3 Keepers & a Regret: Jamie Lewin
A fashion designer focused on tension, permanence and sleep.
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.
You know someone is stylish when they’ve been featured in places like InStyle, WWD and People StyleWatch. The closest I’ve ever come to that is being a paid subscriber. To all three. At the same time.
While I flip the pages, Jamie Lewin has been in them, where she defined her style as ‘tension.’ Think high/low. Soft/structured. Masculine/feminine. It’s never an all-or-nothing, rather a point of view between the extremes.
That’s how so much of life feels now. Like we’re existing within the opposites.
That same tension runs through Jamie’s résumé. She designed for brands we know and throw our money at. Hello Ralph Lauren, I’m talking to you. J. Crew, I tried but never got into you. And Gap — we go way back. Jamie designed the clothes I sold working the register. I was also in charge of markdowns, which I loved, because I kept a drawer of everything I was quietly marking down for myself.
And there’s Armani. A brand I wouldn’t be able to spot in a lineup. Which is probably the point.
At Vetted, Jamie does fashion her way, on her terms. With her tension. Respect.
Three Keepers
3 things you’d fight to keep — bought, inherited, stolen
No. 1 — Skygarden Pendant Light
When I was the Head of Design for Piperlime, we had a store in Soho on Wooster street. It was a huge store and the creative team sourced everything from the rugs to the furniture to the fixtures. Everything was beautiful. When the CEO decided to close the store (long story) the leadership team was able to acquire some of these pieces and I came to own this gorgeous pendant chandelier. At the time we lived in a cute brownstone and had nowhere big enough or high enough to hang this light. I stored it in a little storage room we had where it took up most of the space and completely blocked the exit. For three years my husband asked if I was really going to keep storing this light and I told him that one day we’d have somewhere perfect to hang it. When we bought our house it was the first thing I had installed and I absolutely love it! Zero regrets.
No. 2 — Oversized blazer I’ve had for years
When I was in my 20’s I bought this double breasted wool blazer at Club Monaco. What I really needed was a classic fit blazer but they only had this one available two sizes too big. I tried it on, loved how it looked oversized and it’s honestly been one of my favorite pieces of clothing, on rotation for years! Because of its length and size, it can be worn as a blazer, but I’ve also worn it as a coat and a dress. I love a piece that stands the test of time and has a million end uses.
No. 3 — My pillows
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten very attached to my pillows. They are the perfect height stacked together and if my head is any higher or lower I don’t sleep as well and my neck hurts the next day. (As they say, aging is a bitch.)
When I stay in a hotel I test every pillow and combination of pillows to try to replicate the height of my pillows at home. I would take them with me everywhere if I could! The main pillow is a Casper…highly recommend! While it’s probably the perfect height for most people I like it a tiiiiny bit higher so I have a thin pillow under it lovingly referred to as Mr. Flats. Probably TMI, but I’d fight for them both!
One Regret
now the regret
My phone is both something I’d fight for and something I regret. I think if someone were to hack the satellite system and shut this whole thing down we all might actually breathe a giant collective sigh of relief. But alas, my phone is like an appendage and something I will continue to have a love-hate relationship with until we all have chips implanted and have no need to carry anything around.
Why I’m Still Shopping
After working with stylists who try to erase all the parts that make me, me, I embrace Jamie’s approach. “Always be yourself and dress in what makes you feel like the best version of yourself.”
For Jamie, that focus is utility and permanence. This is someone who let a light fixture take over the only storage she had, for three years, blocking the door. I’d have used it to stash shoes, coats and everything I couldn’t decide if I was ready to part with. Not Jamie. She knew the light pendant would be perfect. Somewhere. Someday. She had the vision, so the details were irrelevant.
As for sleep, precision is key. I thought I had it figured out: sound machine, eye mask and custom ear plugs. Now, of course, I’m going to have to look into pillows.
Jamie could see the beauty of a thick, boxy long-sleeve tee in summer. Not a piece you have to spend a few hundred dollars to get, but one we all could buy from the Gap. She showed us multiple ways to style the same black tee, which I bought and wore to see Rush that night.
No, my black-on-black-on-black look wasn’t one of Jamie’s recommendations. Had my partner read her email? Maybe that’s what he sensed, asking: “You know we’re not seeing Nine Inch Nails tonight, right?”
It’s a reminder that within all of that structure, some of it is unnecessary. We can let go of the binaries holding us back. Giving ourselves permission to be more creative, with everything. I will wear black-on-black. And let a blazer be a coat or a dress.
Shoutout and thanks to Jamie Lewin of Vetted for sharing her substance and style.
When life stops making sense, we shop. More soon.
Love this so much Rani! Thank you for including me in this series, which I already read religiously every week!
Keep styling everything in a way that feels like you ❤️