Though I think we’d all love a Bauble Stocking stuffed with a special “grand finale” gift (these earrings or a reservation at The Inn at Little Washington with childcare and travel somehow worked out…????), small but meaningful stocking stuffers in a traditionally-sized stocking (shared the ones we use here) are also a cherished tradition in my family. Mr. Magpie has given me some fantastic little goodies in there over the years, from my favorite pocket umbrella (more on that here) to my prized Caran D’Ache pen, and my mother excels at stocking my beauty cabinet each year with incredible new cosmetics and skincare finds. (That’s how I discovered my beloved Laura Mercier eye primer!)
Below, a few fantastic stocking stuffer ideas — everything under $25. This list foregrounds products I absolutely love or have been lusting after for awhile, and would also be a great jumping off point for gifts for colleagues/acquaintances.
8:14 a.m., Saturday morning, 1992. My sisters and I were a riot of bare feet and rumpled nightgowns, Barbie dolls and unbrushed hair. We clambered up the steps of the basement in response to my mother’s call to breakfast — because it was a Saturday, there were stacks of Bisquick pancakes swimming in Aunt Jemima syrup. At the landing, you could take a left to trot past the butler’s pantry into my mother’s recently-remodeled kitchen. But to the right, you’d meet a long corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors that ran nearly the length of my childhood home and ended in my father’s study, whose double doors were nearly always ajar, and from which a constant stream of classical music unfurled at a high decibel no matter the hour of the day. Sometimes, my father would be stretching in there prior to one of his long Saturday morning runs, as he was a marathoner at the time. Most of the time, he’d be sitting behind his broad, leather-topped desk with newspapers, folders, legal pads, and his prized Mont Blanc pen neatly in front of him, or at the small carrel in which our family computer sat — often the site of protracted negotiation with my brother over who got to play the heavily pixelated Jordan Vs. Bird computer game first. This particular Saturday, I poked my head into his office and found him leaning back in his chair, his hands crossed on his chest, his eyes closed. The music — often loud, this time nearly deafening — swelled around us. He pulled me into his arms and we listened to all eight minutes of Jean Sibelius’ “Swan of Tuonela” together. I was young and partly confused by what I was supposed to be doing. My father had taken me when I was maybe six to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and I remember puzzling over what I was supposed to be doing then, too — the lights had dimmed to signal the start of something, a hush had fallen over the crowd punctuated by a few awkward and lonely coughs, and then…? I had just sat there, staring at the small box of Junior Mints in my hands and my patent leather shoes sticking straight off the edge of the folding red velvet seat in front of me, casting occasional sidelong glances at my father for instruction. Is this all the orchestra is? Sitting in a row of chairs, staring at nothing, listening? It felt horrifically boring given all the fanfare of dressing up, going out in my father’s gold sedan after I was meant to be in bed, and being presented with the opportunity to pick whichever candy I wanted from the small concession stand in the Kennedy Central hallway, but I could tell by the relaxation of my father’s face, his far-off look, his evident contentedness in just sitting there, that I was meant to appreciate it with the kind of reverence I normally associated with Sunday Mass, which was equally boring to me at the time, though also more unnerving given its high stakes. The look my mother would give me for misbehaving in the pew — shoving my sister, crumpling a paper, giggling — was enough to knock the wind right out of me, and there was of course the vague threat of being scolded by the priest or, as was a distinct possibility to my six-year-old self, being reprimanded by God Himself. (“This is God’s house,” my mother would say, and I couldn’t disabuse myself of the image of Him in an armchair in the sacristy.) The hierarchy of discipline was clear in Church. At the Orchestra, I was quiet because there was simply nothing else to do. No sister to fight with, no mother to whom I might whine about my itchy sweater or my too-tight hair braid.
Listening to Sibelius in my father’s study drew similar lines of quandary, though the experience was considerably more interesting. For one thing, I treasured moments like this, alone with my father, removed from the cloying calls for attention my sisters always brought with them. For another, I found myself straining to understand the music in a way I hadn’t at the Kennedy Center. It seemed to tell a story. If you listen to the piece, you’ll understand why. “The Swan of Tuonela” is a tondichtung, or a piece of music that illustrates the narrative of another art form (a poem, a painting, a novel, etc.). In this case, Sibelius interprets one of the folk stories from the Finnish mythological epic Kalevala, in which the hero Lemminkäinen is sent on a quest to kill a magical swan that floats around the island of Tuonela, the “underworld” of Finnish mythology. Sibelius’ tone poem is full of drama, with intense crescendoes and the cor anglais striking a pronounced plaintive note against the alternate softness and trill of the string section. It is possible to argue that all music tells a story, but the conjuring of specific imagery in Sibelius’ masterpiece is unmistakable: you cannot miss the sudden appearance and mournful elegance of a singular swan floating across a moonlit lake, in imminent danger. I know my father must have heavily annotated the piece for me (“did you hear the swan?”), but, listening back — as I have on countless occasions since — the swan is manifest, as ineluctable as the fate of Lemminkäinen himself in Kalevala.
I have learned much from my father, but sitting in his arms listening to “The Swan of Tuonela” has proven to be a touchstone in my personal education. The serious, private enjoyment he took in sitting alone, eyes closed, with music at full tilt has served as tacit and lifelong permission to lean heavily into art and its interpretation in my own life. There was nothing mushy or whimsical about my father, a serious attorney of vast intellect, straining to make out the shape of the swan and imagining Lemminkäinen emerging from the thicket on the shore of Tuonela on his fool’s errand. There was gravity to his active participation, near-reverence for not only the art but the act of engaging in it. The nave of the Church, the tiers of seating in the Kennedy Center hall — I see now the easy comparison forged in my green imagination. Both bore godly things, but it was home, in the cosset of a book-lined study, where it all came alive.
I am a rule follower by nature. And so I think often of how lucky I am to have had a father who took me in his arms and told me, in so many words — as a matter of fact, without any (!) — that is, by pure force of his gesture — that it is good and right and urgent to care about the story and the idiosyncrasies of its telling, to belabor the details, to sit in receptive divination. In part because of this benediction, I find myself story-telling for a living.
But here is where my knees buckle: do you also gape at the many layers of narrative, interpretation, and re-interpretation in this Saturday morning vignette and my accounting of it here, nearly 30 years later? At the fact that I observed my father and spun my own explication of him sitting in open-minded awe at a recorded performance by a philharmonic orchestra of a musical piece that was itself an exposition of a Finnish myth borne of oral folk tradition? At the way that a story can exist as a quiet bond between a father and a daughter and also a direct lineage back to my family’s Finnish roots? And the way that same story (the Kalevala) served as a significant expression of national identity back when Finland was embroiled in Suomen kielitaistelu, a protracted, class-inflected conflict over the status of the Swedish and Finnish languages in politics and culture in the 19th century?
In other words, do you also marvel at the way in which stories can hold us together, in both the narrowest and broadest of senses?
That doleful swan carries the meaning of multitudes.
**I am planning on stealing the gift wrap look above this holiday — j’adore kraft paper and it looks so elegant wrapped up with that wide satin bow and a sprig of wintry botanicals!
I have shared a couple of small business gift ideas in each of my gift guides so far (standouts? Glassware from Estelle, statement knitwear from Vita Grace, and Roop bags, all of which I own and/or have gifted myself!), but thought I’d share a couple of additional ideas here in case you’re looking to shop small this season:
MOST DARLING MUGS AND JUGS FROM SOPHIE ALLPORT (I BOUGHT SEVERAL OF THEIR MELAMINE CUPS FOR CHILDREN — SO DARLING AND A GREAT, SMALL SIZE FOR TINY HANDS)
A caveat today: This is an intense week. I wanted to give you a heads up that I will not be discussing the results of the election tomorrow, as is consistent with the set of principles I set for this blog many years ago. One thing I have been reminding myself over the course of 2020: look for the things that fill my cup. I hope you consider the same today — and that may mean that you turn elsewhere for the reassurance, conversation, release, coverage, etc that you need at this time and that you hit snooze on the distractions and musings I provide here. Thinking of you all and hoping you are taking good care of yourselves.
****
The other day, my sister called and asked: “What’s going on with you? What’s on your heart?”
Oh!
How to even begin? My heart is full with residual gratitude for making it through such a tough time earlier this year and the joy of raising two healthy and happy children with my other half and the delicious honor of writing this blog for a living. I am obscenely lucky. Whenever I check in with my father about how things are going for him given the pandemic, he says: “Oh, Jen. No complaints here. We’re the lucky ones.” Yes. This year has been unbearable and ruinous for millions of Americans. We are the lucky ones.
At the same time, my heart is heavy with…well, the weight and uncertainty of 2020. Like all of you, I find myself toggling between the staggering slap stats on the news and the functional concerns of quotidian life in the grip of COVID-19: “Where can I perch my three year old on this subway car so as to keep us as far as possible away from anyone else?” “How do I remove this glove without touching the exterior with my hand? Should I put sanitizer on my glove?” Etc. The result is a slow and continuous application of pressure. And I still grapple with anxieties over my COVID diagnosis. I can’t quite square any of it away — the guilt, the fact that I recovered and others did not, the fear, the unbearable pause at the end of the line when I told my mother I could no longer smell or taste anything, the way my husband muscled through the entire thing — caring for me, exposing himself in the process, while also parenting our two small children. It is a darkness.
But the only thing I could say at the time to my sister was: “We’re hanging in there. We’re in a good groove.”
Which also happens to be true, and which also happens to be the reality I prefer to focus on. We have somehow managed to eke out a little channel of consistency in our Upper West Side apartment amidst the chaos of 2020. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to discern the line between a groove and a rut. Most days, Mr. Magpie and I march on through our days with something like determination, or maybe it’s resignation? No — determination is too imperious-sounding, and resignation reads overly downbeat. We just know the ropes and get it done. We’ve defined our roles and responsibilities and we dance around one another and our respective routines with the deft and practiced footwork of two people who respect each other and have been married for ten years and together for nearly twenty. That is to say — there is no question as to where the saran wrap belongs, and there are often silent, obliging transfers of responsibility when one or the other needs to tap out for a second.
As with all parents the world over, the hours between 6 and 9 a.m. in the morning and 5 and 8 p.m. in the evening are clustered with chores, instructions, carefully-drawn timetables, and what feels like an infinity loop of the same exact movements: the endless clearing of small plates and refilling of small milk cups, the monotonous dragging out and folding up of the mat for mini’s dining room chair, the repetition of the same muted directions (“you may do one more thing before bedtime,” “you have two minutes until you get into your pajamas,” “this is your final warning…”), the same prescribed movements and pauses around our home (we retreat to the green chair when getting dressed in the morning; we station mini with her iPad on the floor of micro’s nursery while he is in his crib so I can prepare dinner at night; etc.) We know which steps we can trim and when to expedite based on where we are in our routine versus the time on the clock. We have it all down to a science.
Most days, I would classify all of this as “a good groove.” And when mini was first adjusting back to school in September, I remember desperately wanting to “just be in a good routine.” The dislocations and adjustments were challenging, especially with the stress of COVID at the door. (Are we doing the right thing? What’s the safest and most reasonable way for us to get to school? Etc.) And I was anxious for normalcy after my own illness and the many ways it temporarily upended our day-to-day. So I am grateful for what feels like “a good groove.”
But there are also days where I really have to dig deep before barreling into the 5-8 p.m. time slot in particular. Days where I just don’t know if I have it in me to negotiate my toddler through the bedtime routine one more time. (How does she continue to engineer new ways to dawdle and balk at the same exact things we do every single day?) Days where I am frustrated to no end by my 1.5 year old flinging pieces of chicken all over the dining room, his eyes wide as saucers at the apprehension that he is not supposed to be doing what is he doing, but he is doing it anyway. Is this where we are now? I wonder. Now I have two recalcitrant toddlers to contend with? But mainly, it’s the sameness of the routine that can feel downright overwhelming. “Baths are the worst,” my friend said the other day. “It’s vaguely dangerous, it’s uncomfortable because you’re bending over, and you have to do it every day.” I knew exactly what she meant. We were both at that moment seeing a rut where we normally see a groove.
But, you know what? That’s OK. I trust myself enough to know that I will still manage to get my children into their beds with brushed teeth and clean pajamas and somewhat-full bellies at some point between 7 and 8 p.m. in the evening, and that we will still arrive, on-time, to school in the morning no matter how many tantrums happen en route. I know because in spite of the occasional moment where I have looked, helplessly, at Mr. Magpie in a gesture that says “I don’t know how to get her out of the apartment this morning,” we have successfully made it to school every single day, come hell or high water. I also know that at some point after my children have fallen asleep, I will lay in my bed and scroll through pictures of them, and that even as I am straining through the nightly ritual of two performances of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in the dark of my daughter’s room, my heart will swell when she tells me, as she always and invariably does just before I leave: “God bless you and good night, I love you and good night, and I will see you in the bunny morning.” A litany all her own, a patchwork of phrases she stitched together after hundreds of nights hearing similar proclamations from yours truly. (We still don’t understand what “bunny morning” means, but we don’t mind it either.) And you know what that says to me? Sometimes the routines and recitations aren’t so bad after all. And just like that, I’m back in the groove.
Post-Scripts: Comfy At Home Attire.
Whether you’re in a rut or groove, you’re probably spending a ton of time at home right now, and who doesn’t want to be comfy at home? One secret to feeling more pulled-together than sloppy is to go monochromatic — wear shades of camel/beige/tan, or gray, or all-blue-everything. Below, a few recent casual, cozy home finds:
OUTDOOR VOICES JOGGERS (MR. MAGPIE OWNS THE MALE VERSION OF THESE AND LOVEEEES THEM) — I AM INTRIGUED! I ALREADY OWN AND ADORE BOTH THESE DREAMY JOGGERS AND THIS RECLINER SET THOUGH THOSE ARE BOTH “INDOOR/PAJAMA” PAIRS WHEREAS I THINK YOU COULD RELIABLY WEAR THE O.V.’S OUTDOORS FOR ERRANDS
ALSO LOVE THE COLOR/STYLE OF THESE UNDER-$30 JOGGERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LINDEN AND SULPHUR COLORS
FLECKED COTTON PANTS (LOVE THAT THESE CAN BE “DRESSED UP,” BUT THEY ARE BASICALLY SWEATPANTS…MORE NON-DENIM OPTIONS, INCLUDING LOUNGEWEAR-THAT-PASSES-AS-WORKWEAR HERE)
I’m writing this while shivering at my desk (despite wearing slippers, a turtleneck, a heavy cardigan, and jeans!), and wishing I had this throw over my legs.
Sephora runs two savings events each year, and luckily for us, one is just in time for the transition to winter skincare and holiday shopping for loved ones. The promotion runs on a tiered membership schedule:
+If you are a VIB Rouge member, you can score 20% off from 10/30-11/9.
+If you are a VIB member, you can score 15% off from 11/3-11/9.
+If you are a Beauty Insider, you can score 10% off 11/5-11/9.
No matter your membership status, a little break on cosmetics is a blessed thing, as they go on sale much less frequently than other products do. You can use it as an excuse to finally test out a serum. I have been using serums for two or three years now and the three I have used have done a great job specifically of brightening my skin. I always say it’s like turning the lights on in the house — wow! I have tried variations at several price points and frankly have liked them all. Ole Henriksen’s Truth Serum is the one that first got me hooked and I still love it — I will alternate between that, Vintner’s Daughter (not carried at Sephora), and this inexpensive bottle you can buy on Amazon. I think they all do a fantastic job, though the latter always feels a bit tacky to me when applying compared to the others, which glide into the skin.
LIP SLEEPING MASK (PERFECT TO WRAP UP IN CELLOPHANE WITH AN ENORMOUS BOW FOR A SMALL HOLIDAY TREAT)
CHANEL PERFUME (A CLASSIC — PERFECT ATTAINABLE LUXURY GIFT FOR A GAL IN HER LATE TEENS / EARLY 20S — A COLLEGE ROOMMATE OF MINE WORE THIS AND I WORE IT FOR YEARS AFTER)
P.P.S. In praise of a normal day. It is challenging to think of any aspect of 2020 being “normal” but we have, in a certain sense, hit a new normal in our own household and I would do well to acknowledge and celebrate that.
Tis the season! I just organized a selection of holiday finds here and have already shared gifts for loved ones (mainly focused on women), gifts for toddlers and young children, and will be releasing a gift guide for men and one for babies in the near future, too. Today, I want to focus on gifts for older children and tweens!
I love my fellow anticipators, many of whom have been asking me for more holiday decor ideas, with a specific focus on trimming the tree. Our strategy when we got married was to buy a few boxes of inexpensive, traditional-leaning sets of ornaments (i.e., a lot of balls in different sizes) in red and metallic and then to add in novelty ornaments every year since. If you’re in that camp — i.e., looking for a starter set of inexpensive ornaments to get things going while you slowly add more meaningful ornaments over the year, I’m dying over this $25 pack of gorgeous rose gold ornaments! It also comes in red/gold, which is more of the color palette we have. Amazing price for the number of ornaments you get, and just look at the reviews!
It took us years (!) to find a tree topper we liked. We felt like there were so many cheesy styles out there. Finally, we found a gorgeous one at ABC Home downtown just last year (!) after close to a decade of searching — but this Anthro one is similarly stunning.
Below, I’m organizing ornament ideas by palette since I think that tends to be how we ladies plan these things, but a few other must-haves:
P.P.P.S. One of my favorite Christmas posts (written while living here in New York City) ever, in which I wrote: “On the taxi home, as we zipped up Park Avenue, a wreath the size of a studio apartment came into focus dead ahead of us, shining like a beacon from the front of Grand Central. And there was something about its sudden and unanticipated beauty, its charm, its improbably generous existence in a city that often feels viciously indifferent to your wellbeing and spirit, that moved me. To think that there is a line item in the Grand Central budget for a wreath — and that there are staff hours dedicated to ordering and hanging it — somehow stirred me into a weepiness I did not anticipate. Even in that monolithic building, there is Christmas cheer, a willingness to delight and welcome the Christmastime visitor–or, you know, the New York transplant worn down by the city’s inelegances.”
By: Jen Shoop
My Latest Snag: Stock-Up on Children’s Cold-Weather Staples.
The weather is suddenly full-on autumn (borderline winter?) and I scrambled to stock up on cold-weather staples for the children this week. My favorite purchases for them:
THESE LL BEAN HATS (I BOUGHT MINI THE “SILVER MOON” AND MICRO THE “FELDSPAR” COLORWAY)
*I have been looking high and low for a good pair of everyday, warm boots for micro — there were so few attractive styles out there! These are selling out everywhere so jump if you can still find them in your boy’s size.
Though I usually stick with white socks for the children (prevents inevitable problem of one sock missing from a pair), I had to buy micro these fun printed train/vehicle socks. Good colors and fun prints. The only items left on my current winter shopping staples list are a puffer coat for micro, snowsuit for micro, snow mittens/gloves for both, and some Sperry snowboots. For puffer coat, I’ll probably go with Patagonia’s Hi-Loft in the yellow color — mini has owned in the past and they are warm but not super thick/heavy (can stuff into a bag if needed), and I love that they come with the built-in hood. And for snow gear, will probably circle back to Polarn O. Pyret!
You’re Sooooo Popular: The Crochet Trim Sweater-Jacket.
A reader shared this quote on a post I wrote not too long ago:
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Thank you for that, Brooke — it has been on my mind since. Sharing it again here, prominently, in case one of my Magpies needs a “giddy up!” this morning.
I’ve found it personally resonant while clipping back into a running routine over the past few months. I now run every other day for 2.5-3.5 miles, without fail. (My goal is to get to 3-4 miles per run, but I’m easing into it.) I am, frankly, astonished at my ongoing capacity for commitment to this somewhat aggressive routine given that just a few months ago, I would have told you: “I have no time! It will cut into xyz! Maybe next year! I have other higher priorities right now! I’ll get back to it at some point!” I have fallen in and out of running for most of my adult life, and I think one reason I’ve been able to stick with it this go around is that my understanding of goal-setting and goal attainment has matured in the past few years thanks to my experiences as a mother and an entrepreneur. Jen of 30 years would set out to do something and throw her hands up in frustration if results did not materialize close to immediately. Jen of 36 understood that it would take weeks to get to a place where I could consistently run without fatigue and muscle pain, and months to get to a place where running 3-4 miles per session was realistic. I knew that it was going to be rough starting from scratch this time, and my expectations were on-target. But that quote about “the second best time being today” rang true to me: start now, Jen, and understand that it might take a long while for the roots to form and the trees to blossom.
+The Vampire’s Wife is enjoying major cult brand status at the moment, and The Webster marked a few of its near-iconic dresses down 50% off: here and here!
+Currently testing this inexpensive retinoid (on the suggestion of TONS of Magpies and at the encouragement of my dermatologist) and can’t wait to give a full review in a few weeks…
By: Jen Shoop
Use code BATTASTIC for an extra 30% off sale prices at The Beaufort Bonnet Company! (They are also currently offering free site-wide shipping!). This is an ideal time to pre-buy a back-to-school outfit for next year, or outfit your child for the virtual interviews happening now (micro is applying for a twos program at the moment) in something that screams “school-ready!” Ha! I love their plaid jumpers like this (still available in all sizes) and this (<<mini wore this exact style on her first day of school) and something like this plaid longall for a boy.
They also have a handful of precious night-nights marked down to like $32 — this stork print is one of my all-time favorites (micro owned!) and they even have a few Christmas themed ones.
Finally, mini has just outgrown her TBBC slicker and she ALWAYS gets tons of compliments on it. I just ordered her this one as a replacement (on sale for like $35!). Also comes in blue for boys and the cutest giraffe print. These are NOT lined and run a bit big, just FYI.
P.S. J. Crew Factory just marked down a bunch of great staples and festive holiday finds to ridiculous prices…
P.P.S. I’m writing about this tomorrow, but I just ordered micro these everyday boots/hi-tops in the chestnut color. I had such a hard time finding a good lined (warm!) everyday boot/sneaker for him! This particular pair is selling out everywhere!
I cannot overstate mini’s excitement about her Halloween pajamas this year — she routinely harrumphs when they (both pairs) are in the laundry. So I’m excited to introduce some holiday jammies to her wardrobe this year. My top picks below:
I posted an elevator selfie on Instastories yesterday on my way back from dropping mini off at school and stopping by Eataly that I wanted to footnote (headline?) here. Though I avoid athleisure most days of the week, it was 52 degrees and raining when I woke up that and it was my turn to take mini downtown, so I leaned into a leggings look. When I glanced at myself in the mirror on my way back, I realized that I was wearing several of my absolute favorite products: all exceptionally well-designed, reasonably priced, and built to last. Interestingly, many of them are true investment pieces (even though none are very expensive) in the sense that they have been or will be used and loved for years and years and years to come. I am borderline evangelical about each of these items and had to take a moment to rave about each in turn. Note that all of these (all!) would make great holiday gifts, too. And if you need an explanation, just copy and paste my glowing reviewd below into the card you affix to it!
1 // Hunter Refined Short Waterproof Rainboot. I owned tall wellies for many years and I always disliked the way they hit at the top of my knee-cap. I am short and they looked so strange on my leg, almost like a halfway-over-the-knee style that made no sense and was frankly uncomfortable. I bought Hunter’s refined short pair a year or so ago and I am in love. I wear rain boots frequently nowadays — if there’s even a chance of rain in the forecast, I wear them while taking mini down to school, as there is nothing worse than slopping around New York City’s rain puddles and overflowing gutters and slick Subway stairs in shoes not built for rain. And these are awesome. The short, refined shape is more flattering and less overwhelming on my petite frame and this particular pair is made of a more flexible material than the Hunter classic, which I think makes it a lot more comfortable.
2 // Davek Mini Auto Umbrella. Mr. Magpie gifted me this mini umbrella maybe ten years ago in my Christmas stocking and — OMG. You don’t know how amazing it is to have a good umbrella until you take the leap. This one is tiny — it can fit into the pocket of most of my coats — and exceptionally sturdy. It never inverts in wind! I love that you can toss it in your bag or pocket when running out the door if there’s even a chance of a rain because it’s so small and lightweight, it doesn’t add much bulk to your bag! I’ve given this as a gift to my mother-in-law and a few friends and it is always well-received. Davek also offers a lifetime guarantee, so you can ship it to them for gratis repair in the unlikely event it breaks.
3 // State Bags Fanny Pack. I cannot believe I lived without a belt bag for so long. I use it constantly, but especially love it when trailing my children at the playground or on a family excursion, as I can keep my phone, keys, credit card, and hand sanitizer on my person and leave bulkier items in stroller/car while remaining totally hands-free. I can’t tell you how many moms have stopped me at the park asking what brand it is — it’s a smooth, luxury-looking leather but the price is right at $150. I like that it has a nice defined structure, too, rather than the shapeless pouches you see elsewhere: it feels higher-end, more defined. It’s a belt bag with perspective. A small wonderful detail: it has an inside pocket that I often use to keep my credit cards all together in one place if I haven’t had time to transfer them to my card case.
*While we’re talking State Bags, note that this feminist toile backpack that I bought for mini is currently marked down to $29! Check out the design up close — it’s hilarious! The ducks are burning bras 🙂 It’s small enough to be appropriate for a child but could also work for a lady!
4 // Colorful Koala Leggings. This was sort of a slow-burn surprise for me — I got them after reading countless rave reviews and thought, “OK, they’re fine. But they’re not, like, Lululemon Align great.” Over time, I’ve become more and more enamored of these. They will still never dethrone my beloved align leggings (the softest and most comfortable and most flattering EVER), but for $23? They are pretty damn good. Comfortable, stretchy but slimming, come in great colors, and have held up really well in the wash. I find that I reach for these over many other more expensive pairs that I own!
5 // Feetures Cushion Socks. I am obsessed with these socks. I love the way they contour to the foot (it feels like the sock is hugging my foot!) and live for the slight cushion at the footbed — so luxurious! I truly don’t think I gave much thought at all to socks (except for in the winter, when I swear by the thickest, warmest socks I can find, and those are SmartWool or Vermont Darn Tough) until this year, when Feetures sent me a couple of pairs of socks and I will never, ever, ever go back. I have already ordered five pairs on my own from Amazon! This particular pair is fantastic for boots/rainboots because they are non-bulky but warm, soft, and snug.
6 // Everlane French Terry Hoodie. The perfect layering piece. I always liked the Parisian chic look of a lightweight hoodie under a long topcoat (see above), and this is the style that can make it happen. It’s slim-fit but not tight or formfitting and made of a lightweight (non-bulky!) cotton that you can actually fit underneath a coat without feeling like your arms are restricted/Michelin-Man-Esque.
7 // Talbots Quilted Long Coat. Talbots generously sent me this chic transitional coat in black earlier this fall and I had no idea how often I would wear it. I reach for it most mornings — it’s not marketed as waterproof but it is definitely water-repellant; I love the length (hits just above knee, creates a long line!); the hood comes in handy on rainy days when my daughter co-opts my umbrella; and the pockets are nice and sizeable (can hold phone, sanitizer, random detritus that you accrue as a mother, and even these Dover sticker books, which I almost always have on me as toddler entertainment on the subway). It is also the perfect weight. I can layer a hoodie or sweater underneath if it’s cold or just throw on top of a Kule tee if it’s milder and feel totally comfortable. Somehow, I am always the perfect temperature in it? I’m in love!
8 // Not seen in picture, but on my person that morning and also well-loved:
+Eo Hand Sanitizing Spray. I love this not so much for myself (honestly, it’s kind of hard to use spray on your own hands since one is always holding the spray bottle) but for the children. Amazing way to cover their little palms without the gel sliding right off. The lavender scent is amazing!
+Calvin Klein Modern Bralettes. These make my inner-90s-teen-self’s heart sing. I love the throwback styling and they are just so incredibly comfortable. Perfect alternative to a sports bra on athleisure days.
Tell me about your favorite rainy day (or every day!) products — the workhorses that are thoughtfully-designed and built to last.
