In Moda Veritas

Dear readers, Just last week, one of my long-standing clients — I’ll call her “C” — reached out, hoping I could see her last-minute while I was still in Toronto. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been working with C for almost 13 years, so we’ve seen each other through many life changes, and I know her needs well. Fun fact: C was actually referred to me by my former high school science teacher.

“I am in awe of your approach to styling. The content is sustainable and grounded in reality — aspirational yet achievable.” — Carly J., In Moda Veritas paid subscriber “Love your style and philosophy on curating a wardrobe, it’s the first style blog I have returned to again and again for more inspiration!” — In Moda Veritas paid subscriber Dear readers, IMV’s pre-fall AMA thread for paid subscribers is now open here.

“I am in awe of your approach to styling. The content is sustainable and grounded in reality — aspirational yet achievable.” — Carly J., In Moda Veritas paid subscriber "Love your style and philosophy on curating a wardrobe, it's the first style blog I have returned to again and again for more inspiration!" — In Moda Veritas paid subscriber Double-watching my Apple Watch and recently re-strapped Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (still on Paris time!).

Dear readers, It feels so good to be home, and more specifically, to be reunited with my (three) boys. I’ve shared before that I found early motherhood incredibly challenging. Those first few years were characterized by a longing to reclaim a sense of freedom and independence, and I seized every opportunity for some alone time. At first, it was something as simple as getting the boys onto bottles (which they fought) so I could duck out for an hour.

“We are Sardinians. We are Spaniards, Africans, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Pisani, Byzantines, Piedmontese. We are the golden-yellow broom that showers onto rocky trails like huge lamps ablaze. We are the wild solitude, the immense and profound silence, the brilliance of the sky, the white flower of the cistus. We are a land of long silences, of horizons vast and pure, of plants glum, of mountains burnt by the sun and vengeance.

Dear readers, This letter began as a follow-up to my article, I Put 21 Minimal Effort Casual Outfits Together In Under An Hour, which I wrote in 2023. I still love those outfits and still own most of the pieces featured. But, I realized that while I’d have no problem wearing those outfits when I return to Toronto tomorrow,1 they feel a little too casual for Paris — at least for me.

Dear readers, It’s been a while since I’ve shared one of these packing breakdowns, but my recent trip to Sardinia feels like a good time to bring it back. I packed relatively little, every piece got multiple wears, and I ended up with outfits that felt refreshingly varied in both mood and style. Success! This pack felt novel to me because for the past eleven years, summer holidays have been kid-friendly affairs: casual outfits, early meals, and far too early bedtimes.

Dear readers, Buongiorno from Sardinia, where I’m away with my sister. It’s rare for me to return to the same holiday destination, yet this is my third visit in four years. I can’t get enough of her aura and I’ll share why next week.

Dear readers, It’s market week in Paris so the fashion community is back in town. France is in the middle of a searing heatwave, with a string of record-breaking 40+C (104+F) days. The country has come a long way from recommending 1.5L of beer to make it through a canicule, as it did in 1975. But like everything else that’s just a bit different here than at home, so is the country’s relationship with (moving) air.

We moved to Paris within weeks of each other, for very different reasons, but also for a few similar ones. After meeting on Substack via a cold DM that Noora sent to Irene (NRB: my first, and I think, only cold DM!), we found ourselves at the same party at an artist’s house in the 17th Arrondissement.