Welcome to écoute + things that have gotten me through Q1 2025
a weekly mix featuring fresh finds and old favourites in music and fashion
Hello Substack, long time listener and first time caller here. This newsletter is borne out of a few realizations in being a lurker on Substack over the past year:
There's nothing more I enjoy than receiving a list of recommendations in my inbox on a weekend morning from a person who I've never met, hardly know, but seems very chic, intelligent, and/or discerning;
As a corollary to that, there's nothing I enjoy more than having 20 tabs of said recommendations open at once for me to casually skim through while lying in bed with coffee or on the couch with Bravo;
It seems that there is not a lot of overlap in the fashion and music recommendation space on Substack although the two have a longstanding, symbiotic relationship; and
I really miss the halycon days of Blogger/blogspot.
With these realizations in mind, écoute aims to be a digestible mix of music and fashion (+ more) recommendations and musings. Some of these recommendations may help you rediscover old favourites in songs and style. Others may be completely fresh to you or everyone as the constant consumptive cycles of both fashion and music demand new releases all the damn time.
We’re already a quarter + 6 days into 2025 and it’s been a doozy so far, to say the least. The winter was a true winter in NYC and the spring thaw has had a number of false starts. Below is a sampling of what has gotten me through the first quarter of 2025.
On the decks:
FKA Twigs Eusexua - a word she created to describe, “that feeling when you’ve been dancing all night and you lose seven hours to music…” - is escapist, dystopian dance pop. It was especially needed in the dark, dreary months of January and February. If you love Madonna’s Ray of Light, you will like this album.
LP Giobbi is an incredibly talented DJ and classically-trained jazz pianist whose Dotr album released in 2024 (with a remixed version in 2025) was and remains a constant play. The album is a tribute to powerful women who LP Giobbi recently lost but the album itself is an uplifting dance party. FWIW, I saw LP Giobbi perform at Brooklyn Mirage in December and she was wearing / looked fabulous in a Chemena Kamali Chloe dress.
And now for something completely different: Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I recently read Case’s memoir and was reminded of her 2006 album which was inspired by critters and fairy tales. Her voice is pure and powerful, and the album is a great listen to welcome the spring thaw.
As a bonus track if you’re a White Lotus fan, Vandelux’s remix of the iconic lines of Victoria Ratliff is a must listen.
In the cart:
To be clear, all of these items have already left the cart and made it into my closet in fall 2024, and have been hero pieces in 2025. The TOTEME barn jacket has been absolutely crucial for each and every errand run and then some, and is surprisingly warm with space to layer (size L available on sale at Net-a-Porter and size S available resale at Vestiare Collective - suggest sizing down). Similarly, the TOTEME wide leg jeans are some of the comfiest yet flattering jeans out there, and have supported me during many a WFH day (basically all sizes available full price at TOTEME and size L/32 available resale at TheRealReal). I don’t know if barn jackets or wide leg jeans will still be cool come fall 2025 but I will continue to wear both pieces like the stubborn millennial I am.
The Chloe bracelet bag was a Paris acquisition and an investment, but I think it will easily get to a single digit PPW (price per wear) especially given the multiple ways to wear it with the bracelet and shoulder strap (available full price at Net-a-Porter and available resale at TheRealReal). Similarly, the McQueen sock boots, which were purchased to replace a pair of Zara sock booties that I had for almost a decade, has been a star shoe and comfortable to wear for long periods of time, not to mention its heel is a tribute to Alexander McQueens’s signature armadillo design. PPW will also be low with these (basically all sizes available full price at McQueen and sizes 36 and 40 available on sale at FWD).
Last, for time spent in higher / colder elevations, I leaned heavily on Guest in Residence sweaters, including this plaid cashmere overshirt (size L and XL available full price at Net-a-Porter and different styles and sizes available at TheRealReal). rhode’s barrier butter is a very effective, well-priced entry into the moisturizer game. And Catskills Candle Studio Flannel + Woods, with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, amber, and musk, is one of the coziest winter scents and is from a woman owned and operated candle studio in, you guessed it, the Catskills.