“I love wearing color,” Lauren Rubinski says on our call, gently tugging at her pistachio green polo—a Rubirosa’s original—which she’s wearing with cherry red pants.
The fine jewelry designer, famed for her chunky, chain-link gold chokers and playful signet rings, has found a new form of expression in Rubirosa’s, an elegant neighborhood shirt shop in Paris’s historic 7th arrondissement. Though a relatively new space, its Art Deco-inspired signage, dark wood paneling, wall-to-wall red velvet carpeting, and vintage haberdashery shelving make Rubirosa’s feel like it’s always been there—and that’s exactly how Rubinski intended it to be.
Working closely with artistic director Louis Charles Aka, the space took shape in just under a year, a passion project with no grand strategy—and no website. Since opening on Rue de Grenelle last June, the boutique has drawn a steady crowd of cognoscenti seeking out Rubinski’s refined unisex cotton shirting, vibrant cashmere knits, and soft leather loafers. “It was a dream to have something for myself,” Rubinski says of the store, which is as much a physical manifestation of her taste as a reflection of how she curates her own wardrobe—one rich in color and texture, with exquisite details that invite a closer look.
“I wear a shirt almost every day,” Rubinski says, reflecting on her own style, which eschews trends in favor of classic pieces with a twist—like a piped pink pajama set worn with black croc loafers and an oversized leather jacket, or paint-splattered men’s chinos with a distressed chore coat and hardy suede boots. Her penchant for shirting is, by all accounts, a natural one, passed down by her father and grandfather—both bespoke tailors who instilled in her an exacting eye for quality and execution. But that doesn’t mean she’s fussy: “I want to feel confident and strong, but I don’t need my clothes to be perfect.”
With a uniform grounded in practicality, her finishing touches—which can range from an heirloom belt gifted by her father to a hard-to-come-by Hermès Mini Plume suede top-handle, or an ultra-rare 1960s Patek Philippe Ricochet pocket watch worn as a pendant on a black cord—befit her collectsor’s mindset.
An entrepreneur and mom of two with a packed schedule, Rubinski is now focused on expanding Rubirosa’s offerings and physical footprint, with a second, larger (750-square-foot) space set to open next door this June. Here, Rubinski shares with Vogue her perfectly laissez-faire approach to getting dressed.
Earth Tones
For everyday ease, Rubinski relies on a rotating cast of Ralph Lauren staples. “I buy a lot of men’s Ralph Lauren,” she explains—including these distressed earth-toned cargos, which she’s tailored to fit her proportions. She’s wearing them with a pale blue Rubirosa’s pajama top with white contrast piping, in a smaller size than her usual for a cropped effect. A rare collectsible—a 1960s Patek Philippe Ricochet pocket watch—is strung on a cord and worn as a pendant. Soft ballerinas from The Row ground her look (“I rarely wear heels during the day,” she says), alongside a big-buckle Ralph Lauren belt for considered contrast.
The Exalted White Button-Down
In an outfit inspired by her mother’s love of suede, Rubinski underscores the versatility of the humble white shirt. “I wanted to do a French version of the cowgirl look,” Rubinski says cheekily, noting that her suede pants were made to measure on a trip to Morocco. She wears them here for day with a vintage Ralph Lauren vest and cognac Rubirosa’s loafers for a clean, effortless silhouette. To translate this look for evening, Rubinski says she’ll keep the pants but slip into a fitted black pullover and a pair of kitten heels—one of her leather peep-toe Manolo Blahnik Jada’s, to be exact.
Pajama Party
“I never wear these pajamas inside—they’re too beautiful to sleep in,” Rubinski says of the pink and white piped cotton poplin set she’s wearing here, a Rubirosa’s bestseller (and her favorite color). “I started tucking in the shirt to make it more feminine and sophisticated,” she adds, purposefully fastening the drawstring high up on the waist. “I love when you don’t have to think about your look, but you feel good about yourself.” A distressed Prada jacket and Rubirosa’s croc loafers keep things sensible for day.
For evening, she takes a more classic approach, either wearing black pajama bottoms with a fitted knit, Manolo Blahnik Carolyn heels, and an oversized men’s coat, or one of the pajama shirts with black trousers and flat sandals from The Row. “All my pieces are simple, and not necessarily recognizable, but beautiful,” Rubinski says.
Borrowed From the Boys
A casual outfit for Rubinski looks a lot like this: a white T-shirt, distressed men’s Ralph Lauren chinos, and an oversized Prada barn jacket, anchored by suede heeled boots (the only exception to her rule about flats) and a black leather Hermès belt. “I love to live with my clothes,” she says. “We too much pressure on ourselves to look a certain way.” A tear in her shirt nowadays gets mended with a red thread, a small stitch to protect from the evil eye.
A Touch of Leopard
Another typical ensemble for Rubinski is a statement coat (this one’s 2019 Bottega Veneta that she’s only worn twice before), a neutral-colored button-down, vintage Levi’s, and her go-to flats from The Row. “I’ve been collectsing silk scarves for years,” she says, alluding to the printed Chrome Hearts bandana that she picked up in London. She likes to wear it knotted at the neck in the winter or framing her face as a head scarf in summer. “My look is hard to define,” Rubinski says, but it’s less about being on-trend than about expressing herself through pieces that speak to her. She finds comfort in the familiar—be it her grandmother’s ring, a belt she inherited from her father, or a cashmere sweater she owns in multiples. “I’m not trying please anybody,” she says. “I’m happy with the pieces I wear every day.”
