My writing studio is on the second floor of our home, and its windows look out into a thicket of trees. From this perch, I see neither trunk nor top crown. Instead, I stare at the full and breathing middle of things. The canopy, the roots are out of sight. I witness a mayhem of limb and leaf, and a lot of birds and raindrops and maybe a rat snake, too. From this seat, I carry the half-formed thought that the trees might go on and on, and endlessly, disappearing into the sky. Which is to say, I succumb to the fallacy of perspective, the notion that whatever is in the viewfinder is the full or the forever.

Listen, we never have the full picture. We are always looking at the middle of something.

So accept these full and forgiving branches. Come see what they have to tell you about bending in the wind, and drawing light from the far off places, and accommodating change in the seasons, and sheltering other beloved life forms from the fitfulness of the weather. There is a lot to love in this heavy-branched center.

Post-Scripts.

+Related: if it feels hard, it is hard — welcome to the murky middle of things.

+Something to repeat to yourself if you’re in search of more gratitude or positivity.

+What does good advice look like?

+Advice for new grandparents.

Shopping Break.

+GAP! This dress is spectacular!

+Alice Walk just restocked their gauze collection and I love these shorts — own in white and great for pulling on over swimsuit or pairing with a tee in the morning. The blue are so cute, too!

+I think I need this for my patio. I’m freaking out over it.

+Love the idea of this knit top from J. Crew with a patterned skirt or pair of pants.

+UM, adorable hand-embroidered basket bag.

+For your golf-loving mini me. And for golf-loving you — I just got this golf dress for myself! My parents are giving me new golf clubs for my birthday (!) and I need to have the right accoutrements.

+More court-to-course finds here.

+Hi-lo: wooden fish salad servers ($10) and the most spectacular glass salad bowl from one of my favorite tabletop brands, Half Past Seven. (Get 10% off sitewide with JEN10.)

+Fabulous neutral jute rug.

+OMG Ann Mashburn…I need this yellow striped caftan.

+More stripes I love: these pants! I saw them on my friend Lauren and was convinced!

+The cutest cardigan.

+Pam Munson, of wicker bag fame, just released some really elegant ready to wear pieces, like this gorgeous shell pink dress.

+Pas mal!

Image via Studio Dekorasyon on Upsplash.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.




What are we wearing over our swimsuits this summer? I’ve been reaching for a lot of lightweight pull-on pants, oversized shirts, floaty gauze dresses, and pareos — these are pieces that are light, effortless, and also outfit-making, or outfit-enhancing. A lot of you Magpies have been LOVING these eyelet pants I wore the other week as a cover up. (Run a tad big but I’d still advise taking your true size.)

white eyelet beach pants

Beach and Pool Cover Up Inspo.

Swimsuit-cover-up-outfit-inspiration

Swimsuit Cover Up Favorites.

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

LEFT TO RIGHT: ST TROPEZ SARONG // LAINE RUCHED SWIMSWUIT // 1998 SUNGLASSES (LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // KNITTED PANTS // COTTON SARONG // JO FLIP FLOP

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

LEFT TO RIGHT: RELAXED FIT BEACH SHIRT // OTTILIE BATHING SUIT // BIG EFFING CLIP // SQUARE NECK SWIM // CAPRI SCOOP BACK COVER UP // GAUZE EASY BARREL PANTS // PACKABLE SCALLOPED HAT

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

LEFT TO RIGHT: TUSCANY GETAWAY SET // SWEET BLOOM BOUQUET EYELET COVER UP // LANTERN STRAW HAT // RAFFIA CRYSTAL SANDALS // WILLOW SWIMSUIT

Styling Swimsuit Cover Ups.

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

RELAXED FIT BEACH SHIRT // OTTILIE BATHING SUIT // BIG EFFING CLIP // PACKABLE SCALLOPED HAT // MINI WOVEN TOTE BAG RAFFIA // DEMI FINE HOOPS // SPF 40 // ARIZONA BUCKLE SANDAL // THE WHISPERER SUNGLASSES

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

LAINE RUCHED SWIMSWUIT // COTTON SARONG // LANTERN STRAW HAT // 1998 SUNGLASSES (LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // JO FLIP FLOP // PALOMA BAG // SANDY EARRINGS

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

CAPRI SCOOP BACK COVER UP // SQUARE NECK SWIM // SQUARE TOE LILY SANDALS // BEADED STONE STACKER NECKLACE // OPEN WEAVE STRAW TOTE BAG // BLOCKED CAT EYE SUNGLASSES

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

SWEET BLOOM BOUQUET EYELET COVER UP // PHOEBE BIKINI // BEACH DAY JELLY FLIP FLOPS // PACKABLE STRAW TOTE // BUNGALOW CAT EYE SUNGLASSES // DEMI FINE HOOPS

Styled-outfit-for-the-beach-and-pool

TUSCANY GETAWAY SET // SEASHELL HIGH RISE BIKINI // CROCHET ROPE TOTE // CERES SUNGLASSES // RAFFIA CRYSTAL SANDALS // DAILY LIP BALM

P.S. The butter yellow trend.

P.P.S. What to wear for the fourth of July. (Coming soon!)

P.P.P.S. Zara finds for this month!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.

Note: This book review contains spoilers!

Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore explores the porousness between life and death, and the wearying responsibility of stewarding the living through the buffeting dangers of the world while they are here. McConaghy makes the point that we are capable — perhaps hardwired — to perform extreme acts of self-sacrifice to ensure the survival of our loved ones, but also asks haunting questions about what it means to be sending our children into an uncertain world, imperiled as it is by climate calamities and other lurking evils. The book asks: “What future is worth surviving for?” This motif is carried out at its most literal in the Salt family’s mission to preserve seeds in the event of global destruction. The Salts huddle around the responsibility of safeguarding them, and when they discover that not all seeds can be saved, they must decide which to protect, and which to let go. The rubric for this decision-making is unclear: Do we save the ones most likely to thrive and nourish? Do we protect the rarest of the lot, the ones most likely never to come back? Or do we permit our own imperfect hearts to make the call, favoring those whose features move us? This is, of course, incalculable math, and McConaghy looks roughly and then gently at all parts of the equation.

On Shearwater Island, the dead and the living co-mingle uncomfortably, haunting and reassuring one another in interesting ways. Dom speaks to his dead wife; Rowan is haunted by memories of her brother, River; and Orly communes with the dead creatures on the island. It becomes clear that we can hold onto the people we love even after they are gone — we can carry them with us, speak to them — a truth both comforting and challenging. On the island, we have recently-buried bodies, the voices of the dead, the dark image of happily-living seals and penguins wandering around enormous tubs once used to hold penguins and seals when traders plundered the island. We also have the voices of two deceased characters (Alex and Dom’s wife) occasionally present themselves in the prose, as speakers in different chapters: in these cases, the dead are quite literally speaking among the living. And, in the end, we learn that Rowan’s narrations have always been posthumous, as she dies protecting her “adoptive” son in a final climactic moment. The narrative seems to transcend itself here, performing its own function as a way of uniting people around loss. The text, McConaghy suggests, can hold the entire spectrum of the living and the dead together. In this way, it performs a powerful social function.

I was astounded by McConaghy’s agile toggling between metaphor and plot. You can absolutely read the book as a pulsing thriller, with fabulous cliff-hangers and danger lurking at every turn, but you can also read much of the novel as allegory: what do we do at the end of the world? Her word choice in every line is careful and poetic. I love especially the word “shore” — the liminal, evolving space between land and water. It shrinks in tide; it is continuously falling into the water body adjacent. But it can also be a reprieve, firm ground. This is as perfect an avatar for the feeling of this novel as you can imagine: are we on terra firma, or is the sand disappearing beneath us grain by grain?

There were many vignettes in this novel that lingered, resonant with meaning, for me. I was particularly moved by the description of the whale who lost her baby, and the way that other whales swam to her, retrieved the carcass, and surrounded her in her grief. This happens in our species as well, of course: we huddle around the grieving even when we can do nothing to bring the lost back. This, too, McConaghy points out, is a way of surviving: leaning into the warmth and empathy of others. The other scene that continues to return to my mind’s eye each time I think of the novel: the moment when Dom, his children, and Row have just enjoyed an elaborate and rare feast, and are dancing on the shore. Disaster looms imminent, but they make of their bodies “a language of joy.” This felt like an important cipher for the book: even while standing at the edge of the world, facing unknown peril and likely ending, we can rejoice by forming impermanent connections with one another. We can move together. I saw this motif also in the improvisational poetry of Row joining Dom’s family for a portion of the novel, stepping in as a mother figure. Mitosis, fusion: temporary shapes cluster around one another, then split off.

The book echoes elsewhere in many ways. On a narrative level, there are many repetitions of similar acts of preservation in the face of catastrophe: mother wombats protecting their young from fire by shuffling them underground and then barring the burrow with their bodies; trees whose pods only open in extreme heat; mothers who give their lives delivering their babies; and so on. On a language level, McConaghy has a knack for the onomatopoeic, or the autological: words that sound like what they describe, or perform meaning in creative ways. For example, “Shearwater” — you can almost feel the sluicing of the place, its hidden blade, in the very name of the novel’s central setting. This is a place of dangerous water. Most of the characters have mono-syllabic, staccato names that puncture the text: Claire, Fen, Row, Dom, Raff. I came to see these blunt namings as a morse code for life, and living.

All in all, I absolutely loved the artistry of this book, its deft conjuring of place, and its wide-eyed grappling with sweeping questions around what we owe one another, what we owe the future, and what we owe the dead. I consider it one of the best books I’ve read in 2025 and cannot wait to hear your thoughts, critiques, and insights in the comments.

Wild Dark Shore Moodboards.

wild dark shore moodboard
wild dark shore moodboard

Wild Dark Shore Book Club Questions.

In case you are hosting an in-person club, or want to do some guided reflecting on the work, I put together a couple of questions below. Feel free to jump into some or any of these in the comments, too!

01. Why do you think WDS alternated between narrators? What effect did this have on the plot?

02. Did you read the word “shore” (from the title) as I did, as an avatar for the overarching feeling of the book? What do you think is “The Wild Dark Shore”? Why would McConaghy anchor us in that language, or that image?

03. What did you make of the voices of the wind, and the dead, in this book? They are accepted without narrative friction; Dom hears his wife, and it is represented as actual conversation.

04. The island is both dangerous to and beloved by the Salt family — especially Fen and Dom. What did you make of their connection to the island? How is Shearwater treated in the novel — as a setting, as a plot catalyst, as…? (What else is it?)

05. Let’s talk about Raff and his music — violin and whale song. How does this shape or reflect the text? (At one point, Raff “trades” his punching bag for his musical instruments. Are they substitutes for one another in some way? Why or why not?)

06. So many of the characters are complex and empathetic, but Hank is portrayed as greedy and self-preserving, with limited positive attributes. What did you make of his character?

07. We witness several climate catastrophes in the novel: fire, flood, storm, thaw. What portrait does McConaghy paint of nature, and its future?

08. How would categorize Wild Dark Shore in terms of genre?

Book Club Fare for Wild Dark Shore.

Are you hosting an in-person gathering for this book? This was always one of my favorite parts of my in-person book club in Chicago: designing a themed menu. I like the idea of putting out a spread of tinned fishes with crackers and hard cheese. My cousin-in-law takes people on expeditions to Antartica (!!! — her business is called Quixote Expeditions if you’re interested; tell her I sent ya!) and this is the kind of snack they might offer, as items are shelf stable for some time. If you want something more robust, this is the perfect occasion for a seafood plateau — oysters, shrimp, clams. If you’re feeling super splurgey, crab claws or lobster! And of course all the accoutrements: mignonette, cocktail sauce, lemon wedges, maybe a mustard sauce for the crab claws, or drawn butter.

On the beverage front, I asked myself: “what cocktail brings to mind the maritime — the cold, the salty, the oceanic?” If you’re an advanced cocktailer, you might try Punchdrink’s Sailor’s Paradise, which involves pickled melon brine (!) and suggests an oyster for garnish.

If you’re after something lower-key (I love a built cocktail for parties), let me suggest a perfect Gin and Tonic, and we’ll call it “The Shearwater G&T.” It’s crisp, it’s brisk, the tonic is medicinal–and gin always reminds me of the navy.

The Shearwater G&T.

2 oz Monkey 47 Gin

2 oz fever tree tonic

For garnish: Lime wedge, juniper berry

Fill a collins glass with ice. Add gin, then tonic. Squeeze a lime wedge into glass and add the wedge to the glass, too. Crush juniper berries using a mortar and pestle and add to gin glass.

A Wild Dark Shore Moody Playlist.

This text is so rich, the setting so atmospheric: the novel gave me instant ideas about a playlist to match. This may not be ideal for an actual book club — a little too slow/heavy for a social event? For that occasion, I’d recommend my dinner party playlist. But if you want to be in all of your feelings while reading and crying to this book, you might give this one a listen. (On Apple here, on Spotify here.) This is a moody mix of sea songs, ballads about endings, and voices that strum the heart. “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” felt just right for Rowan and her grief over the fire.

wild dark shore playlist

WDS Dream Casting.

I hope this book is adapted to screen — the plot is wild and thrilling, and the setting visually evocative. I know Dom is probably fair-haired like his children, but I imagined a dark and swarthy hero — someone with the quiet strength of Tom Hardy but maybe more wiriness and communicability? I don’t know, but he looks in my mind’s eye like a blend of these random handsome fishermen I found on Pinterest:

For Rowan: Daisy Edgar Jones! I couldn’t get her out of my head for this character. Or maybe someone like Riley Keough?

Who else do you think might be a good cast for a film adaptation?

Next Month’s Magpie Book Club Pick: Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

Next month’s book club pick is Orbital by Samantha Harvey, a Booker Prize winner.  Description: “A slender novel of epic power and the winner of the Booker Prize 2024, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space…Their experiences of sixteen sunrises and sunsets and the bright, blinking constellations of the galaxy are at once breathtakingly awesome and surprisingly intimate.”  A completely different look at planet earth than the one offered by McConaghy, but seeming to pluck on similar strings–I thought this would be interesting to read in conversation with Wild Dark Shore, and I’m also interested in the prominence of space books right now — Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest, Atmosphere, is also focused on astronauts. 

Beyond that, a Magpie reader compelling described Orbital as her top book of 2024, adding “I never would have thought I’d like a book about astronauts in a space station orbiting the earth but boy does it capture the bigness and smallness of living. The prose is so good, meditative, subtle and the imagery vividly transports you to the foreign world of an orbiting space station. I found just the premise of being able to imagine myself falling through space had a profound effect on the experience of reading the book.”  Ad lunam!

Sign Up for Magpie Book Club Emails.

This morning, I sent a special edition newsletter to book club email subscribers; you can sign up here! (If you already subscribe to my newsletter, you received this as well!) I will be sending out a once or twice a month newsletter to the book club list!

P.S. More recent book reviews here and here.

P.P.S. No one is paying as much attention to your life as you are, so you might as well…!

P.P.P.S. The plum you’ll eat next summer is waiting for you.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.





The vibe of the week: ebullient, whipsawed, “what am I forgetting”? The end of school, family flying into town to stay with us for a week, manuscript submitted, catching up on the social life I more or less abandoned for a month while deep in drafting…! I’ve come up for air, and it is refreshing and chaotic! But the fizzy-business of the week also made me wonder why we volunteered to schedule the children’s passport appointment and various other inessential but lovely things for right now. Couldn’t we have waited until the languor of August? Receipts to carry forward to next June, when I will inevitably overbook myself again.

Things I did well this week:

+Took proper time to celebrate the milestone of submitting my manuscript. Landon took me out to dinner, and we opened a bottle of Ruinart the afternoon I told him: “it’s finished; I can’t look at it anymore.” That is, until I receive the developmental edits…! When I will again tumble into an abyss of words and self-doubt. Ha!

+Listened to my body in various ways. Drank a ton of water, put myself to bed early one night, let myself skip a run. It’s always a tug of war, isn’t it — when to push yourself to stay committed, and when to go slack and loose. I’m favoring the “softer” side right now. It feels right.

+Somehow managed to get all the gifts wrapped and distributed — for some reason, it was gifting week? End of school gifts, niece and nephew gifts, a neighbor’s graduation gift, hostess gifts! I felt like I was running a small gifting business. I don’t know how, but somehow every gift was carefully selected, wrapped, ribboned, and handed off at the right time. One little mnemonic that has been helping me right now, especially when I am pulled in a lot of different directions: do the small thing to completion. I’m often tempted to half-assemble the gift, and then say “eh, the tissue paper is all the way in the basement; I’ll get it next time I’m down there” or “I should put fresh towels up in the guest room while I’m thinking of it, but ehhh I don’t feel like it.” This week has been all about doing small things all the way. This has the benefit of giving me tiny dopamine hits throughout the day — “checkmark! completed!” — and gives me the impression of “one more closed tab.”

+Continued my nighttime phone detox. Now going on week three of no phone from the moment I set foot in my bedroom at night to the next morning at 8 am, usually once the kids are off to school.

Things I want to work on:

+Maintaining more equanimity in the face of my kids’ meltdowns and tantrum-y behavior. I saw a funny meme this week that said: “I don’t know what you’d call this phase of parenting, but I’m in the one where you say, ‘Take off your shoes,’ and your kid says, ‘These are sandals.'” That’s about where we’ve been this week with my daughter — recalcitrant, correcting. It has been difficult to maintain composure when she’s pushing all my buttons but I really am trying. Sometimes I think — you know, I’m not a robot, it’s OK to express hurt, frustration, surprise, etc? Wouldn’t it be weird and wrong to respond with perfect stoicism to every wild barb tossed our way as parents? But as with anything, there’s a middle ground. There are times to express shock and times to be the quiet voice of reason. I am working hard on the latter.

+The five second rule. I still scramble to fill voids and reassure people conversationally way too much, and when I am intentional about just staying quiet for a second, I find it excruciating…! I was aware of this a few times this week.

Work in progresses, all — on we go —

Sunday Shopping.

+First, had to mention that my new gingham linen bedding (seen above) is 25% off at the moment! I’m in love with it!

+Into a longer hemline denim short at the moment, inspired by Alice Pilate (seen below)…into these Everlanes!

+After I wrote this post on “swimsuits for mom life,” one of the brands I mentioned, Stylest, which is designed to accommodate the coverage needs of any woman, reached out to send me one of their styles! I can’t wait to wear and review. I picked this style — their bestseller — in a chili red.

+A perfect oversized gray sweatshirt. I own a different sweatshirt style from this brand and adore it. Very lived-in, vintage.

STYLEST DREAMSCULPT SQUARENECK SUIT // ELIOU SHELL NECKLACE // GAP X DOEN TOP // STAUD BAG // GINGHAM SCRUNCHIE // LEFT ON FRIDAY SWEATSHIRT // EVERLANE SHORTS // MADEWELL BAG // QUINCE WILD HEIRLOOM TOMATO CANDLE // TKEES SANDALS

Last note on swim: a small restock of Follow Suit’s Flora this week! Run while you can! Run TTS.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.




+BOLD SUMMER PLAYLIST: If you’re looking for something peppier and zestier than my “soft summer playlist” (as I was compiling mine, I was imagining what kind of music I’d want to have wafting in through open windows while enjoying a glass of rose), you must check out Cadets’ Songs of Summer and Summers Past. It’s perfect for an outdoor BBQ, a pool hang, etc! I have actually been listening to it while putting together a bunch of my summer shopping posts this week. And of course Cadets’ resort collection is the perfect attire for the playlist!

+READING AND EMPATHY: I loved this quote by George R.R. Martin I came across this week. How spectacularly true?! Good readers are deeply empathetic.

george r.r. martin quote about reading

+BOAT SHOES: Falling hard for these chic boat shoes, reimagined. The laces make them, don’t you think?! This under-$150 pair has a more feminine silhouette that I also find chic.

boat shoe trend 2025

+THE DEAREST FRESHNESS DEEP DOWN: This stanza from Gerard Manley Hopkins leapt right out at me. I love the description of nature, the “dearest freshness deep down.” It’s exactly right: the sense of things welling up, the nascent or budded beauty of it all.

gerard manley hopkins poem

+EYEING + BUYING: On my radar this week, in addition to the boat shoes: longer-hem jean shorts?! Who am I? Why do I covet these Gap jean shorts?!

summer shopping collage

SUMMERSALT SWIMSUIT // STRIPED MUG // LINEN TOP AND SHORTS // STRIPED SWEATER // GHIA NON-ALCOHOLIC SPRITZES // RATTAN DRINK COOLER // LOEFFLER RANDALL BOAT SHOES // GAP DENIM SHORTS // YSE BANANDA PRINT EYE PATCHES

+”HOW PEOPLE DO LIFE”: I was also struck by this lovely sentiment on Instagram: “I love seeing how people do life. The messy and the specific to them.” I think this is a big part of why Instagram was, initially, so intriguing, although it has evolved to be many different things since. It reminded me of a Magpie reader who commented that she liked the way, in 2025, I have been exploring “the messes around life and love.” I have been thinking so much along those lines — about how we’re almost always in the murky middle of something, and how much easier life becomes when we’ve cultivated the competency to wait, hang tight, be present in the in-betweens.

+BESTSELLERS: This week’s top seller: these CHIC gingham pants! Planning to do a micro-post with different ideas on how to style them soon.

01. GINGHAM PANTS // 02. TORY BURCH FLATS // 03. J. CREW SARDINES TEE // 04. SCARF // 05. SHORTS // 06. ROXANNE ASSOULIN NECKLACE // 07. GAP CROCHET BAG // 08. PISTOLA SELENE TEE // 09. LOCCITANE SHIMMERING ALMOND OIL // 10. CESTA SCARF // 11. DOEN SHIRT // 12. TUCKERNUCK DRESS

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.

Header image via.

Dinner with Friends in La Ligne.

I am swooning over this striped La Ligne dress (use code MAGPIE10) I wore to dinner this week — but was stuck on which bag to wear with it and polled my Magpies on Instagram. They voted for the VB Dash clutch, which is what I went with!

la ligne anna dress
RING CONCIERGE SHELL EARRINGS

LA LIGNE ANNA DRESS (MAGPIE10 FOR 10% OFF) // VERONICA BEARD DASH CLUTCH // MARGAUX WRAP SANDALS // J. MCLAUGHLIN BASKET BAG // DORSEY PARACORD BRACELETS // RING CONCIERGE SHELL EARRINGS

Everyday Mom / Work Life.

HILL HOUSE INDRA SHORTS
HILL HOUSE INDRA SHORTS
HILL HOUSE INDRA SHORTS

HILL HOUSE INDRA SHORTS // LESET RIBBED TEE // ALICE WALK SWEATER (THE BEST OMG) // TORY BURCH KIRA SANDALS // JENNI KAYNE HAT (OLD, SIMILAR HERE AND HERE) // MANSUR GAVRIEL CABAS TOTE // AMAZON BAG CHARM // JANE WIN COURAGE PENDANT

Celebrating the Submission of My Manuscript!

alemais madalena dress
alemais madalena dress

ALEMAIS DRESS // MARGAUX SANDALS // LIZZIE FORTUNATO NECKLACE (GREAT LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // DANS LA MAIN CLUTCH // BY ALONA NECKLACE

Hot Summer Day.

tuckernuck striped seersucker dress
tuckernuck striped seersucker dress

TUCKERNUCK STRIPED DRESS // J. MCLAUGHLIN TOTE // MARGAUX SANDALS

Working from a Coffee Shop.

doen sebastiane skirt

DOEN PLAID TOP // DOEN SEBASTIANE SKIRT (LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // CUYANA PALOMA BAG

A Lot of Writing and Editing.

pistola striped dress
quince striped sweater
pistola striped dress

QUINCE STRIPED SWEATER // PISTOLA STRIPED DRESS // STAUD MESH FLATS // ALTUZARRA TOTE // MIGNONNE GAVIGAN BEADED NECKLACE (OLD, SIMILAR HERE) // BY ALONA NECKLACE

Hot Summer Sunday.

MI GOLONDRINA DRESS

MI GOLONDRINA DRESS (SOLD OUT, SIMILAR HERE) // ANCIENT GREEK ELEFTHERIA SANDALS

P.S. Great bags for the season ahead.

P.P.S. When was the last time you felt truly happy?

P.P.P.S. On book hangovers.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.

This week, I was talking with a mother whose son leaves for college at the end of the summer. I asked how she felt about the prospect of an empty nest, and she thought for a moment and said: “I just really need to re-conceptualize my time.” She explained that, for 25 years, she has worked half-time so that she could be there for the afterschool stretch (pick up, extracurriculars, homework, dinner, bed) for each of her three children. This had been the agreed-upon arrangement between her and her ex-husband, and she was happy with it. Just after her divorce, though, she had been startled by the quietness of the weekends her children were away from her; she explained she’d had to figure out how to redefine that time so that it didn’t swallow her. And so she is now anticipating, as her youngest prepares to fly the coop, the weirdness of not having an afternoon anchor to her days, and she knows she needs to reshape that part of her calendar.

I thought, first, how wise this woman is; how clearly and well she knows her own mind. She is an obvious expert in herself. She sees the inclement weather ahead and asks herself, care-ingly: “What will I need? What will comfort, what will ease me across?” It felt a little bit like she was writing a thoughtful, nourishing packing list for the future. (“What might I want?”)

I thought, too, how creatively sanguine it was — how writerly, how artistic? — that she conceived of her time in this way: elastic, able to be recast. For years, her children have been the afternoon drumbeat. What new rhythm can she find for herself?

Another woman sitting with us mentioned, a few minutes later, on a different but not altogether unrelated tack, that when flamingoes have babies, they temporarily lose their pink color. While focused on nourishing their chicks, they shift their own diets and habits, leading to a loss in color vibrancy; once their young become more independent, the regain their signature pink.

I’ve written a lot lately about how mothers undergo tremendous transformation every single day — just last week, I noted: “We shapeshift into the oak-tree of a firm “no,” the eiderdown of a soft landing, the morning rays that gently coax, the quiet night that holds the peace. I can meet this transition, and whatever it asks of me, too.”

Thinking today of the epochal changes we undertake as mothers, too — not just the way we evolve to meet the needs of today’s narrow demands, but the needs of the broader life-stage, too. How we change when our babies are born; how we recast our days when our children leave home. These are not nothings. These are moments of enormous identity shift. How can we approach them with grace and an open mind?

Inspired today by the model of that mother, by her gentle packing list for the upcoming journey.

Post-Scripts.

+On maintaining wonder as a parent.

+Notes to self on motherhood.

+Gifts for our future selves.

+Are you friends with yourself?

Shopping Break.

+A great new arrival at Tuckernuck! It already sold out in my size — sigh! Also love this green striped dress for work and this gingham set for play.

+Love this striped tote in the variegated greens! They also have a bunch of great bags on clearance sale, like this shoulder bag with whipstitch detailing, which belongs in my Aspen style guide roundup, and of course their soleil bag (one of my favorites – I own in a wintry colorway)! I also styled the bag below in a Ralph Lauren mommy and me moment (more outfits along these lines here).

ralph lauren mommy and me

RALPH LAUREN SUNGLASSES // 3.1 PHILIP LIM BAG // RALPH LAUREN CABLE KNIT SWEATER //  AGOLDE SHORTS // BIRKENSTOCKS // CABLE KNIT SWEATER // GIRLS PLEATED SKORT // GIRLS ESPADRILLES

+New toiletry sets and pareo prints at Julia Amory! Love and own multiple of these items. The toiletry sets are such great sizes; you can toss in the laundry and air dry; and they have lined and pocketed interiors. Great gift!

+Cute gingham romper – under $100. Pair with these jellies and this elongated canvas tote for a fresh look.

gingahm romper styling

JELLIES // ROMPER // SUNNIES // BAG // HAIR CLIP

+BTW, while you’re at Staud, don’t miss their sale section! Extra 20% off their gorgeous and flattering Wells dress or ribbed knit dress in the most gorgeous sage green! And how fab is this tweed top?!

+Love this fringe trim black knit tank with white jean shorts.

styling white shorts for summer

TANK // SHORTS // JENNY BIRD EARRINGS // PARACORD NECKLACE // SANDALS // BAG

+Best pool bags.

+A great look for less for my Ancient Greek IRO flats.

+Cute wicker cooler that doubles as a picnic seat!

+Managed to grab my kids Quince’s boy’s boxers and girls underwear while restocked! These sell out so quick and are great quality – similar to Hanna Andersson. Also picked up these striped $29 sweaters for both my kids and can’t believe the quality.

+Fish jammies for your littles.

+$25 Ciao bag and fun shell appetizer plates.

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Image via Jenna Norman on Upsplash.




Lots of great new summer finds at Shopbop right now! I wore this spectacular silk mini dress to dinner on Monday at Osteria Mozze to celebrate the submission of the manuscript for my book! (Thank you so much for the encouragement!)

alemais madalena dress
margaux wrap sandals

alemais madalena dress

I styled with my favorite wrap sandals, this Dans La Main seagrass clutch, a Lizzie Fortunato necklace (great look for less here), and my seashell necklace from By Alona.

If you like the look of this dress but want something a little less expensive, try this Tuckernuck or this Cara Cara! Note that my dress above from Alemais also comes in this cool tie-dye, which would be so fab for a summer party with some dramatic necklaces.

Even more great Shopbop picks below; all of my hearts are shoppable here!

shopbop finds june 2025

BEADED NECKLACE // ALEX MILL KNIT VEST // ALTUZARRA CLUTCH // SPERRY SANDALS // XIRENA SHORTS

shopbop finds june 2025

HAIR CLIP // ALEMAIS DRESS // SEASHELL EARRINGS // MADEWELL CROCHET BAG // JELLIES

P.S. Trends to try this season: corded jewelry, crochet, sardines (!) as a motif, and butter yellow.

P.P.S. Who are you when no one’s watching?

P.P.P.S. Places we don’t need to perform.

Today, a roundup of my favorite suits for hanging with the kids — pieces that offer enough coverage but are still chic, colorful, and fun.

favorite-swim-for-moms

EYELET // FLORA CUT-OUT // SCALLOP ONE SHOULDER // NAVY PRIMROSE // NAVY FLORAL STRIPE

01. My swim obsession of the season — the Flora one-piece suit. Select other colors here. (Runs TTS!)

02. Navy print with a low back — all of Minnow’s suits are so flattering and well-designed, with a nice and thick fabric that holds you in. Run a tad shy of TTS. I’d still take your true size but find they are tiny bit snug.

03. Eyelet suit with balconette details — N.B.: I’m fairly flat chested but this might be too much if you’re better endowed.

04. A classic and favorite for a reason; great if you’re doing anything active in water.

05. Obsessed with the fit on this Hill House beauty.

06. A little saucier, but I love the style of this and find the actual body of the suit is ultra-flattering.

07. Classic scallop in a variety of colors.

08. SO many Magpies raved about this suit a few years ago and I snagged one!

09. The Hunza G one-piece — I did an in-depth review of this brand’s suits here, but needless to say, this suit is incredible!

Suits on my radar for this summer:

01. Staud dolce one-piece.

02. This gorgeous print for summer. Can be ordered in your cup size!

03. Another Hill House gem — selling fast! I just received mine in the mail and can’t wait to debut at the pool this weekend.

04. This colorblock one-piece from Summer Salt.

Swimsuit Brands Featuring More Coverage.

And if you’re after more coverage or modesty, here are a few brands I’d consider —

+ Stylest — lots of different options to address different areas of concern / areas you’d prefer to keep covered.

+ Watskin — love that this could be worn as a swimsuit or with a tennis skirt.

Other Pool and Beach Favorites.

+ Pareos: this, this, and this.

+ Jellies: been loving these from J.crew and Ancient Greek always.

+ Bogg bag.

+ Beach pants: Eyelet white or these dramatic gauze palazzos.

+ Terry cover ups: my recent obsession or these shorts would be cute!

+ Cover up.

+ Hat — look for less here.

Styling Swim for Mom Life.

favorite-swim-for-moms-style-collage

EYELET SUIT // BEACH TOTE // BIRKENSTOCKS // TERRY SHORTS // NECKLACE (GREAT LOOK FOR LESS HERE)

favorite-swim-for-moms-style-collage

FLORA ONE PIECE // PAREO // TOTE // JELLIES // HAT

favorite-swim-for-moms-style-collage

JELLIES // COVER UP // HAT // ONE PIECE // BOGG BAG

P.S. Summer trend — crochet and striped knits.

P.P.S. Outfits for an active summer.

P.P.P.S. A day of small things.

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At a gathering earlier this month, one of my neighbors commented: “you pick your house, but your inherit your neighbors; it’s so lucky that we ended up with such a great block.” To this, another neighbor replied: “Actually, my husband chose to build a house on this street because he liked the people here so much.”

Wow! Both of the comments made me think about how we chose this home in Bethesda, which wasn’t in the initial set of neighborhoods we were looking at, and didn’t have some of the features we’d thought we’d wanted–and yet some of its true virtues were completely lost on me when we signed the contract. What did I care about the cul de sac address? I was on my way to my own backyard and big kitchen — novelties after four years in New York City. As it turns out, living on a block with no thru-traffic has been an incredible gift for our children; it has empowered us to turn our kids out on the street with bikes, scooters, hockey sticks, and sidewalk chalk, and let them play independently for hours with neighborhood children without the slightest worry. It has also given us a convenient, out-of-the-way gathering place for morning coffee catch-ups and evening “roadies” with the neighbors; we spill into the street in bare feet, and collect in conversation.

And how could I have known I’d luck into such nurturing neighbors? The week before we moved in, one of them mowed our lawn for us; we were driving in from New York, exhausted and frazzled, and couldn’t believe our eyes. What an incredible generosity, to pull up to a new home with a freshly groomed yard. And that was just a foreshadowing of what would come. My neighbors have saved me dozens of times since, coming to my rescue with missing packages, “have you seen my dog?”, cups of sugar, ice for parties, spare towels, parenting solidarity, hand-me-down toys and books, extra folding chairs, Disney tips, restaurant recs, bug spray, words of encouragement when I really needed it, even a leant vacation home (!!) when we were desperate to get out of dodge. I will never forget their tenderness when our dog died. I emailed our next door neighbors first — even before telling other family members — because they just needed to know, would wonder where she was, and I knew they would have the right thing to say. They did. And they mourned her with us, and planted flowers in her memory, and placed a little rock with her paw print and name on it in the cul de sac.

And how could I have anticipated that the sweet thirteen year old girl next door would become something of a big sister to my kids, baby-sitting them and serving as a mother’s helper for countless afternoons and evenings? That she would one day wear a friendship bracelet my daughter had made her, and proudly, to her high school, completely thrilling my six-year-old?

A good house is probably just as precious as a good neighbor. I did nothing to vet for this, but how lucky I am to live on a street full of them.

I’m curious — what drew you to your home? And what endears it to you now? Is there a difference between the two?

Post-Scripts.

+Imprints of a new (suburban) lifestyle.

+On our decision to leave NYC.

+How do you make a big life decision?

+Another musing in which I reflect on neighbors who turn out to be guardian angels.

Post-Scripts.

+OOO Tuckernuck has me with this blouse and pants set.

+Obsessed with this striped weekender bag and these cheeky SPF/beach pouches.

+Currently wearing and loving these comfortable patterned shorts. They are lined but with an airy cotton so it feels SO easy breezy but totally opaque. Just obsessed with the pattern!

+Smart high-waisted pants (under $100) to pair with your summer blouses. Would look great with this ruffle trim blouse (also under $100), which reminds me of this Doen!

+How CHIC (?!) is this boucle tank and skirt situation?

+This $64 shell necklace is perfect.

+A chic gingham top for under $50. Reminds me of Posse!

+TKEES are a beach must. I love mine.

+Have been getting a lot of wear out of this fun little $10 hair clip.

+Love (!) Few Moda’s collab with Alli Sisto Daniels! I have this gingham mini and this patterned set sitting in my cart! Exactly what I want to be wearing right now.

+My daughter was invited to two pool parties this week! I sent her with these dive buddies as a gift. Other cute ideas: these inflatable noodles, this waterproof set of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, and these waterproof cards.

+Veronica Beard’s new tennis capsule is so chic!

+Madewell’s newest woven bag is so good!

+Cute party products for the FOJ: striped plates, scalloped plates, flag cups.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may receive compensation.

Image via Pierre Jeanneret on Upsplash.

Continuing in our “what to pack” series (see Miami/Palm Beach here and Aspen/Vail here): what do we pack for a summer trip to Nantucket? I believe this guide is applicable to other New England destinations, but am anchoring in ACK. I consulted several friends who have spent substantial amount of time on Nantucket for their input, and can’t wait to share some style ideas.

NANTUCKET COLLAGE

Image credits: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

What to Pack: Summer in Nantucket.

packing guide collage for nantucket summer

JENNIFER BEHR EARRINGS // KULE SWEATER // LOLA HAT // MARCH HARE WATCH // LORETTA CAPONI DRESS // MINNOW SUIT // MARGAUX SANDALS // THE GREAT CARDIGAN // POSSE GINGHAM SHORTS // LOEFFLER RANDALL BOAT SHOES // RUE DE VERNEUIL TOTE

What to Wear: Steps Beach Day.

what to pack nantucket collage

THE GREAT CARDIGAN // MINNOW SUIT // J. CREW PANTS // LOLA HAT // RING CONCIERGE EARRINGS // ANCIENT GREEK JELLY ELEFTHERIA SANDALS // RUE DE VERNEUIL TOTE

What to Wear: Shopping on Nantucket.

Nantucket has some great shopping! I can’t believe how many great brands have shops there — Hill House, Roller Rabbit, Alice Walk!

what to wear nantucket summer outfit collage

MI GOLONDRINA TOP // MI GOLONDRINA SHORTS // MARGAUX SANDALS // ALA VON AUERSPERG BAG // JANESSA LEONE HAT // JANE WIN COIN PENDANT

What to Wear: Visiting the Lighthouses on Nantucket.

what to pack nantucket outfit

FRANK AND EILEEN LINEN SET // J. CREW BUCKET HAT // PRADA BAG // LOEFFLER RANDALL BOAT SHOES // LOMOGRAPHY CAMERA

What to Wear: Date Night on ACK.

JENNIFER BEHR EARRINGS // MARCH HARE WATCH // VERONICA BEARD CLUTCH // LORETTA CAPONI DRESS // AMANU SANDALS

What to Wear: Sconset Market.

what to pack nantucket outfit

VARLEY DRESS // HARDING LANE HAT // J. CREW SWEATSHIRT // APL SHOES // TUCKERNUCK SOCKS

What to Wear: Cisco Brewery Visit.

what to pack nantucket outfit

POSSE GINGHAM TOP // POSSE GINGHAM SHORTS // CELINE SUNGLASSES // KULE SWEATER // RUE DE VERNEUIL TOTE // LOEFFLER RANDALL SANDALS

P.S. What to read while at Steps Beach.

P.P.S. Some fun summer recipes to try: this strawberry cocktail, this icebox dessert, this easy weeknight meal, Landon’s biscuits.

P.P.P.S. Something hilarious Landon said

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Photo at top by Andrew Wolff on Unsplash.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner! This year, we’ll be taking our kids to a huge festivity with fireworks, a buffet dinner, and every patriotic themed sweet treat imaginable. This is the first year we’ve done this with the kids in tow, as we’ve always felt my son was a little too young to stay up until 9 to see the fireworks. But as a newly minted six year old — ! Today, I’m rounding up the cutest pieces for whatever you find your family partaking in this Fourth of July, be it a casual pool afternoon, a parade, or fireworks.

I did want to mention that I recently revisited a super-old post of mine (from 2018) about a Ralph Lauren “Mommy and Me” capsule they launched and of course all of those items had long sold out but I came across a crop of adorable new mommy-and-me styling opportunities using their latest collection and updated the post to reflect it! Lots of Americana in there, too, in case you’re looking for something a little less on-the-nose!

Seen above: Cecil and Lou monogrammed hat, striped sandals, pajamas, striped tank, flag dress, and striped shorts.

fourth-of-july-kids-outfits-collage

TENNIS DRESS // TERRY POLO // CANVAS SNEAKERS // SPARKLER WANDS // MONOGRAMMED HAT // EMBROIDERED BUBBLE // STRIPED SHORTS

01. This darling swiss dot dress.

02. LOVE this hat for little boys! Hill has been rocking his a lot this summer already.

03. Perfect swim shorts from Cadets.

04. Cute printed performance polo for boys – just like Dad.

05. Red sandals with heart details — or the cutest striped ones, seen above.

06. Scalloped floral romper.

07. Girls striped swim!

08. Terry polo.

09. Boys shorts in several red white and blue color ways!

10. Sweetest flag dress.

11. Love the vintage look on this sweater.

12. Perfect PJs. My kids have already been wearing theirs.

13. These wands are fun accessories — also great party favors!

14. Tennis dress.

15. Canvas sneakers — under $20.

16. Embroiered flag tee.

17. Embroidered bubble.

18. Beach buggy! This also comes in handy elsewhere — for tired feet during fireworks, etc.

19. I want these pajamas!

20. Perfect dress for Fourth of July play — monogram for $20.

21. Red check dress from La Coqueta if you’re doing something dressier.

22. I am obsessed with the cherry details on the smocking of this dress — would be cute all summer long!

Ways to Style Kids for Fourth of July.

kids-fourth-of-july-outfits-styling-collage

SPARKLER WANDS // SANDALS // STRIPED SWIM // FLAG DRESS

kids-fourth-of-july-outfits-styling-collage

FLAG PAJAMAS // SANDALS // CHERRY DRESS // SWISS DOT BOW DRESS

kids-fourth-of-july-outfits-styling-collage

TERRY POLO // SWIM SHORTS // STRIPED SHORTS // CANVAS SNEAKERS

P.S. Movies that feel like summer.

P.P.S. The best button downs for summer.

P.P.P.S. Summer pops of color.

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