POPATU HAS SEVERAL PRECIOUS PLAID DRESSES FOR DRESSY OCCASIONS OR FAMILY PORTRAITS FOR LITTLE ONES AT GOOD PRICES — LOVE THIS ONE, THIS ONE, AND THIS ONE
P.P.S. Children’s toys you won’t mind leaving out.
P.P.P.S. What are your children dressing up as for Halloween? Costume ideas here in case you’re still plotting.
By: Jen Shoop
We enjoyed a beautiful suburban weekend, both sprawled out and busy. A blue crab feast with friends, ballet and soccer classes, a dinner party at home with family (we served Publican Chicken — le best, les best — served just how they serve it at the restaurant in Chicago, over crispy potatoes nestled alongside grilled, smoked sausage), car-washing, a picnic in the park, and a long Sunday morning that just dripped by, honey-like, as we stood barefoot in the cul de sac chatting with neighbors and watching our children play tag and huddle around Playmobil sets and pause to watch the planes jet overhead. The ease and unencumberedness of it all still startles and delights me. It sometimes feels like I’m still unwinding from New York City, from the intensity of living there during the pandemic, from the move, from all the decision-making. My sister mentioned the other day that she has never seen me more at peace. It is true; I can feel the change in my bones. I know life cannot always be this way, and so instead, I will just echo Ginzburg: “God has given us this moment of peace,” and I am deeply grateful for it.
Anyhow, a couple of random missives this morning…
+We’ve had a sprinkling of cooler evenings and mornings and I have been unabashedly indulging in fall clothing. Today, I wore these boyfriend jeans, a pair of Gucci flats (a few seasons old, you can find some pairs on eBay/PoshMark), a padded burgundy headband, and an army green half-zip. The colors are doing me right. I also really love the look of this smocked-neck blouse under skinny overalls — I wore this outfit apple picking with some Chanel espadrilles. The footwear was a poor choice (swap for sneakers!), but I’ve never been known for practicality, so…
+And yet — when we hosted dinner on Saturday night, it was like 95 degrees and 100% humidity out. I wore this sundress, which is under $40 and reminds me of one of my favorite Schumacher fabric prints.
+I’m so glad headbands are still on-trend. They always make me feel just a little more pulled-together for some reason, especially when I’m tired of what’s in my closet. Currently setting my sights on this velvet “salmon-colored” one, which would be seriously fetching with all things burgundy.
+New fun fall patchwork dress. So perfect for clogs.
+Also loving this ease-into-fall dress from The Great! The embroidery!!!
+Just treated myself to this spicy margarita salt. Mr. Magpie is highly adventurous and inventive with cocktails but if I’m in the driver’s seat, I invariably make one of three things: a margarita, a Tom Collins, or a Gin and Tonic (with Fever Tree tonic). I love a spicy margarita but often lack the foresight to prepare jalapeno-infused simple syrup, or to even buy jalapenos to begin with. I’m thinking the spicy margarita salt will stand in as a fun substitute for such planning — I’ll just rim the glass of a traditionally prepared marg with it. Yeehaw! It just dawned on me that I might give away the second jar as a hostess gift to a friend…
+Speaking of hostess gifts, I am totally obsessed with Michele’s Granola (which is a local Maryland business!) and have been giving it away as hostess gifts! I can find it at my local Whole Foods, too, but convenient that they sell the three packs on Amazon in case you can’t find it, or just want to stock up so you have a clever hostess gift on hand. It is SO good! I love the almond butter flavor best but have been making my way through all the flavors.
+Another note on hostess gifts: we also have had occasion to bring friends bottles of wine for dinner, etc, and instead of using those wine gift bags, I bought a pack of these cello wine bags and tie off with a seasonally-appropriate ribbon and tuck a TrueTap wine key in there.
+Our teak dining table for the back patio arrived! I am ecstatic and in love with it. We paired it with these dining chairs (we went for the ones with arms since I find it so much more comfortable for outdoor dining to have arms — especially if you are sitting out there for a few hours, enjoying crabs, or watching the sun go down, etc), and we got the yellow and white sunbrella stripe cushions, which add so much fun and color to the area. The table currently looks great with yellow mums in a chinoiserie planter on top! One thing I realized when hosting dinner on it for the first time last weekend was how enormous it is — which is fantastic as we can host a ton of people around it, and there is a lot of surface area for holding platters, etc., — but I need new, larger table linens! In the immediate term, I ordered these inexpensive hyacinth chargers.
+The above photo makes me want a cup of coffee so badly. All our favorite coffee and tea service gear here.
+MissiGirl Designs just sent me the cutest pair of velvet cameo earrings for fall. Such a fun accessory.
+This plaid flannel dress for a tiny one is 40% off ATM, as is this sherpa vest, which was just restocked after being sold out in many sizes.
+This loose-cut navy maxi shirtdress is under $30 and perfect for everyday fall wear with some smart flats/mules.
+We are hosting a little Halloween parade the day before Halloween this year with some little ones, and I’m beginning to plan out some tiny surprises. I think I might do some sort of station where the children can assemble/decorate a cupcake using gummy worms, sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and cupcake toppers.
+This tiny fair isle cardigan is absolutely precious.
+The best under-$10 eyeliner. I just love this stuff. It rivals much higher-end/prestige cosmetics brands and you can achieve the finest line with it.
+These new repositionable sticker books from Melissa & Doug preoccupied my children for hours over the last week.
+Looking for a new candle, and think I might try either this one (which promises to transport you to “the quiet stillness of a traditional library” — YES) or this one. I know many of you swear by the latter small label!
+Keep coming back to this top, currently marked way down. It is so me in every way. This navy feels even more on-trend and seasonally-versatile, though…swoon.
+These tiny velvet pumpkins are darling to decorate a little one’s bookcase…
Every few years, I revisit Patti Smith’s excellent essay on performing at a Nobel Prize ceremony honoring Bob Dylan, and every few years, I retreat with something new. At first reading, I took heart in her musings on “the humiliating sting of failure.” I, too, have experienced that prickly heat, on daises far less renowned and interesting, but public nonetheless. I am thinking specifically of a pitch to a famous Chicago tech investor. I was nervous, I was rushing, my heart was beating out of my throat, and he stood up in the middle — while his peons looked on placidly — and casually threw an apple core into the trash bin, pausing to linger at the window, at what desultory street happenings might temporarily interest him. I’ll pass, was the message at the end. You’re an idiot was the subtext. There were many other fumblings in front of investors, customers, and audiences, and — later — many rounds of humiliating conversations about ending our business. My face still burns at these memories, as if cinders bearing residual and permanent heat. When I was closer to the events, I found umbrage in Smith’s reminder that we all fail: I wish I would have done better, I said. No, no, they replied, none of us wish that. For us, your performance seemed a metaphor for our own struggles. Just so.
A few years later, I found myself fixated on her statement that: “Time does not heal all wounds but gives us the tools to endure them.” It called to mind Tonkin’s “Growing-Around-Grief” model:
I took kindly to the principle that we may never “get over” or “erase” or “work through” or “quiet” our experiences with challenges, losses, and failures, but we can evolve to live with them and create more space to grapple with other matters as time passes. That has proven true in issues great and small in my life, whether grieving the loss of a friend, mourning the closing of a business, or recovering from any manner of minor heartaches and setbacks.
On this most recent reading, though, I sat in awe at the passage: “And all the things I have seen and experienced and remember will be within me, and the remorse I had felt so heavily will joyfully meld with all other moments. Seventy years of moments, seventy years of being human.”
I am awestruck by her grace in this statement. Frankly, I am awestruck at her grace in the video footage of her performance of that Dylan song at the Nobel ceremony, too. “I’m so sorry,” she says, when she can’t go on. She tries again, for a bar, then — “I’m so sorry. I’m so nervous.” Then a self-deprecating laugh, then a starting-again. “Seventy years of moments, seventy years of being human,” she says, and I imagine a soul moving steadily along its bumpy path, faring ups and downs but consistently returning to the midline axis. But her grasp on the long-view, her simultaneous resolve and apology, suggest a line graph of a different sort: here is the perch afforded by age, the loft born of experience.
+Half-zips are having such a moment — I love the ones from La Ligne (<<currently on sale in ver limited sizes) and J. Crew — but this under-$30 score in the olive green nails the trend for less.
+Not really a jumpsuit person but I saw this and…! Like, do I need to go away to a cabin in the woods one crisp fall weekend and wear this while reading and sipping coffee? Yes, I do. Would be cute with high-end sneakers. (Lots of those in this post.)
+This dress, in the burgundy print (labeled inscrutably “bercafl” in the description), reminds me SO much of the SEA dress I wore last Thanksgiving. So chic with a little cardi over the shoulders and a burgundy padded headband.
+These quilted suede ballet flats for a little one are under $20 and absolutely adorable, and so is this $20 embroidered cardigan!
+I have a pearl-dotted sweater similar to this Sezane that I bought from Zara a few years back that I still wear every single winter! A fab piece.
+YES to this top. Stow away for a festive holiday gathering!
+People love these $20 running shorts. Come in tons of colors! More fall athletic finds here.
+Into white tops like this to pair with jeans when I’m just not inspired. I throw on all my favorite accessories at the moment and go. Currently, those accessories are: corduroy headbands, caramel shades, and heart necklaces.
+I’ve had a couple of queries about whether I’ll be testing the shacket trend. I do like it a lot and have been waiting for one in a simple neutral oatmeal color I think…but this blush gingham might be just the ticket. I like that it’s not super long (I’m only 5’0 and some styles would totally dwarf me)!
I can’t get enough burgundy this season! So many of the fall dresses I featured in this blogpost last week feature it and I love the way it plays with navy, khaki/taupe, pink, ivory, and forest green. A few favorite finds in this moody hue:
THIS FREE PEOPLE DRESS — HATE HOW IT’S STYLED ON THE SITE, BUT WITH A DELICATE HEELED SANDAL AND UPDO AND A BERRY STAIN ON THE LIPS, PERFECT FOR A FALL WEDDING! THE BACK IS STUNNING!
P.P.S. “Is it possible to experience a full day of happiness? A full afternoon? Or does happiness always exist like this: in startling sips? I think back on a couple of fantastic trips, experiences, meals, special occasions, “golden hours,” and I feel as though maybe I’ve “rounded up” and written the entirety of the day off as “happy” when I’m certain, come to think of it, there were moments of stress or frustration or quietude tucked in there alongside the good. And what does it mean that I think about happiness as little dots along the seams of my days?” More on happiness here.
I shared this earlier this week, but I snagged a couple of textured pumpkins for one of my mantels: this green one, two of these ivories, and one faux fur. Even more options below:
I mentioned yesterday that I would like to read Natalia Ginzburg’s book of essays, The Little Virtues, originally published in Italian in 1962. I read an excerpt from the first chapter and this passage fixed me to my seat:
“When the first snows began to fall a quiet sadness took hold of us. We were in exile: our city was a long way off, and so were books, friends, the various desultory events of a real existence. We lit our green stove with its long chimney that went through the ceiling: we gathered together in the room with the stove—there we cooked and ate, my husband wrote at the big oval table, the children covered the floor with toys. There was an eagle painted on the ceiling of the room, and I used to look at the eagle and think that was exile. Exile was the eagle, the murmur of the green stove, the vast, silent countryside and the motionless snow. At five o’clock the bell of the church of Santa Maria would ring and the women with their black shawls and red faces went to Benediction. Every evening my husband and I went for a walk: every evening we walked arm in arm, sinking our·feet into the snow. The houses that ran alongside the street were lived in by people we knew and liked, and they all used to come to the door to greet us. Sometimes one would ask, ‘When will you go back to your own house?’ My husband answered, ‘When the war is over.’ ‘And when will this war be over? You know everything and you’re a professor, when will it be over?’ They called my husband ‘the professor’ because they could not pronounce his name, and they came from a long way off to ask his advice on the most diverse things—the best season for having teeth out, the subsidies which the town hall gave, and the different taxes and duties.”
Sometimes reading is like opening a hand, and I receive what it is written like a gift, floating towards the experience of another. But sometimes I read with a kind of voracious selfishness, funneling and even bending the words to fit my own experiences. When I saw these words from Ginzburg, all I could think of was March through August of 2020, when we were hunkered down in our Manhattan apartment in quarantine. We felt in exile then, too — “our city a long way off” even though we were technically inside of it. We, too, were disconnected from “the various desultory events of a real existence.” We spent those months gathered together in the same rooms, straining for cadences of normalcy: not Church bells, in our case, but the nightly applause to cheer on the essential workers during those dark times. Even the final line of that paragraph feels perfectly-attuned to the way we all peered anxiously at experts during those days. “When will it be over? You know everything, when?!”
I think perhaps I am still processing that experience, and finding the words of others — even words that do not belong to this era, or this COVID context, and that I perhaps should not liken to my own experience for ethical reasons (i.e., we were not exiles of war) — a salve on a wound. Or if not a salve, some sort of medicine.
I know we are still very much living in the era of COVID, and that people are dying daily, and that we are perhaps too close in and to tender-hearted to begin to sketch out the contours of our experiences during this period. But the experience of living during that time in NYC versus later in the year in NYC, or currently in our home in Bethesda, manifest in stark contrast with each other. For this difference, I am overwhelmed with relief. I find myself thinking back on that period as if it were a nightmare. And so it is helpful to reframe those memories in the words of others, or to connect my own experience then to the disparate reality of Natalia Ginzburg in the 1940s in Abruzzi. Interestingly, the subtitle to the particular essay I excerpted above reads: “God has given us this moment of peace.” I’ll take that reminder, bird-like, back to my nest.
+I’ve been casually looking for a fun evil eye necklace when I want to layer a bunch of delicate pieces over a simple white tee. I think this one is the ticket, in the “E” design!
+I’m desperate to make this belt my own. Can you even?! I want to wear over everything.
+Outnet has some amazing scores ATM: this Sandro dress, these corduroy loafers, this Joie sweater, and this cashmere turtleneck.
+20% off everything at SuperGoop with code SUPER20. I am a major fan of their glowscreen. I wear it on mornings I go running when I want a tiny bit of oomph/coverage but don’t want actual makeup on.
+Just love these half-zips. Such good colors and the shape feels right for the season.
+I’ve shared these organizational products before, but this expandable bamboo cutlery/implement organizer is the best — great quality and conforms with any drawer size — and these shallow clear containers are ideal for medicine cabinets, junk drawers, desk drawers, etc.
+And these drawer dividers are fantastic for dressers! They actually enable me to uphold folding things like Marie Kondo.
+Darling jumper for a little lady. Love it with a peter pan collar top.
+My favorite foldable fabric storage cubes come in so many colors now — love the pale blue!
By: Jen Shoop
Tuckernuck is currently offering up to 30% off during its spend-more-save-more Friends & Family sale. Use code BESTFRIEND to get 20% off $250, 25% off $500, and 30% off $1000. My favorite picks:
P.P.S. To my husband: “There is something about growing old with you that continues to return me to my teenage years, as if every trip around the sun is also a reclamation of things past, every rotation a winnowing inward, closer to you and me as we were at eighteen.”
I have read nothing since June. The old me would have felt guilty about this, but the current me shrugs and says: “We’ll get back there again.” I love reading for many reasons – escape, provocation, intellectual stimulation, instruction of various kinds – and I feel a nearly vocational commitment to maintaining its habit in my life, but I have finally come to the view that there are heavy seasons where my engagement with some of my favorite pastimes will need to temporarily wane. Moving put everything on hold, but in the weeks since the dust has settled, I have been prioritizing time with my husband in the evening and exercise (when I can) in the morning and I have not been finding enough give in my week to accommodate reading, too. Now that mini is off to school and we seem to be falling into a more regular routine, I have had occasion to pick up a book and it feels delightful. (Hello, old friend!). There is nothing better than getting into bed early with wet hair and a good book. Four books that have lured me back into the saddle, all of which are on the “best-seller, great-for-cocktail-party-convo” side of the spectrum:
1 // Sally Rooney, Beautiful World Where Are You. I loved her earlier novels so much I trekked out to Brooklyn to hear her speak while I was 234 months pregnant and mildly to aggressively worried I might go into labor while on the D train. She is exceptional at building chemistry between characters in small details, like describing the positioning of two bodies, the movement of hands in hair, the casual conversations. I am again wowed by her technique in this regard though I will say the book is not as gripping as her earlier ones were. That said, a few Magpies chimed in to say the novel becomes “stickier” as it unfolds. Description: “Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood. Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young―but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart.” More on her earlier novels here.
2 // Liane Moriarty, Apples Never Fall. The magic-touch author of Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and — my personal favorite, What Alice Forgot (seriously love that book and wish it had been made into a show; if you are looking for a fail-proof “get me hooked on a book I can’t put down,” start there!) is back again. I always enjoy Moriarty’s cinematic, family-oriented drama and rich character design. Description: “If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father? This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings. The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after 50 years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?…”
3 // Shari La Pena, Not A Happy Family. If you are a thriller-lover, here’s our next joy ride. I absolutely love thrillers both because they represent a total escape and I find them interesting as a genre in contemporary society, especially from a gender lens. (Like, why is it that so many modern thrillers involve unhappy family relationships, where the evil one is “from inside” — a wanton husband, an evil mother-in-law, a cruel child, etc?). La Pena has some fantastic recent thrillers under her belt (my favorite was The Couple Next Door), and the latest sounds winning: “Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can’t protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated. Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions.”
4 // Janet Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister. First, let me thank a Magpie for prompting me to tune into an interesting podcast interview by a UVA faculty member who specializes in 19th century literature in the comments on this post. I enjoyed listening and specifically snagged the Hadlow book rec from her! In The Other Bennet Sister, “Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice’s five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own.” Perfect fan lit for those of us in love with P&P. Cannot wait to read this.
Wheeee — I am so excited to read all four of these romps. A few other books on my radar that have been getting quite a bit of buzz once I make my way through this easy-lift list…
+Pretty sure this cute little puffer tote is going to be my everyday fall bag. (Gives me Khaite vibes for less.). I’ll be sharing a post on this later today, but Tuckernuck is currently running a promotion of up to 30% off (spend more, save more), so you could snag it on sale here if you buy with something else.
+And speaking of beauty: Sephora is currently offering 20% off all foundation PLUS free ship with code SAVE20, which means you can snag Westman Atelier’s superb foundation stick at a rare discount. I wear either this or Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer (also 20% off!) every single day. In years past, I have used and liked Giorgio Armani’s famous formula as well as Bare Faced’s formula, though I do feel those offer a heavier/more full-coverage look. (W.A. is like buttah — it just blends into skin, provided you’re well-hydrated. Amazing product.)
+Are you a bath person? We have a soaking tub in my new home and I think I could become one. Maybe slather on a face mask and read for 15 minutes at the end of the day? I think I’m going to splurge on a bottle of Suzanne Kaufman’s bath oil (essentially has a cult following), though I’ve recently heard a couple of different beauty bloggers rave about a classic epsom soak and want to give that a whirl, too.
+Love this fall accessory. Throw on with anything in your closet and instantly feel on-trend and seasonally appropriate.
+A few other Halloween jammie options, most of them fully stocked in all sizes: Hannah Andersson (mini had the cats two years ago; I like the black ones with moons/bats this year), 1212, and Carter.
+I’d like to start cooking for my husband again — he does all (100%) of the cooking for the two of us, though I do cook for the children daily. (We are in a phase where, between early bedtimes and picky eaters, we usually eat after the children are down, but would one day like to synchronize.). Anyhow, my pledge to Mr. Magpie was that I would like to buy a new cookbook or two and make my way through them by cooking recipes from them once a month. A few celebrated cookbooks I’m eyeing for this project:
+These melamine plates would be so chic on an autumnal table! Imagine with tortoise cutlery against a taupe gingham tablecloth with some red or orange mums.
+And for the kids’ table: this taupe gingham wipeable tablecloth!
+This Etsy shop offers well-priced, “above-the-knee-length” gingham shorts for tiny boys if you still need some shorts to tide you over til cold weather arrives.
+Such a fabulous everyday dress for fall. Would work in basically any setting with the appropriate accessories — casual work outfit, playdate/playground, coffee, cocktails!
+Great slouchy sweater to wear with your favorite jeans or leggings.
+This taupe blazer is super chic. Love the tie — makes it more feminine.
+I remain in a committed relationship with my Revlon One-Step (on sale for around $30 in the aqua color ATM) but there are random occasions where I let my hair air-dry because of schedule, rush, etc. I’m intrigued by this leave-in product for air-drying your hair — gets good reviews.
Thanksgiving is already on my radar, and we have a few other special occasions and parties coming up, too. Today, sharing precious special occasion dresses and accessories (many more shoe and outerwear options here!) for your little lady:
*I know I have a lot of Magpie brides-to-be reading — so (!) exciting. I’ve been trying to keep my bridal shop page up to date. The exact shoes above are via Tatyana Kochnova. You might find my post on what I’d register for if I were getting married this year helpful.
Q: Shoes to wear to a wedding in October in New England.
A: If you’re game for trends, platforms or back in a major way. Splurge on these or save on these, or go slightly less bold in these. Alternately: these suede block-heel mules are genius because they’re seasonally appropriate but would be comfortable to wear and dance in. They serve up major Loeffler Randall vibes but cost a fraction of the price. Also love these glitter mules from AB, but these suede pointed-toe heels are similar and under $100! Finally, I’m majorly lusting after these Manolos for this fall/winter. Finally, these are my long-time go-to wear-any-season wedding sandals.
Q: Fall booties.
A: I’ve mentioned these a lot lately, but these kitten heel style ones have been my go-to silhouette for years and years now. I also own the more expensive but similar looking Birman Kitty booties and wear both Talbots and AB allll winter long. They are so streamlined and easy to wear, and I love the way they look with long winter/fall dresses like this or any of the fall nap dresses, too. For more of an informal look, I also wore these No. 6 clog boots ALL of last winter during the day, especially for school pick-up when I needed to trek through whatever New York winter had to throw at me. They are seriously warm, waterproof, and surprisingly easy to walk in (don’t feel as chunky as they look). If you’re looking for something in between, I have long loved these Isabel Marant boots. So, so chic.
Q: Non-tacky Halloween costume for kids and adults.
A: I’m similarly squeamish about dressing up as an adult, so I’m not your best guide here! I shared lots of cute Halloween costume finds for littles here, and personally would just start with something you like for your little and then craft yourself as the sidekick, i.e., if she is Dorothy, you go as a half-hearted (haha) cowardly lion with something like this paired with a slick fall outfit you like, i.e. this gorgeous coat. I don’t know — I’m never big into costumes myself! Am I a buzzkill?
Q: Dress for fall black tie wedding.
A: I have been working hard to keep the wedding guest section of my shop up to date since this is far and away the most-asked question I field, but a couple specific to the black-tie request:
Q: Cute athletic clothes for my children for soccer, etc.
A: Currently, micro wears Petits Vilains shorts, Gap toddler tees (I also did just buy him an NYC tee, and if you are Chicago based, check out this cute online boutique for some Windy City swag for your mini), and, if chilly, Les Gamins sweatshirts and Maisonette joggers to soccer. Note that all of those items are unisex and come in great colors to mix and match! Also love:
Q: Christmas outfits for 2.5 year old boy and 6 month old girl.
A: OO, next level planning. I love it. I’ll be sharing a post on Thanksgiving/fall special occasionwear for little ones later today and will for sure be sharing holiday outfits in the not-too-distant future, but I love a tartan ditty like this or this for a baby girl, and then cords and a festive sweater for him over a button-down. If you’re into longalls, CPC has some great festive prints each season, including tartan and embroidered corduroy. Personally, I don’t love the way this style fits on boys who have lost their baby fat — they looked so cute when Hill was a pudgy rolly polly but I’m starting to think he’s outgrown them (he’ll be around your son’s age at Christmas). This might be the last few months I can get away with rompers/jon-jons/shortalls/longalls for him…sigh. Anyhow, if you’re still game, I like those layered over turtlenecks.
I also adore (!) embroidered dresses like this or this on a little love. They have such a delicate, heirloom quality. Sold out in your little one’s size, but for others with larger baby girls, this dress is darling.
Finally, I have been eyeing this scottie dog smocked dress for actual years. It is beyond. Brother could twin in this if still small enough to fit into 2T.
Q: Dresses for a November beach vacation.
A: Oo, fun. I like this, this, this, or this. All feel seasonally appropriate but dressed-down/beachy. Enjoy!
Q: Drinkware and servingware to coordinate with Juliska berry and thread china.
A: If you want it to be super coordinated, I’m not sure if you know that Juliska has coordinating glassware/stemware? Otherwise, I spent a lot of time shopping to restock our glassware last year, and ended up with the items here. I really love these “cooler” glasses, which we use for water and also highball cocktails. Great everyday drinking glasses! The style is elegant IMO and I think it’d be a delicate, modern-leaning contrast with the Juliska. But if you want something fun/festive to add color, consider these pretty footed goblets in colors.
For servingware, Juliska also has coordinating bowls and platters, but any simple white serving piece will work! I find we principally reach for white serving dishes because they go with everything (and any tablescape) and show food nicely. Frankly, our most-used serving platters are rectangular/square ones like this — they’re even great for piling a salad on top of, or arranging a bunch of hors d’oeuvres artfully. A few other favorite finds:
At the same time, sometimes a bold statement platter is a chic way to add interest/dynamics to your tabletop. I have long lusted after these pieces from Juliska!
Q: I’m looking for white (plain white, no detailing) Peter Pan collared shirts — actual PP collar, not lace or a frilly collar — for my daughter. Size 5. And she’s long waisted so they can’t be too short. Long sleeves and short sleeves. Prefer no elastic at the wrist. I’m hunting like crazy and am struggling to find… any tips?
A: Basics like this can be so difficult to find. Have you tried Luigi? They do have a picot trim, but in the white on white colorway, almost unnoticeable. I find this brand to be solid quality and soft. We have also used and liked Little English in the past, though I find this particular style runs a tiny bit short and a tiny bit thick (not a bad thing, but not the best for layering). Otherwise, I can’t attest to the quality, but Zara makes a very simple style that could be worth a try.
If any of you Magpie readers have younger ones, Kissy Kissy makes the BEST peter pan collar onesies! The scale of the collar is perfect and I find Kissy Kissy to be the best quality for tiny ones. I was able to pass down all of mini’s onesies to micro and they still looked great.
Q: Host gift for my boyfriend’s parents. Meeting them for the first time and staying for a weekend.
A: I like food gifts for this kind of situation. They’re thoughtful but not too personal, they accommodate both the husband and wife (as opposed to a lot of hostess gifts, which cater to just the wife for some reason — you might score major bonus points with your boyfriend’s sweet-treat-loving dad!), and they may also contribute to easing their hosting responsibilities. I’m not sure where you’re based, but I like the idea of bringing a breakfast treat (like babka, cinnamon rolls, etc) from a fabulous bakery, or a dozen Levain cookies, or maybe a little gift basket with “happy hour” treats like cheese straws, rainforest crisps, spiced pecans, etc. I did a post on food gifts for gourmet lovers that might be a good reference point, too. If that’s not realistic owing to allergies/diets/logistics of travel, I have yet to meet someone who does not love an elegant candle or high-end hand soap. They’re definitely a safer play but — frankly, they work for a reason. If you’re looking for something more off the beaten path, check out this list of unusual gifts.
Q: I recently got engaged (yay!) and we’re planning an engagement party in early October. I’m looking for a dress for the party. Do I need to wear white for my engagement party? (I’m a bit curvier and always shy from white outfits). I love midi dresses that are flowy and feminine, but also unique with a touch of drama. And I LOVE bright colors and prints and puff sleeves. I would like to budget $500 or less for this dress.
A: Congratulations! I do NOT think you need to wear white. I would go with whatever makes you feel best and most yourself. A couple of pretty options that caught my eye…
THIS LUG VON SIGA (ALMOST SOLD OUT ON SALE; MORE SIZES HERE BUT NOT ON SALE!; SOOO GORGEOUS — BLUE AND WHITE IS A CLASSIC BRIDAL PALETTE!)
I feel as though all of these dresses have the quality of being festive/celebratory/statement but also feminine and not too-bridal. If you do boomerang back to wanting to wear white, I just updated my bridal shop section again before publishing this post with some new fantastic white finds, including this Zimmermann lookalike for under $50!
Q: Stylish coat for fall trip to Paris.
A: Lucky duck!!! My immediate thought was this wrap style, which also comes in a chic sage color. (Vibe for less with this.) Sophisticated and neutral — my observation (though I haven’t been back in years and years) is that the Europeans tend to favor neutrals. I remember feeling slightly squeamish about my bold color choices back in the day. A trench is also a forever-chic piece, and this Rebecca Taylor has just enough interest to it to feel fashion-forward. This tweed L’Agence would also be crazy chic. Finally, I can’t stop daydreaming about this Rachel Comey with, like, wide-leg tweed pants and heels?! Oh my goodness, crazy chic. It is pink, but a kind of neutral-pink. I can’t even with the shape — it’s SO good.
Q: Baby Christmas pajamas.
A: Love all of my ahead-of-the-game Magpies! Year after year, I buy the holiday jammies from TBBC. This year, I love the toy soldiers and “deck the halls” prints. I also always buy new Petite Plume for the holidays — I am smitten with their Antique Toys print (also comes in proper pajamas format AND a romper, and don’t miss out on the matching sleep mask!) this year, but the tartan is traditional and darling, too.
For those shopping for Halloween pajamas instead, here are some cute pairs, and here are some great costumes!
By: Jen Shoop
Oo came across this a little late, but Clarins is currently running a promo where any one item is 15% off; any two items are 20% off; and any three items are 25% off and PLEASE do yourself a favor and avail yourself of this discount to test two total hero items in my book:
DOUBLE SERUM — I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS SERUM AND HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE WRITTEN TO ENTHUSIASTICALLY REPORT THE SAME; FULL REVIEW HERE
V FACIAL INTENSIVE WRAP — A NEW MUST-OWN; I HAVE BEEN USING THIS RELIGIOUSLY ANY TIME I’M GOING OUT FOR THE EVENING AS IT TRULY CONTOURS AND DE-PUFFS THE FACE; FULL REVIEW HERE
The promo ends tonight! Sorry for the late notice, but cheers!
There were some major head-turners in Madewell’s New Arrivals section this week, although I am never totally synced with the styling on their site — a little too slouchy for me. Below, sharing some favorites and how I’d style…
+Into this bib detail blouse tucked into these trousers (or any high-waisted flare!), a pretty heart necklace, my favorite pumps, and a fab statement jacket or cardigan. Throw on this fun tote to finish it all off.
+AND — not a new arrival, but y’all are loving these tailored utility pants! Chic chic!
P.S. More fall athleisure looks here. I received a number of requests in my most recent solicitation for Magpie Mail about school drop-off and I feel like those athleisure looks would be be practical and chic!
P.P.S. Just tried a new face mask (my top five here) from new-to-me brand Follain that was gifted to me by Haven Well Within, a brand you might remember reading about here because we all loved this pullover so much I think we caused it to be back-ordered. Anyhow, I really liked the Follain mask — I’m usually more drawn to the kind that harden and then rinse off with hot water, but this one was ultra-gentle and ultra-hydrating and couldn’t have arrived at a better time, when I was exhausted and felt dried out and dehydrated. I took a hot shower, slathered this on, and laid in bed in a robe for 20 minutes alone and it did wonders for my mood (and my skin).
P.P.P.S. Musings on a new way of thinking about self-improvement: “When asked how he created the celebrated sculpture of David, Michelangelo responded that he’d “simply chiseled away what wasn’t David.”
