If a typical loafer isn’t for you, the braided leather and gold buckle of these might just do it for you.

Annie

A.EMERY / Estee Bias Pant — $340 AUD

What did we do before soft pants became acceptable outerwear? It’s hard to cast our mind back to the pre-Covid times when uncomfortable Mom Jeans were the “casual” pants we lived in (truly never met a more uncomfortable clothing item).

Lots of chat in our Classmates paid subscriber chatroom about where to find chic, comfy trousers. I really love the mushroom colour and parachute fabrication of this pair by A.Emery. Simple, no fuss, good silhouette and perfect with a large black silk shirt (fabrics are the inverse of the below, but see silhouette and overall vibe). I am here for the quiet confidence.

See you next week x