I’ve been sticking to my no-shopping regimen pretty well lately, but find it tough to pass up a pair of jeans that fit exactly right, and these, from the brand 6397 (which just opened a store in Nolita, at 199 Mulberry Street) are just  that. They’re cropped the precisely right amount to show off your ankle boots (of course, that will vary for you depending on your height, but I’m 5’6″ and that’s where they hit on me). I also really dig the perfect grey wash (it’s a bit darker in real life than it is here), slouchy boyfriend silhouette, and higher-than-I’m-used-to-but-still-not-too-high waist.

The stores are being flooded with springtime merch, which has put me in mind of warmer weather, and I’m seriously considering adding these cute espadrille sandals to my shopping cart. I think the leather and rope is such a cool combination, and they’d just be a good pair for kicking around in once sandal season hits.

One question I didn’t get to answer during the week of requests was who I think makes the best inexpensive linen tee. I like this one from Everlane, and am thinking of stocking up on a couple. At $35, it isn’t exactly dirt cheap, but isn’t bad either given the relative priciness of the category (if you’re committed to not spending that much, here’s a  version by what I’m pretty sure is one of those Amazon in-house lines that goes for $18). If you’ve never worn a linen tee before, be advised that they’re usually a bit more (and occasionally a lot more) sheer than their all-cotton counterparts. I like that, but perhaps you would not.

Now that Universal Standard has extended its size range to go all the way down to 6, I’ve been perusing their site with renewed vigor. I think this cropped pleated trouser looks awfully snappy, and way versatile.

This navy sweater jacket feels like a good transitional item, and has a satisfyingly French vibe.

This ribbed zipper cardigan reminds me of this far more expensive one from Acne Studios.

I love the pants I own from Nili Lotan, but the waist is too low to feel entirely current at the moment, and I hate caring about that, but I do find myself thinking a great deal about the upward migration of waistlines these days.  I am trying to make peace with it. So I find myself intrigued by her Montauk pant, which has a chic-looking higher waist and the same menswear-ish-but-feminine cut I’ve come to adore from Lotan. Here’s a cheaper iteration, if you’re interested.

I feel duty-bound to always point out good caftans to the GOACA community when I discover them, and this purple specimen by Emerson Fry is especially appealing, even if I think it’s silly that they styled it with jeans.

“What about a post sharing the  pieces you would absolutely have to have if you were still sometimes going to work?” asks a reader named Trinatinglum (not a typo). My current office is located approximately twenty steps from my bed, so it’s been a long time since I’ve had to think about appropriate work attire. And I always worked in offices that were pretty casual (at least in the sartorial respect) and I wore jeans just as often as I could get away with, which I pretty much always could as long as I was also wearing a sufficiently sharp blazer.

I also like blazer-adjacent jackets like this one from Iro, which is a little Chanel and a little rock & roll, and which comes in several colors. It’s excellent for those who think they look awful in blazers.

I’d also likely invest in a few nice drapey-but-polished blouses like this one. Here’s a similar-but-cheaper option.

I think this looks like it’d be pretty versatile too.

And because I’m not entirely allergic to color, I might acquire something like this well-priced top.

I’d also definitely pick up a pair of skinny cigarette pants, because they look so polished, and you can wear them with just about anything. Here’s a cute and cheaper pair.

To wear with those pants and jeans, I’d go for Rachel Comey’s now-classic Mars bootie. Their heel is high enough to be flattering, but low enough to be walkable.

On most days back when I worked in an office, I wore dresses, because that was the easiest, most one-step thing to do. I did then and still now prefer an interesting print like this one.

This looks so comfortable—I am always a sucker for a drop waist—and I dig the tonal print.

If I ever were to find myself in an office again, it would likely be at a job that didn’t have the best perk of my last one—a clothing allowance—so the vast majority of my shopping for Zero+Maria Cornejo dresses would happen on The Real Real. Much of the ZMC I’ve acquired lately comes from there, and I’ve picked up some choice items. I would wear the hell out of this unstoppable print were it available in my size. I used to go for big prints like this not infrequently back in the day, but I’d tone them down with tights, boots, and a dark cardigan of some kind.

I almost always wore dark knee-high boots with my dresses, especially this time of year (and not, obviously, in summer). I like this slightly clunkier, stacked wood heel number, too.