The Sprinkle on Top
It’s 12:17 at night so naturally I need to solve Allison Bornstein’s three-word theory right now.
Those fn words keep me up at night—if you know, you know. I have tried to define my own three words since I first heard her talk about them. Bornstein’s method employs three words to define personal style, narrowing your aesthetic to three adjectives: one practical, one aspirational, and one emotional. Sounds easy enough, but I’m struggling…
Am I classic? Sometimes, yes, for sure. But… then I also like a good trend woven through every now and again. I’m here for fringe. I’m backing a low-slung, loose jean. Kitten heels—I have a litter.
Though I’m definitely not trendy. I don’t follow the pack. The silhouettes I turn to again and again are consistent. I love a good column—Doric, always Doric. My clothing needs to achieve that sharp column: a pencil skirt, a fitted trouser.
Except when I abandon it. Because I do like a slouchy boyfriend jean or a horseshoe silhouette. Enter Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe jeans, in multiple colors, rag & bone’s Dre, and Nili Lotan’s Shon (preferably in every color of the rainbow).
So those words? They elude me. And while I love Allison Bornstein, I’m throwing out the three words, and I’m coining my own system.
I’ve decided I’m Rococo Restraint with Sprinkles on Top.
And what on earth, you might ask, does that mean?
I’ll tell you what.
The backbone of my wardrobe is restraint. Think Mary-Kate and Ashley. The Row. I love a severe trouser. A clean knit. A great blazer that cuts like a knife. The aforementioned column of a skirt. The low profile of a flat that hits just right.
And then—screech—just when you thought you knew where you were going, the record skips.
The train comes off the tracks.
One glorious disruption: a Cookie Monster shoe, a swan scarf, an emerald-green bag, a Hermès-towel bucket hat.
It’s the sprinkle on top. And a sprinkle only works because the rest of the composition is controlled. It’s vanilla, my favorite flavor, by the way. If everything is special, then nothing is special. It’s a sprinkle of magic—but only one sprinkle. It’s that nod back to restraint—ah, there’s nothing I love more than a completed loop.
And then the Rococo? She’s my siren: Marie Antoinette, embodying the quest for beauty, ornament, wit, and fantasy, with a dash of je ne sais quoi, bien sûr.
So build the column. Add the confection. They will come.
And that Doric column? Maybe she’s shaping up to be a little bit more of a Corinthian column. After all, this is Curated by Cori…
Put a Pin in It
Cou Cou Intimates The Rina Long Sleeve
Alfie Paris Tube Skirt
Toteme Croc-Embossed Heeled Leather Flip-Flops
Valesque Thea Leather-Trimmed Crushed Velvet Tote
LilyEve The Up-Cycled Bucket Hat
Cou Cou Intimates The Rina Tee
AYR The Culture Jean
Tory Burch Beaded Flat Sandal
ETRO Stretch-Cotton Velvet Blazer
Kallmeyer Zia Draped Silk Camisole
Tory Burch Clear Pump
