The case for effort

(Carrie voice): Are we dressing for our own demise?

Mar 16, 2025

Paris last week was wonderful. I didn’t realize it, but I needed that shot of inspiration.

The perfect weather had something to do with it (also duh, fashion week) but people looked great. Like grown-ups with considered style and appropriate amounts of effort.

Ah, effort. The art of caring. For showing respect and fighting for the things you believe in. Americans love to show effort at work, good god, but elsewhere?

In recent conversations—ones I’ve had and internet discourse I’ve observed—there’s discussion around why Americans aren’t doing more about the political situation. There are protests, town hall attendance is up, people are angry. But it’s disproportionate.

The juice ≠ the squeeze. In real time, the Constitution is being defied, countless laws broken, the White House lawn being turned into a car sales lot. Democratic leaders doing next to nothing.

I don’t know that other countries with as much money and as large of a population as the U.S. would allow this to happen in the way we are. While we’re cutting back on Amazon purchases, the French are literally cutting the power to Amazon facilities.

We’re not a striking culture. We’re overworked and comfort-obsessed. We assume it won’t happen to us even when it does, we’re privileged and always waiting for someone to save us. We’re polite, shame-filled, uncomfortable with raw emotion. And this is how we show up in the world.

This obsession with comfort iterates literally in how we dress—our public decorum is all but lost. The lack of effort in dress signifies a lack of respect for those around us, even if it’s unintentional. And it sure can’t help with what’s happening politically. As if the boiling frog, exhausted from its hybrid corporate job, threw on a hoodie and joggers to pick up lunch from a fast casual restaurant.

Dressing for the outside world is as much about respect for your fellow man as respect for yourself. It’s about taking the time, putting in effort—even when it’s not comfortable, even if you’re tired. Sort of a dress for the country you want, not the country you have. Doing the hard thing makes a difference even on a micro level. And we need to find that again in all matters of life and dress.

A few things this week I found interesting:

The rise of TV-series inspired social campaigns (Brooklyn Coffee Shop does an awesome job at this, Rachel Karten recently covered Tower28’s recent addition to the growing genre)
Set Active’s genius Blooper collection created using liability fabrics, and the rollout on social
Who’s seen Tyler Mitchell at the Gagosian? I’m going this week.

And now, an outfit.

What I’m wearing and why:

Practicality, a little bit of color. Spring is on the horizon and I’m tired of winter but am putting in the effort when and where I can, even when effort sometimes means scaling back. Being comfortable doesn’t have to mean sloppy—men’s dress pants, for example, flip flops, a nice bag. Comfortable, yes. Pulled together, also yes.

Flore Flore Steffi T-Shirt ($105), TKEEES Lily Sandals ($60), Mango Suit Trousers ($90), Le Tanneur Emie Handbag ($640), MAKE Beauty Serum Lip Balm ($26)

Three beauty products I’m using right now:

Hermès Beauty’s new Silky Lipstick Shine offers a strong assortment of colors for the SS25 season. I’ve tried several and my favorite so far is Rose Himalaya, which I’m wearing here. More people need to know about the British brand skincare brand Pelegrims, which makes lotions, creams, and cleaners with vineyard by-products (so cool). The packaging and branding is lovely, and it smells amazing. I’ve tried the hand cleanser, lotion, and cream. 19/99’s High Shine Gloss is a product I didn’t “get” at first–but I’ve now used it as a lip gloss, on my eyelids, and on my cheeks.