Extra Special Interviews: Taylor Cole
Quiet luxury, fun trinkets, and the importance of "warm fuzzies"
Welcome to the second installment of my interview series, now called Extra Special Interviews. Today we’re chatting with my friend Taylor Cole!
Taylor and I met on a now-defunct social media app created by actor and Canter’s Deli frequenter B.J. Novak.
While the app is gone, my friendship with Taylor—or TC, as she’s saved in my phone—lives on.
Taylor Cole feels like your best friend from summer camp, the one who made the coolest lanyards and even kept in touch via snail mail during the school year.
The friend who grew up to be an even cooler adult with a chic job and an eye for color and design.
Her social media presence is a cozy space on the internet, full of beautiful architecture and nature photos, cool bands, and good outfits.
And because this is mostly a shopping Substack, I asked TC about her quiet-luxury style, where she likes to shop, what’s currently on her radar, and her delightful collection of trinkets.
She truly is such a gem, and I hope you enjoy this read!
Hi Taylor! So what exactly do you do? I know you work with a brand I really like, but what’s your actual job?
I work full time at a tech company that sells 3D printers. This summer, I started working part time as a part of a team that opened a new Arc’teryx store in Chestnut Hill (a super bougie area of Boston suburbs, our old pal B.J. Novak grew up there.)
I’ve learned a ton from the experience like indoor and outdoor rock climbing and fixing zippers and repairing outdoor gear in general. I’ve always loved geeking out about Gore-Tex and the function of clothing, so it’s been a perfect way for me to entertain some hobbies and help save some money!
Also, the discount is 70% off so I get to try some things I realistically could never afford to.
There is no dress code. I love that everyone feels that they can authentically be themselves, but we definitely have a hive mind at times. I often dress like an engineering manager in something like a company T-shirt, flannel, cargo pants, and my jungle moc Merrells.
Speaking of dress code, you have this cozy-yet-chic New England aesthetic that feels so uniquely you to me. Everything you wear looks so comforting and thoughtfully curated. What’s influenced that?
I think you’re right that living New England all my life has something to do with it! I would have to credit my first and forever shopping pals, my grandmothers, for my style.
My paternal grandmother lives in the Berkshires (Western MA) and I would describe her style as L.L. Bean chic - very functional but also fashionable. When the term “quiet luxury” went viral last year I immediately thought of her.
My maternal grandmother passed when I was in high school from breast cancer, but I hear her voice when I’m shopping all the time “i.e. you have way too much blue already.”
She is the reason I love an overcast beach day, and that type of layering is a lot of how I dress myself on a regular basis. I’m currently wearing a [Free People] Hailee Sweater Set I recently purchased on Poshmark.
She also got us all into Life Is Good, which just had a resurgence for their cute boxy cropped tees.
So you mentioned Poshmark, a great place to find sweaters! But where else do you like to shop? Do you have a favorite piece of clothing in rotation right now?
I think my favorite piece might be the Boxy Cotton sweater from Everlane. I actually just replaced it on my last trip to S.F. because I loved it so much, and I accidentally bleached it while cleaning my bathroom.
Notable mentions: My Gaspard Cardigan from Sézane and the Everlane Oversized Alpaca Crew), which I wear nearly every day in the colder months and bring with me everywhere I go.
I really love vintage shopping! I’m an Aquarius, so I value my independent style. I relish having a piece that is one of a kind. I think there are fewer options in MA, but when I visit my sister in North Carolina there are so many vintage markets I’ve often needed to add a bag on the way home.
I think Museum of Peace and Quiet, Online Ceramics, and Okay to Rest are all exactly my vibe and very high quality. No one ever knows what I’m talking about when I mention these brands out loud, so I fear they are criminally slept on. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Reader, they ARE!!]
I think it pisses a few of my friends off, but I frequently include items way out of my price range in my Substack—I love aspirational online window shopping. It’s a form of manifestation. What’s a dream item you’d love to have?
The Rosetta bag from Reformation has been on my wishlist for years. I would also really love to splurge on a full size bottle of Debaser from D.S. & Durga, Matcha 26 from Le Labo, or Mojave Ghost from Byredo. However, I’m still shopping around for my signature scent and I love my Baggu Crescent bag to death!
Oh, and I just upgraded to Akila frames from Warby Parker, but I really want Moscot ones next.
This is what I’m talking about. Moscot feels so incredibly chic and just so you to me. But what about the brands you work with? Any favorite pieces from them? You work with one of my favorite shoe brands, Salomon. Do you have a favorite shoe?
My team and I agree the Salomon XT-6s look great, but are actually the least comfortable. They’re a French shoe and have very narrow last [a shoe width measurement].
I actually prefer the Salomon XT-4s! I wear them the most. I need to get a Gore-Tex pair for the slushy winter weather around Boston.
I missed the boat on both Sandy Liang Salomon collabs, but I think about these every day.
Okay, I will now ALSO be thinking about those baby pink Salomons every day. Do you think they’re on Poshmark? You have such a great eye for cute stuff. You also collect fun trinkets! Have you always been like this?
I’ve always been like this. It started with glass animals which was weird, because I was so little at the time. I was huge into collecting rocks when I was a kid (still am tbh,) and my dad took me to a rock and mineral expo so I could get some geodes and such.
I went back to school and told everyone I went to a “rock show” and I was so excited that everyone thought it was a Rolling Stones concert or something LOL.
I usually find my trinkets at Goodwill, my local natural food store, bookstores, anywhere I travel, or sometimes on Depop or Facebook marketplace if I’m looking for something specific.
What are you collecting right now?
I still love Sonny Angels, but I think I have enough and just enjoy trading them or sharing them with friends now. They honestly became very hard to find, but the Sonny Angels site has a store locator and you can find a lot of those on reseller sites too.
My boyfriend downloaded Pokémon Yellow on my Switch recently since I didn’t grow up playing it, and we were really delighted to find some vintage tiny Pokémon figurines at Common Market on this last trip in Charlotte, NC.
I have the benefit of unlimited 3D printing at work, so naturally my desk is littered with tchotchkes and fidgets I printed.
Every time I go home to visit my parents, I throw a beanie baby or Littlest Pet Shop from my childhood collections in my purse and use it to decorate my desk or bookshelves. Sustainable!
I love the carrot Sonny Angel you sent me, she lives on my desk at work. She’s become something of a good luck charm to me. It was so thoughtful of you to send one my way. You also always send the best cards. How did you get into that?
This definitely came from my mom. She was my Girl Scout leader growing up and one of the activities we did at camp was write “warm fuzzies” to each other on cards, which was basically just an exchange of compliments. I’m definitely the type of person who tells a stranger I love their outfit in the grocery store.
I am obsessed with the idea of sending “warm fuzzies” now. That sounds like it felt good to give and good to receive.
It just feels really good to put together a card or package for someone with stickers, washi tape, and special pens. I’m no good at traditional forms of art, and sitting down at my desk with stationary is really centering to me. I’m a very reflective person and love to let people know when I’m thinking about them. I recently bought a card organizer and labeled them by season and occasion and it’s been so satisfying.
When my sister lived closer, I would stash stuff that reminded me of her like candy or hand me down clothes in a pile and aptly named it “the sis pile,” which I now just bring to the post office instead of handing it off in person. And shout out to my local post master, Dave! He’s about to retire and he is so nice every time I stop in, which is a lot.
Taylor, you absolute angel! Thank you for letting me interview you!
We will be back to our regularly scheduled programming later this week, but I DO want to do more interviews! So you can expect those in your inbox soon as well.
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