Stories by

Phoebe Gates

700 stories

The Polka Dot Dress Edit: Five Lessons in Getting Spotted

The Polka Dot Dress Edit: Five Lessons in Getting Spotted

The polka dot dress edit covers scale, length, contrast, styling, and care. I am still susceptible to a chocolate-brown dot and a small ruffle, which is how I ended up with this many opinions.

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The Floral Dress Edit: Five Lessons in Letting the Flowers Stay

The Floral Dress Edit: Five Lessons in Letting the Flowers Stay

A floral dress can feel like fall when you tune the ground, length, sleeve, and shine instead of following a season rule. I keep returning to dark botanicals, good layers, and the small thrill of an unexpectedly useful old print.

The Mohair Sweater Edit: Five Lessons in Making Fuzzy Feel Intentional

The Mohair Sweater Edit: Five Lessons in Making Fuzzy Feel Intentional

This mohair sweater edit covers fiber, cardigan styling, volume, color, and necklines across five practical lessons. I would let one fuzzy sleeve take the lead and keep the rest of the outfit calm.

The Pleated Trousers Edit: Five Lessons in Letting the Fold Work

The Pleated Trousers Edit: Five Lessons in Letting the Fold Work

Pleated trousers make a case for waistband shape, fabric, leg line, tonal color, and pattern. I would rather try five small styling experiments than declare one pair my whole personality.

The Suede Jacket Edit: Five Lessons in Soft Leather With a Backbone

The Suede Jacket Edit: Five Lessons in Soft Leather With a Backbone

The suede jacket has five useful settings: clean tailoring, compact moto lines, easy pockets, deliberate fringe, and long coats with room to move. I am most persuaded by a shape that looks at home with the rest of the wardrobe.

The Mock Neck Sweater Edit: Five Lessons for a Collar That Knows When to Stop

The Mock Neck Sweater Edit: Five Lessons for a Collar That Knows When to Stop

Mock neck sweater notes for five lessons: choosing cashmere by fiber and care, using rib for texture, keeping fine gauge light, balancing oversized knits, and styling vests or sweater dresses. I would let the short collar do one small job at a time, which is how I avoid turning a sweater into a committee meeting.

The Coach Bags Edit: Five Lessons for the Slouchy-Bag Era

The Coach Bags Edit: Five Lessons for the Slouchy-Bag Era

Coach bags invite five lessons in the archive, slouchy shoulder shapes, tactile leather, printed canvas, and the small goods that travel with them. I like a useful detail best when the backstory is just as good.

The UGG Edit: Five Lessons for the Great Sheepskin Comeback

The UGG Edit: Five Lessons for the Great Sheepskin Comeback

UGG's five lessons run from Classic boot proportions to slippers outdoors, hybrid clogs, weather-ready pairs, and accessories that finish the story. I like a shoe that can go from a chilly post-surf idea to the train without pretending it is a different shoe.

The Button-Down Shirts Edit: Five Lessons in Leaving One Cuff Unfastened

The Button-Down Shirts Edit: Five Lessons in Leaving One Cuff Unfastened

Five notes for button-down shirts: poplin, stripes, borrowed volume, silk, and denim. I like a shirt that can look composed while the rest of the outfit stays a little loose.

The Cowboy Boots Edit: Five Lessons for a Western Turn Without the Costume

The Cowboy Boots Edit: Five Lessons for a Western Turn Without the Costume

The cowboy boots Edit weighs shaft length, the ankle bootie, tall silhouettes, color, and the accessories that finish a Western look. I like a boot with a point of view, but I would rather let it lead than dress for an entire cattle drive.

The Ankle Boots Edit: Five Lessons for Their Fall Return

The Ankle Boots Edit: Five Lessons for Their Fall Return

Phia shopper data shows interest in ankle boots rose 23.9% in the last 30 days versus the 30 days before, and these five lessons cover leather, suede care, Chelsea construction, pointed toes, and Western detail. I keep coming back to a simple silhouette with one good idea.

The Plaid Edit: Five Lessons for the Print Back in the Picture

The Plaid Edit: Five Lessons for the Print Back in the Picture

This plaid edit weighs five decisions: fabric, skirt shape, the scale of a coat, the cut of a dress, and the final accessory. I keep finding new ways to make the pattern feel personal without letting it decide the whole outfit.

The Fleece Edit: Five Lessons for Its Return to the City

The Fleece Edit: Five Lessons for Its Return to the City

This fleece edit is back in the city with half-zips, high-pile jackets, full-zips, hoodies and sets, and five lessons on layering, proportion, texture and care. I would start with the neckline, then decide whether the rest of the outfit wants to be a little more considered.

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The Corduroy Edit: Five Lessons for a Ribbed Comeback

The Corduroy Edit: Five Lessons for a Ribbed Comeback

The corduroy return has five useful lessons: let the line lead, make room for different leg shapes, try a textured jacket, wear the shirt as a third piece, and let a skirt or dress carry the ribs. I am especially susceptible to trousers that make an ordinary sidewalk feel like a film set.

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The Animal Print Edit: Five Lessons for the Print That Keeps Coming Back

The Animal Print Edit: Five Lessons for the Print That Keeps Coming Back

The animal print edit is easier to navigate when the coat, skirt, knit, bag, and shoe each have a clear role, rather than turning every outfit into a costume. I keep coming back to its ability to be a neutral, a dare, or both before lunch.

Studded Bags

Studded Bags

Hardware with a little bite

New York Fashion Week Street Style, Four Takeaways

New York Fashion Week Street Style, Four Takeaways

Street style at New York Fashion Week offered four ideas worth copying: a hit of purple, painterly florals, a scarf tied as a sash and tailoring with one small piece of jewelry. Each gets its own set of pieces here. None of them require a full wardrobe change.

The Personal Style Edit: Five Lessons in Finding Your Aesthetic Without Taking a Quiz

The Personal Style Edit: Five Lessons in Finding Your Aesthetic Without Taking a Quiz

A personal style edit with five lessons: your most-worn pieces, a color story, signature shoes, one signature piece and tailoring. I would trust the closet over the quiz every time.

The Grunge Style Edit: Five Lessons From Seattle, Circa 1992

The Grunge Style Edit: Five Lessons From Seattle, Circa 1992

A guide to grunge style in five lessons: flannel worn open, a slip dress with a heavy boot, lived-in denim, borrowed knits, and a worn leather jacket with silver rings. I would take the shirt around the waist over the blazer every time.

The Fragrance Edit: Five Lessons for People Who Ask Strangers What They're Wearing

The Fragrance Edit: Five Lessons for People Who Ask Strangers What They're Wearing

The fragrance edit, in five lessons: skin scents, discovery sets, modern florals, vanilla and amber, and the body and hair layers that make a scent last. I would read it the way I smell a stranger's wrist, curious and slightly nosy.

The Boho Style Edit: Five Lessons From a Marrakech Rooftop and a Few Clogs

The Boho Style Edit: Five Lessons From a Marrakech Rooftop and a Few Clogs

This boho style edit covers five lessons: fringe and suede, tiered skirts and peasant blouses, belts, flat boots and clogs, and layered gold and turquoise jewelry. I want the rooftop without the costume, and I will still be tempted by a second fringe bag.

Colleen Allen Tailoring and Dresses

Colleen Allen Tailoring and Dresses

Colleen Allen trained in menswear, worked under Raf Simons at Calvin Klein and designed at The Row, then launched her own womenswear label in February 2024. Within two years she had a CFDA nomination, an LVMH Prize finalist spot and a front row that included Charli XCX and Greta Lee. The clothes are tailored with menswear rigour and cut with something much stranger in mind.

Roller Rabbit Loungewear

Roller Rabbit Loungewear

Hand-block prints and playful pajamas, from a New York brand that began with one scrap of fabric in India

Slouchy Jeans: Barrel and Slung Wide Legs, Plus Denim Outerwear and Dresses

Slouchy Jeans: Barrel and Slung Wide Legs, Plus Denim Outerwear and Dresses

Denim got looser and the fit moved to the waist. Barrel legs and slung wide legs are the shapes doing the work. Here it is as trousers, outerwear and dresses.

Minimalist Sandals: Flat Sandals, Walkable Heels and Slides

Minimalist Sandals: Flat Sandals, Walkable Heels and Slides

With almost no upper, everything depends on where the straps fall. Eight flat sandals, eight walkable heels and eight slides, from $200.

Dolce Vita Shoes

Dolce Vita Shoes

The sweet life, New York style

Resort Wear for Women: Long Dresses, Linen Separates and Flat Sandals

Resort Wear for Women: Long Dresses, Linen Separates and Flat Sandals

No lobby, no dress code and usually a kitchen. Eight long dresses, eight linen separates and the flat sandals that survive a stone terrace.

DÔEN Dorsia Top: Plus Dresses From the Kleveland Sisters' Label

DÔEN Dorsia Top: Plus Dresses From the Kleveland Sisters' Label

The Dôen Dorsia top is a printed silk-blend satin shirt from the label Margaret and Katherine Kleveland launched in Los Angeles in 2016. I go through the dresses, tops and bottoms that carry its nostalgic California feel.