If hearts feel too frou-frou for you, check out this similar (and discounted!) top from Loretta Caponi for 60% off here.
P.S. More shirred/smocked/peplum tops along these lines here.
I also bought myself a third (!) pair of these Nike Infinity React sneaks since they were on sale and in the best shade of blue. (More cute pastel fitness finds I discovered yesterday here. I also ordered this earwarmer and I already own many of the other items linked, including this jacket, which I did not realize came in the prettiest shade of pink!)
I was profoundly moved by Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet and specifically by the acute portrait of a mother’s grief over the death of her young son. The passage below read exquisite and unbearable to me — so powerfully evocative of loss and the way a loved one’s death can feel irreconcilable with instinct:
“She, like all mothers, constantly cast out her thoughts, like fishing lines, towards her children, reminding herself where they are, what they are doing, how they fare. From habit, while she sits near the fireplace, some part of her mind is tabulating them and their whereabouts. Judith, upstairs. Susanna, next door. And Hamnet? Her unconscious mind casts, again and again, puzzled by the lack of bite, by the answer she keeps giving it: he is dead, he is dead. And Hamnet? The mind will ask again. At school, at play, out at the river? And Hamnet? And Hamnet? Where is he?”
The visual of her catch-less casting lingers, corrodes.
Oh, it is beautiful and truthful work! Please read it!
+I just finished Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and wow, wow, wow. Wow! Wow! I loved this book so much I did not want it to end, even though it positively tore me up. I cannot remember the last time a book elicited such a strong emotional response from me — I wept over this book. (And this, on the heels of reading the unrelentingly dark and depressing Shuggie Bain!) Hamnet is the fictional account of Shakespeare’s marriage to his eccentric wife Agnes and the unthinkable loss of their son, Hamnet, at the age of 11. It is the most truthful writing about my experience of motherhood that I have ever encountered — every word so beautifully captures the radiating, hungry love and fear I hold for my children, and how that intensity laps up against the small details of parenting and nurturing little bodies. Oh, God — Hamnet’s death was an unbearable ache to encounter in words. I don’t think I will ever get over the description of his death or Agnes’ reaction to it. My worst fears realized. And all so exceptionally and achingly well-captured, with unbearably effective restraint. Just wow. Wow! I believe it might be my second favorite book I’ve read in the past decade. (Circe is first, then probably Dutch House and Red at the Bone tie for third). I loved it so much I think I will order it in hard copy to keep on my shelf. (More books to read right now here.)
+After the intensity of Hamnet, I toggled back to thrillers — now reading The Wife by Alafair Burke alongside my sisters and mother! (We just started a little thriller book club since many of us enjoy the genre and my mother always has her ear to the ground in terms of trending thrillers.)
+My mom tipped me off to a crazy Kindle promotion on her favorite book series ever, Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Unset. For a limited time, it is only $2.99 to download the entire series (normally each book in the trilogy is like $10-$15!). I’ve been meaning to read it for actual decades at her insistence and now I’ve downloaded the set! Description: “Set in fourteenth-century Norway, Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset tells the life story of one passionate and headstrong woman. Painting a richly detailed backdrop, Undset immerses readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political and religious undercurrents of the period.” Very excited.
+It is Mr. Magpie’s birthday today! A touch anticlimactic in that he guessed (!) what I’d bought him for his birthday, which is a manual coffee grinder. Coffee enthusiasts claim that manually grinding your coffee is superior to electrically grinding it, even with an electric burr grinder (which is better than other types as it does not burn the beans as much in the grinding process), unless you are willing to spend over $2K on the best of the best, which we are not. And so Mr. Magpie has been pining over the idea of buying a top-of-the-line manual coffee grinder in lieu of our electric Capresso (which, to be clear, gets good reviews and has served us well over time). One thing I love about Mr. Magpie is his endless pursuit of the best in everything he does — coffee brewing among them. So if it means putting in extra elbow grease with a manual grinder, so be it! I spent hours researching the subject, reading arcane Reddit threads, watching videos (!) of coffee experts (!!) discussing the ins and outs of different models, knowing all the while that Mr. Magpie has been reading the same for the past few weeks and that I had to put in commensurate thought to honor his interest in this area. I now know way, way too much on the subject, but ended up with a Comandante — just sharing in case any of you have coffee nerd loved ones and you want to really knock his/her socks off with an abstruse gift. At any rate, on Sunday night, while I was leaning against the kitchen counter, unhelpfully swirling a glass of red wine while he was undertaking the fifth hour of cooking a very involved platter of enchiladas in mole sauce, he brought up the subject of coffee grinders, and I could not (!) keep a poker face. He arched his eyebrow and said: “You got it for me, didn’t you?” So, we celebrated early that night by opening it a full five days in advance of his actual birthday. Tonight, I have a few other gifts for him (none as special and recherche as the grinder) that we’ll open while we enjoy Polo Bar delivery and a nice bottle of champagne. I’ll be wearing this Rhode dress in a different colorway that seems to be sold out everywhere to mark the occasion!
+My sister-in-law and I had a fascinating discussion of “Bridgerton” over text (some interesting comments by fellow viewers at the end of this post, in which I shared some inaugural thoughts), and I found this to be one of the most provoking things she had to say: “A good question to ask ourselves is what we want out of historical fiction — does an ‘old-fashioned’ set up allow the characters to push against norms of the time in interesting ways? Or do we want the history rewritten, in a sense, through our modern lenses?” She also passed along this excellent discussion of the show along similar lines by women much sharper than I and more conversant in the Romance genre conventions more generally. Enjoy — they articulate many of my apprehensions about the show wonderfully.
+One of the women in the above-linked discussion uses the term “milquetoast” to describe Daphne and another comments: “Daphne as portrayed is a blancmange of a heroine isn’t she? Her bangs were more compelling than she was, and most of the time her bangs were extremely distracting.” A) What a burn and B) must immediately find excuse to use both “milquetoast” and “blancmange.” See how long it takes me to weave one or both into an upcoming post…
+I bought myself one of these expensive and enormous day planners this year, and when it arrived, I was disconcerted: a brick of a thing, portly in all dimensions. However, I have to say I have been enjoying some of its prompts, including space in the frontispiece to write out your values, goals, passions, which I initially dismissed as silly and then took nontrivial amounts of time sussing out in a way that felt useful. It also boasts a little square in the upper left hand corner of every day to identify your “Top Three.” I am finding this practice helpful in the intentionality category, especially after long days of parenting, when I can write, as the following-morning’s “top three”: “carve out time to read by yourself” or “spend one-on-one time with Emory, no phone.” That is — it presents a pre-fabbed means to course correct and hold myself to it. The brand also has a diffusion line at a weekly cadence for less that I’ve used in the past. I am liking the one-page-a-day extravagance of the full-size, though. A visual reminder that we can make a lot out of every day. My one gripe is that, as a leftie, I have to contend with that damned spiral, and I also find it very difficult to write in the lower portion of the page given how thick the notebook is. Small things, but true ones.
+Mini turns four in March. I’ve already been scheming about a candy-themed birthday, and she has already dreamed up her birthday wishlist: superhero Duplos (yep) and blue sunglasses (coming right up). I think we will also get her a tricycle. We had been planning on buying one for her for Christmas, but I was paralyzed by the conflicting perspectives of so many moms in the comments here, and then Mr. Magpie pointed out that we might not get much use out of it until the spring thaw anyhow. I think I’ve decided to skip the balance bike based on some of your feedback and instead go with a tricycle, but stay tuned. I will also be getting her a subscription to National Geographic and another sensory kit — these have been so profoundly loved in our home in the past six months. I often “make them” myself — using rice, beans, play-doh, and little figurines and scoops/tools — but there is something ultra-intriguing to little hands to have a whole new treasure trove of color-coordinated figures and shapes and poms and the like in a fresh new box. I have bought/gifted ones from Knead to Play, my friend Liz of Home with Elizabeth, and Young, Wild + Friedman. All so amazing!
+I had to update my Valentine’s Day post to share that I ended up buying these red corduroy overalls for micro to wear on Valentine’s Day (and here in bigger toddler sizes). Nothing like classic Osh Kosh. He will look too cute. He has a few pairs that I like to layer over turtlenecks. These ticking stripe ones are also beyond adorable!
+Before Hamnet, I finished Ruth Ware’s most recent thriller, One by One. I found it slow-footed at the start but am glad I stuck with it — the final 30% of the book is thriller-writing at its finest. The moonlit ski scene! Ah! Just brilliant! I was on the edge of my seat. How long until they make this into a movie?!
+My post-holiday thank-you writing session depleted my reserves of stationery, and so I revisited this post to replenish my stock. Currently agonizing over the font description but committed to ordering an elegant set from Haute Papier, but also drawn to a bright, modern set of these for more informal letter writing. Good to have both, I think. You never know when you might need to lean on a carefully-drafted condolence card…speaking of, I remember after my grandfather died, a neighbor wrote a letter of condolence to my parents on thick ivory paper with black trim and their names in script across the top. Did they keep a set of somber paper just for such dismal correspondence?
+A combination of micro’s prying fingers and a couple of laundering incidents destroyed one of the little pillows in micro’s crib, which he actually uses! (He actually puts his head down on the pillow every night — too cute.). A few I have loved as possible replacements: this Ellis Hill, this applique style (in a boudoir size), and this scallop-edged one with the airplane monogram, which I believe is the winner. Too cute.
+I shared this brand recently, but I cannot get over the precious prints of these pajamas for littles for only $26. Mini must have a set for summer.
+I really enjoyed putting together this roundup of European pharmacy favorites and received so many enthusiastic messages about it! I think we all love the same thing — good quality products at a reasonable price with a mystique about them. Along those lines, I really cannot underscore how much I love (!) this $35 facial cleansing oil. With each passing day, I grow more and more enamored of it. I use it in the A.M. after reading from Caroline Hirons that it’s best to avoid cleansers that are too astringent in the morning and it sets up my face with the loveliest glow. Scent-sensitives, beware: this oil has a strong botanical/herb scent to it that makes me feel as though I’ve just been at a high-end spa where the masseuse used a rosemary oil all over my body. I now love it, of course, but it took some accommodation. It is lovely in every way and I love the way my skin looks in the morning after I apply this and then add my vitamin C serum and Clarins Double serum. I am a glowing, radiant goddess! (Such is what I say to myself in the mirror.) Amazing! Amazing stuff!
+Also have to asterisk my earlier (milquetoast…? too early?) review of Westman Atelier’s Blush Stick in the Dou Dou color. I am properly obsessed now and am back to serve as its hypegirl. The color imparts the flush of cold air you might see on Winona Ryder or Kiera Knightley after riding, breathlessly, on horseback across a gray, cold English countryscape. That is, it is a perfect deep flush and, now that I’m mastering its application, exquisitely natural-looking. J’adore j’adore j’adore. Will absolutely be giving this or the highlighter as gifts to girlfriends this year. (NOTE: New clients can get 10% off with code CLEAN10.)
+I haven’t succumbed to the Veja trend (though I like them — I just didn’t know I needed another pair of dressy sneakers beyond my GGs), but I am digging this new, slightly more athletic style in the pink or even (gasp) the white, which are borderline orthopedic-looking, but have a cool factor I’ve seen other women pull off in the city. Would be v. cute with jeans.
Mini has been wearing a lot of exaggerated collars, florals in dusty/muted colors, and items with vintage appeal — basically, throwing major grandmillennial steez. Thought I’d share a few finds in this vein, many of them under $25 and in mini’s closet already!
*Image above via La Vie Style House — as I mention below, I’m dying to invest in one of their stunning statement caftans this summer. I loved how many questions below were thinking ahead to warmer weather! So am I. I’ve organized some early warm-weather-season finds here.
Parts I and II of this series for this month here and here!
Q: Wedge espadrilles for summer. (Wishful thinking!)
A: Castaner! They are elegant and well-priced and come in various heel heights. This one is very Grace Kelly in Monaco and how saucy are these? And this gorgeous pair is 70% off!
Q: White sneakers to wear with jeans to look like a cool UES mom.
A: I’ve been seeing a lot of Veja (<<specifically, this pair has turned my head) and New Balance (one of the chic moms in pick-up line wears these with wide leg crop jeans regularly — tres tres cool). I also think Supergas are timelessly chic in a European kind of way.
Q: Brown boots!
A: The profile I’m drawn to at the moment (partly/largely inflected by my entirely pedestrian lifestyle) are boast kitten heels. Love these suede ones, which are perfect with the boho Ulla vibe or just with jeans (imagine with white jeans!), but these are so uptown chic and polished. Alternately, Khaite is one of the hottest labels out there at the moment, and these slick suede ones do not disappoint.
For something more casual, I wear my No 6 clog boots most days of the week. They are SO warm and so interesting to look at with a casual jeans look. And if you’re a combat boot kind of girl, these are chic and well-priced!
A: These are selling fast everywhere, but here are some darling ones that, as of the time of writing this, are still available. I also organized all of the Valentine’s Day finds into a boutique here!
Q: A kids’ table for legos.
A: This one ($100!) is super clever because you can flip the surface to have a Lego mat on one side and a plain white tabletop on the other depending on activity, and it has built in storage bins! If you’re looking for a more versatile play table, we have this one and it’s well-made and unfussy, and I love the seating that comes with this set!
Q: Decor for a little girl’s room.
A: Some super cute finds here and here, and some great organization ideas here. A couple of recent finds to add:
Q: Basic, comfortable dresses to dress up or down.
A: My forever go-to in this category are shirtdresses in denim, oxford stripes, navy, or white. These simply never go out of style and can be re-styled a trillion and ten ways. I wear them with pearls and heels to buttoned-up events and sneakers to the playground, throw a silk scarf around my shoulders and add big shades for a ladies’ lunch (sigh, remember those days), slip into with leather slides to head to the museum, etc. They are the cameleons of my wardrobe! Even my patterned ones have long lives. I have been swooning over the patterned styles from Evi Grintela and itching to add to my collection of HVN. And, just, YES. I can just as easily see myself wearing these with heels as with white Supergas!
Q: Godmother dress for First Communion this spring!
A: Congratulations! What a special honor. A few pretty spring frocks that are Church-appropriate and feel elegant for the occasion:
For a more conservative setting, this Shoshanna strikes me as very Charlotte York.
Q: Setting powder or setting spray that makes makeup last.
A: I haven’t tried it myself, but have heard excellent things about Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Setting Spray. She sells it in a travel size for $20 that you can test without investing in a full bottle.
Q: Everyday affordable napkins with a busy pattern to hide stains. Etsy or small vendor preferred!
Q: A matching sweat set from Amazon. (I have a gift card there!) Maybe tie-dye…is that still in?
A: Hmmm. I’ll be honest: I feel a little bit like the tie-dye sweatsuit belongs to March 2020 and that we should leave it there for awhile. My favorite sweats ever are by Monrow, which Amazon carries (sweatshirt here). Haven’t worn myself, but this Amazon brand gets solid reviews and comes in good colors (the pink!) Not part of a sweat set, but these jogger/sweat hybrids get great reviews and I’m eyeing a pair for myself.
My other suggestion is to stay on top of your hair and nails game — ha! I like doing the Gel Couture colors from Essie at home because the color actually lasts about a full week without chipping (and I use my hands A LOT at home)…and blow-drying hair with the trusty old Revlon One Step whenever you shower. I promise you will be very happy you have manicured nails and good hair the day you get engaged — there are lots of pictures!
By: Jen Shoop
I often understand and situate mini’s meltdowns alongside my impression that transitions are difficult for her. Whether we’re shifting from the weekend back to the school week, leaving a play date, or even ending a movie, I have long noticed that transitions trouble her. Many of you, along with various parenting experts, have corroborated this observation as a general tendency among toddlers, who as a general rule thrive on routine and consistency, and so we have attempted to the best of our abilities to smooth out the “transitional edges” by giving her plenty of forewarning. We talk through the logistics of the day during breakfast, idle in front of the calendar as a part of our bedtime routine to discuss the next day or two, and let her know — before she starts an activity — what she will be doing afterward. I am not above admitting that dangling the promise of something else just after a fun activity has been completed (“when we get home, we can do those new stickers!”) works rather well for her, though I am always keenly aware that this tactic falls somewhere just shy of bribery and so must be issued with care and sparing. I could talk at great lengths about all of this, but it’s only window dressing for the discovery, this past year, that —
I, too, struggle with transitions. For example, I found the comedown from the holidays particularly dispiriting this year, as odd and rather bare as they were. Upon reflection, I think the promise of the magic of Christmas morning and the exchange of gifts and the delicious meals and champagne we had planned was a much-needed crescendo in an otherwise monotone string of months. And so returning to the lather-rinse-repeat of the non-holiday season felt darkly trying, especially on the heels of the realization that it will take us a long, long time to get everyone vaccinated, and that my children and I are probably the very last on the priority list. (As it should be.)
But even in a micro sense, in the absence of coronavirus, I find transitions jarring. Specifically, I have a hard time toggling from “work Jen” to “Mom Jen” at 5 p.m. in the evening. It’s as if I cannot unclip my bike shoes from the pedals. A shadow-y version of Mom Jen rises from her desk, leaves the room, marshals the energy to plan dinner and pretend to be “Hulk” after an endless barrage of pleas from mini. (She loves — !! — to pretend to be Spiderman or Captain America, wielding the green lid of our Lego box as her shield, and she routinely insists either myself or Mr. Magpie assume the role of Hulk, which entails stomping around the apartment, zombie-like, yelling “HULK SMASH HULK SMASH HULK SMASH.” Is this not what you imagined me to be doing at a stray 5:37 p.m. on a Tuesday night? Ha!). At any rate, it is me but it is not me. Half of me is lost in thoughts of writing, or reading, or the latest comment from a Magpie, and the other half is prying a suspiciously small toy out of my son’s hand before it is ingested. I am peripheral, wraithlike. It is deeply unsettling. My mind whirs, alive — and my body, and the responsibilities it bears, is fumbling through other logistics. When I am in this space, I feel frustrated with myself, as though I am not doing anything well, as though I am going through the motions of motherhood and writing with no true fruit borne of any of it.
The solution for me has been The Buffer: proactively building in 15 minutes to decompress, shut Work Jen down, and toggle into Mom Jen mode. I have been so intentional and determined about this that I asked our nanny to adjust her regular hours such that she stays until 5:15, just so that I can honor that time, and just so that it doesn’t feel as though I’m ceding part of my workday by forcing myself to finish at 4:45 when I am accustomed to having my workday lap up against five o’clock. Now, when 5 p.m. rolls around, I get up from my desk. I stretch. I splash my face with water, brush my teeth, and then reapply my makeup, doubling down on the glossy black mascara and finishing with a spritz of perfume. I often change outfits entirely, and in recent weeks, have been wearing a lot of Hill House nap dresses and long dresses that permit movement and comfort from the likes of SEA, Ulla Johnson, Rhode, and Ganni in the evenings. Sometimes I lay on my bed for a minute or two, gathering myself, giving Tilly a scratch, or listening to some upbeat music. And I always tidy up my workspace, ritualistically clearing the desktop of any clutter, notes, stray pens, mugs.
I cannot tell you how much difference this makes. I feel as though I am shedding one exoskeleton and slipping into the other, and I emerge much clearer-headed and more intentional.
Mr. Magpie and I discuss the magic of The Buffer frequently, and he will occasionally even police the sporadic, errant couple of minutes spent pecking at my computer after 5 p.m.
“Jennie! It’s five!”
It dawned on me recently that Mr. Magpie has been applying this Buffer principle for a long time. Back when we used to travel, he always insisted we take an extra day of vacation time after we had returned from our destination to ease back into the real world. That is, if we flew back from somewhere on a Sunday, we’d take Monday off to recalibrate, tackle admin, or just sprawl out. It was so much easier to slip back into work having that extra day to decompress and adjust.
We talk about this principle more generally with regards to the six months during which we had no childcare and were attempting to hold down our full-time jobs and maintain sanity while living in tight quarters in Manhattan with two small children while a terrifying pandemic raged around us. Once we hired our nanny in late August, we designated the following couple of months as “Buffer” in a general and lax sense. If we ordered out more than we normally did, or let the children watch more TV than they should have, or asked our nanny to stay late more often than usual just so that we could enjoy a few nights free of the bedtime routine, we’d look at each other and say: “It’s buffer. We’re in the buffer zone.”
Because that’s what we were, in fact, doing: buffering. Holding ourselves in a temporary, cosseted space while processing the enormity of what had just happened. Giving ourselves the room to take a breath and the grace to admit that we needed a break from our children, or from the exertion of meal-planning and cooking.
I have been thinking a lot about this concept recently. Running is in its own way a buffer, too — both in how I use it temporally as a bookend to the morning, a closure before I enter the work portion of the day, and in its function as a liminal space where I can download and process things without interruption and also — strangely, blessedly — without the intensity or focus I would marshal were I simply sitting alone with my thoughts. When I am running, I feel pleasantly unburdened of anxieties. Thoughts arrive and depart with a kind of blithe rubberiness —
What is going on with these tantrums mini has been having?
That scene in Bridgerton!
We only have three rolls of toilet paper left.
COVID!
Is wraithlike the right word for that sentence in that post?
Did I remind Landon that the delivery guy is coming between 9-11?
No, really — wraithlike? Apparition-like? Phantom?
When will I see my mom again?
These concerns appear and retract, unable to penetrate my mood or derail my movements. They feel far lighter than they do when I am laying in bed with them at night, or fussing over them in the gray of an early dawn, or sitting alone with them while waiting for my order to be ready for pickup.
And yet my mind seems to be doing the work in the background, lumbering through the logistics and emotions without the exertion fully registering. Because it is usually on the cold, one-and-a-half-block walk back from Central Park, when I am catching my breath, that I find myself lining up resolutions and doling out action items with a calm to which I normally lay little claim.
In short, when I run, I am buffering: running yields the same delightfully clarifying effects of my 5 p.m. end-of-work buffer.
Sharing this concept in the event that you also struggle with the liminal and distracted space between work and motherhood — or whatever spheres you occupy, for that matter. Buffers! Let me know if they help!
Post Scripts.
+Writing this post made me realize how — in an ideal world — I would be able to carve out a separate physical space for writing to further assist with the designation between work Jen and mom Jen. It also made me realize how insanely lucky I am, as I know that there are many parents (including many that read this blog) who do not get any breaks, who have no space or time to themselves, and who are permanently living in that half-in-half-out situation of trying to parent while working. My heart goes out to you. I hope that there are small windows of opportunity to create space for yourself.
+These flats are SO chic! They give me major high-end designer vibes, but cost under $200. So unusual — people will be eyeing you wondering if they are Bottega!
+YES to this reasonably priced duster. (Great for nursing mamas!). Love the way it’s styled in the cream color with gray and white for a chic neutral palette.
+This toy soldier button-in would be ideal stowed away for next Christmas. Also only $20! I feel like this style is absolutely perfect on a toddler between the ages of 12-24 months.
P.S. I buy mini these Old Navy leggings in white, navy, and pink in multiples every few months. They are only $5 today! Just stocked up on a bunch of white ones for spring to pair with cute tops like this (only $20! — ordered in the pink and blue florals) and this (on sale for $20). Such a cute classic everyday look during the transition from winter to spring with an enormous white bow.
P.P.S. Some of the items for little ones here are still on sale and available!
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.
*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!
