Sweater Weather
The perfect way to welcome winter back to your wardrobe is with the kind of cozy knits that go from family holiday gathering to fireside hot toddy. Here are some of our favorite statement sweaters of the season, updated with oversize cables, ’80s-worthy puff sleeves and textural details—proof that winter white is anything but vanilla.
FRAME Nubby Turtleneck Wool-Blend Knit Sweater, $395 at Neiman Marcus (5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-966-9700, neimanmarcus.com)
La Vie Rebecca Taylor Cozy Cable Sweater, $295 at Bloomingdale’s (5300 Western Ave., Chevy Chase, 240-744-3700, bloomingdales.com)
J.Crew Women’s 1988 Rollneck Sweater in Warm Ivory, $79.50 at J.Crew (5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-537-3380, jcrew.com)
AMUR Brie Crop Wool Sweater in Ivory, $448 at Saks Fifth Avenue (5555 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, 301-657-9000, saksfifthavenue.com)
J.Crew Collection Cable-Knit Mockneck Sweater in Light Warm Cedar, $188 at J.Crew (5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-537-3380, jcrew.com)
Vince Wool Blend Knit Cardigan in Linen, $425 at Nordstrom (Westfield Montgomery mall, Bethesda, 301-365-4111, nordstrom.com)
Going Clean
“You absorb 60 percent of everything you put on your skin,” says Tara Foley, founder of Follain, a clean-beauty emporium. “Our culture is so focused on nutrition and fitness that investigating the ingredients we put on our skin is the logical next step.”
That’s why the 33-year-old D.C. native and Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart graduate launched Follain online in 2013. Now living in Boston, she recently opened her fifth brick-and-mortar store on Bethesda Row. She also has two stores in Boston, another on Nantucket and one in Seattle.
Follain—Gaelic for “healthy, wholesome and sound”—aims to help women and men eliminate the harmful chemicals in their beauty routine, one product at a time. “The vast majority of our business is skin care, as opposed to Sephora, which is mostly makeup,” Foley says. “Our goal is to get your skin into a really great place first by using products with wholesome ingredients, and then add makeup for fun.”
The light-filled store is set up by category, skin type and concern, with best-of picks in each section chosen from Follain’s roster of more than 75 brands. Testers and trial sizes are everywhere, and sampling is encouraged. In-store consultants can help you find and replace the biggest offenders in your beauty routine. “A lot of people start their transition with the products that are the most unsafe—body soaps and lotions, things that sit on your skin. And anything that says ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ on the label, unless it says ‘made with essential oils,’ could contain up to thousands of different chemicals,” Foley says.
So what makes a beauty product clean? “Clean beauty is a one-two punch,” Foley says. “It has to be nontoxic—that’s a nonnegotiable for us. It can’t be bad for the planet or for you. It also has to work. It has to be effective and offer a really great experience.” That includes skin care, hair care, makeup and fragrances.
For the curious, Follain’s website lists more than two dozen ingredients that can sneak into your beauty routine—everything from the predictable mineral oil and parabens to more shocking ingredients such as formaldehyde and placenta extract—with an explanation of what each is used for and what makes them toxic.
Foley personally tests all products Follain sells. Among her favorites: Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator for skin ($35), La Bella Figura The Clean Slate cleanser ($60), Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil ($32) and May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon beauty balm concentrate ($180).
Follain, 4810 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 240-534-2360, follain.com