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 Emily Jackson of Stuffy Muffy. If you’re not yet familiar, Emily runs a blog dedicated to the celebration of art, glamour, history, fashion, and entertaining. (Think John Singer Sargent meets Zsa Zsa Gabor.) Emily, like me, is not in front of the lens often, but when she is, you can see her style is classic and refined. Emily is a T&T woman through and through and uses great sources like The Real Real, Ebay, and Poshmark to find quality pieces that suit her style without paying retail. Her love of the deal does not stop at her closet; Emily scours places like Scott’s Antique Market, TJMaxx, 1st Dibs and more to find fun and unique deals for her home. Emily is a fantastic reminder that you can have a beautiful wardrobe while still loving a bargain. Beyond being a deal enthusiast, Emily is a lovely person and a friend of T&T. I hope you enjoy!
//Your style in 3 words: classic, feminine, playful.
//Staple Outfit: I wore a school uniform my whole life so a formula for dressing feels most comfortable. Year-round, it’s a striped oxford or cable knit sweater with white denim and an Argentine belt. In the summer, I like a mini dress and a coordinating pair of Palm Beach Sandals.
//Style Icon(s): Babe Paley, Lauren Hutton, and Ginger McKenna, Sharon Stone’s character in Casino.
//Your First Big Purchase: A vintage Hermès equestrian scarf—pink of course.
//Do You Still Have It? I do! I’m slowly building a collection of equestrian themed scarves.
//Best Fashion Advice You Ever Received: Wear colors that suit you and cuts that flatter you. Thanks Mom!
//Types of clothing you invest in: Quality leather pieces, silk, and luxurious feeling cottons and cashmere.
//Types of clothing you save on: Anything and everything, I don’t discriminate on a deal! I rarely shop full-price retail clothing because the price tags give me heart palpitations—I can’t justify spending upwards of $200 on a trendy piece that I’ll wear twice. I often tailor dresses and skirts, making it hard to resell them to offset the outrageous expenditure.
//Your greatest extravagance: Fabulous hotels and restaurants.
//Brands That Will Stand the Test of Time: Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta, and Carolina Herrera.
//Favorite High Street Brands: J.Crew, Banana Republic, and the Gap for basics that are always on sale. Saks Fifth Avenue’s label also has some stylish pieces—think look-a-like Chloé scalloped flats and breezy caftans that can be found marked down at Saks Off 5th.
//Favorite Designer Brands: If on sale or consignment, dresses and skirts from Rebecca Taylor, Saloni, and Ulla Johnson (darling woven bags too!). I’m finicky about how jeans and bathing suits fit my figure so I splurge on quality denim from Paige and DL1961 and well-made suits from Marysia Swim. T&T, I would love to add a Johanna Ortiz deal to my closet too!
//Favorite High-Low Brands to Mix: Forever21’s website has some dresses by European brands in the $40-50 range that are great looking. I always receive compliments and I’ve never seen anyone else wearing them in the wild! I’ll pair one with Tod’s driving mocs and voilà, outfit complete.
//Favorite Places to Shop Consignment: Groovy Palm Beach, The Frippery in Palm Springs, Cabana Vintage, Chasseur de Mode, Labels in Atlanta, The Real Real, Poshmark and eBay.
//Favorite Places to Consign Your Own Closet: The Real Real, they make the process very easy. I’ve sold both clothing and jewelry—I highly recommend giving them a try if you’re new to consigning.
//Currently Collecting Dust in the Back of your Closet: I wear every stitch of clothing in my closet—my secret? A small closet! We live in an old house and seasonal items get stored in the attic.
//Your Closet Tried and Trues: Crew neck sweaters, a pair of my dad’s old polo boots, Tod’s driving mocs, Palm Beach Sandals, Argentine belts, Ray-Ban aviators, and bags from Colombian designer Nora Lozza.
//Most prized possession: My engagement ring.
//Best investment you ever made in your style: I would say taking the time to appreciate and study fashion through print, art, and documentaries has given me a greater understanding of style. I don’t consider dressing to be my strongest suit—I’m much more confident about decorating—so learning about textiles and design continues to train my eye.
//Style Choice From Your Past That Haunts You: My Abercrombie & Fitch-filled closet from high school and the super blonde, very tan look in college. Yikes!
//Last Time You Splurged? I upholstered a bench for our entry in Lee Jofa’s Althea chintz print. The bench was a hand-me-down, originally a coffee table in a family friend’s home, so it felt well worth it to give it a second life.
//Currently Saving Your Pennies For: A vintage bamboo-handled Gucci bag.
//A Deal for the History Books/Your T&T Personal Best: A Pucci scarf at an estate sale for $13. And yes, it is authentic!
//Advice to someone looking to define their own style: Cultivate your style by learning as much as you can about your aesthetic, you can find inspiration anywhere from coffee table books to Pinterest. Go look at clothing and accessories in person, touch and feel what you gravitate towards. Once your taste is in place, try on many silhouettes and figure out what flatters you. Above all, have fun with it!
//Trend you wish would go way? Long, talon-like nails.
//You feel great. What are you wearing? A short hemline, big earrings, and a fresh blowout.
//Occasions when you splurge: As a mom to a 1-year-old, vacations and evenings out feel like more of a luxury than ever before. I want to treat them as special occasions so I’ll dress up and splurge on an impractical dress or pricier earrings. If I have time to plan, I’ll score these items on The Real Real, Poshmark and eBay.
//Occasions when you save: Everything else!
//Home Decor Style: Traditional and feminine.
//Favorite place to hunt for home decor: Estate sales, Scott Antique Markets, Antiques & Beyond in Atlanta, Antiques Row on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach, Christ Child Opportunity Shop in Georgetown, Etsy, eBay, and 1st Dibs. While I don’t enjoy sifting through piles of clothing at, say, a TJ Maxx, I do relish in digging deep for a good home find. I leave no stone unturned!
//Go-to for unique items, whether it be clothing, accessories, home or art:
For clothing and accessories: Tuckernuck & Ann Mashburn.
For home: Bungalow Classic & ADAC for art: Julie Wynn Jones Art Consulting and artsy.com. On Artsy, you can follow an artist you aspire to own works from one day and it will suggest related artists that are more appropriate for your budget.
//Your fashion motto: You’ll never be this young again, wear it!
//Your life motto: Be kind, exercise diligence, and enjoy the ride.
Fill in the blank:
//A woman should invest in- her hobbies, be it gardening, Pilates, or needlepoint. //You’re never too old to— pursue your passions. //A woman can never have too much— jewelry, costume or fine! //Bury me in- a rattan coffin a la Lee Radziwill.// True or False: More is More- True—if done tastefully. //Fashion is- cyclical.//Style: Inherent.
Currently Loving:
//Music: Spotify’s Indie Pop playlist
//Print: American Nations by Colin Woodard
//Food: Kale Salad and Sweet Potato Fries from Pinch of Yum
//Drink: Crozé from King Family Vineyards in Charlottesville, VA.
//Film: Overboard—the original
//TV: I am the Night on TNT
//Podcast: The Root of Evil and How I Built This
//Instagram Handle: @twojudgeygirls for my Bravo fix
//Designer: Brittany Bromley Interiors
ABOUT EMILY
Stuffy Muffy is a tongue in chic cocktail of a la mode art, delicious decor and marvelous musings. Armed with a mix of international sensibility, traditional tastes and a fervor for art history, Emily serves up a fun twist on formal.
Emily lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, baby daughter Louisa, and spirited Westie, Sir Wallace Wigglesworth. Before making her way to The South, she grew up close to the equator living in Ecuador, Colombia and sunny Boca Raton, Florida.
FIND EMILY
//WEBSITE
