B.O.M.B.B.B. Mode
Functional jewelry, sewing as meditation, the power of buttons & more
This is Concorde, Blackbird Spyplane’s “women’s vertical,” except it’s for everyone who is cool. Every edition is archived here.
Our list of the world’s 35 slappiest shops, which Spyfriends have added to, is here.
Mach 3+ city intel for traveling the entire planet is here.
Erin here. In today’s Corde:
I’m going B.O.M.B.B.B. Mode (Back On My Button Bullsh*t, Baby)! That’s right, the modest button is undefeated in the garment-enhancing department. I found great pieces to buy from under-the-radar lines that exemplify the B.O.M.B.B.B. lifestyle, plus some DIY ideas you can have fun with.
The best layering tees are French and made from bamboo.
The meditative power of sewing, and the embroidery kits I use to quiet my brain.
But first —
Functional jewelry — useful objects worn on necklaces — has been on a steady uptick over the last couple years.
What I especially like about the functional-object necklace is A) it’s straightforwardly rockable by all genders and B) it reframes jewelry as something even the most decoration-averse among us (i.e. Jonah) can rock with.
Wearing functional objects has its roots in Victorian chatelaines, which were basically clip-on keyrings with chains attached (pictured below). Back then, women’s clothing didn’t have pockets, so they’d hook things they might need during the course of a day — a perfume vial, notepad, watch, scissors, etc. — to the chatelaine, and secure it to the waist of their skirts…
These can look fantastic, if a little fusty — but I have faith in you to freak it if you decide to try rocking a fully loaded chatelaine.
But you don’t need to go that far: