I am inclined to believe that, with some time and effort, one could conceivably find something one might like to buy anywhere—at your nan's go-to department store, you can now leave with pom-pom mules and vinyl minis like that which Kylie Jenner recently wore. But the National Geographic Store? It might be the unlikeliest, goldmine-iest of them all—and not just for its Morgan Freeman-narrated documentaries.
Alongside DNA kits and The Secret History of World War II, the store stocks an Aladdin's cave of—wait for it—clothes. Good clothes. (H/T to Man Repeller.) The trick is perhaps to steer clear of the more "culturally inspired" pieces and rather think of it as a place to find solid basics like Irish aran sweaters without having to trawl eBay, and novelty items that speak to your profound sense of irony.
Like this: The brandeddad cap, in navy or black, would be funny worn to brunch with faux fur and jumbo ear jewelry. And what about the silly cheetah T-shirt under a slip dress à la Vetements? Or take one of the aforementioned fisherman knits, which come in every kind of pullover and cardigan and half-zip imaginable, and add a pair of high-shine Carven pants or a skirt.
Result: Alexa Chung.
But maybe what you really want is compression socks for escaping death by deep vein thrombosis on your next long-haul flight? They've got those too.
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Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at MarieClaire.com. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.
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