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Rachel Solomon's Closet is Better Than Six Seasons of SATC

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Photos by Tommy Vo

Ok, so when it comes to encyclopedic (and practical!) Sex and The City knowledge, Rachel Solomon takes the cake—and it's probably because her closet's stocked with some of the show's best pieces—that are now virtually incapable of being found. That vintage foldover Dior clutch Carrie rocks in the "To Market, To Market" episode? Check. The Prada lipstick-print skirt Charlotte wears when she meets Trey? She has the pants. Solomon's like the Patricia Field of Brookline: iconic, certainly (homegirl knows how to make an impression—and most Beacon Street residents have seen/heard her click by in straight-from-the-runway eight-inch heels), whimsical, and really, really funny. But what else would you expect from Rue La La's former Associate Creative Director (now fashion writer extraordinaire at Sapient)? From vintage Chanel and Prada to the Kelly green Birkin and a slew of OMG-worthy prints, her closet (complete with mini champagne fridge and awe-inducing wall of shoes) is an oasis of style. Here, we tour the whole damn thing in all of its glory.

Racked: So what are the pieces from your closet that you could never part from?
The Chanel Statement Necklace
Rachel Solomon: It's Chanel, which is just really cool cause it doesn't look like Chanel at all. And it's a statement piece, which I love because I do like to just wear a t shirt and jeans and one [piece of jewelry] and be done sometimes. And I love it because my husband [Ed. note: That would be Jim Solomon, Chef/Owner of The Fireplace.] and I were on this amazing trip to NY and we were in Jeffery, and you know the story Jeffrey that's been mocked on SNL 'cause like they're so fancy in there and they're just crazy with the bouncers at the door and whatever, and we were looking at Jeffrey (he goes along with me with all this fashion stuff which is really nice) and I spotted this and it was in a case and I was like I love that and he was so tricky, he excused himself and went to the restroom and secretly gave up his card and was like "charge this, send me that." So he gave me that for the next Valentine's day.

The Birkin
RS: Can I get up on my ladder and get down that green bag?
Racked: Totally.
RS: Okay, so this is my green Birkin and my only Birkin. It was my 40th birthday present to myself. I'm a hard working girl and that was something that I've always wanted and I loved that it was just a very celebratory occasion, I was at a good place in my life, I felt very strong and I just made a powerful choice and got myself the green Birkin. I know a lot of people would get like a tan or black to be safe and go with a lot of things, but I just felt like I wanted one that would make me smile every time that I looked at it, you know? And you don't even have to match it, you can just not match it, it doesn't even matter, it just looks good with everything. And I don't treat it preciously I just, you know, I'll take it anywhere. I just kind of throw it around and enjoy it! It's also really funny because it was right before I got married and so it was like the last chance to do a big purchase without running it by someone.

The Prada SS 2000 Lipstick Pants
RS: I found them on Ebay about 2 years ago. I'm very good at Ebay. Like, I don't play.
Racked: What are your tips on Ebay? What's the best way to score?
RS: Ok I got two tips. And you're lucky that I'm divulging them (laughter) but ok my two tips are 1. You do the save searches. When I see something I like in a magazine but I can't thrown down for it right now, I'll just pin it somewhere but if you save the search eBay will email you whenever that item comes in. So I have the saved searches so eBay's always searching for me. Tip number 2 is... when you see the item you want there's this site called Auction Sniper and Auction Sniper you put in what the maximum is you're willing to pay and they snipe it for you at the last minute!

The Valentino Multi-Bow Over-The-Knee Boot
RS: You always want over the knee boots that don't make you look like a hoe.
Racked: The Pretty Woman effect can happen very easily.
RS: Yeah pretty easily, and that's not cute. So these I just felt like the feminine bows made it really balanced. That was an item where I was going to splurge you know, and I love over the knee boots because then you don't even see half your outfit—on your off days, its like half of your outfit is just the boots! There's no effort! You could have an Old Navy t shirt, a pair of jeans, the boots, and a cuff. And people will think you look fabulous you know?

The Chanel Flats
RS: I kind of have a little soft spot for these. These little bad boys, because I'm such a high heels person, I wear like eight-inch inch heels all the time. I always joke that my husband's going to see this tiny casket when I die and he'll be like "who the hell is that? I was married to a tall woman!"

The Alexander McQueen De-Manta Butterfly-Print Clutch Bag
RS: My gay husband Hung—he's wonderful, and he gave me this McQueen bag for my last birthday. It's just so McQueen-y and it's not trying to hard, and it's not one of those evening bags that's so tiny you can't fit anything in it.

The Jil Sander Wool Varsity Lettered Sweater
RS: I do have a soft spot for this. This is Jil Sander but the J, I wear a J pendant because both my husband and my son are J's – so J is my letter. And not that we're friends, but Beyonce, my friend, has been photographed in the black version of this because of her Jay!

The Vintage Monogrammed Dior Foldover Clutch
RS: So this was in Sex and the City episode "To Market, To Market" when Carrie runs down to catch a cab [Ed note: she's on her way to ring the bell at the Stock Exchange] and at first she's clutching it but in her desperation because she's late it unwraps and she's sort of toting it down the street. I got it at a consignment shop before vintage was really a thing, and it was $13.

The Prada SS12 Car-Applique Metallic Clutch Bag
RS: Isn't it so cool? This one, so you probably remember I think it was two years ago that Prada came out with all those car pieces. My dad is obsessed with cars, he loves old cars, and so I just felt like I had to get a piece from that collection, I didn't know what it was going to be. Everything was so cute, the skirts were so cute, the shoes with the flames you know, but I just love this. I loved how you saw the whole vintage car and it was such a bright, bold thing, and I thought too, I would have it forever.

Stella McCartney Womenswear S/S11, Citrus Skirt
RS: Everyone was like, don't buy that because you're going to get so sick of it! And I'm not sick of it. And it's like, you can just wear it different ways with every season, it's even better the older it gets because the less it's around.


Racked: How would you describe your personal style?
RS: My personal style is evolving, always evolving. I'm not one of those people who are like, you know how there are those certain people that you associate them with one style and they're like Bohemian! Or whatever, I'm not like that. I use style to improve myself, so I love, I'm very drawn to whimsical print, so all last summer I was wearing these really whimsical prints, like the fruits, some of this, some of that, and I like things that make me smile. And then this season everything I buy is just like black and sculptural and man-ish, I just reacted to that, that I wanted to clean the slate and be cool and I wanna rock it out a little and have a little edge, and I want to think about sculpture and restraint, you know, I just felt like all of that was so girly, and now I want to be a bad ass bitch. You know what I mean?


Racked: Favorite places to shop in Boston?
RS: Ok. Definitely Saks, obviously with Melissa [Solomon's personal shopper]. She's fantastic and she answers all my questions, even on her off hours. I love The Closet, I love consignment, it's good for the environment, it's good for the soul, and I love pieces that nobody else has and that's where you find them. I love eBay, but that's not in Boston.
· Chanel [Official Site]
· Saks Fifth Avenue [Official Site]
· All coverage of The Closet [Racked Boston]