One Year of Shop Rat
Warning: Heavy cringe ahead.
When I started this newsletter last September, my goal was simple: Go outside and talk to people. At the time, I was six months into freelance life and adjusting to working from home with no coworkers, no Slack, and no big fancy title to get me in the door places. I wanted to stay in the mix and in touch with what was happening in fashion, and I felt like the best way to do that was to visit stores, ride the subway, and interact with style at the street level. I had no idea that it would lead me to make a new friend on the B train or meet a 77-year-old artist at her TriBeCa apartment. I did not plan on being moved to tears by a tailor on wheels or spending a hot summer’s night taking photos of trash cans. I didn’t even mean to give men a complex about their flaccid totes… Actually, no, that one was on purpose. But for the most part, I just ran with it, and—WARNING: CRINGE ALERT—it’s been one of the most thrilling years of my life. I’ve shopped with a professional violinist-turned-Lou-Reed-approved-dog-trainer and two of culture’s most eminent Al(l)isons. I’ve taken you with me to Los Angeles, London, Milan, France, and Austin, Texas. Whew. Thank you for joining me on this ratty ass ride.
I’m really proud of most of what I sent out this year. Of course, there were many misses and typos that made me want to change my name and disappear. Not having an editor is humbling and terrifying, and I’m still figuring this whole thing out. But it’s also been so satisfying to unlearn a lot of what I was taught working in media for a decade. I can take my time. I can write about something or someone that’s already been covered. And there’s a big audience for the little stories you think won’t get any clicks. At the end of the day, I don’t need to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning exposé to prove my worth. All you guys will remember is when I lost my AirPods, anyway.
However, the MOST satisfying part of this whole experience has been having people actually read my writing. Of course, it’s all a writer ever wants. That, and to be paid for their writing, which, sheesh, the rumors about freelance rates and invoicing are true. I was offered pence by one publication this year. PENCE!!! That’s pennies, mates. I’m still waiting for another (very large and powerful one) to finally publish and compensate me for a story I was assigned in March. I’m not complaining; I just want you to know that you are the only people who pay me consistently and on time, which makes me much more interested in serving you, not them. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am for your support.
So let’s keep going, yeah? I would like to double down on this newsletter’s original mission, but stepping away from my computer for long periods of time means not logging hours for someone else (who will pay me, just 666 days from now). That is to say: I’m going to start paywalling this thang a lot more, so upgrade your subscription now! If you don’t want to, no problem. I never look under the hood, so I’ll never know or hold it against you. I understand that many great newsletters are competing for your dollars right now. But I think this one is worth at least five of them! (Or more, tbh. You are always welcome to pay more!!! JUST HIT THAT BUTTON BELOW.)
If you need more convincing, here are some fun things I’ve got planned:
Repair Month will be happening again in January, and it will be better this time now that I can prepare for it.
I’m going to visit a lot more stores.
I would also like to shop more OUTSIDE of New York, from Philly to the Prada outlets of Tuscany. Andiamo.
And I want to bring more voices into the fold.
If you have any other ideas, I’m all ears! Again, thank you so much for reading and shopping with me. I hope to see some of you at the event at Outline next week. I’m sorry if you weren’t able to snag a spot. (Space is limited, so please don’t just show up without an RSVP.) But I’m so happy you’re interested in stuff like this, and I will host more in the future. Â
TGFE (thank god for emilia)
congratulations, star
I just want to say that your piece about The Row mary janes...I think about it several times a week. Why? I don't know. I am not interested in owning those shoes. (Though I do love mary janes.) I think there was something about the specificity and the ~accessibility~ of the piece (I wear shoes, too!) that really spoke to me. (On the other hand, I am not and will never be in the market for a Prada handbag, so as delightful as that saga was it didn't hit the same for me.)
Anyway - I guess I'm trying to say that I am squarely a fashion outsider but your newsletter quickly became one of my favorites! Looking forward to another year!