The writer and mom of two shares her best tips for shopping vintage, the value of paying close attention, and the cotton underwear she can't live without.

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Downtime With: Harling Ross Anton The writer and mom of two shares her best tips for shopping vintage, the value of paying close attention, and the cotton underwear she can't live without. Elise Hu and Harling Ross Anton Mar 13 ∙ Preview   READ IN APP   Note: Alisha is currently on maternity leave until the summer. In the meantime, Downtime is edited by Elise Hu. Our full weekly posts during this time are exclusively for paid subscribers. Upgrade here for full access and get 20% off your subscription. Thank you for your support! It is with great excitement and some trepidation that I, Elise, step into Alisha’s shoes to edit Downtime as she takes parental leave. One of the privileges of stepping into this role (temporarily, don’t fear) is spending time with such an engaged community, and connecting with the fascinating folks we feature. Like Harling. Harling Ross Anton is a writer, consultant, and mom of two living in New York City. She authors the Gumshoe newsletter on Substack and previously penned the Fashion Friend column for New York Magazine. You might already be familiar with her work from her time writing for the cult fashion media site, Man Repeller. Not only does Harling have excellent taste, but she’s also interested in how we can each draw out our own taste, style, and sensibilities. (Hint: It means slowing down a bit.) Below, Harling takes us through a day in her life, offers her tried-and-true tips for shopping preloved clothing (for grownups and kids — including a hidden gem consignment spot!!), and shares some of her favorite book recommendations and sources for staying inspired. Harling’s 3 Good Things Paying obsessive attention to fabric content: Prioritizing natural materials like cotton, silk, wool, and linen has had the biggest impact on the longevity of my wardrobe. Not only is it more pleasurable, but they also hold up better over time. Keeping a salt hutch next to the stove: So much easier to season food when it’s right there, ready to be pinched! This is the one I have. The BEE HOUSE Salt Hutch The cotton underwear from Subset: Trust me. Downtime With: Harling Ross Anton Talk to us about where you’re from and what you do? I grew up in New York City and still live there now. I write the newsletter Gumshoe on Substack, where I attempt to unravel the mysteries of personal taste and how to shop smarter (i.e. not necessarily more). How did you end up in the work that you do now? I started writing about style in college, on a personal blog that no one read except my mom and a handful of friends. Around the same time, I was pitching essays to the (now-shuttered) cult fashion website Man Repeller. A few of them ended up getting published, which eventually opened the door to a job there. I started as their social media editor and over the course of my five-year tenure was promoted to fashion editor and later brand director. I left in the summer of 2020 to pursue freelancing. I learned a lot, but it was also a stressful time — my income was erratic, and I realized I’m not particularly well-suited to client services as an anxious people-pleaser type. I didn’t feel like I truly hit my stride as a self-employed person until 2023, when I started my Substack newsletter, Gumshoe. I started it to fill a gap in mainstream fashion content: writing about style as it actually manifests in real life, not just hypothetically or in an image on a screen. I share outfits I genuinely wear — the ones that survive subway rides, childcare, and full workdays — and focus on the workhorses in my closet that earn their keep over time. I primarily link to clothing made from natural fibers and write a lot about how to shop less by paying closer attention to what we already own: what we use the most, how we use it, and why. I’ve found that this kind of “data” is often the most useful tool for making better decisions about what to buy — or when not to buy anything at all. Actual outfits Can you walk us through a typical day for you? I’m usually woken up every morning around 6:00 A.M, which is when my eight-month-old starts chirping from her crib. I bring her into bed with me and close my eyes again while she nurses. It’s a really sweet, slow way to start the day. When she’s done eating, my husband Austin and I lay in bed with her and play for a bit. At that point our toddler is usually waking up, so one of us will go fish him out of his crib so he can join the family bed party. This rarely lasts long before he says, “Time to get up, mama!!” Bed party! I usually scramble or soft-boil a bunch of eggs to share with the kids, along with some toast and fruit. On weekdays our wonderful nanny comes from 8:30am to 1:30pm so that I can try to get some work done. Working from home is a little tricky at the moment, because my toddler knows how to open doorknobs, but it’s a necessity, since I’m still nursing the baby pretty frequently. I just started working again a couple months ago after taking a maternity leave and I’m trying my best to keep up with everything, but it’s challenging. I have literally 5,000 emails in my inbox. A typical working lunch during naptime. I put both kids down for their afternoon naps around the same time (1/1:30), and then I’ll usually have some leftovers for lunch and work until the kids wake up. I often schedule any zoom meetings during this window since I know both kids will be asleep. Then I’m solo with the kids for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I try to take them outside for a walk because it makes us all feel more sane when we get fresh air. We’ll walk around our neighborhood and pick up groceries or look for construction vehicles. Then we’ll come home and I’ll warm up leftovers for the kids for dinner. An afternoon stroll with the little ones My husband usually gets home right before the kids go to bed, which is nice because then we can tag team. I’ll nurse the baby one last time before putting her down while Austin entertains our toddler, and then either Austin or I will put our toddler to bed. Then Austin and catch up over dinner and clean the kitchen (truly crazy how much time you spend as a parent cleaning your kitchen). Downtime is a reader-supported publication about the things worth slowing down for — books, culture, rituals, and more. To receive access to all content and support independent writing, consider becoming a paid subscriber. THANK YOU! Upgrade to paid How do you end your day? I usually have some work to finish up after dinner, and after that I like to mess around on my computer or phone for a bit, take a bath, pump milk, read until my eyes can’t stay open any longer, then go to sleep. What does your downtime / “you time” look like? It mostly looks like yearning for more of it. I have a habit of spending it on my phone, just scrolling on TikTok and zoning out. I’m not saying this is an inherently bad thing to do, but I do feel like it’s bad for me personally, because I still feel very overstimulated afterward. My friend recently gave me a Brick and I’m excited to use it and see if that helps. I do feel passionate about not using my downtime for chores and saving those for when the kids are awake – at least as much as possible. I think it’s good for them to see what is involved in taking care of their environment, and to show them how they can pitch in in an age-appropriate way. On Personal Taste and Vintage Style Sourcing You think very intentionally about honing your personal style and taste - and on the flip side, avoiding trend-driven fashion and aesthetics. What are some big things you’ve learned so far in this pursuit?... Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Downtime to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Start trial A subscription gets you: A weekly newsletter, plus everything under the paywall Subscriber-only posts and bonus recommendations You can leave comments, start threads in our subscriber chat, and access the full archives   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 Alisha Ramos 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe