Yes, dear reader, I bought the Phoebe. Again.

I'm not over it. So I guess I'll keep working.

We are at drop 2, and it feels like a good time to confess this: I’m buying what she’s selling.

[ed note: If you’re already triggered by the idea of consumption, especially at this level, skip it, or skip down to the p.s. from here. XO]

I know this isn’t popular opinion. Blessedly, I don’t need to summarize all that because Sarah Shapiro does it for us here. One of the quotes comes from our beloved Laura Reilly of Magasin: “Meanwhile, given her six-year hiatus, many of her customers have already moved on. ‘Most recently, I think O.G. Phoebe fans have found a new community in the real-clothes movement, and brands like Kallmeyer, Maria McManus, Attersee, and Tibi,” says Reilly. On the upper end of the luxury market, many women have migrated to labels such as the Row, Bottega Veneta, and Khaite. Now in the prime of their lives, they have already spent decades investing in their wardrobes.”

And it’s true. The prices are insane. And that is an insult to “insane.”

But. But.

I would just like to put forth the idea that if you think you’re getting everything you need (that word has NEVER been used more loosely) with The Row, Bottega et al … I can make an argument that you’re not.

An argument that comes in the form of a dress. This dress, to be exact.