5 indie & vintage brands to know

greatest hits of this week's outfits & some mother's day gift ideas.

It’s been a satisfying week of outfits—one where I genuinely enjoyed getting dressed and playing with old and new things in my closet. Here are the top hits!

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1). Laundry by Shelli Segal

A very recent eBay score—I was browsing vintage silk skirts and came across this incredibly well-priced mod print skirt. It looks a lot like my 1996 Prada tile print mini skirt. Anyways, Shelli Segal is a great keyword to search if you’re into this style.

And this is how I styled it: Larroude Ricky boots (a Molehill staple), TOAST cashmere/wool cardigan (green finally back in stocks after months!!), old Liffner sprout tote. Knee high boots are my favorite thing to pair with a delicate miniskirt made of a thin fabric like silk. It creates a “grounding” element and heavier proportion on the bottom.

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2). Hades Wool

I’ve been a Hades Wool fan for a years now, the first piece I got from them was one of their alphabet sweaters off eBay. They’re an indie British knitwear label, and their designs have such wit, humor and intelligence. The clothes are full of musical and literary references (ex: their new Tilda Swinton collection). Also, their lambswool is the only wool I can wear without issues as someone prone to inner elbow eczema. It feels like wearing a mid-weight cashmere.

The Handbag Cardigan was at the top of my obsessions from the moment I saw it, and I must say that it lives up to my expectations IRL. The chartreuse color is zingy and bright in person, and I get endless joy from the random purse junk pictures on it. Especially the bag of Taki’s (I used to put my stomach lining through the wringer in college with the amount of Taki’s and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos I’d eat).

Styled with a Madewell pintucked cotton skirt (looks like the Doen Sebastiane, but the waistband has a stretchy part in the back so it was comfier for period bloating), old secondhand Martiniano glove shoes, Sandy Liang windows tote, Laura Lombardi choker I got during the sample sale last week.

P.S. Lena Dunham has this exact cardigan. Writers love it, what can I say! I finished Famesick last week and thoroughly enjoyed Lena’s storytelling skills and the vivid mentions of clothing that defined the 2010s brand of offbeat millennial femininity, i.e. Rachel Antonoff veggie print shift dresses.

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3). sssilk666 by Alice Stephenson

An indie London-based designer (bit of a British theme in today’s letter) who makes clothes that I can only describe as “fit for a Caroline Polachek music video.” Alice works primarily in silk, in all kinds of fiber weaves, and I love her medieval-folklore-grunge aesthetic.

If you like brands similar to Chopova Lowena, Cawley Studio, and Chelsea Mak, you would love sssilk666. Alice came across my newsletter last year and generously sent me this sugar plum witch silk top and skirt:

File this under wedding guest outfit ideas that aren’t cowl neck dresses. I styled it with my vintage 1999 Miu Miu bubble sole heels. The brown/plum color combo feels cohesive throughout.

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4). Mondo Mondo

An LA-based jewelry brand I’ve collected a few pieces from over the years. Their spring collection just came out, and they kindly gifted a ring I picked out. Something Mondo Mondo does well is universe-building. Whether it’s their fragrances or jewelry, I find myself drawn to the colors, the graphic design, the fonts, the photography. It’s maximalist and luxurious in a high-low way.

Like, look at this hot pink wrapping paper. And the little leopard print green star card.

This is the Butterfly Ring I picked out—huge wings that look hand-sculpted, and like it just landed on your fingers. The gem flecks add dimension and sparkle. I will wear this to any event involving wine or cocktails, where there is attention drawn to my hands.

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5). Ruth Kent

Do you love A Bad Case of the Stripes? Me too. I’ve always wanted a pair of tights like Camilla Cream’s rainbow limbs. The Tsumori Chisato tights from 2011 are perfect but I’ve never been able to find them online.

tsumori chisato tights.

But then I came across another (!!!) London-based designer, Ruth Kent, who makes tights. I have never spent this much on a pair of tights. But I couldn’t get the specific colors and stripe size of these Blaze tights out of my head—they would be the statement piece to wear with a monochrome minidress, or a funky flash of leg color peeking out of a long trench coat.

Scream. They are SO PLAYFUL AND ME!!!!! The fabric feels very smooth—as far as tights go, they do not itch or overstimulate me as much as the cheaper pairs I own. I tried them on with every single pair of green shoes I owned and these were the winner, apple green Martiniano party heels.

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Molehill Miscellany

• I’m into in these Ciao Buttercup Kicky Pants because they are organic cotton lounge pants with a short inseam (music to my ears). The plum and olive colorways remind me of the Miu Miu FW99 color palette.

• My most-worn underwear brand, Oddobody, just came out with 100% organic cotton lounge pants as well. But, I’m not sure what the inseam length is on these.

• Someone who wears size 9 shoes should snap upr these jade butterfly Vivienne Tam heels. I wish I fit them.

• My mom is in an era where she prefers relaxing experiences/travel gift cards for birthdays and Mother’s Day, so that’s what I’m getting her this year. But, some loose end gift ideas—a flower frog that can turn any random bowl into a vase, this Chan Luu fish necklace with a peridot eye, a bag of “sticky rice” pu-erh tea, and a Fellow kettle as a practical everyday life upgrade.

Coming next for paid readers: I surveyed 50+ former self-identifying “Ganni girls” on why the brand’s heyday is over, and why Damson Madder is winning them over instead.

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xo viv

Thanks for being here. My latest wardrobe finds and wishlist pieces are updated here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) You can find me on IG and TT. I may earn commission on purchases made through affiliate links.