comme neuf: a substack story

maybe buying new is not everyone’s cup of tea and nothing compares to the feeling you get when you find something unique in second hand market, i teamed up with anni tabagua to create a recommendation list of little treasures that she found online and they match this summer’s trends. also we got a very nice conversation about re-sale and style in general.

EF: which one of the upcoming season’s trends is your favorite?

AT: masculine, but only because i tend to like things that i can relate to and i relate more to masculine style, i like boring things, i’m all about clean strict shape, more on the minimal and clean-cut side. not very tight-fitted, but good quality clothes. that’s for my real life. but for my imaginary wardrobe, for my imaginary life (which also occupies a lot of space in my head), i’m very intrigued by the ladylike trend and if i were to dress for my imaginary life i would like to be that person who can pull-off silk gloves and a rose colored miu miu jacket. so real life masculine, imaginary life ladylike.

EF: now i’m intrigued. where would the imaginary ladylike anni would go wearing an imaginary ladylike outfit?

AT: i imagine this chic lady walking around, before, during or after brunch with some girlfriends in paris or milan, carrying my satin blue or brown clutch bag with this little tight-fitting jacket and flowy trousers. after brunch we go to a gallery or to ofr bookshop and somebody is taking a street style picture of us and puts it on “parisians in paris”.

EF: i love ofr bookshop and i imagine the brunch being in the petrosian caviar restaurant.

AT: caviar brunch, yes!

EF: although, if i may add this, i think your style is already a mix of masculine and ladylike, you always wear a pump or look very classy. i would challenge the fact that it’s just in your imagination, you might identify more with masculine but i think you are a good mix & match.

AT: oh, i love that actually, i would trust your judgement on this. looking at myself i always wear a heel or a red lipstick. just going through the re-sale options of ladylike i would never wear pink or organza or transparent, but taking the least risky options from ladylike there is indeed some mix & match involved on my style. what is your favorite trend?

EF: i don’t have a personal favorite or something that absolutely matches my style, but i do own more items that are either ladylike or masculine. i rarely wear skirts or dresses or heels, even if i wish i was wearing them more, so i’m also a mix & match of masculine and ladylike. i sometimes navigate in the preppy area which is a mix of masculine and ladylike. i don’t have a standard style, i have more moods.

EF: if you had to buy one item from each trend which ones would you buy?

AT: masculine: pinstriped armani blazer, ladylike: hermes silk gloves and romantic: maybe this cloudy soft summer dress that is flowy and a little bit see-through, but since i cannot go very crazy it will have to be navy-blue. not black no worries haha!

EF: i love your romantic option this combination in this color has something very fairy-like. i love that.

EF: are there designers or movements that you thought specifically when you heard these trends?

AT: oh yes, masculine armani comes to mind although i can find a million of ladylike options from him, but the suits especially stuff that i saw in the armani silo museum in milan came to mind right away. not to forget vintage jil sander, suits and coats. romantic, i think of anything new or vintage from maisoncléo right away and also simone rocha for sure, it’s so romantic it hurts.

and ladylike it’s a bit difficult to come up with a designer right away but whom comes to mind is romeo gigli, vintage designer from italy, i do monitor his stuff a lot and i really love what he was doing. i read somewhere that he is the inspiration behind the row. what i like about him is that he is the first one that came up with the idea of the blouse with the scarf. maybe under ladylike i would also put alaïa and lanvin both vintage.

EF: yes, i totally agree with you about the armani suits. they can go from very masculine to very ladylike. it actually reminds me this substack post i read once, about a lady wearing an amazing white armani suit in the subway. the whole post was about her style looking so chic. i don’t remember the writer i’m afraid. this armani suit is my dream purchase maybe a good assignment for comme/neuf. also thanks for mentioning romeo gigli, i really like his stuff and i didn’t know about his connection to the row.

AT: it was emilia petrarca that saw this lady in the subway! i would be happy to find this suit for us.

EF: are there trends you’re excited to reinterpret through second-hand styling?

AT: yeah elisavet, it’s a really good question, i love it. in terms of the trends and what i would like to see in my wardrobe, is where vintage comes in, because if it’s something risky and out of my comfort zone like the romantic and ladylike styles, i would be willing to risk by purchasing from re-sale and never new. for example: “i would love a romantic style simone rocha hair accessory” i would search directly in re-sale which will be much less expensive than buying new in any case. also, for instance why i came up with alaïa before, i’m looking for some knits from alaïa that they fall under the ladylike umbrella, and i can only imagine buying them from re-sale if they are under 100 euros compared to 700 euros which would cost me to buy them new. same for ermanno scervino or emmanuelle khanh which i’m looking for a blouse that is very poetic and i found one on etsy.

that costs 20 euros and i know it’s good quality. wearing it i can be this mysterious “lalala” persona in a poplin, balloon-sleeved blouse, why not? through re-sale i can discover styles and items that i wouldn’t normally buy. i can get to play with it in low risk.

EF: if you had to choose, what’s one item every fashion enthusiast should own that’s best found second-hand?

AT: i think everyone should own a second hand long wool/cashmere black maxmara coat!!!

EF: i need that.

EF: if your wardrobe could talk, what do you think it would say about you?

AT: “well, thankfully her personality is colourful.”

EF: haha i love it, you don’t need colorful clothes when you have a colorful personality, that’s true.

AT: thank you for this, i really loved “working” with you.

EF: thank you for accepting to do this.