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Jenny Gordy lives with her husband and daughter in Portland, Oregon, where she designs knitting and sewing patterns for her company, Wiksten. She doesn’t buy many clothes for herself, but when she does, she wears the beloved pieces over and over. “My clothes all have holes,” she laughs. “I wore a J. Crew chambray shirt for years until it literally disintegrated; there was nothing to be done, I’m still sad about it.” Here, Jenny shares five outfits she wore in a week…
Jumpsuit: Nico Nico, similar. Slides: Charlotte Stone, similar. Clutch: Baggu. Silver ring: Another Feather.
“Did you ever read that thing about how Obama wore the same suits every day because he had too many other decisions to make? I like to have a few things that make me feel good and not think about it. I have about a week’s worth of outfits because that’s how often I do laundry. I wore this jumpsuit twice a week all winter and all spring, and I’ll wear it all fall. It’s like a baby onesie, it’s so comfortable. When I first wore it, my husband and I met up for dinner, and he was like WHAT IS HAPPENING. But after the shock wears off, he thinks stuff like that is cute. There’s just this initial, okay, I need to readjust what I know about clothing and what people wear and now I can see, oh it’s actually pretty cool!”
Cropped jacket: Neeru Kumar, similar. Shirt: Gap, similar. Jeans: vintage Wrangler, similar. Clogs: No. 6.
“I like getting high-waisted jeans slightly too big — almost like boyfriend jeans — since they’re more comfortable. This vintage pair is super soft, but it’s getting trashed. When I have time, I’ll put a patch underneath the knee and do Japanese sashiko stitching. Sashiko is so beautiful, it looks like decoration. I also cut the bottom of these jeans to make them the right length. It sounds crazy, but I have a list of measurements of my ideal jeans — the waist, the hip, the front and back rise, the inseam, the leg opening at the bottom, etc. I search for vintage jeans on Etsy, and if they have my measurements, I know I’ll like them. It takes the risk out of buying vintage jeans online.”
Pink shirt: Two Son. Pants: Jesse Kamm. Shoes: Converse. Earrings: Thomas Sires. Ring: Another Feather.
“This is the most colorful outfit in my entire wardrobe. Most of my clothes are blue, black and gray, but I feel comfortable mixing brighter colors if they’re close together on the color wheel, like pink and red. It’s funny, I was never that into pink, but my daughter Iris will only wear pink. At first, I wasn’t really on board, but eventually I came around, and now every time I see something pink, it makes me happy. This shirt makes me think of Iris.”
“I had big wardrobe shifts between New York City, Iowa and Portland. In New York, I had things like silk shirts in my wardrobe; then I moved to Iowa and never wore them again. It was more casual there. In Iowa, I also started working from home, so I wore stuff you wouldn’t leave the house in — T-shirts and, let’s face it, sweatpants. It was kind of depressing. When Iris started preschool, I had to get dressed in real clothes to leave the house, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me. When you don’t dress for the day, it kind of makes you not leave the house. Now in Portland, I get dressed, and at any time I can go get coffee with a friend or meet for dinner. It made me feel so much better about myself.”
Top: Steven Alan, similar. Jeans: Nico Nico, similar. Clog sandals: No. 6. Earrings: Seaworthy.
“I can’t buy anything full price; I wait forever for things to go on sale. I grew up in Kansas, and one of my dad’s favorite hobbies is getting nice clothing on super super sale. He’s so proud of himself, it’s weird and hilarious. But that stuck with me: you can have nice things and they don’t have to be crazy expensive. You have to not care if they’re from last season. You can also find quality stuff from cheaper brands on clearance, like Gap, if you know what to look for — 100% cotton, linen or wool are usually a safe bet.”
“I wear tiny earrings, except when I’m going out. Then I add larger jewelry to make it special. It’s hard to be that glamorous in Portland because of the RAIN. People who have lived here for a long time don’t even wear rain coats; you get so used to the drizzle. The bright side is that the rain means Portland has flowers and greenery year round. I’ve said that to Iris so many times, she now repeats it back to me when I’m complaining: ‘But, Mommy, it’s making the plants grow.’ ”
Dress: Ace & Jig. Jeans: Urban Outfitters. Shoes: Vans. Socks: Amelia’s Organic from Fred Meyer. Initial necklace: Odette. Earrings: Kathleen Whitaker.
“This print on this dress is everything to me. As a maker of handmade things, I gravitate toward handwoven textiles with special stitching. One of the Ace & Jig designers lives in Portland; I’ll run into her once in a while, and she’s just a really nice person. Being a designer myself, I like supporting independent designers — like Another Feather, No. 6 and Baggu. I realize it’s a luxury to be able to shop this way, but I try to. Funnily enough, these socks are from Fred Meyer, the best grocery store in Portland. Every time I go, I get a pair. They’re 100% cotton and really soft. The first time I found them, I was like, these are goooood.”
Thank you so much, Jenny!
P.S. Jenny’s beauty uniform, and more women’s weeks of outfits.
(Photos by Hannah Olavarria of The Weaver House.)
