The Christmas card photo outfit recommendation requests are rolling in. I’m sharing a bunch of pieces that will play nicely together so you can pick and choose what jumps out at you. I wouldn’t be afraid of mixing plaids, especially if they are in different scales (i.e., a big check on you and a tiny check on her).
P.P.P.S. On working through some of the adjustments to our new life in Maryland.
By: Jen Shoop
My Latest Snag: Suede Manolo Lookalikes.
ICYMI in yesterday’s post, thanks to Caitlin, these Manolo Blahnik-inspired suede flats are en route to me. I bought them in navy but also love them in the brown or dusty pink. I am daydreaming of wearing with one of these capes or a belted overshirt.
You’re Soooo Popular: Kitchen Rug.
The most popular items on le blog this week:
+Chic, S&L-inspired kitchen rug. I bought this in two sizes for two sides of our island, but they now have only the 2×3 left — only $15!
+Pastel Bentgo boxes. (Note that a reader wrote in to say these are on the heavy side — so if you are concerned about weight of your little’s backpack, maybe go with these inexpensive and lightweight ones, which I also own and love!)
Mr. Magpie and I have the best memories of driving home from dinners out in Chicago with the music all the way up. Sometimes we’d even extend the ride home and just go driving, listening to music and loving on the city’s spectacular skyline at night. Last weekend, I drove home from a dinner with girlfriends and took the long way home, too, enjoying the long and largely untrafficked curves of Canal Road and Macarthur Boulevard at 10 P.M. I had the windows down and my “Cruise” playlist blasting: music that has flow and soul and tugs at all the right heart strings, and that you can occasionally find me singing at the top of my lungs:
HYPOTHETICALS X LAKE STREET DIVE
STAND BY YOUR MAN X TAMMY WYNETTE
DAYDREAMIN X ARIANA GRANDE
TINY DANCER X FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
TAKE YOUR TIME X AL GREEN FEAT CORRINE BAILEY RAE
STYLE X TAYLOR SWIFT
THERE’S YOUR TROUBLE X THE CHICKS
AIRSTREAM SONG X MIRANDA LAMBERT
CRAZY X WILLIE NELSON
(I LOVE YOU) FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS X NAT KING COLE
FLY ME TO THE MOON X BOBBY WOMACK
YOU GO DOWN SMOOTH X LAKE STREET DIVE
LOVE IS LOOKING FOR YOU X MIRANDA LAMBERT
I have a bunch of other playlists calibrated towards different moods — sometimes it feels good to blast “Whole Lotta Money” by BIA x Nicki Minaj. (I love the way she says “bodega” in that song.). And if you need a hype song — I mean, you’re dragging and you need a dance that is impossible not to dance to? — try “This Girl” by Kungs. YES.
+OK, River Island has some really great and on-trend scores ATM: this sculpted rib knit sweater in the forest green (!), this exaggerated collar style, and this embroidered flower pullover.
+Moda is offering an extra 20% off final sale items with code SALEX20, which has me lingering around this Brock skirt, which is sort of perfect for Thanksgiving!? Or maybe this skirt with this matching blouse!?!?!? Some of those pieces are like 85% off…eeeeee
+Speaking of Brock, I am drooling all over this dress. Weep.
+$20 lookalikes for those Ugg boots micro wore all last winter, available this year in lots more colors, including girly ones! We really liked these because they were super-warm (lined), easy to put on thanks to velcro, and pairable with everything from sweats to jeans to khakis.
+I meant to include this in my children’s book roundup, but mini received one of these books for her birthday and it is another HUGE hit. Each page illustrates a portion of a famous symphonic work — love! I think I’m going to give these to all the little ones on our Christmas shopping list this year.
HUNTER REFINED SHORT RAIN BOOTS — THESE ARE THE BEST FOR SHORT LADIES LIKE MYSELF (THE TALL ONES HIT MY LEG AT MID KNEE AND JUST LOOK WEIRD!) AND THEY ARE ON SALE IN TWO GREAT COLORS…LOVE THE SLEEK STYLING, LESS CLUNKY THAN THE CLASSIC
Last week, I took my children by my childhood home, a great stone house on the top of a hill in northwest D.C. The hedges and trees that encircle the property — many of which, in my youth, were new plantings at the hands of my father — have matured to the point that the home is nearly invisible behind their green embrace. I craned my neck; I drove around the block; I squinted, as though such maneuverings could brush back the branches and lay bare the edifice beyond.
“You can almost see–” I trailed off, tilting my head, and —
“This is the funniest thing…” I murmured, peering at the branches, audience only to my uninterested children. I eventually drove away empty-handed though not downcast, curiously finding myself captivated rather than frustrated by the obstruction. The foliage had consumed the stone.
I had been dwelling, the previous few weeks, on a lost girlhood friendship. You see, I lost two close friends in my 20s, one to cancer and the other to — to —
I don’t know what. I have spent over a decade feeling my way around the bruise, hypothesizing about the cause of injury. Even though our breakup felt in some ways like a slow motion car crash, both of us bracing ourselves well before impact, shards and debris visibly gleaming with danger before the sluicing, I still could not tell you the exact sequence of events, or who hit whom, or exactly when or where the collision took place. Just that, all these years later, I still find myself tender to touch when her name materializes. Moving home has splintered planks and dislodged earth in the carefully erected fence between us, and, though she no longer lives here, I find her woven winningly into the near-physical memories waiting at every familiar corner and streetlight of my new-again home here in the D.C. area.
I think, perhaps, this is the way:
To let those branches, now dense and full with age and new growth, soften and screen the dense beyond.
Shopping Break.
+The lovely ladies at Maxwell + Geraldine just sent me one of their gorgeous Kate dresses in the classic blue-and-white stripe. I cannot WAIT to wear it!
+J. Crew has some fab new arrivals especially love this striped cashmere sweater (reminds me of some of the La Ligne ones we’ve all been loving — P.S., you can still find a bunch on sale here) and this plaid top.
+This Emerson-Fry-inspired caftan is restocked — you just can’t beat that price!
+Just bought mini these terry shorts to wear over her leotard after ballet!
+Another really good option for a fall wedding, and it’s under $250. Super sophisticated! More wedding guest dress ideas here.
+This under-$20 cleansing balm is a TikTok sensation and keeps selling out. (Read reviews — v intriguing.). It looks like a more affordable but just-as-effective variation on the Elemis makeup-melting balm I love.
+These architectural lamps are SO good and SO interesting.
+Little boy NB sneaks, on sale. More fall finds for boys here.
+This is my favorite dressing ever. It makes my mouth water just thinking of it. I used to be able to get it at Wegman’s in NYC, and I just realized it’s carried in my local Whole Foods (phew) but there was a time where my mom would actually carry bottles of it back in her suitcase from their home in Naples, FL!
+These napkins are already inspiring me to think ahead to Thanksgiving…gorgeous starting place for a tablescape!
+Emerald green is majorly trending — this top is tres chic. (More chic early fall finds in this hue here.)
+Buy these jellies now while they’re 70% off and save for next summer.
+TBBC just restocked lots of pieces in their popular Belle Mead Bow print — I was finally able to get my hands on one of their play dresses in this iconic print. One of my favorite pairs of jammies on mini in her infant days was their night night in this pattern! (Perfect bringing-home-from-hospital outfit!)
+Speaking of TBBC, if you waited until the last minute to pick a back-to-school outfit, you’re in luck: their entire back to school collection is 35% off with code SCHOOLDAYS through today, 8/25.
*Slippers above an amazing $12 Amazon score! Both of my children adore these, and I love the retro (almost “Christmas Story-esque”?) styling.
It’s been awhile since I updated my list of favorite children’s books (and also, our favorite toys — maybe will revisit that soon). I thought I’d share the ones my children are particularly captivated by at the moment. Many of the books from my initial list are still (!) getting a lot of reads in these parts, especially Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans for mini (she is fascinated by the injured soldier and has recently started asking questions about why Madeline doesn’t live with her father — interesting to see her gears turn! There’s actually quite a bit of meat on this sweet little book and it is such a poetic joy to read aloud) and Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom for micro, who simply loves the illustrations, especially the one where the father bear comes home while Jesse is on the swing.
Our other current favorites:
Wake Up Mr. B. by Penny Dale. Fabulous illustrations and a must-own for any fellow Airedale terrier parents! (It’s uncanny how much “Mr. B” looks like our own Tilly, including in how she’s drawn stretching, moving, etc.) This is a simple, illustration-centric book with sparse prose and therefore lots of opportunity to narrate what’s going on, which keeps it interesting as a parent! A sweet vignette on the friendship between a dog and a child.
Bonapart Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler. I bought this for mini last Halloween (pro tip: order now before it sells out in the pre-Halloween rush, as it did last year) and she insists on reading it year-round. I love the general premise of trying multiple different tacks to solve a problem. Clever!
Hug by Jez Alborough. Admittedly, this one is not my favorite — there is only one word in the book (“Hug”) and you have to read it over and over in various intonations, but this is one of my son’s absolute favorites. He loves to point out the animals and he grows increasingly concerned about the tiny gorilla looking for his mother. The end of the book is sweet — mama and baby are reunited! — and micro absolutely rent my soul from my chest when he pointed at the mother gorilla and said: “You, mama” and then at the baby gorilla, “Me, Hill.”
The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee. A super clever book that introduces the concept of meta-fiction to tiny readers — absolutely brilliant. Mini loves this book at the moment, and there are some humorous images and set-ups that truly tickled me as an adult. Great illustrations and great at suspense-building.
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. A continuous mainstay in our reading repertoire.
Truck by Donald Crews. Both of my children were fascinated by this wordless book, especially when we lived in NYC and were doing some driving to/from Manhattan — I think the tunnel depicted in the first portion of the book is meant to be one of the tunnels out of NYC, and the entire vignette looks familiar to them. This book interestingly led to the first time Hill said the word “rain,” out of the blue! (There is a page where the truck drives through rain.). It’s funny how sometimes these wordless books can draw out great opportunities for practicing words.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. A classic. I love the way this book broaches the related concepts of permanence, time, repetition, age.
Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Long. It mildly offends me that this book is “recommended” alongside that “Dragons Eat Tacos” books, which is (unpopular opinion!) one of my least favorite children’s books! Grumpy Monkey is all about making space for one’s own emotions — not pushing them aside or attempting to imitate the mood of others. It does so with a light touch, and there’s a great ending vignette that is both heart-warming and hilarious. (It involves a gorilla with bandaids all over his rear end. I’ll let you guess how many four year olds love that premise…!)
The Digger and the Flower by Joseph Kuefler. Oh my gosh, this book. A simply though movingly illustrated book about a digger who tries to protect flowers from being uprooted in a building project and eventually replants the seeds elsewhere. My son is SO upset by the scene in which the flowers are torn from the ground — the illustrations are evocative! This is a great pick if you have a truck-loving little one and can’t stand reading “Goodnight Construction Site” again.
The Cyclops of Central Park by Madelyn Rosenberg. Oh I love (!) this book! It’s a whimsically illustrated tale about valuing the safety of home and the adventure of the outside world. Lots of New York haunts featured in it, too.
Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann. My daughter laughed hysterically the first few times she read this book. This is another one of those simple, illustration-driven books with minimal prose, but the premise is pretty funny: a gorilla unlocks the cages to all of the animals in the zoo and then they all pile into the zookeeper’s home. Not a particularly resonant message, but stimulating to young children, even tiny ones, who will enjoy pointing out the animals.
We’re Different, We’re the Same by Sesame Street. This one gets a lot of play in our home — mini is of course drawn to the Sesame Street characters, but it’s a thoughtfully illustrated book with lots to look at and, sometimes, a sort of “Where’s Waldo” vibe that sends mini searching for various characters. The broader premise is lovely, too — celebrating differences and at the same time calling out similarities.
The Napping House by Don Wood. This was one of my childhood favorites — I can remember my mother’s voice reading this with clarity. It has a great poetic sequencing, and the illustrations are evocative.
Wild Baby by Cori Doerrfeld. One of my son’s favorites — he loves pointing out the jaguar/cheetah that threatens the wild baby on every page and saying “oh no!!!” A sweet rhyming book about the limitless love between a mom and her baby.
What are your children’s favorite books at the moment?
P.P.S. My favorite audiobooks (comments are a treasure trove!), though I haven’t been listening regularly to anything in awhile. I’m finding it difficult to find a space in my day for that at the moment. I now prefer to walk Tilly without listening to anything but the serenity of my suburban neighborhood (!) and simply find myself walking by foot far less. This reminds me of an old prompt: how do you find time to read?
A: Splurge pick is Loewe, which is having a major “It bag” moment right now — I love their Flamenco. I also like the throwback vibes of this Gucci — librarian-chic. I feel like I want to wear it with tasseled loafers and a trench! I also like the Rue De Verneuil totes, which are a bit more casual — but could definitely fit a laptop and would look so smart with a fall wardrobe. Clare Vivier’s simple tote is also a chic pick. I like the navy or the brown with the racer stripes! I still plug my Cuyana tote, too — it’s a workhorse (looks great after years of use), super elegant and understated, fits a laptop and everything else under the sun, and reasonably priced at under $200. If you don’t need to carry a laptop, I still think TB’s Radziwill bag is beyond and this Khaite is ultra-covetable. And if you’re in a more casual/trendy environment, this sherpa-trim Stand Studio would make a serious statement!
Q: Attractive mouthwash dispenser for my bathroom. Is there such a thing?
A: Quip makes one that looks aesthetically-pleasing/modern, but another route would be to decant your mouthwash into a glass carafe (look for less with this) and set it beside a matching cup on a tray. That would involve washing the glass a lot more, but it would look chic! Alternately, have you heard about Floris’ mouthwash? The bottle is gorgeous! You could use that and then refill with your drugstore variety when out. Ha!
Q: Dress for newborn pics that’s not white. A color or floral?
A: ByTimo has a lot of chic floaty options that would work — this blue gingham and this pink floral are gorgeous and figure-skimming (and with sleeves, which someone recently pointed out tends to be good for family photos). A bit bolder, but I love this Rhode or this Tuckernuck. If you’re comfortable with something a bit more fitted up top, I love this SEA dress — for a similar vibe in a looser cut, check out this $136 steal!
Q: A new everyday classic bag, preferably camel leather.
A: I have a bunch of chic options in this post, but my top pick would be a quilted jacket like this or this. If you are more fashion-forward, this quilted, scalloped coat is MAJ and would go wonderfully with a closet full of Ulla/SEA/Banana’s new season. I’m also drawn to tweed longline cardigans like this or this. I’m also personally lusting after these capes and this reasonably-priced poncho.
A: Is it funky if it has a funnel neck? I love this style, but they also have one without the funnel neck! I would probably size up and wear it a bit oversized with the sleeves pushed up to the elbow, or maybe order a men’s style in a size S.
Q: Winter bump-friendly dress for Baptism.
A: Congratulations to the baby! I love this Horror Vacui, this Cara Cara (I think this would accommodate the bump but not sure on waistline), the Nesli nap dress (will be launching a few plaid patterns this fall, so keep an eye out — alternately, you could “winterize” the blue with navy accessories/velvet shoes), this chic black LBD (very Jackie O.), and this Chanel-esque shift (would work if bump is small).
Q: A flush or semi-flush mount ceiling light for a toddler boy’s room.
Q: Outfit for a 3.5 year old big brother to wear at his sister’s Baptism?
A: Navy blazer with an oxford and nantucket reds or khakis depending on season — timeless, and you can repurpose all of the pieces the entire season! (Oxford looks cute with shorts, jeans, etc; khakis work with polos/tees/etc.). Elephantito or Janie + Jack loafers!
The great thing about this approach is that you can repurpose the shoes and cardigans when not pregnant! However, I’m also a big dress girl so I would have probably bought a couple of nap dresses in the tartan prints (they should be released in the next few weeks) to layer over maternity tights/turtlenecks. Earlier in pregnancy, I might have worn a sweatshirt dress like this or this with designer sneaks. Also, this on-trend dress would be perfect for a fall gathering (possibly Thanksgiving) and I think would work early in pregnancy.
Q: Black tie wedding dress for September that works with bump!
A: This is so tricky. Black tie dresses tend to be so expensive and I would probably not want to invest in something I know I may never wear again — hence, I’d turn to ASOS. Something like this would look so chic with a glitzy shoe like this, this, or this. These earrings would be great with the green of the dress! Runner up at ASOS: this lace top style in an elegant sage green. Pair with pearls or bows!
Alternately, this black dress MIGHT work with bump and could be worn after.
Q: Fall tops for nursing.
A: Congratulations! I actually think this boxy overshirt/shacket trend could be a chic ticket, layered over a nursing tank — you could go plaid (Isabel Marant started the trend, but get the look for less with this) or do some of the more polished styles from BR or Tuckernuck. Also love this wrap-style top, a timeless RL Oxford, and lots of the tops at Buru, which is a boutique specifically designed for nursing moms!
Q: An attractive or unobtrusive folding step ladder for use in our tall kitchen.
A: This Frontgate comes in great colors and boasts a sleek design. This white or black one also has a sleek architectural appeal that makes it look aesthetically intentional rather than purely functional.
Q: I know you like Kule — any other brands for basic ts, v-necks, long-sleeved ts?
A: J. Crew. To be frank, the quality is not exceptional (I find I retire them after a few seasons), but I love the fit and colors of their vintage cotton essential tee, which I own about ten of in white. I don’t like their “perfect fit” line but their essential / vintage cotton ones are super lightweight and flattering — something about where the sleeve hits on the arm suits me perfectly. I also turn to them for basics like henleys and tissue turtlenecks in fall. I also like Everlane’s box-cut tees in short sleeve and long sleeve, but those are less for layering and more of a statement on their own given their dimensions (i.e., slightly cropped / boxy). Finally, I love Outdoor Voices’ everyday white tee, which is not specific to athletic-wear and can be worn casually, too.
By: Jen Shoop
*Image above featuring Daydress’ quilted coats, set to launch soon.
If you’re coming from Pinterest, welcome! Learn more about Magpie here or subscribe to my Magpie Digest here! I’m so glad we found each other.
I am majorly tracking a cluster of peaking designers whose fall collections feel like a constellation of related trends that all play nicely together: patchwork, layered blockprints, quilting, oversized collars. It’s a nostalgic, homemade-looking vibe, as if all this time at home has led us to return to the handiwork and simplicity of decades past, too. A Magpie reader shared a fascinating article on the rise of the nap dress that makes sense within this cultural context, too: there has been a resurgent interest in the sphere of domesticity.
The designers at the tip of the sphere: Ulla Johnson, Caron Callahan, Horror Vacui, Sea, Nina Blanc, Mille, Daydress, Loeffler Randall, SZ Blockprints, Ganni. Take a gander at some of their pieces and styling work below.
From top to bottom: Horror Vacui, Daydress, Nina Blanc, SZ Blockprints, Ulla Johnson, SEA, Caron Callahan, Mango, Andion.
The other day, I went running using an interval workout in the Nike Run Club app. It was difficult not only because I am finally easing back into my every-other-day running habit after a six-week-long hiatus owing to the move, but because I am still re-adjusting to the paludal humidity of the D.C. area (there have been points, as I have maneuvered back into this regimen, where I could have sworn I was actually moving backwards, the humidity suffocating my efforts) and my neighborhood is incredibly hilly compared to the relative flatness of my favorite running route around Jackie O. reservoir in Central Park. Beyond that, I’ve never done any interval training in my life, and my body reminded me of that negligence by the end of the workout. It was, however, strangely fun, possibly because of the novelty of running with a coach in my ear and possibly because the pattern of sprinting, then recovering, in sixteen brief segments made the time pass more quickly, or — perhaps — divided the overarching goal of running for thirty minutes into a smattering of tinier, more quickly achievable goals.
Around sprint six, however, my energy flagged. “Just two more,” I told myself. The coach in my AirPods, however, had a different tack:
“Do you know how many intervals you have left?” he asked.
“Two,” I thought.
“One. There’s only ever one left. The next one,” he insisted. In so many words: don’t think about the long game. Don’t derail yourself by worrying about whatever’s coming down the pike. Focus on the short-term, on getting through the minute immediately in front of me. To my genuine surprise, that sixth sprint was almost enjoyable. I resettled from my head into my body. I was able to keep at bay the calculations about how many more seconds I had and how many sprints lay ahead and instead focus solely on my breathing, on my feet hitting the pavement, on the movement of my arms.
Funny how sometimes the words you most need to hear materialize in the most unexpected places, isn’t it?
This week, my resolution is to focus on “the next one” in every realm of my life. Not “the one” — whatever that “one” may be — two days or two months or two years away. Just what’s immediately in front of me.
+I have heard really good things about this small, female-founded business that sells candles inspired by the signature scents of fabulous hotels.
+ICYMI: this $30 dress is a dream. This is exactly what I imagine wearing with clogs and a cardigan this fall.
+I have seen so many chic women trotting around in Horror Vacui — I love this dress, but just can’t figure out if the shape would do my any favors. I am intrigued by this dramatic quilted coat, however…
+Speaking of ribbed knits, this cashmere sweater is on ridiculous sale and would look so sophisticated with a pair of trousers this fall!
+I’ve been meaning to put together a post of our current favorite children’s books, but I had to share this one, which was an instant hit in our home. My mom read it to mini and she LOVED it immediately — it has some silly sections and great illustrations, but the message is wonderful: It’s OK to feel what you feel.
+Cecil and Lou have two REALLY cute dresses out for fall: this plaid and this navy floral. PSA: I find this brand runs big.
+I saw this sweater on Julia Amory on Instagram and I am devastated I missed out in my size! It’s currently 60% off and she looked SO chic in it. Eyeing this one for myself…
My daughter has been begging me for more tees and leggings lately. I think this is because they are easier for her to put on herself (versus dresses with zippers/buttons/ties) and also, likely, because they are a bit of a novelty in her wardrobe. I have been hunting for a few tees and leggings I like and thought I’d share my favorite finds…
One strategy I have found helpful is proactively pairing tees with shorts/leggings that “go” with the pattern of the tee and stacking them in her drawers accordingly, i.e., rolling up the shorts with the tee that matches versus putting all tees in one drawer and leggings/shorts in another, in which case we might end up with Lilly shorts and a striped navy tee.
In general I find patterned leggings tricky, though — I tend to buy white, navy, and sometimes pink/gray solids from Old Navy that can go with more. However, I did snag a few pairs of these in the Liberty-esque floral prints — some as low as $4! — that have been popular with mini. A few other patterned leggings I liked:
Sometimes you can find cute leggings/tee sets — this one is super sweet!
Tees for Little Boys.
Boys I find much easier to outfit in simple tees. I aggressively search for Busy Bees Henry tees on sale and stock up whenever I find them — they are just the best quality and fit, and I appreciate the button closure. I also like:
P.S. This tiered floral dress has been super popular on le blog — great for transition-to-fall. It has sleeves, too, which I know many of you find appealing for things like family photos! More great dresses here.
P.P.S. Do you agree with this: “Love isn’t a fact. It’s a hunch at first. And then later it’s a series of decisions, a lifetime of decisions. That’s love.”I’m not sure.
P.P.P.S. Thinking of sharing more fiction soon…in the meantime, what are you reading?
