OOTD: Fog is Lifting

Hiding behind the fog? The downtown Manhattan skyline. Hiding below this jacket? The cutest sweater dress I’ve ever seen.

Earrings: J.Crew Factory (also here) | Coat: Madewell (also here, here, here or here!) | Dress: Club Monaco
Bag: TL-180 via Club Monaco | Tights: Hue | Shoes: J.Crew Factory | Lipstick: NARS Kate
photos: Bekka Palmer (she also makes incredible necklaces!)

I find it endlessly amusing that the weather for the last few New York Fashion Weeks has been categorically awful, as though Mother Nature is hinting to the design world that changes need to be made. I’ve felt a shift for sure this time around, with several of my day job’s clients choosing not to show at all this time around and attendance down at many presentations. There is a more muted vibe that’s palpable.

Unfortunately, rain and hail and sleet and, yes, snow are not legitimate reasons to cancel shows! So I’ve been doing my best this week running around from backstage to backstage for work in the cutest outfits I can muster that also keep nice and toasty. This look has turned out to be a real winner for me, so much so that I’ve already repeated it this week! (I’ve also repeated leggings, a sweatshirt and a messy braid. The epitome of glamorous!!)

What I love so much about this Club Monaco Sweater Dress is that it seamlessly transitions from my day job to any work events to date night. The colors are beautiful — I’m such a lavender fan — and the shape is pretty much universally flattering. I often take the largest size at Club Monaco — usually a large or 12 — but this dress is quite stretchy so I’m in my usual medium instead.

27 Comments

  1. Joanna Y.
    February 14, 2017 / 6:59 pm

    Great OOTD, Roxy! you look great! the dress is cute and (You're right!) very transitional between settings! LOVE how you pair the jacket with this dress! Love your purse too! Enjoy NYFW!

    • Joanna Y.
      February 14, 2017 / 6:59 pm

      also, forgot to add that I love the Carousel setting! 🙂

  2. Anthropolitan
    February 14, 2017 / 3:02 pm

    Love your outfit – lavender is a really good color for you, and the bag and earrings are such cute accessories!

    Please tell me what they have planned for next fall and winter is better than what we got this year. Please?

    Enjoy the rest of fashion week!

    • February 14, 2017 / 9:20 pm

      Thank you Anthropolitan!

      Well, in some ways yes. More color, layers that make a little more sense, and necklines that make a LOT more sense.

      But then there are still head-scratching things, like 80s oversized blazers (whhhhyyyyyy?), still more cold shoulders and cropped pants FOR WINTER. So it's good news-bad news…?

      • Anthropolitan
        February 14, 2017 / 10:11 pm

        Any good news is still good news! Thanks, Roxy!

        I was silly enough to have bought a pair of cropped pants for winter. Wore them once, froze, and put them in the back of the closet to wait for April. That will be my only pair.

        I just bought the March issue of INSTYLE and my daughter and I were not impressed with the 80s redeux. It's just awful.

        • February 15, 2017 / 11:38 am

          Yes, the 1970s and 1980s are probably the two worst decades ever for fashion (except maybe for the invention of the wrap dress), followed by the 1990s. Why designers want to retread this stuff…I have no idea.

  3. Denise
    February 14, 2017 / 7:11 pm

    You look great Roxy!! I love your whole outfit.

    • February 14, 2017 / 9:20 pm

      Thanks so much Denise!! =)

  4. evb
    February 14, 2017 / 7:12 pm

    I want to hear more about why Fashion Week is so subdued. Is it the economy? Fashion not selling?

  5. February 14, 2017 / 5:28 pm

    I think there are many reasons, and you nailed a few of them.

    Mainly I think the cost of presenting is getting out of control. Unlike before where there was one main home for Fashion Week (be it Bryant Park or Lincoln Center) now shows are all over the city. When the tents moved from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center there was a huge price jump to rent to present, and now it's even higher across the city. It was literally cheaper for Alexander Wang to rent out a Harlem Theater for the evening than it was for him to show at a more commonly used place like Skylight Clarkson Sq.

    You can expect it to cost anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 to put on a show. That includes PR, security, invitations, guest gifts, makeup, hair, models (who really make almost nothing), fees to rent the space, decor, seating, and so on. That's WITHOUT the cost of the clothing…all in the hopes that buyers will like it. Then you have soft costs like appearance fees, transportation and so on. Can you put on a show for less? Sure but it's hard, legit hard, in NYC. I think that's why many designers are revolting or just saying no thanks.

    I really like what Rebecca Minkoff did this season — instead of coming to admittedly gloomy NYC she put on a show at a mall (The Grove in LA) in a setting that reflected her clothing and accessories' sunny yet rocking aesthetic, and then threw a big party afterwards that a huge group was invited to. And she social media'd the heck out of it! That's how you get shoppers excited IMO.

    There's also a bit of cool kids' club elitist snobbery, where some designers were getting pissed off (or so I heard) that brands like J.Crew and Banana Republic are showing at Fashion Week. This isn't a huge reason but it's something worth noting…I do think there is criticism due to brands that have already been stocked and purchased showing alongside designers who are presenting for their livelihood. Something is a bit off about that model.

    I do also think that while there is always room for good fashion, we may have too many designers trying to do similar things right now. Department stores used to be the biggest buyers but they are struggling in a tough consumer climate themselves, so orders are down or they are asking designers to take on more of the risk (i.e. accepting back stuff that doesn't sell, or waiting on payment until stuff sells).

    In a way this stuff is GOOD, because I think Fashion Week became way too much of a “who's there” spectacle and less of a “let's get excited about clothing!!!” thing. Also, brands like Zara who can design to rack in about 6 weeks are completely upending the traditional retail model, and designers have to figure that out too. (Though there will ALWAYS be people who will wait for well-crafted, hand-made stuff for instance.)

    It's also good in a way because the stiffer competition to get stuff bought by stores will force designers to improve quality and wearability. Growing pains are to be expected but as a shopper in the long-term I'm excited. There may be some brand deaths before we get there though.

    • Anthropolitan
      February 14, 2017 / 10:14 pm

      I like what Rebecca Minkoff did. Really, is there any need to have Fashion week in any particular city when there is social media?

      What brands do you think won't make it?

      • February 15, 2017 / 11:44 am

        Yes, I love what she did too!! The advantage to coming to NYC is that you have the eyes of buyers and editors. Showing in another city, you can only rely on how well your clothing photographs. So I do think it's worth it, but I also think that the costs need to come way down.

        It's hard to say about which brands may go…DKNY for instance has been hurting for several years, didn't show at Fashion Week, and is owned by a hedge fund or similar company, which makes them more likely to be shut down than a line owned by a designer or designer-investors combination.

        • AP1
          February 16, 2017 / 4:38 pm

          Roxy, I read your site daily but have never commented. I wanted to thank you for your insightful comments about Fashion Week! It's really interesting to hear your perspective. Thanks for taking the time to write such thoughtful responses.

          • February 16, 2017 / 5:25 pm

            Oh that is so nice to read, thank you! And you're welcome.

    • evb
      February 14, 2017 / 10:21 pm

      Hey, thanks for this.

      I know nothing, nothing!, about the fashion biz but I do like clothes so it's interesting to hear your viewpoint on things.

      When are we getting another Anthro quarterly report or any news from the inside?

  6. withwonderandwhimsy
    February 14, 2017 / 5:41 pm

    Cute and cozy! I'm loving lavender for transitioning to spring, but like you've shown here, it's so lovely with gray and black for a dusky, wintry vibe.

    <3 Liz <a href="http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com” target=”_blank”>www.withwonderandwhimsy.com

    • February 15, 2017 / 11:45 am

      Thank you Liz!!

  7. Nam
    February 14, 2017 / 10:35 pm

    Wow!!! Roxy love love love ur outfit ??

    Agree with Anthropolitan. Lavender looks so pretty on u. I love ur handbag. Hmmmm. I need that he he he

    Happy Valentine's Day to everyone

  8. Anthropolitan
    February 14, 2017 / 7:42 pm

    Happy Valentine's Day Nam!

    • Nam
      February 15, 2017 / 1:50 am

      Thanks Anthropolitan 🙂

  9. February 15, 2017 / 7:45 am

    I'm not sure , I am so busy with Fashion Week-related work right now!! But I will check after it's over.

  10. February 15, 2017 / 7:46 am

    Thank you Nam!!! =) Happy Valentine's Day.

  11. Anthropolitan
    February 15, 2017 / 8:09 am

    You probably should. They took down the original snarky reviews, so I imagine that these will all come down as well at some point. Gotta keep them coming! (I wonder if any other pieces are getting this treatment? There are so many bad ones to choose from. )


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