Bowood seems to trump all else as the pattern du jour, but I’ll love toile til the cows come home, and lucky for us there are many chic toile scores to be had at the moment…
*I took the above image on my iPhone (!) I’m sure you can tell given its unsophisticated composition, but the quality of photography now available to even those of us novitiates astounds me from time to time…
One of my running routes through Central Park draws me over the bridge that overlooks Bethesda Terrace. In ascent, as I reach the crest, a pair of wings materializes just over the lichen-riddled stone balustrade to my left: the Angel of Waters, the centerpiece of the Bethesda Fountain.
She is nearly at eye level, and she surprises and reassures me every time:
The sudden apparition of the angels among us —
Like the gentleman who ran off the R train, ceding his likely carefully-timed arrival at work, to hand over my daughter’s backpack, which I had dropped in a fluster on the car floor as we scrambled off after the conductor had abruptly announced that the next stop would be 14th Street rather than its usual 28th.
I didn’t properly get to thank him, not only for restoring to me some precious cargo (my daughter’s lunch! her face shield for school! the letter from her beloved friends she ferries to and from home on a daily basis! sanitizer!) but for the inconvenient generosity of the gesture and the way his kindness set something right inside me, as though steadying a glass that had been spiraling on its base.
Instead, in pittance, I tip my hat to the Angel of Waters as I pass her, for all that she represents —
In Biblical terms, the angel who healed the paralytic, an ailment that seems not unfamiliar to me during this time of incredible stress, loss, and babel, and particularly during this month, in which I believe many of us are sitting on pins and needles — and who more generally stands as a welcome patron of healing in the face of coronavirus;
In historic terms, the manifestation of a beautiful public works project just after the Civil War had divided the country;
But in specifics, the people like Helena and the boy at the 23rd street stop and Ms. Branch and, now, the gentleman on the R train, who remind me that even amidst a global pandemic, in a moment of political tumult, in a year of vicious infighting and injury, that there is a balm in Gilead.
Post Scripts.
+Actually rather interesting to read about the provenance of the statue, which was the earliest (!) public artwork by a woman (and an LGBTQ woman at that!) in New York City. It was completed by Emma Stebbins, a native New Yorker, in 1873, and there was some controversy surrounding its selection in that her brother was, at the time of the statue’s commissioning, chairman of the park’s Committee on Statuary, Fountains and Architectural Structure–so charges of nepotism attended its installation, in addition to a scathing artistic critique by The New York Times: “All had expected something great, something of angelic power and beauty, and when a feebly-pretty idealess thing of bronze was revealed the revulsion of feeling was painful.” (Poor Emma! The NYT had it dead wrong, in my opinion.)
+FYI: $1 monograms at Beaufort Bonnet Company with code ALLSMILES through tonight. I especially like monogramming their sunsuits and jammies. Mini had these jammies with a big monogram on the rear end in purple that I treasured, and Hill had this sunsuit with an enormous monogram on the front that was absolutely precious.
One treat of living abroad was having access to the exceptional yet generally well-priced skincare and haircare products that you could score at the local pharmacy, which, at least in Lyon, had the air of a sophisticated department store and was occasionally and unapologetically closed at what I perceived to be odd hours. I specifically recall a handwritten note on the glass door of the pharmacy on Rue Victor Hugo in Lyon: “Fermeture exceptionelle,” with no explanation following, at 2 p.m. on a Saturday. I immediately conjured a maudlin tale of familial illness or bereavement but was at the same time baffled by this seeming lack of professionalism. It was, after all, unthinkable that a CVS would be closed at 2 p.m. on a Saturday in America. I came to appreciate this slender cultural difference, as it reminded me, in its various permutations, that people make the world go around. And so though I would often writhe against the inconvenient reality that certain shops would be closed for the lunch hour, or certain bureaucratic offices would be open only on the obscure third Thursday and second Tuesday of the month, I was also never more aware of a shared humanity: we all fall ill, we all eat, we all sleep, amen. At any rate, lucky for us, many of the items I discovered back then and in the years following are now available for purchase online, often with free shipping. Sharing a few of my favorites and some items with proper cult-followings that I have yet to try…
BIODERMA MICELLAR WATER (SUPER GENTLE WAY TO REMOVE MAKEUP, CLEANSE, AND TONE – 15% OFF WITH CODE BESTYOU)
EMBRYOLISSE (PEOPLE *DIE* OVER THIS MOISTURIZER/PRIMER — I FOUND IT A BIT THICK FOR MY NEEDS, BUT DEF WORTH A SHOT GIVEN ITS CULT FOLLOWING STATUS AND AFFORDABLE PRICE)
CAUDALIE ELIXIR (TRULY ADDICTIVE – GREAT FOR SETTING MAKEUP, REFRESHING SKIN, ETC)
MARVIS TOOTHPASTE (FANTASTIC AND IMAGINATIVE FLAVORS — 15% OFF WITH CODE BESTYOU; NOTE THAT EUROPEAN TOOTHPASTE DOES NOT FOAM LIKE AMERICAN ONES DO)
NUXE DRY OIL — SO MANY FRENCH WOMEN SWEAR BY THIS MULTI-PURPOSE OIL (FOR FACE, BODY, HAIR)
NUXE LIP BALM — LOL AT THE DESCRIPTION: “A PARISIAN WOMAN NEEDS PERFECTLY SMOOTHED LIPS TO ASSUME HER KISS REPUTATION”; BUT SERIOUSLY, THIS GETS INCREDIBLE REVIEWS AND DOUBLES AS A CUTICLE CREAM
HOMEOPLASMINE — FOR EXTRA DRY SKIN/ULTRA-CHAPPED LIPS (APPARENTLY IN EVERY FRENCH MAKEUP ARTIST’S ARSENAL)
VICHY VITAMIN C SERUM — CURRENTLY USING MYSELF; I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO APPLY BUT SEEMS TO BE ACHIEVING THE INTENDED RESULT OF BRIGHTENING SKIN JUST AS WELL AS OTHERS I’VE TESTED!
VICHY SERUM AMPOULES — PEOPLE LOVE THIS ALL-AROUND HYDRATING AND ANTI-AGING SERUM (READ REVIEWS!)
*First urgent order of business: my favorite house slippers are on sale and still available in a few sizes for $75! I literally have lived in these for the past month. Perfect pairing with a nap dress for evening happy hour.
My Latest Snag: Small Children’s Finds.
I scattered some of these discoveries across this week’s mezcla of postings, but this was a week of bits and bobs, a lot of which centered around the children:
SPEAKING OF, THESE LOLLIPOP-SHAPED PLAY DOHS WERE A HUGE HIT WITH THE KIDS — CLEVERLY PACKAGED SO THE “STEM” DOUBLES AS A ROLLER AND THE LID INCLUDES MOLDS! CUTE VALENTINE GIFT FOR CLASSMATES!*
+“It” cleanser of the moment. I am loving this stuff. It has a very strong botanical scent but people specifically cite its magic in combatting hormonal acne. Keep selling out!
I feel as though everyone was extra generous and thoughtful in their gift-giving this year — we gave and received so many exceptional treasures! My favorite gifts I gave? These poplin Lake Pajamas to my MIL and her sister, who, when vacationing together, like to wear the same pajamas (how beyond adorable is that? — and now they can twin even when vacationing is out of the question), this dollhouse for mini (!!!!), and parcels of Misi goodies to local friends (who wouldn’t love an unexpected deposit of whipped ricotta, She-Wolf bread, fancy pickled goodies, and martinis on her doorstep on Saturday evening?) Truth be told, I was probably just as excited about giving those gifts as the recipients were receiving them! Ha! On my end, I received many lovely gifts this year, but my favorites were Chanel ballet flats from Mr. Magpie and Hill House nap dresses from my mom.
What about you? What were your favorite items to gift and receive this year?
P.S. Still some great ideas for upcoming birthdays / belated celebrations on offer here, here, and here.
+Related: I got a ton of wear out of my turtleneck sweatshirt from J. Crew this season, often layering over a tissue turtleneck — now they have a striped turtleneck sweatshirt and I think I need it!!! Too cute with white denim in the spring.
+My sister introduced me to the idea of Table Topics for Kids and I just ordered a set to test with mini. We sometimes have a hard time getting her to stay seated until she’s all the way done with dinner; maybe this will help? Cute way to stimulate interesting conversation, too!
+A few of the dresses from this brand are on sale in tiny sizes here!
+This gingham sleep sack is so beyond adorable. I own a few items from this brand, and they are beautifully made. I have really loved the sleepsacks from Kyte and Woolino, which hold up well to infinity washings and are very soft, but it’s fun to get something splurgey for a new baby, isn’t it?
+Speaking of baby sleep — some really cute new Hanna Andersson for Amazon pajama prints here. I find that these are of inferior quality to actual Hanna pajamas (rougher cotton) but they are still nice and thick!
+And speaking of pajamas, a shortlist of the cutest Valentine’s Day pajamas for littles at all pricepoints here.
*First, today only — Shopbop is offering an extra 25% off a selection of their sale items. Here are my top picks! So many gorgeous sale scores from Brock Collection…dying!
Highlighting a few favorite finds I’ve mentioned this week and some new discoveries, too — all under $61 apiece:
THE $8 BAG STRAP (SEEN ABOVE) THAT BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO A FAVORITE OLD POUCH OF MINE!
MY FAVORITE COUNTERTOP SPRAY (SOMEONE ELSE DESCRIBED IT “AS IF JO MALONE HERSELF IS CLEANING YOUR BATHROOM”) — JUST RESTOCKED AFTER MONTHS OF BEING UNAVAILABLE
*Image above via Mansur Gavriel, in response to one of the questions below about chic day-to-night bags! (The one above is their mini cloud clutch et j’adore.)
Et voila volume II. (Volume I here.) If I didn’t get to your question this go around, the third installment is coming next week!
Q: Chic loungewear I wouldn’t be embarrassed about wearing outside.
A: It seems like everyone is doing these knit sets with matching pants, cardigan/sweater, bralette, etc that look very chic — Le Set, Mango (see this look specifically), Donni. In general, I think having a matching set and intentional silhouette makes you feel more together. I have been eyeing them with curiosity though I keep reaching for denim, which just feels more finished to me. I’ve been looking at these pull-on jeans, which are so not my typical style but could look great with a pointed toe flat and turtleneck bodysuit. Another option? A knit dress like this or this, or a tee dress like this (!!!!) Comfortable, pulled together, and chic.
Q: The sheer floral blouse Madison Lecroy recently wore on a Bravo.
A: Had to look this one up — agree that she is SO chic in that top! Hers is by Zimmermann. You can get the look for less with this or this, and then this one is a super fun, fashion-forward alternative (over a white camisole) for under $30.
Q: A dress for maternity photos in March when I’m 32 weeks. Preferably with long sleeves!
THIS DRESS IN THE CAMEL OR BLACK COULD BE ULTRA-CHIC FOR A SCALED-DOWN, SIMPLE SHOOT WITH A PRETTY BACKDROP — I’M IMAGINING LOOSE HAIR AND BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS
P.S. Probably not a fit for a portrait, but I would 100% buy this dress if I were pregnant! So my style.
Q: Something to wear for family photos, for both myself and my one-year-old daughter.
A: Check out Dondolo! They have some seriously cute coordinated outfits for mamas and babies. They have some super pretty pieces, like this gingham and this blue floral and you can coordinate/match with pieces from their baby collection.
If that’s too fussy for you, stick with all white for both of you, or white and blue. Easy to find pieces that coordinate in those looks, and both are timeless. Love the idea of mom in jeans with a top like this, this, or this and then your girl in a sweet dress like this, this, or this, or nearly anything from Luli and Me (I gasped at the sight of this) or Rachel Riley.
Q: Mittens or little gloves that don’t fall off an 18-month old.
A: These truthfully do not exist — or at least I have not yet found them! I instead use these ones with the string to prevent them from getting lost and really tuck the mitten cuffs up the sleeves of Hill’s coat. These or these are beyond precious, too!
For older children, I swear by these inexpensive sets from H&M. I like the colors, don’t feel bad about tossing them in the wash, and if they get lost, it’s not too painful because they are affordably-priced. I also think they are well-fitting! My toddler can actually fill them out and they seem to stay put better than other styles I’ve seen.
Q: Items for a sister-in-law pregnant with baby two.
A: New pajamas for her (my favorites were Lake and Cosabella) or — if you know her very well (I feel as though clothing can be an intimate thing to buy someone else, even moreso than pajamas which feel more like an accepted gift in the self-care category), a Storq maternity dress. I find that moms tend to be very practical the second time around, i.e., “eh, I don’t need any new maternity clothes, I’ll just make do…” but it’s so fun to celebrate with a special, beautiful set of pajamas or a maternity outfit that feels splurge-y. Beyond that, I’ve picked up ideas from just listening to my mom friends talk about getting ready for second, third, or fourth children — for example, my sister said, “I always wanted one of those Lovevery gyms, but they’re so expensive, and this is my third baby, so…” Voila! Perfect gift idea was born. Another mom friend mentioned that her friends surprised her with an Artipoppe carrier for her fourth child — !! It felt like such a splurge but why not make each pregnancy special?? I love to surprise tenured moms with That Thing They Claim They Do Not Need But Secretly Want.
A: I love Pehr for infant and toddler bedding! How sweet are these sheets?
We are in a kind of weird in-between bedding phase at the moment. Mini outgrew her infant quilt and even the toddler-sized quilts felt small for her — she is tall and likes a lot of fluffy blankets, especially after one night where, bleary-eyed, I was changing her sheets after an accident and ended up just giving her an old queen-sized duvet to cover her up and she LOVED it. We will I think soon convert her toddler bed into a full-size bed, actually (she has this amazing bed that converts from crib to toddler bed to full bed). At any rate, for the meantime, I bought her an inexpensive but well-reviewed twin duvet (seriously so impressed with this — it is so fluffy and cozy AND MACHINE-WASHABLE!!!) and covered it with this Pehr twin-sized duvet in the swan print, and also bought her the matching sham, which we put on top of our favorite (full-sized!) sleeping pillows. Mini has used a full-sized pillow since she was probably two, just covered with some monogrammed Hill House shams! The twin sized duvet is obviously too big for the toddler bed, but we just roll it up at the foot of the bed in the morning. She loves it!
A: For pajamas, I love Eberjey, Lake, Cosabella, and Recliner. I also love my dreamy pajama sets from J. Crew (I think I have three or four pairs), but I hesitate to characterize anything from J. Crew as “quality.” I find they will die after a few years of wear!
Q: Toddler size-8 booties for my daughter that will go with everything — she outgrew all.
A: Oh yes. So familiar with this! I would snag these inexpensive Gap ones since we’re midway through the season. Metallics go with everything and they are super cheap at the moment! We also have gotten so much use out of these Uggs in the chestnut color. The commute to school has us walking at least 15 minutes each way in the cold air every single day, and it makes me feel better that her feet are super warm and snuggly in these. If you’re willing to splurge, I have major heart eyes for Age of Innocence boots — something like this would go with everything from jeans to party dresses — and this pair from Dulis is timeless.
Finally, on the more casual and trend-forward side, but I can’t stop looking at these cool lug sole boots for toddlers from Native! They come in the best color and look SO chic. I would wear them! Actually I might have convinced myself to order for mini just now….
First: I own this pair of Veronica Beard flats in a different pattern and j’adore. I can’t believe they are marked down to $65 at the moment!! Someone needs that pair!
Have you ever shopped at Veronica Beard before? Known for its tailoring, this brand is among the highest quality I’ve ever owned. I have blouses and dresses of theirs that I bought back in Chicago maybe five or six years ago that look just as good now as they did then. I also find this label tends to be a bit more careful with the trends — most of their pieces transcend the test of time and last several seasons (decades?) in a row.
All this to say, their sale section is an incredible opportunity to score a very high quality piece at a bargain. Many of the items I’m sharing below cost less than counterparts at J.Crew, but I put all my money on VB lasting much longer in your closet!
P.S. Maiden’s Choosing, Ch. 1! I had a funny conversation with a reader about Powell (learn more about him in Ch. 7) — who would play him in a movie?! Your guesses welcome.
+I am *so* excited about Roxane Gay’s just-launched newsletter, The Audacity. If you’ve been around here for awhile, you know I am a huge fangirl of hers (one of her books changed my life). She is brilliant, thoughtful, clever, and observant in a way that reminds me of that quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: “to a great mind, nothing is little.” She could write about labyrinthine tax regulations or jigsaw puzzles (she has, actually, written about puzzles) and I would hang (and have hung!) on every word. I signed up for a paid subscription simply to support her but am of course eager to participate in her virtual book club. (So if you’re still hungry for something more appealing after my roundup of books to read right now, check hers out.)
+Um. Sarah Jessica Parker just announced a continuation of Sex and the City is coming to HBOMAX and I can’t. I can’t! Thank you, HBO, for giving the people what they want. We need this after the bleak start to 2021.
+My brother is teaching a literary theory course this semester and one of the first books on his syllabus is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. He mailed me a Broadview Edition copy that I’d marked up in graduate school and that he no doubt filched from my parent’s garage, an entire alcove of which houses boxes of neglected books from my studies, on some recent visit home. On the cover, in his familiarly tidy hand-writing: “Back in your hands again! Love ya, Tom.” Now I have to re-read it, of course, and jostle the rusted bits of my brain that used to think about things like “language/communication barrier — Tower of Babel” and “intercession of women” and “the rites of Catholicism” (all notes in the marginalia on page 35 of my copy, written in my own familiar, tidy hand-writing). I’m excited for the challenge.
+Do you remember I was idling over a bag strap for a little sherpa pouch from Alexander Wang that I own? I literally could not make up my mind and then found these much-less-expensive straps on Etsy (I got mine in color #5 because the bag is gray and I wear it with a red Canada Coat fairly often) and it felt like a much lower-stakes decision. It arrived and I am SO impressed with the quality! I think I will also order one of these in the baby blue or pale pink! I can’t find a sherpa pouch with strap loops like the one I have, but this sherpa crossbody would be darling gussied up with one of the bag straps I mentioned. And if you just want the flat pouch, look no further than this $29 steal!
+Did you watch Netflix’s “Bridgerton” series? Of course I did. It is lusty stuff (you’ve been warned, mom!), and I have found myself wondering over it as a future artifact or misrepresentation of fourth-wave feminism. At the end of the day (spoiler-ish alert), the show’s premise is that a man is controlling a woman’s desire to bear children. The key to resolving this stand-off? The female protagonist must take the time to learn about the man’s background, about why he is the way he is and how he has come to his position on this matter, and only then are they able to come to an agreement in her favor. (Hm.) I couldn’t help but wonder if the plot were configured in the inverse: the woman does not want to bear children, and the man does? What would the outcome then have been and what would be the implications? In some ways, the protagonist’s single-minded desire to bear children felt out of sync within the context of the show’s more progressive themes. (Then again, I realize the show takes place in Regency-era England and so there are some socio-historic aspects to contend with…but then again, the show made the interesting decision to re-write the racial history of the past many centuries, so it clearly had the imaginative wherewithal to re-draw the lines wherever it pleased. Because of this, I again return to the confusion over the plot premise!). There are other confusing moments along these lines, too — for example, the protagonist physically defends herself from a wanton villain despite the implied male hero’s arrival on the scene, and there is a fair amount of sex positivity in the show. Empowerment! Progress! But then again, there is the conflation of motherhood with fulfillment/success, the narrowness of focus on the marriage plot, the overblown, irritating, and titillating naïveté of the protagonist. All-in, a lot to digest. What say you, Magpies?
+My NYE dress is now marked down to $101 (orig $424). See it and other amazing Saloni statements on serious sale here.
+We just completed a really fun puzzle which for some reason is out of stock or marked up to like $50 on Amazon, Target, etc but that you can find on eBay (unopened!) here. It was fun because Emory owns many of the books displayed on it and really enjoyed working on it with us — because of the design (fairly easy to figure out pieces that go to each book cover), we were often able to hand her pieces for a specific book cover after working on some of the trim and she was capable of putting some of the puzzle together herself! I have really (!) enjoyed having a puzzle out for a few days of every month. It’s a lovely way to decompress while listening to an audiobook or just zoning out after a long day of parenting. I just ordered this puzzle to work on next (this one is also in my cart) — this brand is THE BEST. The pieces are much better-made and more interestingly-cut than most other name brands, and they do great reproductions of interesting artworks. They are also VERY difficult — like 5x as difficult as the 1,000 piece ones from Ravensburger, etc. (Also, I don’t know anything about this brand, but was drawn to the image!)
+The return of the tube sock! What a weird thing to be excited about, but wearing them over leggings really makes it much more pleasant to run in the low 20s. I found an Etsy shop that dyes Nike tube socks in cool colors. If you have small enough feet, these kids Nike socks have great retro-styling. And of course my Alos. They just came out with a pastel pink that I snagged as well!
+Currently reading Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and it is delightful. It strikes me as profoundly truthful writing in the sense that (at least in the early bits of the book) O’Farrell really gets at what it feels like to be a young child, what it feels like to be feverish, what it feels like to be young and in love, etc. Currently listening to Barack Obama’s A Promised Land. The book is long (!) — I joked to Mr. Magpie that I feel like I’ve been listening to it for months now, which may actually be true (it is over 24 hours long, and when you listen to audiobooks in small 20-30 minutes increments…!) — but interesting, especially in the concise, sharp way he compresses complicated social, historical, and political narratives into easy-to-digest synopses. It’s been particularly useful in clarifying some of the international embroilments of recent decades and in framing the bitter and deep-rooted rivalry between political parties at the moment.
P.S. It feels like a different lifetime that I wrote this post — so early into this pandemic. The piquant awareness of what we were “missing out on” has given way to a kind of plodding acquiescence to the way things are at the moment.
I have always loved holidays — any excuse to get dressed up, decorate, run with a theme is up my alley — but I have dialed things up over the past year, with Emory at an age where she goes wild over the smallest of decorations and without much else to mark the passing of time given how little we can do outside the home. Below, sharing some thoughts on making this Valentine’s Day (just over a month away) special:
+These darling personalized placemats are 15% off with code SNOWDAY. I have been eyeing these for awhile — absolutely precious! Sweet surprise for Valentine’s Day.
+Some very cute finds from Lil Cactus on Zulily. (If you’re new to Zulily, it’s a flash sale site — you must sign up to access, but it’s free.) Lil Cactus puts out affordable, traditional styles — the quality is just OK, but I had a few of these gingham bubbles (only $15 right now!!! — especially loved him in this brown one) for Hill last summer and they were great, non-precious pieces for days when I knew he’d be crawling around in dirt, dripping with popsicle juice, etc. I’m now eyeing this sweet seersucker dress (only $20) and this yoke style ($18!) for mini, and this little diaper set is precious for a tiny lady. Great everyday summer pieces!
+Also on Zulily: JoJo Maman Bebe. I am dying over the deals on some darling pieces, especially…
+Not on sale, but great prices anyway — swooning over some of the sweet pieces at Cecil & Lou for spring. I find this brand’s sizing runs really big, FYI. I would size a whole size down. I love this bubble, this Liberty dress, this swimsuit (reminds me of Sal E Pimenta!), this Swiss dot bubble, and this gingham dress (love the back).
