Jump(suit) to the End
Jump(suit) to the End
Summer has officially arrived in the Northeast of America, and we have two facts that prove it.
Item the First: Dame Margaret is finishing this week’s email while reclining on her front porch…
Item the Second: … and NPR Music’s third annual Roséwave playlist is providing the soundtrack.
Before Roséwave came into our lives we missed it so bad— Dame M. has even contributed a playlist to the project. It hardly feels like summer until the team at NPR have taught us which indie pop songs from 2007 we needed to hear with fresh ears, which country songs we’d accidentally overlooked, and which straight pop bangers we’d become obsessed with. Put this on wherever you are and it will feel like porch weather even if the actual thermostat says otherwise.
Livetweet Reminder: Join us for the Tony Awards this Sunday!
While we can’t promising an opening number as magical as the Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned one above, the Tony Awards sure to present a lot of opportunities for delightful communion, and hopefully there won’t be any surprise appearances of Mike Tyson to age poorly! So join us in a livetweet of them!
The Details:
When: This Sunday, June 9th, at 8 PM EST
Where: On whichever channel CBS broadcasts on in your neck of the woods, or— for you cord-cutters out there— streaming live through the CBS’s All Access streaming service and other options.
How: With the hashtag #TonyDames, so that we can hear each other over the din that is Awards Show Twitter.
If you want to have a better idea of what’s nominated (beyond Dame Margaret’s favorite, Hadestown):
Rolling Stone has a great guide the gives you a rundown of all the nominees, who’s favored to win, who should win, and what noteworthy omissions were in each category.
Billboard put together a list of 25 facts to know before watching, so you know which wins have big significance
And finally, give a listen to our friends at Pop Culture Happy Hour as they dish about the truly impressive number of Tony-nominated shows they watched in one week in New York this spring.
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Fleabag Wardrobe Dupes Extravaganza
So, the jumpsuit from Fleabag is having a moment, and while we celebrate its comparatively reasonable price point, the extremely limited range of figures it both fits and flatters frustrates us . While our Personal Jumpsuit Orientation is split (Dame Sophie is a jumpsuit abstainer, Dame Margaret a jumpsuit enabler), editorially, we are one: we want jumpsuit devotees and the jumpsuit-curious of all shapes and sizes to participate in this fashion moment. So we put together a shopper’s guide to jumpsuits. And then, as is our wont, we went a step further. Ok, it’s more like 10 steps further. Did Dame Sophie high-speed fast-forward through all of Season 1, pausing strategically to find & select a couple of options to add to this list? Do you know us at all? Abundance! It’s the Two Bossy Dames Way!
Part the First: Jumpsuits
Dame Margaret asserting that the jumpsuit is a more wearable garment than you imagine.
The first thing to understand, when contemplating yourself in a jumpsuit, is that they are only very rarely going to be the single most flattering thing you could put on your body. If you’re lanky and tall like one Phoebe Waller-Bridge, they may be uniquely flattering. But if, like Dame M., you’re shorter, rounder, and more possessed of bulges than you’d prefer to be, a jumpsuit is often going to show more of you than you’re used to, sometimes unforgivingly. What you need to understand second is: that’s the point.
Jumpsuits are a flex. They are, at their core, about asserting that you have the ambition to wear something that’s bolder than flattering— that’s why they are, presently, the number one garment that women wear to impress other women. They are tricky— when you see a woman pulling one off, you feel like cheering for her because you know how many garments she had to sort through to find that perfect one. But, not unlike tattoos, once you’ve found one that you really love, it’s easy to get addicted. If all of that sounds like much too much work for a garment that could be off trend in a season or two: respect. Feel free to jump to Dame Sophie’s Jumpsuit Abstaining options. But if you, like Dame M., feel about jumpsuits the way George Leigh Mallory did about Everest, we hope this guide helps you scale these heights.
If you want to see the full breadth of available jumpsuits, from flirtatiously diaphanous to chicly asexual, the place to start is ASOS, which has every type under the sun, often in a delightful range of sizes from plus to petite to maternity. This is a great place to window shop and get an idea of what type of jumpsuit might work for you— it’s also a great place to order from because they make returns really easy. And returns are very likely to be a part of the process in jumpsuit shopping— merely by eyeing one, it can be hard to tell exactly how it’s going to suit your body. Pro-tip: use the options for faceted searching at the top of the page and narrow the field down by the size you actually wear, to save yourself both time and heartache. While ASOS’s in-house brand is impressively size-inclusive, some of the other brands they sell top out at a size 10 or 12 and it’s best not to be taunted by them.
If you are looking to just dip your toe into the jumpsuit water, this polka-dot chiffon jumpsuit (available in tall and plus sizes, too) is in the category I’d call “tromp l’oeil dresses”— the legs are sufficiently full that they resemble a skirt 80% of the time. The plus side: it feels basically the same as wearing a dress. The downside: it feels basically the same as wearing a dress.
If you want something that’s equally un-body conscious, while being more definitively a JUMPSUIT, this “casual culotte shirt jumpsuit” (again, available in straight, tall, and plus sizes, as well as a couple colors and patterns) is an assertive, but also versatile option. Worn as shown, it’s a comfortable way to give the middle-finger to the idea that your body has to be on full display for your outfit to be stylish. Belted, it would create a more traditional silhouette, allowing you to highlight or invent a waist as you so choose.
Speaking of comfortable, this charcoal grey jersey jumpsuit is surprisingly chic with its stripes and cross-over tie front while also, functionally, being a onesie.
This straight-forward black one is sadly sold out in a lot of sizes (0, 2, 6, 10, 12, and 14 still available; 16-28 sold out) but it would easily flatter so many that I can’t help but include it.
Sometimes you just need a long-sleeved, wide-leg white leopard print jumpsuit. Other times you just need a (VERY Fran-from-Shrill) tropical print boilersuit. Both times, ASOS has you covered.
Dame Margaret’s recommendation led to this jumpsuit (0-14) being worn on stage with Tan France, so she would be remiss to not mention it here. If you wear straight sizes (0-14), Warehouse’s whole selection of jumpsuits is very strong.
And lastly, if you want to know exactly which jumpsuit Fleabag’s Godmother would wear to her sexhibition, it’s this one. And yes, Dame Margaret is ALSO tempted by it.
At the far opposite end of the price spectrum, Target has been killing it lately with jumpsuits, and they are nearly all under $50.
Of all the jumpsuits I’ve come across, this one (available in a XS-XXL) is the closest I found to being a Fleabag jumpsuit with which one could wear a bra. This is one where taking it to a tailor to get the top fitted to you could make a world of difference— and would still leave the ensemble pretty reasonably priced.
Meanwhile, this adorable red floral jumpsuit is the spirit of Fleabag’s dress for her dad’s wedding made jumpsuit flesh.
For a Beach Vacation in Greece vibe, this white striped cotton number (also available in plus sizes) is a definite winner.
This plus-size wrap top jumpsuit is a flattering classic.
While this navy floral (XS-XXL) is among the most sophisticated patterns I could also reasonably deem “kicky.”
Both The Gap and Old Navy offer a good number of reasonably priced, immediately wearable jumpsuits, best among them being this chambray number (available in an equally cute black-and-white polka dot for plus sizes) and this pinafore-style one (which would look TERRIFIC paired with the many striped shirts listed below)
Could Dame M. say more about jumpsuits? Almost certainly. But it’s 1:30 in the morning and this newsletter demands to be sent, Hazel Grace. So come find her on Twitter if you have more questions.
Part the Second: Miscellany
Stripey tops: this is perhaps Dame Sophie’s truest bailiwick. Having some years ago discarded wholesale the advice that she was too zaftig to wear a horizontal stripe, she has leaned way the hell into her lifelong affection for the style, and has accordingly developing a strong affinity for the Breton (boatneck, preferably ¾-sleeve, featuring all kinds of color options). Thankfully, we live in a golden age for stripey tops. A dizzying array of cute options available are at Target via: their A New Day line (on clearance, with limited colorways & sizes; regular pricing, some stripes & some solids; here’s a scoop-neck for good measure); their Ava & Viv line (crew necks! a v-neck! long sleeves!); and their Who What Wear line (the elbow length option in both standard & extended sizes is nicely polished). J.Crew Factory’s entry in this field is wonderful: the fabric is substantial and soft, the colors are great, and the price ($16) is right. They also wash and wear beautifully. I own them in every colorway, I can’t say enough good things about them, and I am grateful every day to Dame Margaret for flagging them for me a few months ago. Old Navy has several options in the $12-$25 price range (a henley! a slim-fit ringer! a v-neck!) and Boden has yet to let a season pass without offering Bretons in more colorways than you can shake a stick at. Seriously, put that stick down, you’re gonna put someone’s eye out with that thing, and then nobody’s going to have a cute stripey shirt! I’m devoted to their long-sleeved options but Fleabag wears more short sleeves, so here you go! Because these are available and replenished year-round, the clearance section is your best bud, particularly when the seasons are about to change.
Cute pastel aprons: Fleabag & Boo wear pastel aprons (pinnies) featuring guinea pigs in Season 1, and sadly the closest thing Dame Sophie could find is a discontinued Cath Kidston print, only available in a child’s size on Etsy and for adults on eBay, but it’s so outlandishly cute she feels honor-bound to included it. All the best options are from Cath Kidston, and most of these are on sale, yay! These birdies are very sweet, nothing says “welcome to my brunchy home” better than a lush bunch of flowers, these adorable bunnies are a visual hug around the neck, this old-timey rose one would be impossible to keep clean but is gorgeous, and if you’re happy enough soaking things in OxiClean anyway, the London Bus one is easily the chic-est apron we’ve ever seen.
“God you’re tasteful”-type dresses: in this category, we love this v-neck number in sweet seersucker, which hits just above the knee. J. Crew Factory has wisely made this preppy basic available in sizes up to 24, at $54. Their ponte work dress (a Dame Sophie-certified favorite fabric for its forgiving elasticity and smoothing, luxe heft) is also quite reasonable at $49, currently available in a smattering of sizes. Can I tell you the good news about color-blocking? It’s the actual best, because unlike those lying liars known as vertical stripes, color-blocking really does draw the eye where you want it to go. Boden does a particularly lovely job with color-blocking using ponte and something they call ponte Ottoman, which is ponte fabric with a quasi-seersucker texture. Here’s a solid example (listed at $98 but as of this writing, on sale for $68.60— if you miss out on this pricing, be not afraid: Boden is constantly running sales & discounts, some of which only show up once an item is in your cart).
High-ish-waisted sailor jeans: Another of Dame Sophie’s weaknesses! Eloquii’s entry in this category are spendy but cute at $85, and they have a 20% off code right on the item page. Sizes go up to 28 (the three largest sizes are currently waitlisted). We only recommend Soncy’s high-waisted, sailor-ish trouser with some strong reservations about creasing at the crotch. The color is nicely chic and they do look otherwise elegantly flowy, and come in at $48. Boden’s sailor jeans are, as of this writing, on sale for $49, in sizes up to 18. In Dame Sophie’s experience, Boden’s stretch denim is forgiving almost to a fault, so you may want to order a size down. If your sailor jeans appeal factors aren’t the bib-style buttons but the high rise and contrast top-stitching, J. Crew’s aptly named Highest-Rise Sailor Pant in Nautical Blue Wash may be just the thing, at $39.50, up to size 24 (they call it 37, but it’s 24).
Hot stretchy dresses (for drinks with the hot misogynist): If you want to assure the person you’re meeting that they can very definitely get it, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than this off-the-shoulder number from Soncy ($45.50, sizes 10-30). Old Navy offers something equally bodycon up to 4X, but with more bust coverage at $35.
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