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I just discovered an entire trove of Instagram direct messages that were “hidden” from me, and among them many shopping questions that I hadn’t answered in weeks! It also occurred to me that it’s been awhile since my last Ask Magpie — you are always welcome to submit questions via DM, comment, email, etc — and I thought I’d run this special edition format to answer a few of the more recent and relevant DMs that went unanswered. (I try my hardest to respond to every message I can!)
N.B.: I’ve modestly edited some of the questions so they are more legible via this format, as a lot of them said: “link for the shoes?” I’ve added a photo of the item in question wherever possible!
Q: Going to take a chance here and ask about a plaid long sleeve dress I remember you posting last Christmas? It had puff sleeves…trying to find the brand.
A: Mansur Gavriel – my most-worn everyday bag. The green wears like a neutral. It carries a ton and the strap doesn’t slip off your shoulder. Absolutely gorgeous.
Q: Will you please share where your ear muffs and mittens are from?
A: I’d say they run big — my kids routinely wear the same pairs for two years in a row, sometimes even longer. But I’d still order your child’s true size and just get the extra year of wear out of them. They’re so cute when a little oversized!
A: JEN15 still gets you 15% off. I’m in love with this tartan throw for the holidays (great family gift) and they’re nearly sold out. The other one seen below is here!
A: Sadly those deals expired during Black Friday Cyber Monday — I was talking about the ultra-minis temporarily on sale at Shopbop — but these Discoquette slippers are still on sale at Nordies as of the time of writing this!
Q: Ruby red nail polish color you’re wearing?
A: My two favorite red nail colors are OPI Big Apple Red (bright, classic red) and OPI Got the Blues for Red (more of a burgundy), but OPI did recently release a really cool red that’s somewhere in between the two as a part of their Wicked collection called Nessa-ist Rose that I wore twice in a row, seen below.
A: My true size. (N.B.: At time of writing this post, you can still score them on sale at Saks.) I will say I think they run a little short — I’m petite and I find they barely tuck into my pants. Maybe don’t throw in the dryer like I do…? Several Magpies have also written in to absolutely rave about Marea’s pointelle tee (some even writing: “this is better than Leset”) if you want to give that a go for comparison sake, too.
A: (Also seen in photo above!) True to size. Like perfectly TTS. Some of the styles, like the Weekender, are meant to be a tad oversized but take your true size in everything. I still stand by my obsession with that cotton sweater. It’s my favorite!
A: No! I’m 5’0 and they hit the top of my foot unhemmed. I will say I have three pairs and all three have slightly different lengths — my taupe ones are definitely more cropped than the black and green. Not sure if that was just a limited edition situation with the taupe pair. But in any case I’ve never had to have any of them hemmed. The only athleisure I’ve ever had hemmed is this cashmere sweatsuit from Tuckernuck, and that was well worth the investment. I’ve gotten a lot of wear out of this set!
Q: Which Varley fleece would you rec the most?
A: I have both the cropped half-zip (Roselle) in the lilac pink and longer length style (Parnel) in ivory. If I could only pick one, I’d go with the longer length one. It is SO good for layering over leggings — covers the rear, but the waist still cinches in so it’s surprisingly flattering despite being a sherpa fleece.
Q: Where is your plaid tablecloth from?
A: You won’t believe the price, but it’s this $32 style from Amazon. I’ve probably had it four years at this point, and it launders so well and has a great weight to it. I bring it out every Christmas!
Q: In the past, you recommended earrings your daughter, Emory, enjoyed. I searched your blog, but cannot find the proper website. If you have a moment, could you please share?
A: They are J. Crew but look JUST like my husband’s pair (same jolly roger embroidered on the toe) from Stubbs and Wootton. (You didn’t ask, but his sweater is from The New Society via Danrie and is just beautifully made — it looks like someone’s grandmother knit it. Heavy duty!)
Q: Diamond crossover huggies you shared last week?
A: Serena and Lily. Reusable – will use year after year – so a good investment versus buying a fresh one each year! Make sure to measure your door first. I had initially thought I needed the 24″ but 18″ turns out to be a very generous size for a standard front door.
Q: Meal delivery service you used and liked recently?
A: Sakara. My code JENSHOOP still gets you 20% off your order. I was very impressed. It is pricey but you’re paying for convenience and, honestly, to avoid decision paralysis. If you’ve ever had a personal trainer before, you know what I mean — you just show up and do what you’re told and don’t need to make any decisions. Sakara is the mealtime equivalent of that experience. Your lunch and breakfast are prepared and waiting for you, and it’s healthy. You don’t even need to think about it. You can customize your menu — just breakfast and lunch, just dinner and lunch, all three, etc — but we thought lunch was the real winner. The grain bowls were delicious, inventive, filling. We also kind of liked having a lighter / healthier lunch and then our more typical meat and potato dinners. Lan and I have been contemplating ordering a few weeks worth of lunches, maybe 3/5 days of the week, in the new year. Great way to reset.
Q: The velvet heels you’re wearing!
A: These are actually Sam Edelman’s Hazel! I bought them in this burgundy hazel a few years ago and I bring them out every holiday season, but they come in tons of colors each season. They are just perfect. I love the shape/silhouette/heel height — very Manolo. (The rest of the outfit details below here.)
As we near Christmas and all the festivities that precede it — office parties, family secret santas, white elephant exchanges with friends — it may be a good idea to stock up on some under-$50 stocking stuffers. A collection of my favorites below:
01. The Blade Bar — perfect for a girlfriend’s gift exchange. This gives you the closest shave you can imagine. Major upgrade from Gillette.
02. This hair towel — I swear by this! Cuts blow-dry time but a significant quotient.
03. Switch up the stocking stuffers this year with this metallic tooth brush.
04. A Dior Lip Oil or Dior Lip Glow Balm. Currently 15% off. I know many Magpies are obsessed with these two products, and there’s something so fab about gifting a prestige beauty product like this. Even the packaging is fun!
12. Any woman I know would be happy to receive a hydrating lip mask. I keep mine in my desk!
13. Another crowdpleaser — 3-pack slip scrunchies. My sister and I wait all year for these to materialize in our stockings at Christmas, courtesy of my mom.
At 10:03 p.m. on Monday night, I decided it was time to clip back into my quondam fitness routine. I set my alarm and promised myself I’d run three miles and complete a 20 minute Heather Robertson ab video the next morning. I should probably avoid starry-eyed resolutions at the bedtime hour — it was easy to imagine my future self rising in the morning to run, but a different thing entirely to emerge from the cocoon of warm duvet and sleep to move my body in the 28 degree dawn — and yet I held fast to the commitment and followed through. An ugly undertaking, by the way: I had to walk the steep hill that looms in the final third of a mile of my routine circuit. The entire time, I was thinking with regret about the way I’d charge up the same incline in peak Maryland summer heat just a few short months ago. The body is an elastic thing!
But it was done, and there is nothing quite like the achievement of a first workout after a long lapse. I am always gobsmacked by the emotional high. Disproportionate, frankly, with the effort, and there aren’t many things easily got in this life, are there? I also actually like the soreness the day following. It feels medicinal: that muscle burn is your tonic, ma’am. Or proof of exertion in any case, which appeals to the hickory Protestant American heritage in me.
But the main thing I was thinking —
You can start anything today, and with no one’s permission.
You can pick up a paintbrush, enroll in a creative writing class, join a bowling league, start making bread, try a new genre, or, you know, decide you are going to start running again, at 10:03 p.m. You can also step outside of the personality box in which people want to keep you, or you think people want to keep you. I felt this particularly when I was moving back to D.C. after living in Chicago and then New York for nearly ten years. I had this sensation of needing to re-establish myself, and I saw the wide delta between the Jen I’d been at 27, when I left my hometown, and the Jen I was at 37, when I returned. I wasn’t the same girl, and yet it seemed to me that people thought I was, and I found myself playing a part in some way, or resisting a part, I guess. There was nothing heroic about my ten year multi-city odyssey, and yet I think of the way Edith Hamilton wrote about Odysseus returning to Ithaca: “Odysseus did not lose his life, but if he did not suffer as much as some of the Greeks, he suffered longer than them all. He wandered for ten years before he saw his home. When he reached it, the little son he had left there was grown to manhood.” As I said before, there is nothing Odysseus-like about me, but I do understand even from the thin varnish of these words the sensation of wandering and coming home to a place that is much-changed, principally because of time and self-evolution. The truth is that probably no one cared or noticed (much), but I had to gradually unwrestle myself from the grip of my own expectations, and phantom projections, and accept who I’d become. Be as you are, etc. And one complicating factor was that I saw that I was many things all at once, and that they didn’t necessarily hang together perfectly. Again from Hamilton, I am thinking of Aphrodite: “The myrtle was her tree; the dove her bird — sometimes, too, the sparrow and the swan.” To find a headspace in which you can welcome the many versions of yourself, and their rippling inconsistencies, and see that you are dove or sparrow or swan given the time of day, or the turn in the season, or the particular mood of a moment, is no small feat. It starts with giving yourself a permission that no one else can grant. Let your light so shine.
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+The aforementioned Hamilton book. It is so beautifully written — poetry, actually — and I like reading it in small stretches. The next substantive book on my TBR list is All Fours by Miranda July, which one of my good friends absolutely raved about and insisted had changed her life and ruined her for all other books. Many of you recommended this or are planning to read it next (see all the books you enjoyed in 2024 / are planning to read next in the comments section here). Do you want to join me? Let’s try to finish in the next month and discuss in January.
+LOVE the silhouette of these jeans. Remind me of my R&B Sofies, which I have been wearing everywhere.
+Sitting here with my little Hotel Lobby votive (currently burning Miami) next to me. I have enjoyed this votive set more than I anticipated — I like to burn them in my studio at my deskside. However, I did just see that the ultra-chic Nicole Cassidy insists this black pearl scent from new-to-me candle brand Baobab is her favorite at-home scent and now I’m dying to try. She has such discerning taste! Has anyone tried this brand before?
+Probably also because of Nicole Cassidy, I have been daydreaming about finally investing in a pair of Manolo Maysales. I love the pointed toe and suede or velvet options. So chic with trousers or a shirtdress or jeans. If you are a size 38 or 39, please snag these fuchsia velvet ones for under $400 here. If they only came in a 35…I think I’d order. Such a fun color! For some reason they are much less expensive there than anywhere else on the Internet (the same pair, even indicated at 40% off, are $475 at Nordstrom). I keep stalking TRR in case a great pair materializes in a size 35 or 34.5 (I have the tiniest feet, which can actually come in handy on these resale sites — the more standard foot sizes go faster, although there is just generally less inventory in my shoe size so it all balances out I guess). I keep looking at this brocade pair.
+Family-run wine business Sophie James just sent me a few of their wines to try! I just received the box and cannot wait to sample but they did mention that they would gift one Magpie reader a wine membership if you add your name to this waitlist so wanted to share that opportunity here! I love their story. It speaks to the true entrepreneur’s journey — zigs, zags, and squiggly paths.
+Just your annual reminder that this is the only facial cotton you need to know about. Divinely soft and plush. You will immediately chuck those rough cotton pads you bought at CVS.
+A lot of you loved the tartan shirtdress I wore in yesterday’s post, but it’s now sold out! Ann Mashburn did also release a gorgeous tartan dress in poplin that I’d rec. Not the exact same silhouette but special for holiday. Alternately, this plaid maxi skirt in silk shantung (tuck in a trim cashmere crewneck or cardigan). Frankly it’d be spectacular in any of the colors for the holiday season! Julia Amory also has a similar option. By the way, I just got my J.A. Julia pants in and wanted to share thoughts on sizing, wear, etc. They are by design very long and you will need to have them hemmed if you’re under 5’6. I went a size up (took a small instead of an xs) based on reviews and they are a tad big but not swimming. The main issue I have is that the drop of the trousers is so long on me! I’m 5’0. But I feel like the crotch sits too low on me. Just a heads up. I am going to take them with me to the tailor just to get her opinion, but FYI. Probably best if you’re on the taller end.
+Loving this seafoam green cableknit. The color is so Grace Kelly / 1950s and totally caught me off guard — I haven’t seen anything like this in awhile. I feel like we’ve been seeing a lot of chartreuse, and red, and rich plum, and then La Ligne brings in a kiss of pastel unexpectedly!
+Two fun new brands I just discovered: Caron Callahan (this cape top is SO unexpected and interesting — imagine with some dark wash, high-waisted denim) and athletic label Fore Te, great for my golfing Magpies.
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I just spent yesterday morning trying on about half of my closet in preparation for a few different parties, dinners, and festivities over the coming weeks. Sharing a few of the outfits I liked best —
I’m also currently debating between wearing this Veronica Beard sequin dress and this velvet and lace Saloni dress for a holiday dinner next week with Mr. Magpie, my best friend, her husband, my sister, and my brother-in-law. I didn’t get great pics of the two options (should have put on heels and had better lighting) — see below. What’s your vote?
The big gift this year is — tickets to Disney! My kids have been begging for ages and we feel like their ages are perfect (5 and 7). Itinerary/plans still in formation but this is the big one. Any suggestions on how to “wrap” this welcome: I know there are many creative videos along these lines all over the Internet — Mickey ears, etc? My top thought right now is one of these custom “tickets” for the trip — they can each unwrap!
The big gift from Santa will be Woom bikes! This one for my son; this one for my daughter. If you have these bikes and don’t love them, don’t tell me — lol. (I already ordered them!) We did a lot of research and kept landing here. Mini needs a new helmet (she’s outgrown her Banwood — I think they make the best prints/styles for young kids), and a few in contention are this Smith, this Thousand (the cutest of the litter), this Linus, and the Giro Scamp. The Smith and Giro are the sportier picks; I think she’ll outgrow the Linus within a year or two from a style standpoint. I can’t decide!
My girl specifically asked for this Lego set, a journal (I’m giving her this one), a Jansport backpack (!!!! what comes around goes around — I had one too at her age), an Owala water bottle, and Squishmallows (she has many of the bigger ones so we got her a mini Squishville set).
My son asked for a globe (!!!) and the brand Replogle came top recommended in my research, so I got him this one; Legos (we got him this Pirate ship); and a puzzle (we got him this Lego minifigure themed one).
He’s very into puzzles and Magnatiles, so we wanted to find him more STEM-type toys that require him to fit pieces together — Mr. Magpie ordered him a Snap Circuits set and a Gravitraxx set that honestly Mr. Magpie can’t wait to play with (can you tell he’s an engineer by training?). He said he first found both of these in a hobby store he loves to take my son to out in Rockville and has been waiting for the day they might be age appropriate for him. We also got him a few books and some Ooly markers, too.
P.P.S. My top rec for making gift-giving as pleasant and stress free as possible: order early and then plan one or two “wrap nights” where you put on music or a holiday movie, mix up a batch of cocktails and snacks, and hang with your spouse while wrapping!
P.P.P.S. If you could go back to school to study anything you’d like, what would it be?
By: Jen Shoop
I won’t be able to write from the grave
so let me tell you what I love:
oil, vinegar, salt, lettuce, brown bread, butter,
cheese and wine, a windy day, a fireplace,
the children nearby, poems and songs,
a friend sleeping in my bed—
and the short northern nights.
-Fanny Howe
A la Fanny Howe: what are the things you love right now?
Let me tell you what I love, at 40 years old, a mother to two, a loving wife, and a daily communicant with the blank page:
My son’s freckles, the salvation of trees outside my studio window, a sandwich with my Dad,
a clear sentence, a cloudy day, my children pedaling around the cul de sac outside our home,
a long sit in the sun after a four mile run, my mother’s voice, the redbirds in our yard,
an hour-long phone call with my sister, the hard work that pays off, the friends who say: “tell me everything,”
notes from my daughter left on my work desk, raw oysters and champagne, reading in bed above the sheets but beneath the comforter,
the mug my husband fills with hot water to pre-warm it for my coffee, the neighbors who turn out to be guardian angels, the right word,
vinegar, the primacy of my children’s joy, the promise of morning,
my husband and my husband and my husband, and the outrageous joy of being loved by him daily
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+If you keep coming up dry on what to get your bestie or your sister, just get them an Ugg slipper. What we all really want and love — trust. I own and love the platform Tazz, and I also really love the look of these, too.
+I wore these earmuffs to the skating rink over the weekend and Mr. Magpie said he loved them?! I paired with this red puffer jacket from Varley, which I have been stopped by women about multiple times! It almost looks velvet (but isn’t).
+Back to Apparis and slippers: how cute are these? Apres ski vibes.
+Rhone’s DreamGlow collection caught my eye — have a polished vibe somewhere between Spanx and Varley for those of us looking for dressier athleisure.
+Dolce Vita sent me a pair of their waterproof suede boots and I’m very impressed. I love the shape of the bootie — elongating, flattering, and perfect for pairing with wide leg jeans. Plus: waterproof! Look much more expensive than they are.
+I initially got these with the intent of giving my MIL (we love to play this one card game called O Hell), but now I have them in my living room by the game table! Pretty enough to double as decor.
05. I always buy a few of Target’s holiday themed melamine plates for gifting cookies and/or bringing snacks to various gatherings — obsessed with these and these; also like these and these for families.
06. The Tonies audiobooks are a great screen-free gift for a little one. My kids loved these between the ages of 3-6-ish. We’ve now moved on to listen to Audiobooks via Homepods at bedtime, but I was just thinking that it might be a good time to revisit the library and see if any older / more mature titles are available at Tonies.
07. My daughter put this Owala on her Christmas list.
08. Miscellaneous: this is a good, easy lunch when you’re in a rush.
11. A look-for-less of the viral Anthropologie holiday glasses.
12. Always love the gift wrap from Sugar Paper for Target — this year love this and this — but this year also love the options from Hearth & Hand, especially this stamp motif (with matching tags) and these beautiful boxes.
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What were the best book experiences you had this year?
For me, kind of hard to top Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. Absolutely astounding in both scope and narrowness of detail. The characters are so believable, so personal, and yet Kingsolver’s narrative is operating on a major stage, grappling with sweeping issues including the child welfare system, the opioid crisis, and poverty in America. Truly a work of genius. I’d guess this will be in my top five books of the last decade for awhile. I’m hosting a “favorite things” gift exchange later this month and one of my best guy friends said he’s bringing two items: Monkey 57 Gin and Demon Copperhead. I mean, flawless taste…! My full review of D.C. here.
Next up: Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo. I didn’t ever get around to writing a full review of this book because I found it so sprawlingly suggestive, and I couldn’t quite make my way around the circumference of why it elicited such powerful sentiments in me. Rooney’s previous works tend to center romantic relationships, and this one has some deep and complex romance to it, too, but it’s really a story of two brothers and their misreadings of one another, and how those “bad readings” lead them to lose out on one another, and suffer in private. Rooney is always playing in and through these crevices: the gaps between people, the spaces in which we isolate ourselves in painful and ultimately unnecessary ways whether by force of social norms, self-absorption, or the errant failings of language. I don’t think anyone captures modern communication as well as she does. Text messages, dead phones, and other captures of modern technology never feel clunky in her prose; everything works and feels mimetic with the world in ways that occasionally makes me feel I’m watching real people interact rather than reading a novel. Just a wonder to behold.
Third: Elena Ferrante’sMy Brilliant Friend. A major resume gap for me. And completely brilliant. I’ve not yet gotten around to reading the other books in the series, which makes me wonder — I suppose I didn’t exactly love reading the book even though I appreciated it, and found it awakening parts of my mind that probably suffer from disuse. The meta-fictional aspects of this book are fascinating. My full review here.
Fourth: The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl. Mr. Magpie bought me this in hard copy and we keep it on our kitchen counter with the intention of reading a chapter or two of Renkl’s “howling love letter to the natural world” in the morning. We’re still making our way through it but it is the most beautiful morning devotional. The writing is gorgeous.
Fifth: I read a lot of romance this year, but my favorite atmospheric read in this category was This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune (wait to read this until summer — it really sent me into an adirondack-chairs-on-a-wood-dock-surround-by-pine-trees-at-a-lake-house mood). I liked the beau! More off the rails / a true “beach read after dark” (warning!): Cash by Jessica Peterson, which I believe was a rec from our girl Caro Chambers. It’s a cowboy enemies-to-lovers tale that surprised me — sometimes romance books can feel formulaic to the point of boring but this had some moments (occasionally unhinged ones) that kept me on my toes.
Sixth: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. An astounding debut novel! I know Magpies were split on this one, but I found it gripping and substantive enough to sustain protracted conversation with my mother, sister, and several girlfriends. I didn’t read as much thriller/mystery this year as I typically do — this left some big shoes to fill. Full review here.
Seventh: Poetry! I realized this year that I read a lot of it, and often reach for it in lieu of a novel in the morning, when I find it unblocks me if I’m in a writing rut. I usually pick up this anthology and flip to a new poet and read one or two of his/her works. Sometimes I revisit the same handful I have dogeared, too — I especially love William Carlos Williams’ “Of Asphodel,” which I’ve written about in fits and starts and Robert Frost’s “The Death of the Hired Man,” which is witchy and brilliant and genre-bending (more fiction than poetry?)
Eighth: Short fiction by J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Another great place to visit when I’m stuck. The way both of these men write about the first gropings of a budding romance — !!! It undoes me!
Please share your favorite books from this year!
Post-Scripts.
+Some thoughts on the modern thriller as a genre. I felt this year was light on good ones? Ruth Ware’s latest felt like a major dud to me. Any suggestions? I do love this category.
+Now is the day to buy all your kids’ holiday outfits. I bought my son these tartan pants at Bloomies (they are Ralph but sold out on RL!) and — I couldn’t help it! — this sweater from RL (40% off) plus some great Ralph basics also 40% off, including a classic white turtleneck, long-sleeved polo, sweatshirt, joggers, and long sleeved tees. Those basics are more or less Gap prices with the discount! I did a major stock up.
+J. Crew and J. Crew Factory also have some great holiday scores for kids: this velvet dress, this tartan and tulle dress (which mini picked for herself!), great fitting cords in festive colors, and tartan button downs.
+Guys, I bought Mr. Magpie these cashmere joggers and this waffle cashmere pullover, both in charcoal gray, and they are SUCH a great fit and look so handsome on…he was wearing them when I came back from running errands yesterday! Just need to add a backwards hat…
+Little reminder that select pieces from Varley — which is very difficult to come by on sale — are 25% off here. Treat yourself to this fleece! I own in the pink. I also absolutely love their slim joggers. The most polished I’ve ever felt in athleisure, esp paired with the matching sweatshirt. I go down a size in everything from Varley — I find it runs big — with the exception of the joggers, which I take in my true size.
+Necessaire just sweetened their BFCM deal — you now get 25% off and a free body wash with every order. Trust me, this is the best body lotion. Just finished a tube and reordered.
+Cuyana discounted their most popular “system tote” in three gorgeous, classic colors! This is a fantastic work bag. I own this in the burgundy color and have been using it to tote my notebooks, folders, laptop, etc over to my Dad’s to help him with some projects.
+My daughter asked for a journal for Christmas! I am giving her one of these beautiful Emily Ley ones (currently on sale), and I just noticed they’ve discounted their 2024-2025 planners as well.
And here we are, chapter twelve of twelve: December. Funny how December always feels like such an upswing, a crescendoing scale, but it’s also an ending. And what have I learned this year? Two things spring to mind –
First: the body is bad at keeping secrets. I’m in blessedly good health but there have been many moments in which my body has been screaming the truth: you must slow down; you are stressed; you need sleep. And I’ve been unhurried or obtuse in responding. Earlier this year, faced with a range of different demands and stressors, my right eyelid twitched on and off for nearly two weeks. It irritated me to no end. Finally, I realized it was just my body whispering the truth: I was more stressed than I cared to admit, and I needed to slow down and get more sleep, and also talk through the matters with my husband. Nearly overnight, the twitching stopped. Anyhow, the through-line is that the truth will out, and if you don’t admit it to yourself, your body will do it for you.
Second: a year is an important marker. Earlier this year, a friend of mine told me about a difficult relationship she had been stuck in, and how it took a lot of courage for her to set boundaries and transition into more of a low-contact arrangement. I asked her how she’d done this and emerged with such a sense of perspective and equanimity, and she said (paraphrasing): “It takes a full year of grieving, of fortifying the boundaries, of navigating awkward scenarios, but at the year mark, I found myself in a place of peace, or at least strength.” Easier to stick to your guns because the precedent has been set, etc. Another friend who moved to a new state after living in DC for decades told me a few weeks ago that it had taken her exactly one year to establish herself in her new community, and that she was finally feeling settled. I think time increments can feel so arbitrary — what is a week? what is a month? — and yet the year, encompassing as it does four full seasons, and an entire circuit of holidays besides, is such a powerful milestone. You may not be able to change your life in a month, but you can definitely change it in a year. This insight has been helpful to me across many domains. If I can make it a year…! And, conversely: give me one year and I’ll make it to the next level. And when I’m feeling no progress has been made: It’s OK, Jen, it takes a full year. Keep going.
What are some of your learnings from the year?
Shopping Poetry.
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+Pair those blazers with a great pair of wide legs from Rag + Bone – my current favorite denim brand. I own and love both these and these — 25% off + plus extra 10% off with code RBBF10.
+Reminder that Hotel Lobby is giving us 20% off with JEN20 through today only! Discount expires at midnight. Try their holiday scent!
+35% off at Oso + Me. I used this discount to buy a few shorts for my son and striped tees in the next size up – they are our collective favorite. Great colors, short inseam, pull-on shorts, and the tees are ultra-soft and stretchy. We’re taking my kids to Disney (!!!) this spring so already looking for some pieces already. The other kids’ sale to shop is Minnow (20% off sitewide). I love their boardies for my son and all their terry pieces for both my kids — these dresses are so soft and play-appropriate but sweet/traditional in their own way. You can get even deeper discounts on their sale section (extra 20% off the prices listed).
+Dyson AirWrap on sale here. I’m telling you…you must buy this. I convinced my mom to buy it and she keeps coming by and saying “Jennifer, that AirWrap…!!!!” Worth every penny. I messaged one of my brothers in law to let him know about this product and the deal at Nordstrom on it…so good.
+Shopbop sale still running strong (25% off almost everything)! I’m constantly updating my hearts here. I can’t recommend these pants for petites more. The fit is perfect. And this gorgeous Elleme bag (which I own in a brown woven leather) is included! The gold hardware handle is SO fun / chic / reminiscent of Bottega’s Sardine bags, and of course we love the green suede. (And, my fav gifts for sisters and girlfriends from this sale here.)
+Sorry to be redundant but my favorite deals from this crazy sale frenzy: Alice Walk (rare 20% off — this is probably my favorite and most-worn sweater in my closet); Crown Affair (30% off – I used it to buy three of the dry shampoos to give as gifts, but you could also treat yourself with an upgraded hair routine — I especially love their leave-in conditioner, dry shampoo, and quick dry hair towel); and Kule (30% off — I finally picked up one of their striped turtlenecks).
+Also, if you haven’t tried Elemis’ rose makeup melting balm…!!!! It’s my favorite luxurious way to erase the day, and it’s currently 30% off. Elemis runs a lot of promotions but their balms are difficult to find at a discount.
+Sezane’s collection with Maria del Orden launches today! I am a longtime fan of both brands and they feel like a perfect match.
+I’ve placed a record number of Amazon orders in this past week. These dried orange garlands are my best recent find. The quality is incredible. Two years ago, I spent hours and hours dehydrating orange slices myself and then threading them with twine. These are incredible quality and can be reused year after year. I wove them through my cedar garland over our dining room mantel.
By: Jen Shoop
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+ART IS A FORGIVING MEDIUM: This week, my friend and fellow creative Caroline posted this sweet video of herself celebrating her own creativity after enduring a major loss. It reminded me that art is such a forgiving practice. You do not need to be healed, or to have it all figured out, in order to create. You can make art while angry, confused, hurt, sad. It meets you where you are. Onward!
+THE REAL WORLD SAINTS: I loved this excerpt from a letter from Kurt Vonnegut, discovered here. The concept of finding saints almost everywhere we go — such a precious sentiment. It reminded me of my note to self about staying open: “Leave the door ajar, enough to let joy sneak up on you, so that you laugh when you are washing the dishes and notice that your husband is carrying a Barbie doll in his back pocket, and you remember that you are on a moonwalk, living out the exact space fantasy you dreamed about when you were on that Jetsons ride in Orlando at the age of eleven, watching the young families around you. Stay open to the neighbors, who turn out to be guardian angels in disguise, treating you tenderly when you’ve fallen, and bringing by dinner and crates of activities for the children when illness visits.”
+NOVEMBER RAIN: The preceding sentiments hang uneasily with the ones in this Linda Pastan poem, but I found it stirring and beautiful nonetheless, especially the visual of isolation in our separate umbrellas, and the acuteness of the lyric “December with its white / enamel surfaces; the numbing / silences of winter.”
+FOR THOSE OF US WHOSE OLDEST CHILDREN ARE DAUGHTERS: Um, how close to home is this? We’re just living in Emory’s world over here. Ha!
+WHAT I ORDERED FROM BLACK FRIDAY DEALS THIS WEEK: What did you buy this week? Any standouts? I got a lot of shopping done.
For myself: I ordered gift card holders and gift tags from Sarah Tucker’s collab with Joy Creative (15% off with FEELGOOD15) and a few items from Julia Amory, including a pair of her silk dupioni trousers, the Jane dress in marigold (imagine with black velvet), and the Betty dress in black — all 30% off. I also managed to buy the only thing on the Internet not on sale: this spectacular velvet and lace Saloni dress. I’d been hoping it would be on sale this week but alas. My toxic trait is being drawn to anything excluded from sale. I also bought some more Skims! I can’t help myself! It really is good. These long-sleeved tees are figure-hugging wonders for pairing with barrel / loose fit denim, and also great base layers beneath knits. Take your true size. I also picked up their famous bra!
