By: Jen Shoop

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

A smattering of sales, launches, and newsworthy discoveries this Thursday:

+Sezane released its chic “Le Crop” jeans in a really fab tomato red color. I am obsessed with the idea of red jeans ever since I saw Courtney Grow in this outfit. I own Le Crops from Sezane in a different wash — super fun / chic / different, but size up! While you’re at Sezane, this $160 raffia crossbody is giving major Loewe-meets-Mansur-Gavriel vibes at a great pricepoint.

+Amazon is running a “Big Spring Sale,” and I was delighted to see Avene’s Cicalfate cream (seen above) was included. This was a Magpie reader rec many times over and I completely used up my first tube, so took advantage of the sale to re-up. It’s a wonder cream if skin is dry / irritated — it nursed my skin back to life when I’d dried it out trying to use a retinol cream. I linked a few other great finds that are a part of the spring sale here, including my favorite inexpensive leggings and this power washer, which would be a great buy while on sale — blast all of winter / cobwebs / debris off of your kids’ bikes, your outdoor rugs, etc! I’m beginning to think ahead to summer…

BEST INEXPENSIVE LEGGINGS // MY FAVORITE HAND SOAP FOR KITCHEN // TERRY HEADBAND FOR FACE MASKING // PORTABLE SPEAKER // SLIM HANGERS // AVENE WATER SPRAY // AVENE CICALFATE

+Calpak just released its popular Luna bag in several chic new colors. I saw a chic pea carrying one of these in a great blue color at the airport on the way back from Tulum — it seemed so practical yet attractive! I’ve also heard it’s great as a gym bag / diaper bag.

+Dorsey just released all of its chic cocktail rings in gold settings! I have this stunner in the sterling silver (you can see it in the top photo here), and it is a really fab piece to pull out for the evening. I’m also newly intrigued by these “Lucien earrings” that just became available for pre-order — apparently they sell out every time they become available. Finally, this pretty station bracelet that has been out of stock forever is available for pre-order and shipping in early April. I think this would be such a gorgeous gift for a Maid of Honor. I feel like it goes with absolutely anyone’s style — classic, feminine, edgy, etc!

+Parterre just released a gorgeous limited collection of skirts and dresses — I love the pattern on this skirt.

+I just spent way too much searching for all-white (including white sole) tennis shoes for my daughter — a requirement where she’ll be taking lessons this spring — and polled several mom friends with tennis-playing children and the options are hideous! I ended up reordering these under-$30 ones from last summer in the size up. (Kids can slip into them and velcro closed on the top themselves — neither of my children can yet tie their shoes! My children also really liked these shoes from tennis camp last summer and I notice that they really stabilize the foot well.) I was torn between these Asics and the less expensive Amazon ones and decided they were probably a toss up, so went for the pair almost $20 cheaper! If anyone has a better choice, LMK! I’ve also been snapping up tennis whites for the children — J. Crew is a surprisingly good source for this gear. My son loves these “active” shorts (available in white) so I got some of those and these performance white polos — at the time of writing, both are 50% off. I also got my daughter these shorts and this half-zip to supplement a few tennis skirts / polos / dresses we have from last summer that still fit.

+Last but not least, a few diamonds in the rough in the kids section of the Saks Friends & Family sale: a Lacoste polo dress for your little lady, Ralph Lauren linen oxfords and flat front shorts for your wee man, and the sweetest little bikini, under $30, down from almost $80!

P.S. How do you fill your cup in under an hour?

P.P.S. Leave the door ajar for joy.

P.P.P.S. Still time to shop for Easter, but we’re coming down to the wire!

By: Jen Shoop

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

When I was studying abroad (why is that time in my life weighing so heavily on my mind these days, I wonder? Clearly my subconscious is telling me something), fitness as we now know it (and even as I then knew it from my roost at an American university) wasn’t really a thing in Lyon. I found one dingy gym a few blocks from my apartment near Place Bellecour — a steamy, distressingly small room cluttered with stairmasters and ellipticals — and signed up for a ridiculous sum of money, as I was accustomed to the collegiate girl routine of “working out” after class, before “going out” in the evenings, and felt that incorporating this habit into my new life in France would make me feel more at home. I was perplexed to learn that many of the French patrons would exercise in street clothes — think jeans and a t-shirt! — or change into and out of their day clothes in the narrow locker room in the back without showering. Few would arrive in athletic wear. Looking back, I was assuredly infringing on an invisible social norm by strutting into the studio decked out in my Nike Tempo shorts and Virginia tees. One afternoon, on my way to the gym, a group of young French men heckled me from their car on Rue Auguste Comte, crescendoing to a loud round of: “Tu es sportive!” catcalls, which translates roughly as “You’re sporty!” Mr. Magpie and I laughed about it for years. What an odd come-on? Especially as the coup de grace of their heckle session? It’d be like yelling: “You’re a brunette!” or “You’re wearing a dress!” (…OK?)

But just last week, I came down the stairs in running leggings and a Nike tee, and Mr. Magpie yelled, out of the blue: “Tu es sportive!” — of course I’ll take that catcall.

In that spirit, a few fitness finds for the season ahead, in a confetti of great colors, so you can privately compliment yourself with “tu es sportive” the next time you get ready to exercise —

01. Vuori sports bra and tennis dress.

02. Greatness Wins half-zip (20% off with JEN20) — this new brand was founded by Derek Jeter and Misty Copeland. I love the details on the half-zip; very high quality.

03. Everything from Beyond Yoga’s new “pink bloom heather” color collection.

04. Nike jacket. Speaking of Nike: they are offering 50% off as a part of their spring sale. These waffle debut sneakers have been very popular among Magpies over the past year (non-athletic, more for casual fashion wear), but if you’re a runner, do not miss their Infinity Runs. I know I’ve shared these before, but these running leggings (also included in the sale, seen above!) are my absolute favorite. They have a good amount of stretch (not AS compressive as other styles) and have a great sleek, moisture-wicking performance material.

05. Lululemon Swiftly Tech tees.

06. Tracksmith sports bras, hat, and mesh running shorts.

07. Spanx ribbed straight dress. You might remember that I fell in love with and wore heavily the Lululemon Align dress last summer — one of my favorite things to wear while in the backyard with the kids, or going for a walk with my neighbors! Easy Saturday.

08. Left on Friday leggings and bra — super stretchy and comfortable, with a performance sheen to them.

09. For golf: love the look of this skort with this polo. I think I’m going to buy a pair of golf shoes this year, and like the sneaker-looking styles from Nike, like this and this.

For post-workout-lounge, I love this sweatshirt and sweat shorts combo from Vuori, and this shorts set from Frank and Eileen.

I also recently bought my daughter some cute athletic/lounge wear pieces from Gap, including this sweatshirt and the matching shorts.

Happy sweating!

P.S. Optimization fatigue.

P.P.S. How do you make big life decisions?

P.P.P.S. A woman of substance stands still in her center.

By: Jen Shoop

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

Saks is offering 25% off new arrivals as a part of their Friends & Family sale, and this includes the magical platform shoes I’ve been yapping about. If you are petite, I know you will order them and thank me later. Mr. Magpie took me out on a date last Friday and I wore them for the first time and we joked that I had spontaneously developed a new personality. I can’t explain it, but being 2-3″ taller than I actually am without the pain of heels is a true joy. The sale also includes…

THE ALTUZARRA TOTE I’VE BEEN WEARING NONSTOP (SEEN ABOVE)

SUPER COMFY MOTHER JEANS — TTS, WORK PERFECTLY FOR PETITES

A GORGEOUS TWEED CROP JACKET FROM BA&SH

GORGEOUS EMBROIDERED DRESS

Next up: Net-A-Porter is offering 20% off orders of $500+ and 25% off orders of $750+. Those are steep price thresholds to cross, but if you have been eyeing a statement handbag, formal dress, or pair of designer shoes, now’s the time to leap. A few top picks:

THIS MARNI BAG

THIS AJE GOWN

THESE MACH & MACH RAFFIA MULES

THIS SPECTACULAR AGUA BENDITA

SUMMER WEDDING GUEST QUEEN

TOD’S TOTE

P.S. On prayer.

P.P.S. On giving ourselves a soft landing when we need it.

P.P.P.S. Recent purchases and discoveries.

By: Jen Shoop

A few nights ago, I was dancing in the kitchen with my son in my arms — his head tilted back in joy, a smile stretching across his face. My daughter found us:

“Now my turn, mama – now my turn!”

I told her she was too big to be carried, but she persisted:

“My turn, can I have a turn?”

My daughter is a newly-minted seven-going-on-seventeen-year-old, and knows how to huff and eye roll and stamp her feet with the best of them, often responding to my husband and I with a sarcastic “…really?”,

and the other day I poked my head out the front door to call her for dinner,

and didn’t recognize her shape in the neighbor’s yard.

She was wearing her new flared leggings (a specific, passionate request) with a braid down her back, and it was the first time I’d misplaced her figure.

In the hospital, bleary the day after she was born, I had panicked to Mr. Magpie after the nurses had taken her out of the room to the nursery so that I could try to close my eyes: “What if I don’t recognize her?” He assured me that all the bassinets were marked, and added:

“Are you kidding? You’d know that cry anywhere, already.”

He was right, of course. I could pick her sound out of a million near-identicals. Her smell, too. The way she runs. Her rippling laugh. The shape of her toes.

But I’d looked across the yard, and not recognized her for a split-second, and I think this mis-sighting blurred my vision for a spell,

Because that night we were dancing in the kitchen, after she pawed at my shirt for a turn, I sat down on the couch and pulled her into my arms and bounced her on my knees and tickled her arms and swung her back and forth in my lap,

and she laughed and laughed,

and I saw her at 1, and 3, and 5,

and as a newborn in a hospital bassinet —

all the versions of her, returned to me, as though a matryoshka doll unlidded —

and I realized that she is still my baby girl, still needing to be tickled and held and swung around in my arms. She is seven. She believes in Santa, and wonders whether her dolls get up to mischief when her back is turned, and lays her head on my shoulder while I read to her at night. Only seven. I can’t let her posturing as an older girl, modeled on the teens who baby sit her, and the fact that my husband and I are often mired in conversations about rule-setting and reinforcements, obscure this truth:

She is little, and she needs love in the big ways, but in the little ways, too.

She needs not only boundaries and homework reminders and “what do you think?” conversations but impromptu back rubs and hand squeezes and fingers-running-through-hair. We say “I love you” ad infinitum in our house — several times a day, at least — but I had forgotten that she can still fit on my lap, and be swayed back and forth, and that she craves these tendernesses, too.

There is a possibly apocryphal haiku attributed to the Japanese poet Basho that runs:

To quiet down

the unsettled heart

of the daughter

A beautiful portrait of motherhood, isn’t? A piece of it, at least — one glinting prism of the stained glass composite: the centricity, the purposefulness, of a mother’s quieting presence. Today I sit here and think:

How many nights did I rock my girl to sleep? How many mornings did I carry her, plastered to my chest, in her carrier? How lucky I am to have her still seeking umbrage in my arms, and how snugly she fits.

Post Scripts.

+We carry all the ages of our children inside.

+Even so, it can be hard to say goodbye to each phase.

+The saltings of motherhood.

Shopping Break.

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

+Pretty tiered linen maxi from Boden – love the Liberty floral trim.

+FUN spring/summer bag from J. Crew. While you’re there: they just released a gauze button-down and we all need it in white.

+A bag from seasons past that I regret not snagging: the Khaite Amelia. You can get the vibe for less with this Demellier or this Pam Munson.

+Love this scalloped stepping stool in a girl’s room / bathroom.

+A lovely hostess gift. I also just ordered these lemon coasters to give as a hostess gift! Another (less expensive) go-to: this peach hot honey.

+The chicest little hand cream.

+The Outnet has some fabulous event-ready dresses for spring: this for a cocktail or garden party, this for black tie, this for preppy-leaning outdoor gathering (dress up/down!)

+Spanx’s AirEssentials half-zip is a great transition-to-spring staple. I love the yellow color!

+Cheerful play dress for a little lady.

+Can’t stop thinking about these fun sunglasses for summer…

+Lake just released children’s birthday pajamas! So cute.

+The actual cutest backpack I’ve ever seen for a little.

+For my scent enclave girlies: what are we thinking about these punchy scents from Jo Malone, like Yuzu Zest and Sunlit Cherimoya?

By: Jen Shoop

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

I’ve become an enormous fan of Goop Beauty over the past few years. It started with the GoopGlow Microderm Exfoliator (full review here), which a friend of mine sold me on by telling me “I always have to have a back up for my back up.” I’m addicted to it! I use it every few days, and especially if I’m trying to refresh myself before going out in the evening. There is really nothing else like it — instant facial! The exfoliator is my top recommended beauty product from the Goop line, but I’ve gradually added to my collection, and have come to rely on several other products as well.

Sharing my other favorite Goop Beauty products below:

01. Goop Glow Serum. Back in stock, finally! I was out of this for a few months and SPRINTED to re-up when they re-released it earlier this month. It has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C you can find on the market, plus hyaluronic acid. For my skin, Vitamin C is the most consistently effective way to achieve radiance and glow. I’ve described it elsewhere as “turning the lights on.” I have tried and loved several Vitamin C products from other brands, and think this Goop formula is one of the best, alongside Biossance’s oil and Maya Chia’s Super Lift. (If you aren’t a fan of oils / runny serums, the Maya Chia is nice because it’s more like a lightweight lotion, but similarly effective.) If you’re on a budget, look no further than Mad Hippie’s $30 formula. Excellent, too – I’d put it in the same category as Goop, Biossance, and Maya Chia (and I’ve tried a lot of Vitamin C products!) What draws me to Goop’s formula is the hyaluronic acid component — I recently had my makeup done and the artist applied hyaluronic acid to my skin first. I really noticed a difference in my skin’s texture / brightness / suppleness (?) because of it.

02. Goop Himalayan Salt Scrub. The antecedent to a great hair day. I use this any time my hair feels oily and especially in the summer (get rid of all the chlorine, sand, sunscreen, sweat, etc.) A staple in my Everything Shower lineup. Christophe Robin has a similar formula but I’ve gradually come to prefer Goop’s — I love the way it suds/foams up and volumizes somehow.

03. Goop Colorblur Cheek Balm. Similar in concept to Merit but a little less oily and more pigmented — and with noticeably longer staying power. I love the Merit balms so much (colors are fab, and they are fool-proof when it comes to application — easy to layer, blur, blend), but I will say they don’t last all day. Goop sticks around, but you must be a little more precise with application. You can still apply with fingers, but you need to dapple it. I especially love the Afterglow color. I know it looks dark in the photo but it yields the prettiest cold weather flush. (I’ve elsewhere described this as a Winona Ryders-running-through-the-snow kind of effect.). I have almost all of the colors!

04. Goop Nourishing Repair Body Butter. A really good, heavy-duty body moisturizer. Scent-free for those sensitive to perfumes. I personally wish it came in a scented option, too, but this stuff is really effective for dead-of-winter dry skin. I went through two tubs of it this winter – I’d layer on top of my Hanni products (in-shower splash salve, post-shower water balm spray) in the dryest winter months. My feet and ankles are always especially dry and I needed something intensive.

05. Goop Luminous Cleansing Balm. One of their newer products — I love this. I’m a huge fan of using a balm to remove all makeup as a first step, and then washing with a cleanser. I also like the formulas from Elemis and Farmacy, and Goop’s is somewhere between the two in consistency — not as oily as Elemis or as dry (?) as Farmacy.

06. Goop Clean Nourishing Lip Balm. If you’re a balm girl, you need this. The pink is perfect for everyday wear — the sweetest kiss of color with a great moisturizing texture. I keep these in most of my handbags — easy to apply on the go — and a great alternative when I’m not wanting to have a glossy lip. (Otherwise, I wear my UBeauty lip plasma — reminder you can get 20% off with code JENSHOOP. If I want matte color, I am totally hooked on Trish McEvoy’s Easy Lip Color in shade Gentle.)

While we’re talking Goop, I have to say I’m deeply impressed with their in-house clothing line, G. Label. The pieces are spendy but the quality matches the price, and everything is meant to be “an upscale basic” you can wear a zillion ways. A few of my friends have bought their knitwear on my rec, and love it. (Two of my girlfriends own this Noah cardigan, which I also own and adore.) I find the cardigans run pretty snug/small, FYI (I own two of their cardigans!) Otherwise, the pieces seem to run TTS. This sweater, which I own in the fuchsia color, is spectacular!

Not Goop, but I’m already heavily testing the products from my OSEA order and please can you run and try this cleanser? My new favorite favorite. I’ve been looking for an everyday cleanser like this for awhile — this takes the cake. You can sort of feel it grabbing at your face — I can’t describe it any other way? — but it doesn’t leave skin unpleasantly tight. You can just tell it’s working. I love the scent. A perfect 10. (10% off with code MAGPIE10 — and as a side bar, if you spend $90, you get a free body essential mini duo now through 3/24.)

P.S. Loved learning how you handle skincare while traveling. (Comments are fascinating and pull us in lots of different directions! Just goes to show there is no one right way to do anything.)

P.P.S. My last batch of “honest beauty reviews.“

P.P.P.S. What do you eat for lunch?

By: Jen Shoop

Image via Cecilie Bahnsen.

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

Q: On the note of chic and sharp…I have my very first business luncheon upcoming, but haven’t the slightest idea what to wear. I would greatly appreciate any recs for budget looks that are still somewhat chic, but are not a dress or skirt?

A: These Madewell Harlow pants (remind me of Favorite Daughter’s popular pant) with a striped button-down (you might consider the options from Alex Mill or Everlane). Chic. If you don’t like the striped button-down, pair with a little cropped sweater-jacket like this over a luxe-looking white tee. Add some inexpensive slingbacks and a great pair of $10 shades!

Q: Self tanners.

A: I don’t use self-tanners because they always make me look orange. I’ve seen them work well on other people, though, so think it might just be my complexion? I have, however, polled Magpies in the past for their recs — the top three upvotes are always Salty Face’s tanning water, Isle of Paradise tanning drops, and St. Tropez mousse. Beauty icon Courtney Grow also swears by Jergen’s Natural Glow self-tanner, which you apply in the shower. Temptingly inexpensive!

Q: Do you have a black dress you would recommend for a funeral for someone in her 60s?

A: I am so sorry for your loss. I would look at Theory — they have beautiful, timeless black dresses in various silhouettes. I love this one.

Q: Classic tan wool coat.

A: Splurge: any of the ones from Max Mara. More reasonable: Aligne! I own this one. She’s gorgeous. Runs long/tall/lean — great for taller Magpies. If you’re on the petite side, you’ll likely need to have it tailored. I also love this one from Toteme.

Q: You had mentioned using a Pilates subscription at one point. Could you share more if you like(d) using this? For example, did you have favorite videos/instructors/routines? I’m thinking of trying this out and appreciate any tips.

A: Leaving this here for the team, as I haven’t found anything that has really stuck. I tried Melissa Wood Health (so many of you recommended), and I like her energy and the variety of videos she has (you can filter/sort by time, focus area, etc), but ultimately did not end up using it very often and let my subscription lapse. I think this has more to do with building a habit/routine. I always thought of the videos as “secondary to” running/biking or “if I have time leftover…” which is never a sticky starter. I’ve been better/more consistent about doing the core exercise videos from Apple Fitness+ right after I hop off the bike. I think this is because I use the Apple Fitness+ cycling videos, and I’m already in the app, with the TV set up and streaming, so it feels effortless to toggle over to a 10 minute core workout afterward on the mat beside the bike. All to say — finding a routine/setup with as few barriers as possible is key.

MWH and Apple Fitness+ are not pilates, though – anyone have any pilates videos they love?

Q: An inexpensive mesh bag (ideally machine washable) to hold a few pool toys.

A: These $14 ones come in great colors! We own and like these little guys — the kids can use to collect shells or you can sort their toys/goggles so that they each child has his/her own. Note dimensions, though — they are pretty small. Maybe the teenage size (I think this is a new offering?) is better? More expensive, but I’ve seen a lot of these Bogg bags at the pool. Easy to hose down, but have the added benefit of structure (can stand up right on their own).

On the subject of pool toys: how cute are these? And if you don’t have these, you need them this summer. THE BEST. My children played with them outside in the nice weather this past weekend! They are self-sealing, reusable water balloons! You can just dunk them in a bucket of water (or pool) to fill and the kids can do them on their own. SO much better than the kind you have to fill at the sink, and then have littering your yard!

Q: Favorite picks for outdoor toy storage (I think I remember reading once about wheeled bins?)

A: Yes – this mesh bin is a godsend for holding balls, mitts, garden toys, etc. The kids can wheel it out of the garage on their own and the mesh prevents mildew.

Q: Modest, casual shorts – practical to care for popsicle covered children in yet polished enough to run errands.

A: Many, many Magpies are devotees of Agolde’s long short (also available in a hemmed format — Madewell has an inspired-by pair to consider, too). I don’t know what it is about my proportions but they do not hit at the right length on me (I’ve also tried the non-long style)! I would try something like these from Rails (upgrade pick: VB; budget buy: Madewell). I also have and love these utility shorts from Madewell — they might be the only pair of shorts I routinely wear! I’m not much of a shorts gal, but these are tailored and flattering.

If you’re looking for something more casual, love these striped Kules (especially worn as a set, with the matching top!) and these “sweat shorts” from Frank and Eileen.

Q: Crossbody bag for European summer trip.

A: I really love my Paris64 one — small, versatile, zips closed, and no one else has one. I love that this bag can be dressed up with a cocktail dress or down with shorts/jeans. Lots of different fabric/color options, too! Also still a fan of Celine’s trio bags — you can still find on TheRealReal. Get in a fun color!

Q: Derby dress.

A: Love all my Derby girls this year! Had a few fashion requests about this event. I love this Simkhai, this OPT, this Rixo, this Rebecca Vallance, this Julia Amory, this Anthro, this Coco Shop.

Q: Styling gauze pants.

A: I like them worn as a set, with matching top (e.g., top and pant), or paired with a simple white tee and strappy sandals. I feel like you have to pair with cotton — I find they are so dressed-down, they look off if paired with a dressier blouse.

Q: Recommendations for Derby dresses for those of us over 50 who don’t want a maxi, a mini. Nothing low cut, nothing sleeveless and it MUST be comfortable to wear all day long. And to make this even more difficult, I am 5’3 and 98 pounds. It is REALLY difficult to find something without spending $1000. Ordered an expensive Tory Burch silk dress to try. Love Adam Lippes but too expensive. Found a few on sale that I love from Saks but I cannot return so I am not risking. Think Roland Mouret (but suspect not comfortable to wear 12 hours and move in all day).

A: What about this, this, or this from Cara Cara? Self-Portrait also has some pretty lace options that might be up your alley, like this or this. (Or this one on The Real Real!)

Q: Vinyl letters for your daughter’s water bottle???

A: These! (10% off with code MAGPIE10) I just ordered an A-Z set (I also have sets with just my children’s first initials) so I can have on hand to customize water bottles as gifts for my daughter’s friends. While there, I picked up this stationery set for her Easter basket! My MIL gave her a set of cards for her birthday and I was charmed to see her write notes to her little friends on them, all on her own. I realized I usually keep her personalized stationery (<<this boutique is run by a talented artist and fellow UVA grad) in my closet so she doesn’t tear through it, but wanted to get her something less precious to write notes on of her own volition.

P.S. All of my promo codes in one place here. I just updated these yesterday with a few new codes from Greatness Wins (20% off with JEN20), OSEA (10% off with MAGPIE10), and more.

P.P.S. I’m always updating my Shopbop hearts!

P.P.P.S. Still making my way out of a book hangover from this book. (More on book hangovers, and how to get out of them, here.)

By: Jen Shoop

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

01. A tall stack of cheap white towels in the linen closet by my sink. I use these to wash my face morning and night. I love that I needn’t be precious — if a little makeup or mascara gets on there, no problem! They are just for washing my face. I toss them into a wire basket I keep at the bottom of the linen closet when used and wash them every few days.

02. We wash nearly all of our produce in a solution of baking soda and water. (I’ve heard other Magpies use a solution of vinegar and water, but the effect is the same: the soda or vinegar act as a mild abrasive, dissolving waxes/coatings.) We then rinse in a colander. We’ve been doing this for months and months, typically several times a day as our children are fruit flies, so we tend to just leave the orange Arm and Hammer box by the sink! I recently bought this little glass jar with lid and spoon to decant the baking soda into — a little bit less of an eyesore.

03. Ditto my two salt cellars for fancy salts (seen above). We use Diamond Kosher salt in great quantities as we cook at home a lot, and store that in an open-mouth salt pig from Emile Henry (N.B.: these now come in really fun colors, BUT you can also get the look for much less with these ones, also available in great colors). But I found we were reaching for both our Maldon flake salt and our seaweed salt a lot, and I hated the way those containers looked on our kitchen counter. These inexpensive wood salt cellars to the rescue! I bought them in two slightly different wood types so you can easily tell which is which, and stack them on top of one another.

04. Return address labels! Save me so much time. Cheap and cute prints from this Etsy shop.

05. Beadboard drying rack. Life changing! I love that this can collapse into the wall when not in use, and that it’s mounted / out of the way. Contemplating buying a second one to flank the first. I use these all the time!

06. These cabinet/drawer organizers — the smaller ones are great for things like hair ties, paper clips, push pins, etc, and the larger for pens, bandaids, lipsticks, makeup brushes, lining up bottles of sunscreen, etc. These are so handy in the kitchen, bathroom, and any linen/storage area of the home. For larger sets of things, I love this exact brand in the medium size. Somehow the perfect dimensions for everything — great for organizing sets of bath/body products (shampoos, body washes, etc), medicines, and general categories of loose items (e.g. in the linen closet in our children’s bathroom — we toss all the random combs, brushes, etc in these).

07. For organizing travel items and/or backstock of cosmetics, I’m in love with these drawers! I keep them under my sink. The fact that they are clear is a huge bonus. You can see everything!

08. Portable speaker. We love this thing! We bring it outside any time we’re out watching the kids on their bikes/playing in the yard, having a cocktail or dinner, sitting on the front stoop, etc. Mr. Magpie also uses it while washing the car and doing yard work. We also bring it on trips — great for beach, hotel room, etc. Super durable and semi-water-proof too. The best!

I’m not including this in the “little households things I love” category but I have to say: this teak dining table was the first item we bought for our house in Bethesda and not a day goes by I don’t love it. I noticed it’s 30% off, which might be the least expensive I’ve ever seen it. Strongly rec. We purchased it as soon as we closed on the house. (I mean, maybe the same day we closed?) We were so hungry for outdoor space, and this was the one thing we absolutely needed: outdoor dining table and chairs. I love the classic teak style and it’s the perfect size for our back covered porch. Withstands swampy D.C. summers and frosty D.C. winters with poise. We paired with these dining chairs. (S&L has a similar style they just released here. Unrelated, but these kitchen pendants, also from S&L’s newest arrivals, is so retro-chic and different!)

P.S. Another S&L item I love, and all its virtues, here.

P.P.S. More household favorites and repeat buys, plus kitchen favorites you might not have.

P.P.P.S. What’s the first job each morning?

By: Jen Shoop

Last Friday, I was in the backseat of my car – a perch in which I rarely find myself – and I noticed smudge marks on the interior of the trunk windows from where Tilly used to press her nose against the glass. Her impressions, still fresh.

Grief cuts with jagged teeth, doesn’t it? It had been a sunny day, and an auspicious one, and I found myself promptly rift in two. I sat in grief’s jaw the rest of the morning.

So here we are, a month after her death, and still I find her nearby. Nose prints, a stray kibble in the back of the pantry, the muscle memory of rushing to close the door behind me lest she skitter out alongside. My son continues to talk through his own grief at odd moments, folding her into conversation as often as he can. In the car on Wednesday, he blurted out: “I’m sad of Tilly.” (His own prepositional construction.). “Me, too,” I replied. “And that’s OK – that just shows us how much we love her. What’s making you sad about her?” He said: “I was thinking about throwing her toys to her, and now I can’t.” We talked about her playing with her toys in heaven, and then the car went quiet, and I imagine we were both imagining her tug-of-warring with an angel.

Last Sunday, we were on our way home from my in-laws, and I told Mr. Magpie I had just found myself subconsciously anticipating Tilly’s face in the front window.

“How long until I stop having to remind myself she’s not here?” I asked.

“Maybe that’s not something we want to wish away,” he replied, gently.

It is painful to cast after her ghost as if she weren’t gone, and yet the not casting would mean something different. A lapse in proximity. A further release. A longer, lesser leash.

So I keep her on my ring finger. At night, after I take her off, I look at the impression on my skin and think it, too, is a kind of portrait of grief. An indentation that gradually attenuates. How soft we are, and how resilient, too.

Post-Scripts.

+More on losing Tilly here, and two weeks before she was gone, I had the wherewithal to realize I was sitting in “the good ol days” with her at my feet.

+Life takes root around the perimeter.

+Grief is unexpressed love.

Shopping Break.

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

+My Tilly ring. Truly one of my most treasured possessions.

+Can we talk about these magical Chloe shoes (<<linking where I found them on sale in the best run of sizes, but available at an even steeper discount in sizes 39 and 40 here)? I wrote on Instagram that I’m personally offended no short women had ever told me about them. They are so comfortable, so chic, and add like 3″ with no heel pain. OMG! Never taking them off. I wore them to dinner with Mr. Magpie on Friday and we both joked that they had become my new personality. I felt like a different woman in them! (A 5’3 one. Ha!)

+J. Crew just released a gorgeous linen maxi that I predict will be a staple for many of us during the evening hours this spring. (The chartreuse is fun!). Also comes in a mini length.

+I’m in love with this mini crossbody from Cuyana. Such good colors! While we’re talking cute spring bags: get the Cult Gaia look for less with this $50 clutch.

+NB just released the most adorable toddler sneaks in great colors for spring.

+When I finally sat mini down to select her Easter dress over the weekend, she surprised me by picking this Lilly P. and silver Jack Rogers! (More of my Easter picks here.)

+Three other gorgeous Easter/spring dress candidates: this Anthro (chintz-like pattern reminds me of my Doen dress!); this Zimmermann-esque steal from Dillards; Julia Amory’s Betty dress in the new ballet pink pattern.

+This De-Gournay-esque woven tapestry basket is gorgeous.

+Also! Two additional Easter basket possibilities: an Easter version of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (my daughter’s FAVORITE game – we play this several nights a week!) and these mini squishmallow capsules. My kids love these SO much. I got them each one. While you’re at Target: cute half-zip for you in a great pastel hue.

+If you waited too long to order a personalized Easter basket, this sweet Amazon one is adorable and arrives tomorrow.

+Cute initial caps for littles for spring.

By: Jen Shoop

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

A boomeranging week, feverish and achey at the start thanks to strep throat, then swingy and loose thanks to the warm spring weather at the end. I’ve been speaking in staccato exclamation points: “this weather!” and “these trees!” as I stumble out of the season of hibernation and marvel at the milky pink petals on the cherry and apple blossom trees. They perch proudly today, pert faces pointed at the sun, and will litter the lawn in two weeks’ time.

Mr. Magpie often tells a story of when he was driving to the beach with his grandmother as a boy, and she repeatedly commented: “The corn is so high!” as the fields flew by. At the time, her excitability — even her attentiveness — seemed to him wildly out of sync with the edgeless observation. (Why does she care so much about the corn?) I feel a bit like his grandmother this spring, unable to suppress the banal “the trees!” comments. I am reminded of Mary Oliver’s poem “Moccasin Flowers”:

But all my life–so far–
I have loved best
how the flowers rise
and open, how

the pink lungs of their bodies
enter the fore of the world
and stand there shining
and willing–the one

thing they can do before
they shuffle forward
into the floor of darkness, they
become the trees.

To wit: it’s not just the prettiness of the blossoms, it’s the profound hopefulness of their gesture. How beautiful to come into this world with a purpose, and to fulfill it. As she does in so much of her poetry, Oliver is reminding us that perhaps our reason for being is not as complex as we make it out to be. Perhaps it is just to “stand there shining / and willing.” I don’t mean to be inert. I mean to take up our roles with a kind of snappy acceptance, to exalt our way through life.

While I’m pawing at the existential this Sunday morning (sorry — hope you’ve had your coffee): Magpie reader Sophia recently shared a prompt she’d adapted from The Catholic Feminist substack: “How is what I am doing making a home for others?” I loved the provocation; it feels like the kind of litmus a true woman for others practices intuitively. Think of all the spaces in which we might apply it, beyond the literal in our own domesticities: inviting a quieter voice into a conversation; including a new acquaintance in a group outing; preparing foods that will be palatable to guests; accommodating/celebrating the religious or cultural traditions of a neighbor; letting friends know you are there for them in small and large ways. I read a quote somewhere along the lines of: encouraging someone to be herself, accommodating her as a whole, letting her know “you’re safe to be yourself here,” is the loudest way to love.

Adjacent thought: last summer, there was a boy at tennis camp who picked on my son, called him names, even took his shoes off his feet and threw them across the court. (I’m still unclear how all of this went down, and perplexed about the lack of intervention by a counselor, but this is the verbatim and unvaried story both my daughter and son have repeated dozens of times to me since!) At the end of the week, as we drove home, my son told me from his car seat: “There are people who don’t like me.” He said this in the typical four-year-old way, sandwiched between a wandering comment on the shape of the clouds in the sky, and a request for goldfish. I was near speechless, caught between rage and heartbreak. I wanted to let him know “you aren’t for everyone, and that’s OK” and “there are always going to be mean people in the world — a lot of times, those people are hurting, and we need to give them a lot of space” and “but there are so many people who do love you,” but the thing that came out first, and that has come out every night since when I say his prayers and affirmations: “You’re exactly what this family needs just the way you are, and we love all of you so much.” Which is to say, I saw the wound, or its potential, and the best way I knew to salve it was to let him know how beloved, and belonging, he is to us at home.

But how to give those words legs? I am sure I have many opportunities for refinement. How might I cultivate his quirkiness, his interests, the curlicues of his independence? How can I better make a home for him? These are the thoughts driving me forward into Monday.

Onward…!

Also from this week…

+We continued my daughter’s seventh birthday celebrations this week at the home of my in-laws! My MIL had festooned the dining room with flowers and tissue paper poms that made the entire celebration joyful, and then sent me home with the best party favors: cake, and flowers!

+My celebratory marg after I started feeling better from strep throat thanks to a z-pack. I wore the cheerful Mille dress twice this week! I own it in two colors and maybe want a third? So comfortable and breezy. Runs really big. I took an XXS, but it’s still super roomy! Also: bare feet! Praise be!

+A few nooks around the house: 1) Pretty new bath mats and towels from Anthropologie. They are offering us 20% off through 3/26 on all bedding, bath, and pillows with code JEN20. I love my scalloped bath mat (love the longer length option – can span two sinks at a vanity, or run alongside a tub/shower-length) and matching towels. My beloved Roz shampoo and conditioner in the background. 2) Haven Well Within (Talbots’ sister company) has released intimates, and I love my new scoop bralette and dulci bikini — the prettiest colors. Don’t you always feel more pulled together when your undergarments match?

+Speaking of feeling pulled together, I had Glamsquad do my hair and makeup on Friday. I originally scheduled this luxury because we had dinner plans with friends (later rescheduled), but I kept the appointment because I had a few brand projects to take pictures for, and Mr. Magpie asked me to go out on a date with him. It is so luxurious to have your hair done at home (you wash it yourself 15 minutes before they show up). Also a big time saver, convenient if you have kids at home with you, and not that much more expensive than going to a salon, especially once you factor in your time and parking costs. I asked GS for a promo code, and they are offering us $20 off for new users with code JenniferS and $15 off for repeat users with code JenniferS15. You can make appointments here. (I thought my team did a great job — if you’re local, you can request the stylists I believe! My hair stylist was Alexsys G and the makeup artist was Kaye G.). You can see the before and after below! I felt like a million bucks. If I had unlimited resources, I would have my hair blown out at home every few days…I hate doing my hair, and a good blowout is a surefire way to make me feel good about my outfit on a given day!

+I’m wearing the Frank & Eileen Montauk set above — my current favorite. The joggers have grown on me — I think they might be my favorite sweats I own at the moment. I love the relaxed-cinch cuff at the ankle in particular. A random detail, but it’s perfect. (Seen better below, while using sidewalk chalk with my boy one sunny day this week, wearing my Sambas. I know many of you bought these cool new iterations with a thicker gum band.) While we’re talking F&E, I saw they just launched this cute shorts sweat set in a fun seafoam green color and might need it, too…

+My baby boy, who belongs to me (!), looking big (!!) He turns five at the end of May, and I hate it! He’s wearing the striped Zara tee many of us bought — it’s a nice, heavy weight (more like a mariniere shirt) that almost doubles as a sweatshirt.

+A few shopping finds on my radar right now:

Mi Golondrina has the most spectacular capsule of spring dresses out right now. I can’t stop thinking about this one!

I did end up ordering this dress — so many of you did, I needed it, too! $129 and very on trend. I’m loving a slip dress right now!

Serious Khaite vibes for $128. (Compare with Khaite’s Osa tote.)

Quince launched some pretty pastel suitcases that are a fraction of the price of similar style ones from Beis, Away, etc.

I don’t mean to panic you, but apparently Outdoor Voices is shuttering most of its stores, and there are whispers it might be closing permanently! If you’re a devotee of its athletic dress (I know many of you are), now is the time to stock up.

A classic wrap sandal. I’ve never had a sandal like this, and love the chic sexiness. Perfect companion to le slip dress to achieve a breezy but sexy date night look.

P.S. On seeing our children as whole.

P.P.S. Visitations.

P.P.P.S. Onward.

By: Jen Shoop

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

What I Loved This Week…

+ON SETBACKS: I absolutely loved and needed to see this infographic from BandaidforHeart this week. It reminded me of what Magpie reader Mia has told me several times over the years (thank you for your loyal readership!): “You can start a new 24 hour cycle at any time.” We don’t need to wait for tomorrow for a reset.

+NEW LAUNCH: Creative-turned-fashion-brand-owner Tara Moni just launched the third micro collection for her lovely brand, La Maregold. I had to order her Sammy dress! I was swooning over it. I had a long debate about the yellow vs pink print and ultimately went with the pink. It leapt off the page at me, and reminded me loosely of garden party-inspired prints from Emilia Wickstead and Markarian, but in a more tropical vein. I also loved these pants, which sold out promptly.

+PEANUT BUTTER LOVERS: Loved all the new Substack recs from Magpies here. I ended up subscribing to Brooks Reitz’ “A Small and Simple Thing” food blog based solely on Magpie reader Kelly’s description: “Brooks writes about food how I imagine Mr Magpie might.” She is 100% spot on in this observation. Like a few of you, I’ve already ordered the fancy peanut butter Brooks recommended. That post couldn’t have arrived at a better time because Mr. Magpie has been on a rampage against the standard supermarket varieties because they’re laden with sugar. We usually buy the Kirkland brand PB at Costco because it has none of the added sugar, but I find the jars taste stale rather quickly (perhaps because they come in enormous two-pack tubs). The literal day before I found Brooks’ blog, Mr. Magpie returned from Whole Foods brandishing the funny jar of peanut butter seen below, enthusiastically boasting: “and it’s in a glass jar.” Brooks commented in his post about his preferred peanut butter that “The name is so bad (but also – so good?), they must be CONFIDENT,” and I feel the same about this Teddy’s branding. The font, the clip art teddy bear in the seductive pose — what is happening? It’s delicious though. Will let you know how I think Koeze Company stacks up. (Any other fervent peanut butter recs?)

+LISTENING: To a lot of SZA, the Kacey album that just came out yesterday (!), and the audiobook thriller The First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. It’s a Reese book club pick, which has certain connotations for me at this point — typically good beach read material but often without enough substance to support a book club conversation? (Is that unfair to say? I don’t mean it as an insult, more as a “here’s a good starting point when you need a vacation type book.) It’s delivering! Very fun so far. I can’t wait to get in the car to put it on.

+INSPIRED BY: The color palette from this Molly Goddard collection. The coral with the lilac is…!

A few pretty finds in this delightful palette: this La Double J, this $129 Lost and Wander (layer beneath a blazer or denim jacket for date night!), this party-ready Alexis.

+SHOPPING: Beside the La Maregold dress, my most exciting acquisitions this week: some new fitness wear from new brand Greatness Wins (founded by Derek Jeter and Misty Copeland! — this half-zip, these leggings, this bra) and Left on Friday. I am obsessed with this sweatshirt from LOF. It has a great slouchy fit with a faded/bleached out quality to it that feels lived in. I also picked up these new sticker stamp sets from Melissa & Doug that just came out recently. M&D know a thing or two about entertaining children!

+TRAVEL FIND: Mentioned earlier this week, but love these large Calpak vanity cases for car travel. You can fit absolutely everything in one place and see where everything is! Photo below from a summer trip last year. The fun sunnies are $10, and inspired by Loewe.

What You Loved This Week…

+Lots of new recommendations in the florid conversation on perfumes unfolding here. Still trying to find time to make it down to the Le Labo store in Georgetown to smell Magpie cult favorite TN29 (“an eau de parfum that is an ode to the noble tea leaf and the craft that surrounds it”) and Baie19 (“petrichor”), but now also contemplating Hermes Nil de Jardin (“Green mango, lotus, calamus and sycamore wood all lie at the heart of this refreshing ode”), which came up several times. Most of the top vote-getters here.

+How charming is this: sixth graders at a middle school in Charlottesville read the poem “From Blossoms” alongside us this week, and shared my scansion in their classroom! (See the comments from their teachers here.) Love the visual of all of us gathering around those words, across generations, states, etc!

+Most-requested from readers in email/DM: link to the vinyl letters to personalize children’s water bottles; sizing info on Sold Out Everything shirt (runs very boxy – you can size down); sizing info on Damaris Bailey dress (runs right on the nose — fit was very tailored but no extra space; if in question or between sizes, go up).

+Magpie rec: A lot of us bought Hunza G suits this week while on sale at Shopbop (will keep eyes peeled for other promos to buy at a discount, too!) and one Magpie commented that the “inspired by” styles at Target are EXCELLENT if you want the look for less.

+And, finally – bestsellers:

01. FRANK & EILEEN PATRICK SHIRT (SEE ME IN MINE HERE AND HERE, I LOVE HER)

02. KITSCH TERRY CLOTH SCRUNCHIES (WEAR WHILE DOING YOUR HAIR STRENGTHENING OILS)

03. HUNZA G PAMELA SUIT — FULL REVIEW HERE

04. HANNI SPLASH SALVE — OBSESSED; FULL EFFUSIVE REVIEW HERE (MY FAVORITE PART OF “EVERYTHING SHOWER”)

05. ADIDAS SAMBAS

06. PLASTIC DOCUMENT ENVELOPES — MY TOP TIP FOR CORRALING DESK/KITCHEN PAPERS

07. FRANK & EILEEN POLO DRESS

08. ANCIENT GREEK ELEFTHERIA SANDALS — MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE

09. SOLDOUT NYC EVERYTHING SHIRT

10. HATCHING EGGS — IN MY CHILDREN’S EASTER BASKETS; MORE IDEAS HERE

11. FLORAL SLIP DRESS

12. H&M WOVEN BINS — SERENA & LILY LOOK FOR LESS

13. TARGET STEAL — AVAIL IN THREE COLORS!

15. ALEX MILL CARDIGAN

16. ALIX OF BOHEMIA PANTS

Happy weekend!

By: Jen Shoop

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

soldout nyc everything shirt review
soldout nyc everything shirt review
soldout nyc everything shirt review

WORK + ERRANDS: SOLD OUT NYC SHIRT* // AGOLDE 90S PINCH WAIST JEANS // AMAZON GLASSES // VERONICA BEARD BAG // MARGAUX FLATS

*EMESE15 for 15% off.

TO SEE THE BONNARD EXHIBIT AT THE PHILLIPS: DOEN DRESS // LA LIGNE JACKET // AUREUM EARRINGS*

*20% off at Aureum with code JENS20; 10% off at La Ligne with code MAGPIE10.

DINNER OUT AT DARU DC: VERONICA BEARD DANIELA JEANS // G. LABEL HENLEY // VERONICA BEARD DARLA BLAZER // DORSEY RING

RAINY DAY LUNCH + BOWLING WITH FAM: AGOLDE 90S PINCH WAIST JEANS // LESET MARGO TEE // SEZANE CARDIGAN // VERONICA BEARD BAG

FIRST WARM DAY OF SPRING HAPPY HOUR: MILLE DRESS (ON SUPER SALE IN MY PRINT, AVAILABLE IN SEVERAL OTHERS; RUNS REALLY BIG – SIZE DOWN! I’M IN THE XXS AND IT’S STILL ROOMY) // BARE FEET: MODEL’S OWN

SECOND WARM SPRING DAY THIS WEEK: LAKE BRUNCH DRESS (WEARING XXS)

ON MY WAY TO FIND OUT I HAD STREP: GAP WIDE LEG CROPS (OLD, SIMILAR HERE AND HERE) // QUINCE FLATS // LESET POINTELLE TEE // VERONICA BEARD DARLA BLAZER // VERONICA BEARD BAG

LATER THAT DAY, SEEKING COMFORT: SWAPPED OUT BLAZER FOR LEFT ON FRIDAY HOT PINK SWEATSHIRT // ALTUZARRA WATERMILL BAG

P.S. All my active promo codes here. I’m in touch with Margaux to see if they’ll extend one our way (a request from a Magpie reader) — let me know if there are other brands we’d like a code for and I’ll ask!

P.P.S. My last meal on earth would be this pasta dish.

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

By: Jen Shoop

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

I’ve written here and there about trending colors — a few I’m noticing and loving right now:

Olive Green.

French Vogue dubbed this the color of spring after noticing it on “une série de pièces ultra mode” (can we co-opt the term “ultra mode”?) on the runways of Gucci, J.W. Anderson, ACNE Studios, Jil Sander, and Bottega Veneta. I love the way it plays nicely with pastels (army green and lilac-pink are a match made in heaven) and also with navy, denim, black, white. I honestly think of it as a neutral, like khaki or ecru.

A few of my favorite pieces in “vert olive”:

01. The Veronica Beard Goody bag. Perfect daytime size and wears like a neutral.

02. The La Ligne Meredith jeans (just restocked in several colors and most sizes after selling through last week. These run TTS — maybe a tad big or I’m just not used to the generous stretch in them! I am 5’0 and they are full length on me — they look cropped on the model. Super comfortable.

03. The Velvet Brylie pants (work great on petites — less overwhelming than the iconic Nili Lotan Shon pant on us shorties).

04. The Sezane Domitille dress. Ultra soft (not itchy) and stretchy. I can’t wait to wear this the VB Goody bag and some leather sandals.

05. Adidas sambas (more of a silver green, but I think it counts). Also comes in a proper olive green here that is crazy tempting to me, but I don’t need TWO green pairs of Sambas…?! I’ve been surprised by how often I reach for these — my most-worn sneakers the past season. They feel right with everything and are very comfortable. I wrote a post last year about sizing and styling Sambas here.

06. Joe’s Jeans Cleo pants. I have been yapping about these utility pants for going on a year now — sorry! — but you can still find them and on super sale here, here, and here. A lot of stretch in these – very comfortable. Run TTS otherwise.

A few other choices to consider: these popular pants from Anthro, this 90s-ish swimsuit from Gap, this knit from J. Crew, this well-priced trench from BR (which would be as chic layered over sweats and Sambas for coffee run / drop-off as it would over a suit for work!), these A. Solianis. I’m also not usually a huge logo girl but I’ve seen this Stella bag been worn with aplomb and I kind of dig it.

how to style adidas sambas

Cobalt-Denim-Cerulean Blue.

Ever since Leandra Medine noticed it at The Row and labeled it “Bottega-ish blue,” I’ve seen this color pop up with increasing force.

IMAGES VIA 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

A few favorite finds in this hue:

alex mill paris jacket
alex mill paris jacket

01. Alex Mill’s Paris jacket (have covered this SO much but really have been wearing constantly!) or its softer sister, the Nico cardigan. Seen above several times.

02. Cobalt birks! I’m obsessed with these?! The color is so good. Imagine pairing with a breezy Doen dress for that “oh me? I just threw this one while harvesting strawberries in the back yard” look.

03. My gauze shorts set — $40 for top and bottom! I bought in white but the blue is compelling, too. In blue it makes me think of a trip to Greece.

04. Sezane released several pieces from their latest launch in this dreamy hue, including this skirt and matching top, and a dress variation of the same.

05. This gorgeous silk top from SEA. Date night material! Another great blouse in the same hue from Emerson Fry.

06. Left on Friday has the coolest “vintage” / “lived in” sweatshirts – I love their blue option.

07. La Ligne’s Mini Marina, in the best cobalt-white stripe!

08. A chic (“ultra mode!”) striped maxi. Great pic for an expecting mama!

09. My Alix of Bohemia patterned set (top, bottom).

Gingham.

Not a color, but this pattern is popping off! HighSport is leading the charge with their $$$ gingham-centric spring collection, seen below.

01. This gingham vest from VB. I’m too chicken to go whole hog and pair with the matching pants, but Nicole Cassidy made a compelling case for the set here. I’m imagining the vest with black frayed kick flares and some ballet flats…! (You can get the pants look for less with these Bodens.)

02. This gingham-collared Barbour — loving a field jacket right now, the boxier the better. (Non gingham side note: Zara has a great under-$100 waxed field jacket on offer right now that is selling like hot cakes.)

03. This Self-Portrait blazer, which I’d “rough up” with distressed denim and a white tee.

04. These High-Sport-esque kick flares from Sezane (nearly sold out; run!).

05. This romantic Ciao Lucia — all of their dresses are exactly what I want to wear on vacation in the summer. (Not gingham, but doesn’t this dress make you want to walk around barefoot with a glass of rose?)

06. This gingham cardigan from Boden — I’d probably pair it with a green and pink dress for a little pattern mixing.

07. For a splurge: Markarian!!!!

What other colors are you noticing this season?

P.S. Also loving denim on bags, shoes, jackets, and more right now.

P.P.S. What do you eat when your fridge is bare?

P.P.P.S. “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Amen!

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