dressing for the big winter slump
mostly outfit pics ft. cashmere sweats
good morningggg. *yawn, stretch, cracks neck*
i feel like everyone i’ve talked to recently has been in a winter slump or full-blown depressive episode. what about you?
something i practiced in therapy is that we can just recognize how we’re feeling in our spirit and body, and let it be. we don’t have to explain or intellectualize the cause of said feelings.
i will say that i recently tried the dry sauna at my gym for the first time (it’s intimidating!) and damn, my mind felt so clear afterward. it’s a phone-free zone, you have to focus on breathing, and it helps with blood circulation. i am trying to go twice a week.
here’s how i am taking care of myself through this winter slump—things that lift my mood and reduce the mental load of getting dressed.
best of the molehill chat
the chat has been really active lately, and i’m loving the creativity and humor on there. if you feel shy about starting a thread, this is your sign to do it anyway!
here were my favorite threads last week:
how to be the hottest bitch at jury duty (perfectly timed with
’s piece)the best third spaces in the bay area
you can join this reader-led book club
options like le bon shoppe arc pants in bigger sizes
reminder that today, paid readers can join our weekly “what stories are we writing/pitching this week?” thread to share ideas and advice.
let me give you my card
at my first job at a consulting firm, i had a stack of business cards that i never used. not even once. they read “vivian chen/analyst” in times new roman and they were so boring and stuffy.
i never used business cards again, until i started writing this newsletter. i was telling my sibling on facetime today that i want to continually be raising the bar for myself and for the molehill. it is important for me to feel a sense of pride in my creative work, and having cards does just that.
i keep a stack in my wallet, and they’re wonderful to give to:
random people i meet on the street where we connect over fashion
people at networking events/parties
literally any space where your writing comes up organically
it’s a nice way to exchange info without having to whip out your phone. and there’s a thrilling mystique to it. like, if you lose the card you’ll never be able to find me again.
a halo beret for bad hair days
i actually kinda hate my hair right now.
everything feels awkward. my roots are growing in against the red-brown dye, and part of me wishes it were just back to my natural color. i feel like i’m going to be in medium-length hell forever. i’ve probably watched
’s mesmerizing hair tutorials 50 times but the results on my current hair length feel underwhelming as hell.i have low motivation for full hair wash days, but when i do, hairstory new wash followed by towel scrunching with crown affair conditioner is the best texture reset for my permed waves.
so, what is a girl to do but wear a halo beret to distract from her tricho-woes?
mine is from gigi burris millinery and i bought it on ebay. you can find something similar by searching “wool + white + pillbox”, but the gigi burris one just ticked all my boxes between the fabrication, shape, and minimal decorative elements save for a microscopic bow on the back. it’s very courthouse wedding-style-as-winter-dressing-inspo.
here is how i styled it for errands + lunch out.
i wore this on an especially chilly day and felt cute and comfortable. as a californian, i don’t need a big coat collection! i’ve worn this old acne wool coat year after year, it’s a versatile blank canvas to throw my brighter colors on (i.e. wearing sweaters as scarves and playing with a funky bag).
the best place to buy secondhand acne coats is japanese ebay—I’ve written about this before and linked finds under $200.
cashmere sweats
these cable knit cashmere sweats were a PR gift from chambre de fan, and possibly one of the nicest things i’ve ever been sent. it is hard for me to justify springing over $100 for “inside pants” and i do not want to contribute to financial dysmorphia within fashion media, so i’m not going to be like, “i recommend that you go and drop hundreds on these.”
what I recommend is buying secondhand cashmere on trr/poshmark. I’ve gotten amazing deals on tse, ryan roche and lisa yang for under $100.
that said, they’ve been my favorite work from home/dog walk/grocery store run pants this month. the cable knit makes it look a little more special, and the elderly ladies on my block love them. they are incredibly low effort, but look equally elegant with a loose turtleneck sweater or vintage caftan.
throw a belt on it
cold weather means long jackets and coats, and sometimes i feel like the long straight shapes drown me because i am short. like this trench coat, for example—i don’t think outfits ever *need* to contour the body to look “good”—but a belt is an easy way to play with the proportions.
i starting getting into belts two summers ago, even declaring that the best secondhand ones were from isabel marant. i fell off the belt styling train for some reason, but lately i’m feeling inspired again. designers like emme parsons and déhanche have caught my fancy for the way they treat buckles as jewelry through higher quality metals and inventive shapes.
that said—i honestly don’t think you need to spend more than $50 for a leather secondhand belt, if you are looking for a simple design.
ginseng lip treatment
everyone is so loyal to their lip treatment brand of choice these days.
did a fun product breakdown on this topic. it’s hard to change someone’s mind once they have decided they are a laneige girl for life.personally, i’ve decided the yina ginseng + peptide lip treatment (I have a code—VIV15) is my gold standard of lip products. it went out of stock over the holidays but it’s back now. my enthusiasm for yina stems from the fact that they use a TCM approach to their skincare products. the formula smells more like jelly lychee than ginseng, and the metal doe foot feels smooth and luxurious on chapped lips.
i swipe it on in the mornings and before bed.
luxury is a lemon tree
our 3-year old lemon tree is bearing good fruit this winter, and nothing compares to the feeling of eaten something grown on home soil.
lemon trees are very popular in my neighborhood, and this time of year people will put their extra fruit in a cardboard box labeled “free.” the yellow orbs dotting the sky are a promise of better, warmer days.
i love picking my own lemons, that feeling will never get old. i love that i don’t have to buy them. i love that there is more than enough to share.
how are you getting through the doldrums of january?
happy long weekend,
xoxo viv
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Grouchy minimalism. Bianca Jagger cosplay. Turn of the millennium. Halter. Wrap. Tight. Nebulous. Denim. Moire. Noir. Whatever way you like it, find yourself in Noihsaf Bazaar.
Nicholas Knacks—We’re consignment service based out of the SF Bay Area, focused on secondhand designer clothing for all genders! We carry a wide selection of vintage & modern pieces, with an emphasis on items made with high-quality materials. Use code THEMOLEHILL at checkout for 10% off until 2/1/25.
If you’re a new free subscriber who found me through the Nosferatu essay feature on Substack Reads, you’ll enjoy this:
how a spontaneous movie day turned into my first vogue article
The morning light this time of year is especially beautiful. It has a breathy, hyaline quality that’s more silver than it is golden.
The lemons feel like bright, golden beacons of hope 🙌🏼🙏🏼🍋 thank you for sharing
i surprisingly thrive in the winter (and melt in the summer) but i love to brighten up anyway. i’m tempted to start having business cards because they just seem so grown up and (like you said) mysterious—which i am the opposite haha