3 Keepers & a Regret: Andrea Linett
On shopping your own closet, dad's shirts and the jeans drama nobody escapes.
3 Keepers and a Regret is a recurring series on Retail Therapy on Substack where I ask people I admire to name 3 things they’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen — and 1 thing they regret.
When I stumbled onto I Want to be Her! by Andrea Linett, I was immediately sucked into the vortex. The force was so strong, it creeped me out. I had to ask myself: how is it possible that I want to buy practically everything someone else is sharing?
It was only after I was converted that I started to understand why Andrea is so good at what she does. She was behind the magazines we studied like school work: Lucky, Sassy and Harper’s Bazaar. She discovered Chloë Sevigny on a New York street corner.
Andrea has mastered the art of making it look effortless. It’s familiar and appealing, with a mix of old and new. It’s different yet defined. All are looks that you couldn’t walk into a store and recreate. Rather something that has to come from within.
When Andrea shared her appreciation of the Grateful Dead’s iconic dancing bear, I knew. That was my code for “she’s my kind of people.”
Three Keepers
3 things you’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen
No. 1 — My dad’s gold Phi Beta Kappa key
My dad's gold Phi Beta Kappa key from Williams. He kept it in a drawer, and now I've got it on a leather cord. It's a cool-looking piece to wear, and, of course, it holds a ton of sentimental value.
No. 2 — Vintage leather jacket
A vintage leather jacket that I never wore until I realized the proportion was off. I had a talented tailor crop it to the exact right spot and now people stop me to inquire every time I have it on (sometimes all it takes is that one tweak). p.s. This works with everything---think about it before you toss something over fit or proportion. I’ve taken vintage men’s button-downs that fit more like dresses and had them cropped to a good length.
No. 3 — New Standard A.P.C. jeans & dad’s Levi’s shirts
A pair of old New Standard A.P.C. jeans that fit me like no other (you’d think they’re all the same, but, alas, not).
I have two of my dad’s old Levi’s chambray shirts from the ‘70s and wear them with everything. Needless to say, these aren’t going anywhere!
One Regret
now the regret
Not the regret you're looking for, but I accidentally threw out a favorite pair of trashed army pants during a closet clean-out that I had customized with Chanel buttons. I get upset every time I think about them! I know that's not what you meant by "regrets", but any fashion regrets get given away or sold (like the Rick Owens over-the-knee boots I thought gave me instant cool status, and you know what? Maybe they did at the time but I cringe when I see photos of myself in them).
Why I’m Still Shopping
How refreshing to hear someone who’s spent a lifetime in fashion favoring the items from their father — his gold key on a cord around her neck, his denim shirts on her shoulders — above and beyond any brand.
Andrea encourages me to shop in my own closet, first. When given the chance, I will go shopping in someone else’s closet, too. From friends to estate sales, my eyes are open for my own keepers that will help define my style.
Because of course everything can’t be brand new, nor should it. By mixing what you already own with something new, then it’s uniquely you. That’s inspiring. It encourages me to get dressed and put in the effort. Because it’s doable, not daunting.
If an unworn item can turn into a keeper in the hands of a tailor, I need to heed that advice. I swear I had five pairs of pants in the car today to have shortened because the length is just silly. But it was sweltering in the 100 degree heat of a hot car, I was damp and just couldn’t bother. I’m committing to myself that I will take Andrea’s advice and get my items tailored. If they still don’t work, they’re moving on to someone else. But it may not happen until there’s a cold front.
As for finding the right pair of jeans that fit, uncle. If Andrea has got those legs and struggles, no wonder it feels like hell for the rest of us.
Thanks to Andrea Linett for sharing. Subscribe to I Want to be Her!
When life stops making sense, we shop. More soon.
It’s because of Andrea that I have a better wardrobe thanks to IWTBH. So glad she tweaked that leather jacket. I’d be stopping her on the street, too!
Love that she has her dad's old chambray shirts. Old clothes are the softest.