the pieces that didn't need to be noticed first

One hundred percent silk and the lapel sits just loose enough to look like you didn't think about it. The kind of top that reads different depending on the light.

I kept coming back to it. Which is either nothing or everything.

Pure linen, long sleeve, the kind of weight that moves without asking permission. It photographs like something you already own and have for years.

Worn right.

Heavyweight mulberry silk in white. The satin finish doesn't try to be subtle, it just is. There's something about a white shirt that either works or it really doesn't, and this one sits firmly in the first category.

It's been a few weeks now and I still reach for it.

The floral embroidery on a retro-cut blouse sounds like it could tip either way. Single-breasted, long sleeve, that particular shade of blue that looks borrowed from somewhere cooler than wherever you are.

Anyway. It landed.