You know those people you follow on TikTok or Instagram, the ones whose personal style is an inspiration for you to dust off the cowboy boots in the back of the closet or the Missoni dress from decades ago? Heather is one of those. You might know her as @pigmamiii, or at least, that’s how I knew her until I reached out to include her in this WSJ story.

And speaking of Tiktok, I’m branching out from strictly newsletter writing and posting outfit/fashion/skincare/notion stuff on there, too. It’s sort of humiliating, a little fun, and a good reminder not to take myself too seriously. Because the second I do, someone comments that I sound like Tavi Gevinson.

But enough with the rude comments! Let’s get into Heather’s very sharp suit; a departure from the greyscale menswear I’m wont to wear.

How long have you had this piece?

I've had this suit since June 2022, so not very long.

Where did it come from? How much did you pay for it?

I bought it on a whim, irresponsibly, at Bloomingdale's. I was killing time before picking up the kids I was babysitting nearby, so I tried it on and fell in love immediately. Plus they only had one left, in my size, so I rationalized it. It was $721 retail, but I scored it 30% off, so it was $504.

How do you wear it?

I wear it with basically anything, which people are always surprised to hear, since it's a pink suit. I wear the blazer with a tee and jeans, layer the whole thing under a coat in the winter, sport the pants with New Balances and a sweater, or wear the set to work presentations and events. Some of my favorite photos, plus my social media profile pictures, are from when my friend Lauren asked if she could take some photos in the suit at one of our favorite parks.

What does it represent?

Is it too far to say that there was life before the suit, and after the suit? I have a penchant for dramatics. Trying on the pink suit was the first time I felt my "home" and "work" personalities merge. At the time I bought it, I was working a 9-5 in laboratory safety at a research center and running a vintage business after work, so I felt as though I had a split self before and after work. This was the only piece I owned that I felt expressed my ability to be frivolous and competent simultaneously.

This was also one of the first outfits that made me feel like I was starting to understand and develop my personal style. Friends and family were asking why I spent so much on something so difficult to style, but for me it felt oddly effortless and easy to pair with other things, which inspired some of my first personal style videos that grew my channel. So I have the suit to thank for a lot and I can't wait to pull it out again when the weather drops.

Archived Outfit

Inspired by Heather’s suit, let’s shop some secondhand options, shall we?

This $35 (!?) suit vest set reminds me so much of the Attersee one everyone is wearing. I’d shorten the skirt and pat myself on the back.

Want a pink suit of your own? This RL one is under $200 and could look very cool with a big black bow and mary janes.

For $20, you can experiment with suiting and brown. What’s not to love?

Not your average three-piece suit! It’s under $80 + I love this shade of green on almost everyone.

Honorable Mentions

I was on a total high horse about only having purchased one thing since we last spoke, but it turns out, I was abiding by my own rules of shopping so sincerely, I forgot. The aforementioned rule is this: thrifting while traveling is a sport and does not count. Now, this rule can be abused, say, by contemplating a Prada blouse that’s $400 just because I’m in Italy. But overall, the kind of vacation thrifting I’m privy to totals out to under $50.

I spent a week with my best friend and true thrifting soul mate. I picked up a white tuxedo shirt for $3, a pair of pink and grey pinstripe pants for $2.50, and a plaid jacket for $5. Sue me!

The real confession comes in the form of Bode. I saw it on Noihsaf. It was $240. I don’t know what else to say.

Saving Time—Jenny Odell’s second book + actually quite easy to get into!

The Creative Act—a must-read for the creative set. I underlined a lot.

Women Talk Money—you know I love money chats. This was a candid collection of all sorts of stories about wealth/stability/access.

Blood Orange Night—a truly wild memoir about motherhood, benzos, and being a writer.

This Ragged Grace—as mentioned on Instagram, this was my favorite memoir of the year.

Open Throat—a Ruby rec! Told from the POV of a mountain lion in LA. Just read it.

Hurricane Girl—flew through this on vacation. An underrated beach read, but like, it’s not beach read-y.

The Other Side of Sadness—not a fun rec, but a wonderful book about grief that I want to send to lots of friends.

Thank you for reading Long Live. It means so much to me. You can shop my favs here, follow along on Instagram + Tiktok, shop my Notion template, and as always, respond to this dispatch for my direct line x