"I ____ love your outfit!"

Welcome to Hey Mrs. Solomon @ Substack

“I f*cking love your outfit!”

A car pulled up beside me, honking, and a girl inside shouted this to me. I was wearing a wide cropped jean, neon sneakers, a neon turtleneck with the sleeves cut to bracelet length (due to a chocolate incident, TBH) and a hot pink nylon blazer from a Dries Van Noten men’s sale. On my way to brunch. This moment contains all the ingredients in my “what I’m doing here” sandwich.

1. I chase and find and chase that feeling.

That rightness in my style feeling. An early childhood memory is picking Lilly Pulitzer items out Automatic Markdown bin at Filene’s Basement. But the pink and red lion culottes only looked good with a red, yellow and green striped ribbed turtleneck. And the mini dress only looked good if I accessorized with bandaids on my knees and elbows. Style to me is a combination of so-wrong-its-rightness and that feeling, that exhale-and-leave-the-house or maybe look-back-and-smile feeling, that in this moment you were you. Telegraphing a youness that made you feel right in your skin and understood.

2. I treasure the community of style.

An old friend once asked “but why do this on instagram” — or anywhere, I suppose. why not just “do it for me.” Oh I love this community, though. Why does anyone share a hobby versus doing it in solo silence? I love knowing others are out there thinking about these things, about the satisfaction in self expression. I love the knowing looks we give each other — the I-see-you doing-you looks. I love that girl in that car. I love her so fucking much.

3. I have tips.

Tips of the plucked, curated, tested and life-long-lived variety. I wouldn’t say I have an innate talent. I get it right and I get it wrong and I learn. And I’m not a stylist, which is an art form I revere greatly. But at this point I’ve amassed a lot of know-how from the combination of pure obsession, years on earth, reading, and stints at places like Rue La La, M.Gemi and as fashion/beauty editor at a now defunct paper called Boston NOW. Also: I’m not a secret hogger. I’m a secret sharer.

4. You can expect …

Posts about once a week. Some shorter, some longer. And drop a comment if there’s something you’re wanting me to explore. Lots of links and ideas. Things you can realistically try tomorrow. Photos where I try them myself to show you. Not nearly as good as this professional photo below by Meredith Brockington. And overall, you can expect kindness. And realness. Above all I believe in both.

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