Trying on Tibi Fall Fundamentals

Plus trouble at home and testing out Indyx

One of my most winning qualities (my husband calls it a quirk) is my love for summer blockbuster movies. I love anything in the Jurassic Park series (even the bad ones) and I’ve been nagging asking my husband to see Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning with me. Last Saturday I finally wore him down and as we were buying tickets all three daughters volunteered themselves to go with us. Hmmf. These are the same girls who vanish when the dishwasher needs emptying, the garbage needs to be taken out, or the dogs need walking. None of them even like action movies. But when they have zero plans and realize that us going out means no dinner service? Suddenly they’re all about family bonding and a spontaneous trip to the theater.

Dear reader, do you know how much five movie tickets cost? $100. And the grand total at the concession stand? That’s right—another $100. “This is the price of having children,” Daughter #1 said, watching me attempt to fix my face as she ordered popcorn like she hadn’t eaten in days. “We don’t have children,” my husband barked. “You’re all adults—and I want you off the payroll.” Cue the eye roll from the concessions employee who was dealing with a long line and soft pretzels that wouldn’t be ready for seven more minutes.

It’s been a long summer and we are only a month in. The energy in our house is waaaaay off after a quiet school year: Daughter #1 was finishing her last year of college, and Daughters #2 and #3 were living in dorms at the boarding school where I work. They all came home at the end of May and they brought all of their crap and their Gen Z-ness with them. Our laundry room now looks like a girls’ dorm. The pantry is a disaster zone. If they can’t watch Love Island exactly at 9pm when the new episode launches they have a fit. They use my yoga mat. They constantly ask why there’s no food in the house—and worse, they ask for “a card” so they can go grocery shopping. At the grocery store, they fill the cart with electric bikini trimmers, guacamole, and iced coffee. I don’t know how we are going to make it to Labor Day.

As an escape from the tension at home, I took myself out to try on some of Tibi’s new Fall Fundamentals.

Tibi Nylon Shirred Neck Top and Balloon Skirt

I have been interested in this set since its debut a few weeks ago because

• who doesn’t love a set that can go with so many other things

• the pink and ochre color options are so beautiful!

• I already have the balloon skirt in dark taupe so I know my size (I size down to a 4 in this one)

• I wear said balloon skirt All The Time

• I love Tibi nylon

The skirt comes in two lengths and I prefer the longer length even though I am 5’4. I’m trying on a size large top in the picture because it’s all they had and I would order a small. After mulling it over, I think I might pass on the pink in favor of the ochre with fingers crossed that I can pull off the color. I have a lot of pink in my wardrobe and I think the ochre is more interesting. I also like the pink and ochre together so, God help us, it’s possible I need both.

Tibi Crispy Nylon Wilt Pull On Jogger in Eggplant

My hot take here is that I think I’ve been wearing the wrong size in the Wilt. My very first Tibi purchase was a pair of Wilt Joggers in Sand and I bought them in the short length, size small. While they certainly fit and I have loved wearing them, my eye has now adjusted to Tibi’s relaxed aesthetic and I soooooooo much prefer the Wilts in the size I’m trying on here, medium in the regular length which I also think they call long? While they lose their jogger shape a little, I think the drape is so pretty and this color is dreamy, no?

Tibi Mou Denim Clift Jean

I had to look twice to make sure these jeans were Tibi because it’s not the denim shape we usually see. I took the larger of my two sizes in and I liked these. I’m not in the market for black jeans but if you are, these are very very good. It’s hard to find a straight jean that also feels relaxed and this is it!

On Sale: Tibi Bio Twill Riding Skirt

I grabbed this skirt from the sale rack because I love the color and have been curious about whether it can really be worn open as they show on the website (no it cannot, on me at least). I had to size up on this one and with the front and back buttons it just felt too fussy and not flattering. If it could be worn unbuttoned I would be more interested.

A Digital Closet?

In other exciting news this week, I have been influenced by Asta to catalog my closet via the Indyx app and it is life changing. I am surprised by how into this I am since I am a person that does not like digital anything. I still use a paper calendar, handwrite to-do lists, and refuse to mobile order anything. While I’m still working to get my clothes uploaded, I can already see that I have way too many clothes (hangs head in shame). Like, waaaaaaaaay too many. Which I think is the point. I think - hope! - this will help me curb my shopping and recommit myself to selling what I’m not wearing. I’m looking at you Doen dresses and capri pants. The option to style outfits on the app is the best - such a smart way to realize how many ways I can use what I have and remind myself that I don’t need more. It seems like at some point there will be a way for users to sell their clothing to other users which seems genius since the picture taking and listing of item, size, etc has already been done, but so far it’s just a way to see what you have and style yourself or be styled by a professional or friend. HOW FUN. I thought their report on the state of our wardrobes was interesting too! Anyway, here is the link to my closet (please don’t judge me!)

https://opencloset.myindyx.com/user/tarasmith

I am actively working on downsizing - even as I try on new Tibi.

P.S. I’m still using the free trial of the app so I really hope it doesn’t cost a million dollars when my trial runs out. This is how they get you.

Post-Scripts

• Are we all crying our way through season 4 of The Bear? The performances and storyline continue to trigger me, particularly Episodes 7 (the wedding) and 9 (Carm visiting his mom and making her the chicken from the French Laundry.) If these actors aren’t drawing on their own personal experiences with addiction or living with someone who struggles with addiction, their ability to act the part is astounding. The intensity of emotion, the REM soundtrack, the brutal honesty about the family you're born into versus the one you build through work and survival… it’s all too much. I’ve been an absolute puddle watching this season. Now that I’m finished I’m going to start again from the first episode and do a full rewatch.

• I’m reading “The Dream Hotel” by Laila Lalami (a Pulitzer Prize finalist) and it is gripping. I seem to be on a dystopian kick with my reading choices lately - a reflection of the times we are living in I guess.

• I’ve been enjoying the Gems and Friends Podcast with Maddie and Nan - these smart, authentic, and entertaining ladies are a generation younger than me and yet still relatable. I am oddly obsessed with hearing about what it’s like to be a millennial and even more so, a millennial influencer.

• Listen. I don’t like AJLT any more than the rest of the world but my position is that I will take some form of SATC rather than nothing. Don’t come at me for this opinion but I will be devastated they pull the plug. This week we got that cute scene with Carrie and Donovan eating mutton stew - which was enough to stave off my rage at Carrie’s fit about the broken glass. Get a grip girl. The broken glass is the least of your problems with your lunatic narcissist of a long distance sort of boyfriend but mostly situationship. Also! I never tire of seeing the girls’ closets now that they are all rich. I love how LTW has an office inside of hers (plus her kitchen omg) and Charlotte has inspired to try to cram an ottoman into my joke of closet to make it easier to reach my shoes and bags. Right now I’m using a step stool that is not worthy of the beautiful things crammed into every corner of my small space. Which brings us back to Indyx, the virtual closet for those of us who have dreamed about Cher’s wardrobe generator for all these years. What a world! Here is what I cooked up for FOJ in the app. Who am I?

Here is what I did on FOJ: went to yoga, read and wrote Substacks, made up outfits for places I might go sometime, ate a hotdog, called my mom. I never got out of my yoga pants and I did not shower.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Tara