HEARTLOOM is a downtown New York label of outerwear, sets and soft knits, run entirely by women. I keep coming back to how easy its clothes are to say yes to, so this edit is where I would start.
HEARTLOOM Outerwear & Sets: Where to Start
A New York label with two coasts in its frame
I will admit I am usually suspicious of brands that claim to split the difference between two coasts, and yet HEARTLOOM won me over. It started in downtown New York City in 2009 as a minority women-founded label, and it is still run entirely by women. There is no single genius name on the door, which I find oddly refreshing.
The point of view is West Coast ease with East Coast refinement. In practice that means relaxed shapes, feminine prints, novelty fabrics and a few vintage nods, all with a bit of personality in the texture. Nobody is asking you to dress up every day (thank goodness), but the clothes still look like you made an effort.
I read it as a New York address with a coastal mood: slow mornings, evening strolls, a knit you reach for without thinking. These are clothes for a week that might change its mind, which is most weeks for me.
The outer layers that set the tone
Outerwear is where the two-coast idea gets practical. The Charla Jacket is the casual one, the easy pick for the first chilly walk of the day. The Anela Jacket and the Beatriz Trench Coat pull the mood longer and a little more composed, and the Addison Trench makes a similar case in a slightly different shape. If you want to keep going, SAMSOE SAMSOE Outerwear: Where to Start is the one I would read next.
In my fashion dreams, she leaves the apartment in a trench over a soft knit, keeps everything else quiet and looks finished anyway. My test is simple: put a coat on over the thickest sweater you own and see if you can still lift your arms. What I would skip: a second trench if you already love the one you have. Try the Charla Jacket for a different outline instead.
A matching set, with room to make it yours
Matching sets are for the mornings when I want the decision made before I open the closet. The Audrey Set, Violet Set and Lyra Set each bring their own mood, and the colors have good names: espresso, army and bisque. The Yuiko Set adds a poppy shade for anyone who wants the day to start a little louder. I went deeper on a related idea in By Rosie Jane Fragrance Sets: Where to Start.
Picture her heading out for coffee in the bisque Lyra Set, and then wearing just the top again on Friday with jeans. That is the real test of a set for me: do both pieces make sense alone. I would skip any set where one half would never leave the drawer.
Dresses and knits for the in-between hours
This group is for days that refuse to stay in one lane. The Felina Dress, Peche Dress and Nori Dress are the ones I would choose around the plans I actually have, and the Yulia Sweater and Silas Sweater put knitwear at the center of an outfit instead of leaving it as an afterthought.
The Enly Sweater and Grant Cardi give you more ways to layer, and the Kasey Hood is the casual finish, the piece for running errands looking like you meant to. I picture an early coffee, a dress under a cardigan, comfortable shoes for the walk home. Decide first whether you need a dress or a layer, then shop from that side. If your sweater drawer is already full, do not add another just because the name sounds nice.
Softness with a little character
HEARTLOOM suits the person who wants softness with a little character, not a closet built on strict minimalism or special occasions. The coastal mood is real, but the clothes stay grounded in layers, knits, dresses and sets that live in a New York week. I would start by asking what the next seven days actually need, then pick the one silhouette you will wear in more than one setting. Although I suspect you will come back for a second.
