What is Gumshoe?
Gumshoe is a style newsletter that explores strategies for shopping smarter (i.e. not necessarily more).
What makes it different from most of the other fashion content out there?
There are three main things that come to mind:
I share real outfits for real life. This may not sound groundbreaking, but think about how often you see photos of outfits online that look cool but impractical — like something that’s never walked around a single city block, or seen the inside of a subway station. I’d rather show you the perfectly imperfect outfits that I reach for multiple times in the span of a week, or the workhorses I’ve had in my closet for years, or what shoes I wear on days I barely have time to sit down. I think it makes for more interesting, useful content when there are higher stakes than just playing dress-up.
I primarily link to clothing made from 100% natural fibers. This commitment requires a much more time-consuming market research process, but I consider it integral to building a wardrobe that lasts. I explain more in this post.
I want to help you to shop less. Shopping smarter means shopping more selectively — and with less frequency. I write about nurturing the relationships we have with our existing wardrobes — what we wear the most, how we wear it, and why. It’s our most valuable data for evaluating future shopping decisions, including knowing when not to buy something.
What’s the point of linking to secondhand and vintage things that might sell out quickly?
One-of-a-kind pieces are the things I’m personally excited to shop for — both in terms of cultivating a more original sense of style and, crucially, practicing more sustainable shopping habits. My guess is that a lot of other people feel the same way, but may not have the time to hunt for them, or even know where and how to look. There is definitely a sense of urgency baked into the equation given that they often sell out fast, but as someone who has spent a lot of time sifting through secondhand shopping sites, I think that’s part of the thrill, and it makes the items you do score feel all the more special.
I also feature my favorite sellers and search terms of the moment (i.e. vendors I’ve discovered on sites like Etsy that I recommend keeping an eye on and keyword phrases I’ve used to successfully find some of my favorite pieces). This content naturally has a longer shelf life.
Why is it called “Gumshoe”?
"Gumshoe” is a slang term that refers to the rubber-soled private detectives of the early 1900s, a sentiment I try to channel into my own detective work for this newsletter (which conveniently involves plenty of cool shoes). But also, gum is sticky, and sticky is precisely what I want the recommendations and ideas I put forward in this newsletter to be. So much of the shopping content disseminated online these days feels the opposite, i.e. slippery (think: SEO-targeted roundups with no discernible byline that you click on today and forget about by tomorrow), which in turn begets slippery shopping habits (purchasing things without consideration for whether you’ll actually love and use them for a very long time). My intention is for Gumshoe’s content to have staying power. Ditto for anything you happen to buy as a result.
How do subscriptions work?
Free Subscribers receive a newsletter from me at least twice a month.
Paying Subscribers receive two extra newsletters per month, including Sticky Note — my monthly inventory of worthy obsessions. You’ll also have access to the archives (featuring evergreen letters such as a detailed rubric for packing for long trips in a carry-on and an extensive rundown of my favorite vintage fine jewelry sellers), and my deep gratitude for supporting this work and the time it takes to put it together.
