Jen Shoop, Author at Magpie by Jen Shoop

By: Jen Shoop

My favorite finds this go around. I don’t yet have access so have instead added items to my wish list in anticipation…

(01.) STOKKE TRIP TRAPP HIGH CHAIR — If I could go back and do it over, this is the only piece of baby gear I would swap out for what I purchased. I just love the look of this chair. Envious that my sister is buying one! I like the gray color that’s been discounted. So chic!

(02.) FP OVERSIZED DISTRESSED SWEATSHIRT — Have had my eye on this for awhile. Would wear tone-on-tone with Lululemon Aligns, i.e., the FP sweatshirt in green with the Lululemon olive green Aligns, or the sweatshirt in pink with the violet colored Aligns.

(03.) CHANTECAILLE FAUX CILS MASCARA — Many people have raved about this crazy expensive mascara. I’m going to see if my mom wants to go in on this two-pack with me so we can both test at a discount!

(04.) DAGNE DOVER ORGANIC COTTON TOTE — Love this unfussy but highly practical canvas tote. Would be great for children, gym, or work.

(05.) RAY BAN WAYFARERS IN TORTOISE — Timeless and unisex and just so chic. Also come in a lucite/clear variation (seen in collage above) I love similar to the Chimi sunglasses I’ve been wearing all summer.

(06.) RAG & BONE FELT FEDORA — I saw this and immediately added to my cart. I think this would be so chic for an outdoor activity this fall…apple picking? Fire pit hang with wine? So chic with a fall dress or jeans and a fantastic sweater (currently hoping to get my hands on one of the ones from Alice Walk).

(07.) BOBBI BROWN EXTRA LIP TINTS — Mentioned these so many times over the years, but my favorite balm-with-a-little-extra-tint situation for everyday wear. Glides on, non-sticky, and affords just the tiniest bit of color. Can be applied without a mirror, which is a pre-req for me most days.

(08.) NUNA RAVA CARSEAT — Hoping this doesn’t sell out before I gain access to the sale, but we are super impressed with this carseat for mini and can’t wait to buy micro’s. ICYMI, the headline here is that the seat cushion can be fully removed and tossed in the laundry. Crucial for me. Their infant carseat (which we loved) is also on sale!

(09.) LITTLE GIRAFFE BABY BLANKETS — Both of my children love these ultra-soft, ultra-thick blankets. Hill still sleeps with his every single night.

(10.) SHERPA TEDDY COAT — Love these on a baby. So sweet. Darling gift, too!

(11.) ON CLOUDFLOW RUNNING SHOES — Heavily hyped! Every time I mention a running shoe, I remember that many of you have urged Magpies (and me) to go to a running store to get properly fitted, and I think that’s good advice. However, for the only-occasional runner, this is a good deal on a shoe that many people LOVE.

(12.) EZ PZ FEEDING MATS — OK, let me be honest about this one, because it has its pros and cons. I was SO obsessed with these mats when mini was between the ages of 1-2 because it would suction and stay put on her high chair tray and prevent food flinging / dropping. It also made it easier for her to scoop food out by herself since the bowl wouldn’t be slipping all over the tray. I also LOVE the colors, size (not too big!), and simple design. However. I do think that silicone products absorb the smell of dishwasher detergent to a distasteful degree. (Taste your child’s food next time you’ve run a silicone bowl through the dishwasher!). I think this issue could be mitigated if you hand-wash using unscented dish soap (I loved Dapple for hand-washing bottles — works just as well as Palmolive IMO but no scent, and I think it would work well in this situation, too), but not sure if anyone is up for that? Maybe there are unscented dishwasher pods?! Anyway, just a flag on this one. I do think they are well-designed, just be aware of the smell issue!

(13.) JACK BLACK FACIAL MOISTURIZER — Mr. Magpie uses this daily, and this enormous pump bottle is a great value.

(14.) OLD SKOOL VANS FOR A TODDLER BOY — Micro had a pair of these in red that I thought looked fun/slightly edgy with his otherwise pretty straight-laced/preppy wardrobe. Imagine with tiny dark wash jeans and a navy gingham button-down.

(15.) SWEET ORGANIC STRIPED BABY SET — Great basics to have on hand for fall for a new baby. Love all three colors!

Two other finds worth mentioning:

HANKY PANKY UNDERWEAR — The time of year I stock up. Usually you can only find Hanky Panky on sale in bad colors or garish prints. This is not the case with the Nordstrom sale. I think I’ll just buy multiple pairs in the “desert rose” (nude) shade to wear under all my summer dresses.

CLARE VIVIER CROSSBODY — Great fall everyday bag, especially for my urban mamas hoping to remain hands-free. Snakeskin is like a more interesting neutral. Goes with so much more than you think! If you don’t like the color of the strap, swap out for one of these inexpensive ones from Etsy. I did that with a bag last fall and was IN LOVE with the result. I matched my strap to the red color of my Canada Goose coat and it made me feel so pulled together.

P.S. A Taylor Swift song I love.

P.P.S. Chic cover-ups for the beach.

P.P.P.S. Parenting advice I can get behind.

By: Jen Shoop

Image above via Nalin Studios.

I have been seriously lusting after layered gold necklaces lately — especially gold coin necklaces! You can take a shortcut to the look by buying a set that comes paired…

MISSOMA

NATHALIE B

THIS MORE DELICATE SET FROM GLDN X LONG AND LAYERED

SHASHI ($52 FOR SET!)

CLOVERPOST

SUPER AFFORDABLE AMAZON STEAL

MAISON MONIK

Or you can buy pieces separately and layer together. A few favorite finds…

HAVE LONG LUSTED AFTER A PENDANT NECKLACE FROM AURELIA DEMARK

SHASHI COIN WARRIOR NECKLACE

ALIGHIERI (ON SALE!)

ANYTHING BY FOUNDRAE IS #GOALZ

Not a necklace, but these wildflower signet rings are amazing.

And on the bolder end of the design spectrum when it comes to necklaces, still salivating over this Lizzie Fortunato and the cheerful rainbow styles from Roxanne Assoulin.

P.S. What are you reading? If you need some inspo, I have a ton of posts on books here. I’m currently on a mental vacation, reading this heavily touted beach read.

P.P.S. Toys for backyard and pool.

P.P.P.S. On building friendships through motherhood.

By: Jen Shoop

Thank you to the reader who pointed out that my beloved Serena & Lily Blake dresser was just marked down — $1,000 off! I wrote extensively about this dresser in a post a week or two ago. It is so good. A few other fantastic finds that are a part of the tent sale:

DIP DYED STOOLS (CUTE IN A BOY’S ROOM / CHILDREN’S BATH)

BANDED BATH SHEETS FOR $34 — LOVE THIS TAILORED LOOK, SIMILAR TO THE MATOUK TOWELS I MENTIONED HERE

THIS IS IN MY CART AS A TOY STORAGE SOLUTION FOR MICRO’S NEW ROOM — WOULD ALSO BE GOOD FOR BULKY ITEMS LIKE POOL TOWELS / BACKYARD TOYS / ETC

THESE CHILDREN’S OUTDOOR CHAIRS!!!

WOW – THIS CHIC DINING TABLE IS ALMOST 50% OFF

FUN TOILE SHEETS FOR A GUEST BEDROOM / BOY’S BEDROOM

ADD DRAMA TO YOUR BEDSIDE SITUATION WITH THIS FANTASTIC LAMP

P.S. Seriously jealous of those with early access to the Nordstrom sale because I’m worried this Nuna carseat will sell out before I can buy it! We bought this exact carseat for mini but were waiting to buy one for micro so it wouldn’t clutter our NYC foyer before the move. (Micro was using this excellent and very lightweight travel carseat in the meantime. Cannot recommend it more, especially for airplane travel. It is SO light, you can lift it with one hand, but gets excellent safety reviews. Did I mention it’s somehow only $60?!). I can tell you now that the Nuna carseat is WONDERFUL because mini often gets carsick and did so on the drive to DC last week and YOU CAN REMOVE ALL OF THE CARSEAT COVER AND LAUNDER. Game changer for us.

P.P.S. Unrelated to anything, but this cute and on-trend dress was just marked down to $163. More chic dresses here.

P.P.P.S. Lots of new beauty favorites.

By: Jen Shoop

I was steeling myself to take my two sick and exhausted children to a 7:45 p.m. doctor’s appointment on my own — the last slot available that particular day in the pediatrician’s “fever clinic,” which I presume to be a new feature of our COVID-hardened world: keep the ill children separate from the ones seeking routine vaccines and wellness checks. Sane and appropriate, but wildly inconvenient. Not only had we had to struggle through a day caring for unwell children without any diagnosis, but my children are normally in bed by seven and asleep by seven-thirty, and yet there I was, prolonging their feverish day and dreading what was to follow: nasal swabs, the pushback of my four-year-old, my two-year-old’s ambitiously wrangling body exploring every nook and cranny of the examination room while the doctor would, inevitably, be running late given that we had inherited the absolute worst time for a doctor’s visit. (Every parent knows that the later the appointment, the longer the wait.) I am not above admitting I was dreading managing the visit on my own, without the extra hands of my husband.

Around seven, the office called and informed me we could come in early. Out of the blue, just before hanging up, I asked: “Oh, wait — is it still the policy that only one parent is allowed in per visit?” “No, m’am, you can have both now.”

Two unexpected wins, the latter perhaps the best news I’d had in months.

We put on shoes and foisted on masks and flew out the door, and as we walked underneath the scaffolding on 86th Street, I watched my husband pantomime exaggerated surprise when a pigeon flew over his head, sending my four-year-old into hysterics.

Of all the moments,

Of all the years,

I almost burst into tears just then, with my husband’s frame silhouetted against the Manhattan streetlights and my daughter’s surprised laughter jostling her from the slope of malaise.

How spectacular, to walk through life with someone else who not only shoulders life’s burdens but makes light where there is little.

Post-Scripts.

+Writing this post reminded me of the 3 A.M. parties I have enjoyed with my husband at my side.

+We celebrate our eleventh anniversary next month, and I ordered this dress and this one as options for the celebration.

+Lots of ultra-chic Loretta Caponi on sale here.

+Micro is SO into puzzles at the moment — these 12-piece ones are perfect!

+This plaid dress is under $80 and feels very Doen. I like that it could work into fall…

+This $128 floral top is tres chic tucked into a white midi or paired with denim.

+I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but back to school has been on my mind lately. I used this reversible pennant (you can pick the colors!) that say “first day / last day” last year and will continue to use with my children. Love that it does not designate the year so you can use every year from now til college.

+OMG these Carrie Forbes shoes ($200!) are too cute.

+Lululemon makes such good athletic outerwear. So chic! I am loving this new anorak.

+Speaking of Lululemon, just ordered this hot pink look from head to toe: top and shorts.

+A good stacking storage option for toys like Duplos/sets of dinosaurs/cars/etc.

+Adore the print on this two-piece.

+Two super fun patterned skirts: this Mara Hoffman and this Banjanan. I love them with the matching tops!

+This new quilted coverlet from Boll and Branch is simple and chic. Would play nicely with some fun patterned pillows / a dramatic bolster.

+I alternate between hair primer/detanglers, but have really been loving my return to Dry Bar’s Prep Rally lately. It makes my hair feel so smooth and silky when used before the Revlon 1-Step.

+Speaking of hair: “a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.”

+ICYMI: this $25 blue and white midi dress is SO good.

+This post tugs at my heart: on surviving COVID. It all began with a prayer.

+Great hooded sweatshirt from LL Bean — love the quilting detail. Would size up and throw on for walking the dog on chilly mornings!

+Poupette St. Barth has some fabulous new pareo prints…I almost want to wear this out over my shoulders with white jeans/a white tee.

+Needlepoint key chain with zip code!

+In love with this $70 top.

+CUTE straw bags.

+Super elegant wrapped-ankle sandal.

By: Jen Shoop

Are you traveling anywhere soon? I feel as though everyone I know is jet-setting ASAP and AMAP (as much as possible) to make up for lost (COVID) time. We are beginning to plan for the possibility of a brief getaway for our eleven year anniversary and then a wedding in October, too. I am hoping we will finally be able to get away for a proper vacation — just Mr. Magpie and I — in 2022, and we already have a big summer beach trip planned with the children next summer in addition to my sister’s deferred nuptial celebration. Lots to look forward to!

A couple of new travel-related finds I wanted to share while so many of us are getting back into the travel groove:

THIS HAT HOLDER IS BRILLIANT — YOU CLIP IT ON THE SIDE OF YOUR BAG/SUITCASE SO YOU CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT CRUSHING YOUR HAT

THIS EVERYTHING POUCH — GENIUS FOR DAY-OF TRAVEL (ALSO WOULD BE GOOD FOR A MOM TRAILING KIDS IN CENTRAL PARK PLAYGROUNDS…KEEP ALL VALUABLES ON YOU IN ONE CONVENIENT CROSSBODY)

SIMILAR UTILITY: PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT THESE DAGNE DOVER SLINGS

LUSTING AFTER THIS TRAVEL WALLET IN THE GORGEOUS BLUE SHADE — SO SMART FOR KEEPING VACCINE CARD, COPIES OF ITINERARY, TICKETS, ETC IN ONE PLACE

ARE THESE NOT THE CHICEST LUGGAGE TAGS?! GOYARD-ESQUE

MENTIONED THIS RECENTLY BUT JUST ORDERED ONE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL LEATHER COSMETIC BAGS — LOVE THAT THE SIZES ARE SOLD SEPARATELY; VERY SIMILAR TO CUYANA, WHICH ARE ONLY SOLD AS SET

STILL A FEW OF THESE WILDLY POPULAR COSMETIC TRAIN CASES FROM NEELY AND CHLOE X JULIA BEROLZHEIMER AVAILABLE HERE!

WILL ALWAYS CHERISH MY LOUIS VUITTON DUFFEL BAG — PURCHASED FOR MY HONEYMOON TROUSSEAU! — BUT I WILL SAY IT IS VERY HEAVY…OTHER CHIC OPTIONS: THIS PARAVEL (CAN BE MONOGRAMMED!) AND THIS NEELY & CHLOE

HAVE BEEN EYEING LITTLE ENGLISH’S QUILTED LUGGAGE SETS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS FOR AWHILE…SO SWEET! I THINK MINI MIGHT HAVE OUTGROWN SOME OF THEIR DESIGNS, SO THESE CUTE DUFFELS MIGHT BE MORE OUR SPEED AT THIS STAGE

WOULD LOVE TO INVEST IN RIMOWA LUGGAGE NEXT, BUT I ALSO LIKE THE LOOK OF THIS MORE REASONABLY-PRICED CARRY-ON IN THE NEUTRAL/TAN OR THIS WELL-REVIEWED AWAY STYLE

LESS STYLISH, BUT HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL: I’VE HAD ONE OF THESE TUMI ROLL-A-BOARDS FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS AND IT IS STILL GOOD AS NEW…

THESE SIMPLE CANVAS DUFFELS ARE ALSO A STYLISH OPTION FOR LITTLES, AND I LOVE THE WAY YOU CAN PERSONALIZE THESE ONES FROM STONEY CLOVER

…OR YOU CAN DIY THE STONEY CLOVER VIBE WITH THIS INEXPENSIVE TIE-DYE DUFFEL AND YOUR OWN PATCHES

I’M IN LOVE WITH THESE PRINTED ROLL-A-BOARDS FOR LITTLE HANDS, WHICH CAN COORDINATE WITH BACKPACKS!

LOTS OF PACKING CUBE OPTIONS HERE, BUT THESE ARE SO CHIC (AND MONOGRAMMABLE) — I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER SET…OR DO I?

THE ABSOLUTE CHICEST GARMENT BAG I’VE EVER SEEN

TRULY LOVE MY ROWENTA STEAMER AND IT IS COMPACT ENOUGH TO TRAVEL WITH! (EVEN COMES WITH A LITTLE CARRYING POUCH)

ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH A “LAUNDRY BAG” TO KEEP THOSE ITEMS SEPARATE FROM CLEAN CLOTHES…ESPECIALLY ESSENTIAL FOR MESSY LITTLE ONES

STILL CONTEND THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST TOTE BAG FOR TRAVEL WITH LITTLE ONES…IT WEIGHS NEXT TO NOTHING AND HOLDS AN ASTONISHING AMOUNT! THE ZIP TOP IS CRUCIAL!

…BUT IT TIES WITH THIS QUILTED BACKPACK (ALSO WEIGHS NEXT TO NOTHING AND CONVENIENTLY BOASTS TWO WATER BOTTLE HOLDERS, ONE FOR EACH CHILD); SO NICE TO BE “HANDS-FREE!”

I ALSO THINK THIS DAGNE DOVER BACKPACK IS SO CHIC IN THE LIMITED EDITION BLUE COLOR

READ ABOUT THESE CLEVER CAPSULES ON NAN’S BLOG — I HAVE MADE DO WITH LITTLE SETS LIKE THESE IN AND THESE THE PAST, WHICH WORK GREAT, TOO!

I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE LATTER PICK BECAUSE IT HAS DIFFERENT SHAPES/TYPES OF BOTTLES FOR DIFFERENT FORMULAS, AND HAVING ALL THE DIFFERENT COLORS MAKES GRABBING THE RIGHT TUBE A CINCH

STILL HAVE TO RAVE ABOUT OXO’S TRAVEL WIPES CONTAINER…SOUNDS SO RIDICULOUS BUT I REPLENISH THIS WITH THE BIG BOXES OF WIPES WE HAVE AT HOME AND THE CONTAINER KEEPS THE WIPES FROM DRYING OUT! ALSO LOVE THE LITTLE TOGGLE TO CLIP ONTO THE STRAP OF A BAG

HAVE COMPLETED THREE RECENT CAR TRIPS IN HILL HOUSE NAP DRESSES…CONVINCED THESE ARE THE MVP FOR TRAVEL ANYWHERE…LIGHTWEIGHT, FLATTERING, LAYERABLE, BREATHABLE, CHIC

P.S. I regret not traveling more before children!

P.P.S. Lots of ideas on activities to pack when traveling with children.

P.P.P.S. Chic beach bags and chic cover-ups.

By: Jen Shoop

My Latest Snag: Outdoor Dining Furniture.

I shared these details earlier this week, but we bought outdoor dining furniture for our new home this past weekend: this expandable teak table and a few sets of these chairs with the yellow and white stripe sunbrella cushions added. The table won’t arrive until the end of August, so we’ll be using this supremely well-made folding table in the interim, which we’ve toted around with us since Chicago days. (Trust me, it’s good — the Wirecutter’s rec.) We have a covered porch, so I cannot wait to eat every possible breakfast, lunch, and dinner al fresco, as weather won’t really be an issue. Hooray! I think there is still space on the porch (which spans the width of the house) for additional seating beyond the wicker couch set we have, or possibly for an outdoor bar cart or side board or something like that, but I’ll be waiting until we’ve lived in the space to figure out what we’d prefer. (I.e., are we always dragging extra chairs out from the dining room? Would we want a convenient spot to set up a little bar area, or hold plates that are going down to the grill? Etc. We could also always get some less-expensive but fun stackable chairs to keep on hand…)

So exciting!

You’re Soooo Popular: The Blockprint Dress.

The most popular items on le blog this week:

+This blockprint dress has been very popular all summer but it just went on sale and a lot of you snapped it up!

+Cutest smocked and striped dress.

+My new favorite facial sunscreen.

+Wicker serving tray.

+This floral cutie keeps selling out! Snag if you can!

+My favorite towels to gift.

+Chic and distressed alternative to dresses all the time.

+Denim shorts that aren’t too short.

+It truly is nap dress summer. I’ll be wearing this on move day!

+Cute paper from my favorite Etsy stationery boutique.

+My new desk chair! I think we’ll all be chic workerbees in this.

+Fun super soakers for a backyard hang. We brought these with us to the Hamptons and even the littlest kids got the hang of it quickly!

Weekend Musings: Living in Limbo.

This past week has loomed liminal. Everything in our apartment, and in our life, is partway-packed, partway-done. We don’t want to throw away the nearly-depleted tubs of condiments in the fridge, as we “might need them in the next few days.” I can’t quite pack for the 48 hours we’ll have all of our belongings in boxes because I will need my makeup, and my hair blow dryer, and the children need their sippy cups and sound machines, before packing day. Instead, I have a few piles of bags and boxes haphazardly filled with items we do not want packed — items of sentimental value, important documents, the Hermes scarf Mr. Magpie gave me on the eve of my son’s birth. Even those feel inadequately organized, and I am certain there are other items I have forgotten about that I would be devastated to lose. (Just writing that sentence, I sprang up in search of the rosary my grandmother gave me on the occasion of my First Communion.). Most of our belongings are still where they always are, as we have hired a company to do a full pack of absolutely everything in the apartment, but this hasn’t stopped us from trying to organize/simplify/regroup items so that they are boxed in a logical way. (I.e., I don’t want to find pens, or toys, in every single box!). So even things that are “out” have been re-clustered and re-organized in foreign and inconvenient ways. (“Jen? Where are the napkins?!”)

I was showering last weekend and I wondered: “Should I just toss the loofah when I’m done?” Then: “No, you’ll take a few showers before move day.” Then: “Well, I can make do without. Better just chuck now, one less thing unfinished.” Then: “That is ridiculous! Why are you depriving yourself of a tool for the next week just to have something done?”

But this has been me, desperate to cross things off and cinch with tape and push to the corner of a room.

It is hard for me to live halfway. We’ve talked on this blog about how difficult it is to accommodate the constant interruptions children introduce into everyday life. We’ve also talked about how parenthood tampers with the deeply-engrained “completion desire” that accompanies so much of what we do on a daily basis (and, in fact, governs a lot of the theory in game design/gamification). So imagine my current dismay at living in a nightmarish in-between space that constantly thwarts my hunger for the checked box, and that occasionally leads me to wildly irrational internal drama over whether or not to discard a loofah before its run its course.

These are the grumblings of a woman ill-at-ease in transition. Are there truly people out there who can swing between the branches with grace and accommodation? I envy them. I am instead doing the best I can dialing in on the small moments of magic that have materialized in the midst of this week:

My daughter and I, lying in the tent in her bedroom, the sun illuminating its interior, her gorgeous hazel eyes studying my face:

“You know, some nice people from the moving company are going to come and put all of our things in boxes and then they will bring them down to our new house and we will set everything up again.”

“Even my stuffed animals?”

“Even your stuffed animals.”

“Even my underwear?”

“Even your underwear.”

This went on for a stretch, with her asking after increasingly minuscule items in her possession (Barbie doll shoes! Tub stickies! Crayons!), before she paused, scrunched up her face, and said: “Eeee! I’m so excited!”

Thank God for my four-year-old hype girl.

Post-Scripts: Baskets + Things.

+A girlfriend of mine presented a mother-to-be with baby gifts in a wicker decorative basket. She filled the bottom with new mom essentials, like Infant Tylenol, the Nose Frida, diaper rash cream (this is the best the best the best), etc. It was so thoughtful! Like, you never think you’ll need the Nose Frida until you do, and then you spend $30 on it at Duane Reade in a blind panic. (Speaking from experience.).

+Lots of great baskets here.

+A great everyday summer dress in an unexpected mid blue color.

+Just added to my cart: al fresco dining ware, including bamboo cutlery. I am torn on melamine outdoor dining plates. Experience tells me to go with white (shows food so well, and never gets boring), so I am contemplating something like this bamboo-trim set, this wavy set, this scalloped set, or this beaded set and then adding in a couple of fun festive salad plates/cereal bowls to mix in. The Avenue has great patterns, including these blue botanicals and these green florals.

+For outdoor cocktails, still loving these striped acrylic tumblers from Frontgate!

+More al fresco dining finds here.

+This textured swimsuit is SO chic and only $65.

+Still getting a lot of wear out of this fun gingham maxi skirt.

+This deeply discounted rattan lamp is SO chic.

+Another fun jelly-style sandal for summer, this one only $65.

+OMG – adore this Ann Taylor find! Such a great print and the silhouette is so easy to wear!

+Fantastic lookalike for the Tove dress so many of you loved.

+Shopbop now carries Mille! This looks like a dream. Would work with bump, too!

+Loads of new Juliet Dunn at Matches! Super love this dress, and this bright pink is so punchy!

+These watermelon jammies for a little one are too cute.

By: Jen Shoop

A few favorite all-white finds…

THIS WAIMARI (SEEN ABOVE) IS IN MY CART

ADORE THIS SCALLOPED NAYA REA

HEARTS X ANCIENT GREEK

AMAZING ALEX MILL WHITE BLOUSE (UNDER $150 — THE RIC RAC TRIM!)

TIERED WHITE SKIRT TO WEAR WITH EVERYTHING

EVERLANE SHIRRED MINI (OWN + ADORE)

WHITE SHORTALLS TO THROW ON OVER A SWIMSUIT

BROCK-ESQUE WHITE BLOUSE FOR UNDER $100

THIS STAUD DRESS IS JUST PERFECT

LOVE THIS EYELET TUNIC

KEEP COMING BACK TO THE SAUCY REFORMATION NIKITA

WHITE PEONY EARRINGS

WHITE EYELET DREAM FROM ULLA JOHNSON (ON SALE!)

DREAMING ABOUT THESE ALEXANDRE BIRMAN SANDALS

TOO MUCH FOR ME TO WEAR THIS ANNA OCTOBER FOR MY 11-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN AUGUST?

J’ADORE THE SWISS DOT DETAIL ON THIS $40 DRESS

NAP DRESS VIBES FOR $60

P.S. At the other end of the spectrum (i.e., the colorful one): unusual, fun, colorful fashion finds for under $205.

P.P.S. The sacrosanct and the silly.

P.P.P.S. Things to say yes to.

By: Jen Shoop

I estimate I went on at least two hundred runs through Central Park while living in Manhattan, the vast majority of them over the last nine months.

Two hundred opportunities to flee the concrete jungle, to feel startlingly alone, to remember what dew looks like on grass, to watch the sun rise or set on water, to observe those lissom, near-invisible transformations of the natural world as it inches between seasons that remind us that “this, too, shall pass.”

Is it mawkish to say that for three years, Central Park made living in Manhattan manageable, and that, for the past year, during the pandemic, it made living in Manhattan possible?

Today, we leave New York, and words fail me. In lieu of unvarnished prose: an unpolished journal of photographs taken while running through her the past many years.

I L N Y.

central park, heckscher ballfields, on the brink of fall

Post-Scripts: All Things New York City.

+New York is still a shock.

+To the boy at the 23rd street stop.

+An apostrophe to the Upper West Side.

+We made it, New York.

+On observing the dawn of spring in Central Park post-pandemic.

+One of my favorite corners of Central Park.

+New York ephemera.

+If you are raising a family in NYC, you need these things.

+On owning a dog in NYC.

+My New York apartment judges me.

+And because I need to hear it today: all things must end to begin again.

By: Jen Shoop

“Listen! I will be honest with you,
I do not offer the old smooth prizes, but offer rough new prizes,
These are the days that must happen to you…”

“…Allons! the road is before us!
It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain’d!

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d!
Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d!
Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!
Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law.

Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?”

-Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road”

*****

A rallying cry for those heading into the new, the unknown, the out-of-the-routine, the scary:

These are the days that must happen to you.

Allons! The road is before us!

Onward!