The TEll// By Thrift & Tell
Welcome to THE TELL//BY THRIFT & TELL: a celebration of fashionable women who dress as smart as they shop.
This week’s guest on THE TELL// is New York based artist and founder of The Letter Nest, Sally King McBride. As you will see below, Sally is incredibly talented and creative; her beautiful alphabet watercolors are a fan favorite of many of the fellow T&T ladies, including Ariel Okin and Julia Amory. When she is not in the studio painting, Sally loves a romantic high-low mix, pairing frills with her favorite Maje Bomber. No stranger to the world of consignment, Sally also uses Poshmark to sell the things that she no longer wears, making space in her home for investment pieces and, of course, more art! I am thrilled to have Sally be part of this series and stay tuned for interviews with more inspiring entrepreneurs to come.
//Your style in 3 words: Bold, feminine, creative.
//Staple Outfit: Party Dress
//Style Icon(s): Sarah Jessica Parker, Charlize Theron, Janelle Monae
//Your First Big Purchase: Dior Pumps bought in Paris for my 21st birthday
//Do You Still Have It? Photo proof!
//Best Fashion Advice You Ever Received: Learn your color season and dress accordingly.
//Types of clothing you invest in: Shoes & Pants—where it’s hardest to fake good quality and good fit.
//Types of clothing you save on: Tops & Jewelry.
//Your greatest extravagance: Cat naps.
//Brands That Will Stand the Test of Time: The ones who can transcend their own industry to make it feel like more than fashion—McQueen, Dior, Chanel.
//Favorite High Street Brands: Sugar Lips, Last Tango, Zara
//Favorite Designer Brands: They say the music you listened to at age 20 sticks with you the longest. For me the brands I discovered at that age have had the same effect (and they’re more contemporary than designer): DVF, Manoush, Maje, Vanessa Bruno.
//Favorite High-Low Brands to Mix: Dior pumps with cheaper denim; Manolo Mary-Janes with a Milly skirt.
//Favorite Places to Shop Consignment: Freep*Star (Paris), Clementine’s Consignment NYC (for children),
The RealReal
//Favorite Places to Consign Your Own Closet: Poshmark, Goodwill, and targeted hand-me-downs to friends and family.
//Currently Collecting Dust in the Back of your Closet: Betsey Johnson Tulle Balloon Skirt that I wore to my 25th birthday—a pink party. My best friend suggested the skirt start paying rent for how much room it takes up in our NYC apartment…
//Your Closet Tried and Trues: Maje floral bomber jackets, Alexis Bittar Earrings, Wolford black tights (to mitigate the mini-skirts!).
//Best investment you ever made in your style: Besides growing out my bangs before high school?! My collection of earrings.
//Style Choice From Your Past That Haunts You: (See: Bangs before high school.)
//“It seemed like a good idea at the time” a.k.a Purchase you most regret: I try to be picky enough at the outset to prevent future regrets!
//Closet From Which You Would Like to Borrow: Gemma Chan, Emily Blunt, Eva Amurri
//Last Time You Splurged? Isabel Marant sneakers. My life demands a lot more running around these days (2 young sons) and a little less museum-chic— I figure I should invest accordingly.
//Currently Saving Your Pennies For: A second year of membership at The Wing.
//A Deal for the History Books/Your T&T Personal Best: I was the beneficiary of a number of fun hand-me-downs while I worked at The Met: a Curator who gifted me her entire designer shoe collection; a D&G bolero leftover from an art technician the morning after the Costume Institute Gala; a colleague whose mother-in-law was cleaning out her closet of vintage Valentino dresses…
//Advice to someone looking to define their own style: Fashion favors the bold.
//Trend you wish would go away? Those giant sneakers! The literal shoe-pocalypse.
//You feel great. What are you wearing? Puffed-sleeve-cinched-waist anything.
//Occasions when you splurge: When a DVF dress demands it.
//Occasions when you save: I paint my own nails, which seems decidedly on-brand.
//Most prized possession: The House of Worth wedding dress worn by my grandmother, mother, aunt, and repurposed for my own rehearsal dinner. A link to family history—and to Paris.
//Home Decor Style: NYC-chic with a Victorian amount of artwork and family photos. My husband might add, “Throw-pillow forward.”
//Favorite place to hunt for home decor: ABC Home & Carpet.
//Go-to for unique items, whether it be clothing, accessories, home or art: Whenever possible, directly from the maker.
//Your fashion motto: Frills, frills, frills.
//Your life motto: Say yes to life.
Fill in the blank:
//A woman should invest in- her potential. //You’re never too old to— teach yourself something new. //A woman can never have too much—favorites. // Bury Me In: hot pink. //True or False: More is More- True. //Fashion is- subjective. //Style is: an art form.
Currently Loving:
//Music: Mree
//Print: The New Yorker, beautifully illustrated children’s books
//Food: Café Maman chocolate chip cookies.
//Drink: Cold Brew with oat milk.
//Film: Yesterday
//Podcast: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
//Instagram Handle: For laughs: @aliwong, for visuals: @chereeberrypaper for fun: @junediane
//Designer: Iris Van Herpen
ABOUT SALLY
Sally King McBride is a New York City-based artist and illustrator, and the founder of The Letter Nest. Her work can be characterized by a sense of formality—born of ten years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a sense of whimsy—a result of her love for the surprising, the joyful, and the miniature; and a mark of precision—a symptom of her [as yet unfulfilled!] dream of becoming an architect.
Her training includes fine art and art history at Brown University, Columbia University, RISD, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and St. Mark's School, where a particularly influential teacher officiated her 2002 wedding to watercolor. Her creations include commissions for private and institutional clients alike: landscapes, house portraits, wedding invitations, birth announcements, and alphabet paintings for children.
FIND SALLY
Photos used courtesy of Sally King McBride.
