PART II — I had a lot of “pinch me” moments this week…
Wardrobe Thirteen has always been (and continues to be) a work in progress, but as of September 6th, it’s taken on its latest (and perhaps most exciting) form: a formal LLC.
While this doesn’t change much about the day-to-day, there’s something undeniably empowering about officially stepping into the role of business owner — and this milestone just so happened to coincide with New York Fashion Week!
This timing made the week feel particularly special. Let’s recap.
HOW I GOT HERE
In January, I started working with Cassie Thorpe (who you should definitely follow and subscribe to if you don’t already). Initially, my role focused on curating a report — distilling the latest from publications like BoF and Vogue Business; highlighting relevant trends on social; spotlighting hot new products, trending brands, and emerging designers; coming up with video ideas; etc. Doing this every week reminded me of my time at UVA, where my Master’s Thesis required near-constant reading of these publications (more on that here). More importantly, it helped me rediscover what I’m drawn to most about fashion (aside from clothes): the intricacies of trend-making, the ever-shifting nature of consumer behavior, and the undeniably strong link between fashion and the creator economy. Ultimately, it was this report that inspired me to create my own newsletter on Substack.
As my remit with Cassie organically evolved, I began to collaborate with other creators in the space. This week, for example, I worked with Chee Smalls to organize and maximize opportunities around Fashion Week.
And so, what started as a bi-weekly email to Cassie has since grown into something much bigger: a business and a vision I’m increasingly ready to own — both on paper and in spirit.
Perhaps I will talk more about the business of Wardrobe Thirteen another day, but that was enough for the purpose of context and stage setting. Now onto the recap as promised.
WHERE I WENT & WHAT I DID
Alexis Bittar
(📍West Village store)
I was very kindly invited to Alexis Bittar’s SS25 Collection Preview Party at their gorgeous store on Sunday evening — and even more kindly gifted this incredible cuff bangle. The true highlight, though, was meeting Mr. Alexis Bittar himself! He was incredibly warm and genuinely interested in connecting with everyone who walked through the door — it was the kind of experience that makes you want to support a brand even more.
The pieces themselves were also stunning (see some in my IG post above). Everything had that signature Alexis Bittar balance of boldness and elegance, plus the inclusion of really cool materials like lucite — I’m eyeing a clear cuff to stack with my new gold one.
To top it all off, everyone in attendance was BEYOND fab and met a bunch of new creators who I may start working with in the near future… more on that soon.
What Goes Around Comes Around
(📍Wooster St. Location)
The next night I joined Cassie at the annual What Goes Around Comes Around NYFW party. Soho on a Monday night during Fashion Week is a prime spot for people-watching, and the scene inside the WGACA store was on another level. The event was teaming with with cool people in even cooler outfits and DJ’d by Luka Sabbat — who set up his gear (and gorgeously bag-charmed gold Birkin) on two stacked Louis Vuitton trunks.
If my shoes weren’t absolutely torturing my feet, I’d have done several laps just to observe.
Kilian Paris
(📍Ludlow House)
I continued my +1-ing at Ludlow House to celebrate the launch of Kilian Paris’s new fragrance, Old Fashioned (which smells divine btw). By this point, all I could think about was my throbbing feet, so I spent most of the evening on a very plush couch, strategically positioned by a side door that gave me first pick of incoming hors d'oeuvres.
**my rave review of a fried cheese ball made it into the end of Cassie’s Vlog**
I called my Lyft home within an hour (but made sure to leave with my goodie bag, of course).
Vogue Business x ShopMy Panel
(📍Nine Orchard)
Finally, I attended a panel titled ‘Understanding the New Creator Economy.’ I’ve attended quite a few panels and live events focused on similar topics, and I’ve come to realize that the quality of these discussions hinges almost entirely on the level of candor the panelists bring to it. There are only so many fresh ways for hosts to ask about fashion’s flirtation with the creator economy, so it’s really up to the respondents to make the conversation dynamic. The four women who spoke on Tuesday were exceptional in this regard.
PANELISTS:
(co-founder and COO of ShopMy), (founder of Dorsey and author of ), (of The Stripe and ), and Nell Diamond (Founder & CEO of Hill House)
I was particularly moved by Meg and her transparency around how she runs her business, especially regarding affiliate marketing and influencers (whom she refered to as ‘advertisers,’ ‘businesses,’ and ‘media companies’).
**Her brand, Dorsey, was a recent brand crush of , and I’m happy to say it’s now a crush of mine too.**
I could easily write an entire post about the conversation’s content, but for now, I want to focus on what I’m going to call the slow death of the brand deal. Meg shared her perspective on the future of creator-brand relationships; and in her view, audiences are becoming increasingly weary of traditional, big brand deals. They’re more moved by smaller, authentic-feeling integrations, not one-off or even a series of big, splashy campaigns. However, since these big deals are often highly lucrative, creators moving away from them will need to make up that revenue elsewhere. She believes that subscription-based models — with Substack leading the way — are likely to fill that gap.
Grace echoed this sentiment but pointed out that many brands are slow to adapt and hesitant to invest in platforms like Substack, even though the data is extremely compelling. It will be interesting to see if/how this shakes out and what paid partnerships will look like on this platform moving forward.
Street Style Shoots
(📍Soho / Tribeca / FiDi)
Both Chee and Cassie collaborated with some incredible photographers this week — including Shatimah Brathwaite, Tone Woolfe, Karya Schanilec, Gabe Suazo, and Shamell Mason. I joined a couple of the shoots to capture behind-the-scenes content and help make sure we got the shots we needed.
Chee’s Monday morning shoot took place down on Liberty Street, right outside the Carolina Herrera show, and it felt like stepping into a childhood fantasy: being an unnamed (dare I say mysterious) person on the periphery of the fashion elite. The streets were barricaded, branded & blacked out Suburbans rolled up one after another, and photographers ran up and down the block to capture each arrival. It was like a scene out of a movie, and I’m not yet jaded enough to miss the magic of it (and call my mom and boyfriend immediately after for a full recap).
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT I WORE
This year I’ve been saying that my ideal way to dress is in outfits that appeal to my childhood self. This week, I felt like a person she’d be in awe of.
OUTFIT 1: Loewe red sunglasses | Vintage YSL blazer | Bubble hem mini skirt | Schutz heels (NOT for the weak) | Custom beaded bag
OUTFIT 2: Zara tank | M&S lace bra | Theophilio sequined shorts | Schutz heels | Gucci bag
OUTFIT 3: Anthropologie tulle tank | Zara striped pants | Zara structured blazer | GH Bass Loafers | My middle school pencil case turned clutch | Amazon glasses
In part one I briefly talked about my struggle with comparisons and growth coupled with how proud I am of W13. While the former is still true, I want to emphasize the latter once again. Working with women in fashion, creating content, dressing up and attending events, meeting new people are all things I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Actually getting to do it has been better than I imagined and I’m very deeply appreciative of that.
Xo,
W13
Hi! I attended the Vogue Business x ShopMy panel too. It was great!! So many wonderful people and I wish we had met. The panelist were all amazing and totally crushing on them ❤️