The 2023 coolstuff Gift Guide & All of our Favorite Things this Month
Plus an interview with cool friend Emilie Hawtin
This week we’re sharing our much anticipated 2023 gift guide, featuring our new & exclusive Favorite Things Column, and introducing you to our cool new friend: Emilie Hawtin.
Cardinal
Fort Greene just gained a v cool shop that is perfect for shopping small this season. Sitting pretty on South Oxford Street, Cardinal sells beautiful clothing (handmade by the shop owner) along with cards, magazines, stickers and vintage home goods. We’re so excited to shop these small-batch items for friends on our gift list the next time we’re in the neighborhood.
Meet Emilie, an editor, brand consultant, and founder of Clementina: a tailoring-focused womenswear line. Clementina began with a linen suit and continues to grow through considered collaborations with makers who put craftsmanship first. From New York-based tailor J. Mueser to Italian favorite Le Tre Sarte, it’s clear that Clementina is an expression of Emilie’s unique and singular view of how to borrow from the boys – then wear it better.
How did you begin your career as an editor, brand consultant & founder of Clementina?
I went to fashion school in NYC and started working the day I got there. I was curious and wanted to understand every job, so I made a pretty tireless effort covering all the ground. I worked in menswear studios, couture ateliers, photo production, then became the editorial director at The Sartorialist in my early twenties. That changed everything. It was such an exciting time for style and a more analog era.
Tell us about your new women’s tailoring line, Clementina.
I started Clementina as a way to connect more women to tailoring and menswear. Most of the ateliers, beyond Savile Row, make women’s but don’t advertise it much. A lot of the classic, quality clothes and shoes I like are designed for men. I want to wear them too, and so do most women I know. I love craftsmanship more than fashion, and I do think that having a few things made for you by someone you know, pieces that suit you well, inspires you to buy less and take care of things. With Clementina, I collaborate with some of my favorite bespoke ateliers and brands and design a collection with them for women. Right now, that includes suits, overcoats, shirts and skirts, available at wonderful ateliers including J.Mueser in New York, Le Tre Sarte in Rome, Speciale in London. Hopefully the Clementina pieces will serve as a starting point for women to then develop a relationship with these ateliers and have more things made on their own over time. It’s empowering to have a personal uniform that fits you well, and it makes getting dressed a lot easier.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
Everyone is very collaborative. There are so many talented creative people around me in New York and a lot of support and respect. It took me a while to realize how unique that is here, but after living in other places, it’s what brought me back. It’s inspiring to have that very high level of creativity around, the ambition of other people pushes you to evolve and learn.
Who is your style muse & icon (past or present)?
I appreciate people who wear classic clothes in a natural way and with a point of view. If you’re at ease with yourself, you look relaxed even in a tuxedo. That’s much more important than anything else.
What’s the most inspiring place you've ever visited?
I travel a lot and find different places inspiring depending on what I’m looking for at that time. A medieval hamlet in Umbria where everyone is older, wiser and living simply. The incomparable elegance of the 7th in Paris. The tidal wavelength of Brittany. The spiritual nature in Cambodia. But all roads, for me, lead back to Italy.
Follow Along:
www.clementina.world
@ehawtin & @clementinaworld on Instagram
Hear ye, hear ye, and listen near; the time is here for gift guide cheer! As always, this year’s guide is packed full of our favorite products from local or small makers, with links to purchase from sites that are not Am***n . com…just stuff we love. For our lovely paying subscribers, read on for the best things to buy for the best people on your holiday lists!
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