What I wore all week: When the Jag won't start.

rollercoasters, sandwiches, you can all F off. Until you do, I'll get dressed and try to deal.

When does a privileged life not feel like a privilege? How about right now? How can something that sounds so good (sandwiches!) suck so bad (sandwich generation!)

I do not like roller coasters. I was secretly relieved to be too short to ride. The tea cups were plenty scary — and cuter. I do not like scary movies. Who wants to be scared?

But we are going up and down, up and down with my dad, and I guess this is what it is. They (the very best doctors in the world) are doing all sorts of adjusting and balancing and pushing and calibrating to get the most out of him without ruining him — dad, if you’re reading, you’re high maintenance!

Dad is like the vintage Jag xk150 coupes he loves. As he says: “It’s not gonna work for basic transportation. A rainy day is gonna be sucky. It’s not gonna start. They say when a Jaguar stops dripping oil that means it’s out of oil.”

credit here

Still, look at that beauty. It’s the only one we want! Oil dripping and all. Bring us all the sunny joy rides! Dad, you know you still want this car!

Things go well, he looks great, he makes jokes, we make plans and then some measurement of something soars or plummets and I plummet too. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

I was writing about my uniform here, and about analyzing and insisting on dressing for your daily real life. My dad does that so well, so instinctively. No matter what’s in front of him, he dresses for it. (And looks amazing.) His uniform is generally a dressed up wing-tip version of a sneaker, an interesting sock, a pair of cool chinos, a polo or button-up shirt and a sweater in some Italian-looking combination of colors (he will say he had a shirt on and he was cold and added a sweater and that’s all the thinking involved). And always a hat!

And ups and downs notwithstanding, he always GETS DRESSED. Getting dressed is, like dad, genteel and honorable. To wear, for example, a straw fedora and unlined linen blazer to Fenway to sit in the bleachers with your daughter on a hot day because she invited you — that is a certain kind of person. One I aspire to be.

So, onward.

This week’s outfit theme was inspired by Prada Mens FW. The first thing I did was watch the show, review the looks, and start to think about what I was observing and ascribing some adjectives. Color and shapes were key, and during Sunday Night Outfit Planning (I do this live on IG on Sundays — we plan 5 looks for the week), I pulled together all the items that might fit the concept, put them on a rack, and planned 5 looks from there. I realize that when life screws with your plans, outfit planning makes me feel a little sense of control I need to imagine I can have.

Next week’s theme: Translating weekend looks into weekday outfits.

And the week after that: Tag Winbury Style (after the so-bad-it’s-good-Liev Schibner character in The Perfect Couple, my idea of a good “scary movie”). I’ll put inspo images at the end of this post, but also — feel free to choose a character you’d prefer to dress like. Tag spoke to me. Style like dad. Only his character is the exact opposite.

MONDAY

What: White sleeveless buttonup shirt dress (mine is Lou Lou Studio here it is used and even less new at Saks off Fifth - here’s an alt with more sizes and a cute back.) My Jil Sander vest-y blazer. Tibi sheer gauze pencil skirt (out of stock; check Tibi Fans on IG … you could do this with the current stock power mesh though - I have!). The Miu Miu hotel flats that make everything right and are therefore on endless repeat. Miu Mu bag.

Why: Hot day, doing my thing. I was inspired by those interesting dirty Prada colors when outfit planning this week, and wanted to wear this sleeveless blazer.

Outcome: I loved this and was excited to wear it first after trying it in outfit planning. There’s layering, but the skirt is so nothing and the dress is sleeveless/cotton so it really didn’t feel too hot. I felt polished.

Put this on later for a walk with rain threatening

TUESDAY

What: Prada skirt. The violet papal socks

laura reilly

told me about. THE shoes. Used Raf Simons cotton tee with hood. Prada vest - save a little here and skirt (another and here too) (I have it w/o the underlayer). And here’s the new iteration. Old Celine green hoop earring.

Why: Pretty much as above. A one-meeting workday. I wanted to explore the gray suiting and weird color clashes of that men’s Prada runway.

Outcome: I love the picture and that’s IT. This skirt no longer fits. Like — it zipped. And I wore it. I hated every minute of it. It kept turning around at the waist, clinging to my ass, and creeping up. I was MISERABLE. Skirt for sale!

On my walk: workout wear but with my Maryam slip over and some old Tory Burch flats.

At night for a debate mini party I wore my Kamala “She’s got next” tee, B-Sides Lassos, Tabio crew socks, vintage Helmut Lang pumps from mom (found a pair!), and Prada sequin cardigan.