Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Dawn Nguyen
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Good style really just comes down to fit, according to Dawn Nguyen, the founder of L’Ensemble — quite possibly the chicest store in New York City right now. “One of my favorite looks is a fitted T-shirt and a good pair of jeans,” she says. “I really like simplicity, less is more. When something is truly comfortable, you move at ease no matter what you’re doing.”
And, sure, it’s easy to talk about good fit when your go-to pieces are jeans and T-shirts from Khaite, Re/Done, and St. Agni. But Nguyen also shops at airports. “I love a good merch T-shirt from Margaritaville or the St. Bart’s airport. Also, when I travel, I love finding great hole-in-the-wall shops.”
Some of Nguyen’s biggest sources of inspiration are Neiman Marcus catalogues from the ’90s, brands like Kallmeyer, and runway shows from the ’90s and 2000s like those of Prada and Miu Miu. She spends her time sourcing looks from her favorite collections on the RealReal and building her core wardrobe. “When you invest in a great shirt or T-shirt, there really is a difference when you wear it; it becomes a staple piece you wear nonstop.”
Below, see where Nguyen got the pieces that made it into her curated wardrobe and home.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
Tove jeans. I’m obsessed with them at the moment. I love the brand and what they’re doing with their tailoring and occasion dressing. I love lighter-wash denim; I constantly wear the Khaite Kerrie jeans and I felt like I needed a replacement. The Tove jeans are slouchy in the perfect areas, it’s looser on the waist, and you need a belt, which I like. I wear it with a button-down shirt or a cropped T-shirt from Re/Done. Those are my favorite T-shirts for the summer because they have a vintage feel. St. Agni baby tees also fit perfectly at the waistline, and T-shirts from Japanese vintage stores are also good.
My sister gave me the gold bar from Jillian Dempsey. She has always been obsessed with beauty; she has impeccable skin, and so when I’m too busy to do the research, she’ll send me care packages. I just massage the gold bar over my face and I have a timer for three minutes and my skin just lifts up and wakes up. Once it broke and I couldn’t use it for a month, but once I started using it again, I started getting compliments, and I swear it’s the gold bar. After I use the P50 Biologique Recherché toner, I use the Chanel Le Lift eye cream and Elta MD SPF.
I have my Marset lamp, a Laneige lip mask, whatever book I’m reading at the moment, and a glass of water. I’m big on setting a scene with lighting, so I carry my lamp around for a low-lit situation. It’s a good alternative to a candle because sometimes I’d doze off. I love to shop for furniture on 1stdibs and LiveAuctioneers.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
My bedroom. It’s the area where I get the most natural light in my apartment. That’s the biggest complaint about my space: Even though I love it, there’s not that much light in the main area. I have a low platform bed and all-white sheets from Tekla. It’s cozy and feels like a cloud. I get most of my décor inspiration from Instagram, Pinterest; the algorithm is really good, it definitely knows my taste and style. I love Les Collection, I bought some furniture pieces from the store. She has beautiful objects, taste, and curation.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
I got my gold necklace from my mom. I wear it all the time, it never comes off. I always wanted an everyday necklace, something to go with everything that you don’t have to worry about. I always felt so naked without anything on my neck, but I wanted something that wasn’t too loud. Then my mom found this in Vietnam and it was perfect. A lot of my jewelry is a gift, which makes it more meaningful.
Melograno by Santa Maria Novella. I always loved them but I was unsure which scent of theirs was the one I’d gravitate toward the most, they have so many. My boyfriend has a bunch of toiletries from them and it was one of the samples. I was obsessed. It smells really warm and elegant, almost like a baby. It’s powdery and clean.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
My Tom Ford for Gucci coat is from What Goes Around Comes Around. I went in there with my mom, who needed a wallet, so I was just keeping her company. The sales rep was so good. I told him I needed a black jacket, and he grabbed it for me. I was thinking something more simple, but I tried it on for fun and completely fell in love. My mom was like, “You have to get that coat, you can’t leave without that jacket.” It’s sad the weather in New York has been so mild; I haven’t had a chance to wear it much. I like pairing it with a fitted black cashmere turtleneck and black jeans.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
My white poplin bustier dress from Miu Miu. This was one of my favorite collections at the time. I was in New York wandering around Soho taking photos for class when I stumbled upon the store, saw it, and fell in love. My parents sent me off to New York with their credit card and didn’t give me a budget. I got in a lot of trouble for it. It’s a piece I know I’ll never get rid of, so I don’t feel so bad about it now. I used to wear it around the city to happy hour in Havaianas flip-flops. My style has changed so much since then. That dress was special, but I don’t wear puffy things as much as I used to. I loved a very full skirt in my early 20s; I like more tailored and structured pieces now.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
My loafers from The Row. I already had a pair of loafers, so I resisted getting another pair until I saw them in person and thought it was a really good shoe and so different. You know when you know what you like and everyone thinks it’s the same, but you know it’s different. My other loafers were very chunky, and these are slimmer. I wear them with jeans or trousers. I also love wearing them with Hanes or Muji socks and gym shorts, that’s a really fun look, but they even go with dresses and skirts. They go with everything.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
My dad’s leather bomber from the ’80s. He had it forever and my sister stole it one day and would always wear it. She wasn’t ready to give it up until I had a vintage shearling that she wanted and that’s when we traded. It’s my go-to jacket for the winter or mild weather. The leather jacket is now the winter jacket. I also really like the HommeGirls leather jacket. It really looks like they took inspiration from vintage leather jackets.
Photo: Dawn Nguyen
A Quarter Snacks hoodie my friend Ian gave to me. He’s a stylist and I was keeping him company while he was doing a Beacon’s Closet drop, and it was something they didn’t want to take. He was so offended by that and asked me if I wanted it, and it’s been my favorite go-to piece. It’s worn in in the most perfect way, and he cut off the band at the bottom so it has a loose boxy fit and it’s more comfortable to layer.