In my last issue, I mentioned I have some lofty goals for Dessert Wine this year, one of which being I want to bring in guest editors more regularly! I just so happen to know some of the coolest people in the world, and their divine interests and excellent tastes deserve to be shared with the world.
So without further ado, allow me to introduce our January guest: Emma Maris
Emma is an Atlanta-native, NYC-based tattoo artist, and the owner of Siren Tattoo in Brooklyn. She’s gorgeous, talented, and one of my favorite people to go out to eat with. She’s never afraid to order everything on the menu, and that includes dessert (literally, all of them).
What I’m wearing: For 2024, I am looking to curb my impulsive, doom-scroll shopping. With setting trends aside, I am trying to approach this year with the idea of dressing in my “ultimate capsule wardrobe.” This is (hopefully) going to make me shop more intentionally and not buy trend-heavy items that I’ll wear once and never touch again. The inspiration behind this capsule wardrobe is none other than one of my most beloved films.
I adore our 90s heartthrobs as much as the next, but I may have a more niche celebrity crush than most: Ethan Hawke. Gattaca (1997) is one of my favorite movies of all time ~ alongside Ethan Hawke’s tender performance, it falls nothing short of embodying 90s aesthetics in all of the best ways. Between the dark, gleaming sets, and the tragically attractive cast, it’s far ahead of its time in both theme and style. From a perfectly tailored pantsuit to a slinky metallic gown, the entire cast dresses in a perfect balance of structured, intentional, and timeless outfits. Scenes of Uma Thurman in outfits of soft silks or silver to a sharp blazer and mini skirt, it displays the current corporate core trend, yet forever remains ageless and classic.
Fun fact: Salvatore Ferragamo’s creative director Paul Andrew was inspired by the costume designs of Gattaca in their 2021 Fall/Winter collection. Decorated costume designer Colleen Atwood truly encapsulated form and function with her lasting stylistic simplicity and utilitarian fits in this film, and it inspired my personal guide to how I want to dress.
In lieu of my new closet resolution, I spent hours going through all of my clothes. Looking at my closet after a good purge, I am left with staples that I can build on and around while following my Gattaca inspo for day to day wear; mixing hard silhouettes with delicate materials and accessories. I like to keep my more adventurous 90s glitzy metallic pieces in rotation as well, which is also an ode to the futuristic theme of the film. Accompanying any and all of these looks is a brooding yet shimmery eye, stained glossed lips and natural but sun kissed cheeks that I can easily put together in ten minutes before running out the door.
For this capsule, I am obsessed with the idea of maximizing the way I can utilize one item of clothing and sticking to a general color palette. Establishing a base that I can work with indefinitely as trends come and go is my goal here. To help curb my shopping addiction, I want to dress sustainably and imagine all the ways I can wear something. Knowing that my blazer can be a jacket or a dress, tights as pants or socks with heels ~ is femme utilitarian a thing? I can and will do it all! We aren’t reinventing the wheel here, I just know this is an attainable way for me to stick to my wardrobe goals and feel like I can play around and enjoy the process. With this idea in mind, I will link both new and used items to mix and match that I have in my closet or still pining after on my wish lists, as well as my desert island beauty products!
Shoes: gucci canvas pumps, prada leather flat, chloe rubber rain boots, patent leather heels, metallic kitten heels, vintage ferragamo heels, acne mules, block heel mules, silver flats, manolo blahnik boots , puma speedcat sneakers
Blazers + Jackets: oversized brown suit blazer, tailored hourglass blazer, quilted ganni jacket, v neck blazer, box shoulder trench, faux leather long coat, dark gray oversized blazer, worn leather jacket, shirt collar midi coat
Dresses + Tops: silk mini dress, shirred poplin shirt dress, LBD with a-line skirt and velvet ribbon detail, celine tube dress, pleated wool mini dress, sandy liang connell dress, zara black mini skirt, paco rabanne silver mesh tank, silver silk dress, oversized white button up, mini slip, cotton long sleeve
Accessories + Bags: everyday sheer tights, gray wool socks, nylon prada camera bag, eyelet shoulder bag, gucci handbag, dome huggies, cleo silver handbag, ivory silk socks, semi opaque black tights , metal frame sunglasses, saint laurent sunglasses , fendi baguette handbag
Beauty products that I live and die by: dior glow lip oil, peptide lip tint, tartelette eyeshadow palette, ouai hair oil, nars blush in orgasm, jones road miracle balm, tatcha dewy skin cream, boy smells woodphoria, ysl libre, supergoop cc cream, dior show mascara, superfood moisturizer
I have great ambitions for getting out of the house more for non-related work activities as I am settling into the new year, and to feel excited to open up my closet and get dressed with a new sense of purpose. I spend so much time working that I’m often just rotting at home in my spare time to decompress, and never feel stylistically motivated, and I’m hoping this is the key to solving my wardrobe woes.
What I’m watching: Vanderpump Rules, duh
Where I’m eating: Rolo’s, always and forever. I even got married there.
Wow ok will be watching Gattaca immediately, this was hugely inspiring