James Perse, of course

James Perse striped maxi dress | size 3 (at SLOWRE)
Everlane Modern Loafer | size 8 (at SLOWRE)

One of the best ways to hone in your personal style and minimize your closet is to identify brands that consistently work for you, and stick with those as much as possible.  Of course, James Perse is that brand for me.

For 15 years I’ve collected (hoarded?) and lived in James Perse tees & dresses because they just ALWAYS FIT.  The t-shirts fit me beautifully, and are never too long (as long as I get the right size), and the dresses/skirts hug my body in all the right places.  Quite simply, I am obsessed and fiercely loyal to James Perse becasue the clothing fits my body/lifestyle and I have extensive positive long term experience with almost every item I’ve owned.

Some pieces last longer than others though.  I’ve only had one t-shirt develop a hole pretty quickly and I was able to exchange it for a new one.  My oldest JP tees (which are 7-8 years old) are still going strong, sans holes.  But I finally had to retire my genie sweatpants, and resigned myself to NOT buy a new pair, because they stretch out too much, and started getting holes around the pockets in the back pretty fast.  I still wore them up until last week, and I say “retire” but they’re really in a corner in a drawer I hardly ever use because I can’t bear to throw them away, or repurpose them into something else.  Granted, I had them for three years, and pretty much wore them non-stop – I freaking loved those pants – but I was pretty disappointed in the flimsy cotton and how messy they looked with wear.

Anyway, I had pretty much decided to buy this dress for myself when it came in to SLOWRE for consignment, but eventually thought better of it, so it’s available now!  I love it, of course, and especially how the top is diagonally striped and then moves into horizontal stripes with the tucking on the hip.  The top is a big large for me though, and it gaps at the waist, but if you are larger busted than I am, or just appreciate a looser fit, this dress is wonderful.  The narrow bottom takes a little getting used to walking in, but it’s much easier to move in than the ruched styles in my opinion.

If you’re also a fan of James Perse, check out some of the new James Perse markdowns at Nordstrom (including this shirt dress I LOVE LOVE LOVE), and at Shopbop:

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