What to wear for Thanksgiving

and what the holiday means to me.

A lot of the outfit ideations I typed on my notes app when I wake up in the middle of the night don’t hold up under the implacable sunlight of the next morning.

Charvet shirt backwards under the green dress

Collar peeking out

RL navy jacket and green peplum

Frankie blazer and leopard belt

Medias negras

Something cobalt with Balenciaga shoes.

Then there’s the issue of combinations that look great on a picture but don’t feel good on the body: extra sleeve fabric dipping on the gravy, shoe soles that increase the chances of slipping with the hot pan of hasselback potatoes, bracelets that fit too tightly over oven mittens.

Still, I aim for a balance—something mundane enough to blend into the spirit of the holidays but just fantastical enough to keep me connected to the vision in my head. Even with the abundance of colors I picked that stain too easily, the heels, the fringes, the redundant accessories, I tell myself it’s all adjustable. Fantasy, after all, is very forgiving.

—

The first Thanksgiving I celebrated was with Jeff’s family in 2011, back when we were still dating. We both flew to his sister’s house in Maryland, meeting at the airport where his mom and sister were waiting for us. I arrived from Orlando, where I was completing a design internship at Disney, and he flew in from Michigan, where he was finishing his final year of surgical fellowship.

Before the trip, I was excited to shop for cold-weather clothes. I still remember the Ann Taylor where I found the gray wool dress with brown leather trim (similar to this Tibi dress, now on sale), which I paired with opaque tights and suede boots. I wanted to look polished and respectful of the holiday, while still feeling like myself—a 28-year-old artist, an immigrant celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time with the first American guy she’d ever dated, still feeling a little self-conscious about her English accent but not at all about where she was in life, who she was, where she came from, and what she had accomplished by then.

His family was as warm and welcoming as I never imagined Americans could be. I still remember the lovely basket his sister had for me in the guest room with toiletries, the baked stuffed shells his mom made for us the night we arrived. On actual Thanksgiving, Jeff and his mom cooked most of the meals. His dad made his two special versions of cranberry sauce. My contribution was my family’s tres leches recipe, for which I sent the ingredients ahead to his sister. In my list, I wrote vanilla essence—a direct translation of esencia de vainilla from Spanish—thinking it was the same as vanilla extract. His sister, unaware, ordered a 5-liter bottle from Amazon Mexico. Fourteen years later, we still laugh about it.

—

While I understand the complicated origins of the holiday, Thanksgiving has played a role in our journey of integration—not just into my new, wonderful family, but theirs into mine. It’s also holidays like this that have slowly allowed me to shed the feeling of being a permanent tourist, replacing it with the quiet realization that home is not a single place, but a rhizome, where roots expand, intertwine, and grow in unexpected, fruitful ways.

~

Second-hand Tibi scarf top (similar vibes 100% wool), Zara midi skirt, my grandma Gioconda’s navy-cream slip-ons from El Corte Ingles (they don’t make them like that anymore). Flower brooch that could very well be inspired by Willy Chavarria, Celia Cruz, Marissa Cooper, or Leandra Medine Cohen.

A look from spring that can perfectly work for thanksgiving. Top I got at a local Tallahassee store, Tibi skirt, shoes from our local Dillard’s.

Vintage leather clutch which I love how it interacts with the silver bracelet and the sparkly earrings.

Reinterpreted look inspired by @darjabarannik, featuring the same secondhand scarf top from Tibi I wore above, old Céline pumps, and a custom-made skirt I got last year from @alemazzinic, who inspired me to embrace long sporty shorts in 2022 and whose GRWM I miss so much.

An example of something concocted in my mind at 3 a.m. that actually held up under the sunlight of the next morning.

Same skirt with my favorite Willy Chavarria sweatshirt to add some “I don’t give a fuck” to the ultra feminine hat and sparkly kitten heels.

Inspired by that Bottega look. My grandfather Luis Emilio’s shirt he used to love (and still smells like him), my grandma Corina’s bracelet, my grandma Gioconda’s watch.

Layering blacks is one of my love languages and it felt good after weeks of experimenting with color (not done yet). Not sure how appropriate this is for Thanksgiving dinner but it is something I would totally wear to host this year.

Inspired by this Dries Van Noten spring 2000 look, White and Warren cashmere travel wrap (which makes for a great gift), old Zara poplin skirt, Madden Girl shoes from Ross.

A Spanish mantón de manila I got years ago and love wearing it as a dress or a wrap the way Phoebe Philo showed it in 2015. It might not be practical but if you want to feel cocooned around your loved ones, I highly recommend.

Another cozy choice if you want to wear sweats and stay warm and be practical: simply add a brooch to your wrap (this one is a great non-itchy alpaca from Peru) and a red lip you’ll probably have to reapply several times.

Or wear a dramatic skirt with your sweatshirt to keep it cozy yet exciting. In retrospect, I should have added a white pendant necklace.

I tried my beloved orange organza skirt and paired it with its complementary color (blue from the Comme Si socks) for maximum contrast and an unexpected combination that won’t feel too literal for the season.

Second-hand Zimmerman dress I got in the cutest vintage store in the UES around 2015 (similar vibe from Marni), Zara sweater, Tibi sandals,

Navy pinstripe and brown + long necklaces to offset the otherwise corporate vibes.

Mixing summer and fall pieces and textures: Nanushka khaki pants paired with an H&M wool vest (which I wore to meet a major fashion magazine editor in New York 12 years ago—one of the most nerve-racking experiences of my life, though it makes me laugh now), and flip flop heels with socks.

Taxco brooch from eBay (love this one).

Navy blue sweater that looks black on the picture with peplum skirt over Levi’s 501s. Old Balenciaga kitten heals.

Patriotic red and blue, if you’d prefer to signal neutrality and keep the conversation about politics rather civil on the dinner table. Or not.

Here’s to the spaces that hold us and the people who make them feel like home. Happy Thanksgiving to you all; may the holiday remind us that warmth and belonging are meant to be shared.

Laura

💚

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