Handsome (& Affordable)!
Humble Indulgences for a Full-Body Yes
In my last newsletter I discussed Handsome Woman Style and how I often come home to it after a spell of following my wandering eye around.
Handsome is a very emotional quality, be it in an outfit, or an object. When I see it, I get that full body YES. And the best part is that handsome can be found in the most humble of objects.
A note on affordability: it’s relative. Within my life, there are people with dramatically different ideas of what is “affordable.” I’ve just returned from spending some time with the branch of my family that lives a little rough, in a cabin in the woods. While there, I was acutely aware of how my candy-ass urban-dwelling fashion-person perception of affordability differs from there’s. It was a great reminder to be sensitive to these things.
Below you will find some of my favourite humble handsome staples. These suggestions are what I consider to be affordable and I have tried to be pretty conservative about what to include. Buuuuut there will be a follow up to this newsletter called Handsome Indulgences cause I have some of those for ya too 😉
Handsome Basics
Handsome and base layers go hand-in-hand for me. And it is usually the first place I look to give a refresh when the weather gets crispy.
Most of my Fall/Winter outfits start with an undershirt and you better believe that they can be handsome too. I stand on the shoulders of giants in this category, because both came recommended by an elegant woman on the internet. The first is via Erika Veurink of Long Live. For an ivory, scalloped edge camisole with Salter House-vibes, look no further than the Vermont Country Store. A pack of three will cost you $34.95 USD, and they are also available in an optic white if that’s your thing.
For another option, we turn to Italian men’s undershirts that Amy Blaxland of The Romantic Archivist was good enough not to gatekeep. They go for $8.99 CAD.
Before my Paris trip, I bought a brown merino long-sleeve with thumbhole cuffs from COS and now I want it in every (handsome) colour but especially the off-white. And while there will be some that think that $89 USD (I can’t remember how much it was in CAD) is too much for a long-sleeve t-shirt. But I tend to wear something like this every day in the Winter and the quality of this one is wonderful.
I also own several of these roll necks from Mijeong Park (available at Slowly Slowly) and I love the extra long neck and long sleeves bunched up and poking out of whatever I wear on top of them.
Recently I had a sock emergency. It was a nice day, and I was meeting a friend for a glass of wine at a spot that was a 45-minute walk away from my work. I had the time and desire to walk. But the elastic at the top of my socks was stretched out and it was sliding down into my shoe. This sensation makes me lose my entire mind! Right when I was ready to give up and call an Uber, I looked up and realized I was in front of a sock store. I went in and quickly bought a pair of tall charcoal wool jersey socks. I switched into them and found them to be so so comfortable. And handsome! I push them down and they remind me of this sock styling I liked from Miu Miu SS22. They come in charcoal (my preferred sock colour), black and navy and cost $16 CAD a pair.
Handsome Shoe
Chocolate suede is a very handsome thing. And now G.H Bass has a chocolate suede Weejunn loafer that at $270 CAD, costs significantly less than other loafers I have had my eye on lately.
Handsome Warm
My favourite wool beanies are all knitted by a family-run business out of PEI using British worsted virgin lambswool. They are warm and have a lot of presence on the head which some beanies do not. The heathered grey and heathered raspberry are both particularly good-looking and are both available at Baa Baazaar.
Handsome Bits
I have one of these Fellow mugs and I find it to be very attractive and functional. The new seasonal colours are very handsome, particularly the Sienna. They are $35 USD for the 16 oz, and $30 USD for the 12 oz.
Scents can be handsome too. And there is none more handsome than Paines Cedar Incense Cones. A box costs $17 and will last you a long time.
Handsome Etsy Links
I could (and will?) devote an entire newsletter to my handsome Etsy/Ebay/TRR/Vestaire etc saves but for now, here are the ones that are relatively cheap and cheerful or a particularly good deal for the thing that they are.
Weathered, Juicy Barbour Jacket
Another Barbour Jacket, less weathered but still weathered
70s Brown Suede Kiss Lock Clasp Bag
Brown Flannel Wool Sack Overcoat
Cognac Brown Heeled Patchwork Loafers
Grey Sweater with Built-in Shoulder Tie Detail
A cheeky sequel to this newsletter that I am calling “Handsome Indulgences” will be coming on Wednesday to the inboxes of paid subscribers. Consider becoming one!
xoxo