Asking "Why not?" with Jalil Johnson

The "Consider Yourself Cultured" writer puts his inimitable spin on some Fall '24 favorites.

Jalil Johnson photographed by Noa Griffel in New York City.

Since Jalil Johnson launched his Substack newsletter Consider Yourself Cultured almost two years ago, his content has included excellent podcast interviews, insightful fashion week round-ups and shopping posts that tap into his deep well of cultural references. But what’s resonated most with his readers are “my outfits,” says Jalil. “The reality is, I’m known for my outfits.”

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His personal style is rich with stories, how he spun a particular kernel of inspiration and the journey behind each piece, whether anecdotal, tactical or historical. What caught our eye was Jalil’s unconstrained creative freedom, crucially shaped by a sophisticated eye.

”My newsletter harkens to back to Diana Vreeland’s ‘Why don’t you…?’ column, he says. “I approach dressing like that – why not?”

Jalil has been a Tory fan since the Claire McCardell collection for Spring ’22, which he deemed “electric,” and we’ve been a fan of his since this profile so we asked him to put his inimitable spin on some favorites from Fall ’24.

WHY NOT… DRESS UP A JEAN?

Jalil on Tory’s brushed wool peacoat with gold ‘broken’ logo buttons: “What’s special is that it’s not super structured. It’s a bit more fluid which feels elegant.”

We started on a relatively casual note with our brushed wool peacoat, which Jalil paired with vintage medium blue Levi’s 501s. “The whole idea here is how do you dress up a jean?” he explained. “I think a fantastic little peacoat does that.” He layered the coat with a plum merino wool shirt by Brooklyn designer Naomi Nomi, discovered via Rachel Tashjian’s invite-only Opulent Tips newsletter, collar popped just so and knotted a silk Charvet scarf around his neck, creating a bit of drama and enriching the palette with jewel tones.

Jalil wears a Tory Burch wool peacoat, Naomi Nomi shirt, Charvet scarf, belt and socks; Renato Cipullo chain, vintage Levi’s 501s and Martiniano Glove flats.

Two more Charvet elements — a burgundy woven cord belt and cherry red socks, both purchased on his recent trip to Paris — added color and texture. The finishing touch: his Renato Cipullo paperclip chain, the first piece of fine jewelry in his nascent collection. (Watch Jalil’s Substack for an upcoming interview with the iconic Italian jeweler.) “It’s all the little things that add character and personality,” said Jalil.

WHY NOT… HAVE FUN WITH A SUIT?

Jalil wears a Tory Burch wool jacquard jacket, pants and Marshmallow satchel with a Ralph Lauren turtleneck, Don’t Let Disco Serenity Orb necklace, Renato Cipullo chain, Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses and L.L. Bean tote.

In his “fall reset,” Jalil has been playing with more menswear, influenced by a visit to Charvet in Paris for a custom shirt, sporting Ralph Lauren menswear at a NYFW party and Giorgio Armani’s soft tailoring on his moodboard. “The general trend in fashion is people wanting to feel comfortable in their clothes,” he says. “There’s something beautiful about having something made to your body that also provides a comfort.”

Our striped jacquard suit from the runway has both structure and softness. It’s unlined but bonded and the shoulders are padded. Jalil played into the softness with a thin black turtleneck topped with a Don’t Let Disco beaded necklace. “I feel like everyone needs a suit,” he said. “There’s so much fun you can have with it.”

The Bangle, Earrings and Ring from Jalil's Bold Collection, co-created with At Present.

Jewelry plays a big role in Jalil’s outfits. He began collecting fine jewelry earlier this year and began to work with jewelry marketplace At Present as a stylist-in-residence and then collaborated on new designs, appropriately called The Bold Collection. The softly geometric pieces play on the Victorian idea of acrostic jewelry, which used gemstones to spell out words. He used blue sapphire (B), opal (O), lapis (L), and diamond (D).

Jalil wears his Bold Bangle in gold, also available in silver.

WHY NOT… BE (WAY) OVER-THE-TOP?

Jalil wears a Tory Burch fringe coat, faux croc skirt and Pierced pumps with a Simone Rocha sequined top, vintage pearls strung with an Elsa Peretti ring.

Though this look is from the Fall ’24 collection, its spirit is blithely dancing ahead to holiday dressing. It brings together disparate textures — tinsel fringe, croc-embossing, sequins — under one shiny black umbrella. Jalil however explained that he built the outfit from the boxy structure of the skirt. “It’s such a dynamic piece,” he said. “I wanted to soften those hard lines.” And it works, with the halo of flyaway fringe and blousy curves of the peplum top.

And where would one wear this? “For some reason I was thinking about New Year’s Eve,” says Jalil. “The holidays give you an excuse to pull out that thing you thought was too much. There’s no ‘too much’ when it comes to holiday.”

Jalil strikes a pose in our office elevator.