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What are you up to this week? Big plans? Travel? In your usual groove? Below, I assembled a few hyper-specific outfits I’d assemble right now, this week of late July, for different (possibly likely?) contexts you might be heading into…
Travel Day.
First, read this set of crowd-sourced tips on how to have a great travel day…! We Magpies are strategic and specific, and this post of reader-supplied travel day tips are brilliant. Re: dressing — layers are key. Having recently traveled in the exact linen set below ($50 off with ESCAPE or SUMMER50 — worn above with my fav Janessa Leone hat and Sezane bag — recently restocked!), I can attest that it is absolutely perfect for a long flight. I layered over a thin base layer tank for maximum flexibility.
A day exploring your hometown, or a visit to a new one — this outfit is chic, comfortable, and classic. I own this dress (under $200 — 10% off with MAGPIE10) in black and am now eyeing in white, too. It’s a heavy-weight cotton that has just the right amount of structure and fluidity. I never go anywhere without a book, and the NYT’s recent “best books of the 21st century” (stirred up quite a controversy with my friends!) is full of recs. I read, and was mystified and impressed by, Cusk’s Outline a few years ago. I was surprised to see it on the list, but then again – I have thought about it now and then. It left a very strong impression of mood.
I can’t stop thinking about this Staud swimsuit I saw on a chic pea at the pool! We’re closing in on the end of summer so it’s difficult to justify but…oy! SO chic. I’ve also seen a few of these fun Lola Hats around this summer. The leather strap in the back is such a cool touch. And this Cesta pareo has been a workhorse this summer — goes with literally every suit I own.
Having personally worn variations of this outfit three times this past week…it just works. (See me in it here.) Easy to move in, comfortable, and somehow on-trend, too.
You’ll be needing a desk sweater. There is no winter colder than a corporate office summer. I own and adore this belted G. Label style, which I think would be a perfect office top layer thanks to the elegant belt (but can also be worn without belt, open, as a regular cardigan). I also think this linen gilet and skirt set from hip label Posse would be a smart investment. Wear together, or pair the top with trim trousers or dark-wash denim on Fridays, or style the skirt with a polished crewneck sweater, striped button-down, etc. Worn as a set, it has a modern Hitchcock heroine vibe to it.
I’ve written a lot about how excellent this dress is. It will work for so many occasions — dress up with heels and jewelry, dress down with flat sandals and a knit thrown around your shoulders. I’ll be wearing a riff on this exact outfit for an event in August, including these adorable Larroude heels (on super sale!), but minus that epic Loro Piana bag…
This athletic dress is the GOAT. Perfect for mildly active weekend mornings, when we might go for a walk, run an errand, chase the kids in the yard, or undertake the constant Mom weekend activity: moving items from one end of your house to the other, up the stairs and down, etc. I wore this outfit last weekend (see here)! The sweatshirt is on sale and I like the Lady Di vibes — just throw on over bike shorts. It’s decently oversized on me, even in the XS. However, my favorite sweatshirt at the moment is this one from Left on Friday — more versatile than the YOO one thanks to no lettering. You could easily wear with jeans for a casual look!
I did want to mention, while in this category, that this very popular Varley dress was just restocked. I saw it on a chic pea in Aspen and it looked SO cute on her.
I saw Beck with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap this past weekend, and I wore this exact dress. Mr. Magpie has always been interested in Beck’s music, and why not enjoy an evening of rose and live music en plein air?!
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I saw this denim jacket from Loewe and stopped in my tracks — it’s the first item I’ve seen this summer that has made me feel even remotely interested in thinking beyond the present moment. It is such a splurge, but I feel like it would be the focal point of a cool weather wardrobe! Vibe for less with this, this, or this.
A few early predictions for the season ahead:
1) I think that the barrel/gaucho fit pants we all bought last year will remain on-trend. So pull out those Nili Lotan Shons (or, for those of us more petite, the Velvet x Graham and Spencer Brylies — TTS and ideal for petites), Citizens Gauchos, etc! I am drawn to these jeans from Nili Lotan, though I find this brand works better for taller Magpies, so will probably get the look for less with these Madewell darted barrel jeans (come in petite inseams). If those aren’t your speed, really love the wash and fit of these trouser-like SLVRLAKE crops.
2) I’m seeing a lot of polished gold hardware. This seems to be a continuation of the hardware-embellished sandals from Amanu, Loeffler Randall, etc that have been trending this summer. I especially like Savette’s treatment — the chic clasp on its drool-worthy pochettes — but you can also find in the form of buttons on blazers and jackets, chunky earrings, and more.
3) Lots of east-west bags, with the aforementioned Savette leading the pack with its it factor, and Longchamp’s $100 vanity-turned-crossbody pouches a solid buy for a look for less moment. This little bag from Bloomingdale’s house label, Aqua, is a solid way to nail the look at a great price, too.
4) Suede in general! Always big in fall, but I’m seeing lots of suede and corduroy trim and detail. Think these Freda Salvador loafers or this Bottega tote.
A movement of leaves, a watercolor of wing, and then the branch left bouncing —
a testament to what was once there.
I was sitting on the top step of our patio, determinedly watching for birds, and still I missed it.
How often do I miss what is at eye level? I wondered. Then, more piercingly: How often am I one turn of the kaleidoscope away from insight, or joy?
But, no, I interrupted myself. I am allergic to this kind of thinking. I believe that what is meant for you will not miss you. True in love, true in business, true in the way you will see, one day, the sheer improbability that every little thing you’ve done in your life has prepared you for this exact moment. I am thinking of the time I split my head open in my Central Park West apartment, and my neighbor — by chance an ER doctor — stitched me up on my couch. I knocked on the door, and she answered with perfect readiness. I am thinking of the meandering, squiggly path that drew me from gawky poetry readings and short story competitions at the age of 10 to writing for a living at 40. I am thinking of the dozens of times I’ve called my sisters in hiccupy tears, and they’ve known just what to do, as if life pre-ordained them for that exact ministry. I am even thinking of losing my friend Elizabeth — how I did not feel prepared for it at the time, God no!, but how it has drawn me to a place of understanding and even communion with life’s inevitable losses. How her passing has helped me value what I have, and stand shoulder to shoulder with others in grief, and hold a tender, informed perspective on how to support my own children as they navigate their first encounters with death (losing Tilly). I am thinking of standing in my best friend’s home on the eve of leaving for the University of Virginia, 18 and all awkward angles and nervous laughter, and being introduced to a sandy-haired boy who was already a third-year there. Of running into him at a football game weeks later and feeling as though I was standing on Mars, a heart on stilts, while my girlfriends were obliviously atwitter about mud on their shoes and bows in their hair. Of inveigling my sorority big sister to “casually” invite him to a date function on my behalf, of writing “I’m going to marry this third-year e-schooler” — and then promptly bungling my way through other relationships for a year and a half — poorly-crafted, indolent feints. Of standing on the top brick step of the ramshackle Gordon Street house I lived in with nine other girls that year, and looking straight into his hazel eyes, and thinking this is the moment, the twilight in which he would lean in and we would pair off forever. And of the abrupt turn of his cheek, the five o’clock shadow on his chin, the curl of hair at the nape of his neck, beneath his Virginia hat, and the way he looked down at his feet, and moved the dirt, and I knew it was because I was dating someone else and he was too honorable for such indiscretions. Of the way this, too, endeared him to me even as I stormed into my room, a riot of heartbreak and wanting. Oh and now I stand starry-eyed in our story — I hope you’ll forgive me — and in the way it followed its own slow but inexorable path deep into the heart of my life. How could it be that life gave me him when I was 18? Too young to know anything about the widths of love, and its profligate bestowals. I was just bare feet on his dashboard, an outstretched palm into which he traced “ILY,” blue eyes memorizing his chiseled silhouette against the Appalachian stars, a tiny form disappearing into his tattered VIRGINIA hoodie, and reclaimed by his hands. How absurd that life gave him to me at 18 — this person who would stand at my life’s very center? And yet it did, and early, because I would need to lean on him at 22, adrift in my own career ambitions, and 25, when Elizabeth died, and 31, mourning a lost pregnancy, and 32, when our daughter was born, and 33, shuttering our business, and oh all the years and happinesses and sadnesses in between, for which he was forged as my partner and I his.
There is no call to hurry. There is no need to stamp our feet in indignation, or impatience. There are no missed crossings.
What is meant for us will not miss us.
Even the bare branch, this morning: its own cipher. I’d wanted the bird, and what I got was this:
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+I took my mom to the pop-up shop in Georgetown last Friday and she picked out this and this for herself! I am OBSESSED with the skirt and would have bought it for myself, too, but they were sold out in my size.
+Speaking of Sezane, I’ve had good luck finding summer clothes for Mr. Magpie there the past few months. You can see him in one outfit here; I also just ordered him these seersucker pants to wear with this navy button down. I feel like it’s hard to find interesting clothes for men! Sezane colors outside the lines just enough.
+Did you get anything from the Maryam Nassir Zadeh x J. Crew collection that launched last week? The Internet (and especially Substack fashion world) was atwitter about it. I loved the styling from afar (and generally LOVE when brands collab like this) but nothing really fit my personal style profile. Please share if you did! Meanwhile, I did notice this raffia hobo bag. So cute. Simon Miller vibes — and love that leather strap detail at the top!
+I have heard from several trustworthy sources that these cz studs pass as real.
+Been picking up where I left off with working on my hair health — I like to layer this Anablue (15% off with JEN15) with this inexpensive rosemary-mint oil. I think the combo of these two products yields instant shiny, healthy results, but especially if you use consistently over the course of a few weeks (which I was doing in the winter and then sort of fell out the habit!). I learned these from Julia Amory, queen of great hair. It is rare I let my hair air-dry, so trying to nourish it when I can. Vegamour also has a hair repair oil that I’d contemplate testing in this travel size — as you know, I love their dry shampoo, so I’d consider using other products in their line!
+This travel makeup kit looks more expensive than it is, and I LOVE the lay-flat-when-open design!
+I mentioned last week that La Ligne restocked its wildly popular Colby pant last week — colors/sizes selling fast. I am currently sitting with them in my cart. I love the idea of pairing these with a chunky knit for fall. J. Crew has a look for less option here.
+Another great wardrobe basic: Rag & Bone’s Maxine shirt. I have in blue and she is perfection; on sale (as of time of writing this) in a few colors here. A really thin, almost silky material that is easy to tuck.
+The Internet is freaking out of these mini miracle balms from Jones Road Beauty. I’ve heard mixed reviews about them from some Magpies — people seem to love them or hate them — but if you’re in the pro camp, die hards are obsessed with these minis for travel, and as a way to try multiple colors without having to buy each individually.
+As you may have noticed, I’ve “freed the knee” this summer and have been wearing a lot of shorts after probably a decade of avoiding them. I currently have my sights set on this pair, which feels very Cara Cara and could even be carried into early fall paired with a chic knit. (PS – No one does a fall print like Cara Cara, and this dress is at the pinnacle. Also love it in skirt form – so chic with a brown suede boot.)
+Have heard this thriller is super fun! Adding to my TBR. I was disappointed in Ruth Ware’s latest — otherwise, I think she’s the best of the genre’s authors.
By: Jen Shoop
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I’ve been reading Margaret Renkl’s book of nature-observant musings, The Comfort of Crows, in little sips this week. If you are a fellow disciple of Mary Oliver, you’ll love it. One line leapt out at me:
“Everything that waits is also preparing itself to move.”
She’s writing about how, even in the dead of winter, when the world lays morose and still, the trees are taking water in preparation for spring. Wow – what a reframe. There have been so many periods of my life where I’ve crouched in frustrated anticipation. I’ve been waiting, feeling like “a before,” unable to see a “right now.” But life was happening even as I eyed the next lily pad. I was preparing to leap, for one thing: watching, taking careful measurements, setting my target, making minuscule maneuvers and adjustments to be prepared for the plunge. These, too, are part of the ship’s manifest.
And I was also — importantly — sitting in the middle of my undulating life.
The befores — the winters — are seasons, full stop. As substantive and round as summer. Not something to get through; not a passage. Not a modifier jutting off from the diagrammed sentence: something meaty sitting on the base line.
I wish I’d found, or internalized, Oliver, and Renkl, sooner. They knew how to properly praise a normal day.
I also read a beautiful post by the writer Erin Rose this week (trigger warning: pregnancy loss) where she writes into the heart of her grief, and concludes: “One thing I know for certain, I cannot wait for life to look the way I wish to enjoy it. The things I want will not give me more than I already have. Cards in my life may be up in the air but this will not keep me. It will not keep me from enjoying the afternoon down by the lake with my son, while we sit on the dock and the sun goes down and he tries his hardest to pet the dragonflies. This is all there is.”
Maybe you have been looking for these words, too. Life is happening right now! Not tomorrow, not in some imagined future place or state, not when certain conditions are met. Onward!
Also this week…
{Took some photos for a project with Frank and Eileen. I absolutely love their Rory dress and now own in two colors — the washed linen navy and the stonewashed indigo (denim). Loose, easy, chic. They are offering $50 off with code ESCAPE or SUMMER50. But if I’m honest, the #1 thing I’d tell you to buy with the promo is this linen set. I love the fit and find the separates easy to style a zillion ways independently as well as together. They recently released in olive – so good as we head towards fall – and have nearly sold out .}
{An auspicious first stop of the day: cut flowers // lazy girl moisturizer (a stick lotion!)}
{Living room coming together — the ceiling is a pale blue and I’m in love with the window treatments}
{Hosted a girls’ night and used all my cheerful In The Roundhouse platters, cutlery, glasses, pinch bowls! Shopbop also carries some of their pieces, which appeals, as the shipping from AUS is expensive! Napkins are Dear Anabelle.}
{A truly perfect BLT — Duke’s mayo, brandywine tomatoes from Landon’s garden, bacon from Organic Butcher; you can spot my new scalloped acrylic placemats from Proper Table Co beneath}
{A great mascara if yours are thinning / sparse — clean and includes plant-based growth serum. I’ve turned several girlfriends onto this.}
{Sponsored mention: RMS Beauty is running an anniversary sale that ends today — 15% off $50; 20% off $75; 25% off $100. I own and love many of their products (they were “clean” before clean was a thing in beauty — and because the founder is a longtime makeup artist, she really designs products that work), but my two favorites are their SuperSerum, which I’ve mentioned at least fifty times on this blog — a category-bending primer / SPF / serum / blurring product that can be worn on its own or as the base for a full face of makeup) and their Living Luminizer, which I’ve re-purchased many times and have kept in my makeup bag for at least seven years now. I can still remember buying it for the first time from the Sephora at Columbus Circle. It adds no color — just a luminous glow. I apply to brow bone, cheeks, Clara’s bow, and a tad on the clavicle!}
A little poetry-like list of a few other shopping finds to consider today:
Dorsey’s elegant leverback “Lucien” earrings are nearly out of stock — a great everyday earring that elevates everything. // A very polished pair of shorts. I’m obsessing over these. More sizes here – use code SHOOPXSPANX for 10% off and free ship. // A great under-$100 maxi. // I can’t be the only one who gets very excited about new pens? These are good ones. // Still into the boxer short trend. Wore these $15 ginghams this week, and Recreational Habits just sent me these. Cassandra Lanrick set the tone for how I wanted to dress for about half of this past week! Great styling inspo! // My Sezane raffia bucket bag was restocked in my size! This has been a staple this summer. //
By: Jen Shoop
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+RELAXATION IS WHO YOU ARE: I came across a quote attributed to a Chinese proverb last week: “Tension is who you think you should be; relaxation is who you are.” Did your shoulders loosen up just a little bit? I love the visual of relaxing into oneself — not standing taut or strained or pretzeled around an expectation.
+GO TO NORWAY: Loved this quirky and resonant post from D. Coffyn. I felt a lump in my throat at “Befriend every dog.” Isn’t life better with them around? I’ve been missing our Tilly girl and am trying to convince Mr. Magpie to get a dog for the family for Christmas. Separately, love the injunction to become “the patron saint of fireflies.” Each year in late June to early July, they appear in unbelievable quantities in the trees around our Bethesda home. We routinely sit out on the front stoop to take them in for those two orgiastic weeks. So, yes, I’ll take that sainting title.
+BOHO MIXING AND MATCHING:This snap from Alice Pilate made me want to dress with more abandon — love the play of materials, styles, patterns, etc! She’s wearing a top from Milanese label Emily Levine, which I’ve come across a few times this summer — wonder if any stateside retailers will be carrying her in the future? The shoes (Alaia I’m pretty sure) also made me excited for this Amazon look for less pair I ordered a few weeks ago to arrive!
+GOOD WRITING ADVICE: I loved this excerpt from Ira Glass. It applies liberally to any creative undertaking, but of course I drew it to my writerly self. “It is only going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.” Yes! Get out there and shake hands with that blank page! Or as Anne Lamott put it famously, write “bird by bird.” (In reference to this passage from her excellent book: “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”)
+EYEING + BUYING: This VB blazer might be my favorite item I’ve ever gotten from them, which is saying a lot because I’m obsessed with everything I have of theirs. The trim reminds me of the Celine styles, and I love that pop of cherry red lining. Just imagine with everyday denim (I have a whole post on pre-fall finds / early fall trends coming out this week, and I think barrel / darted / gaucho styles will remain relevant) and flats this fall…
+DESIGNER BAG SHOPPING: I’m really in the mood for a new bag for fall. A part of me wonders if I should see if I can buy something fabulous while in Italy in the late fall — would be such a fabulous memento of a great time, and you can often get a better price on the European designers when abroad. A few of the designer ones that I am obsessed with: one of the Loro Piana vanity bags; Bottega Sardine bags, vanity bags, or totes (drool in the brown suede); a Goyard bucket crossbody in green or another interesting color; a Celine Small 16. More realistic would be something under the $2K price point — a Savette Pochette, Toteme T-Lock, this Metier, or one of these gorgeous Tods bags (select colors on sale for almost 50% off?!). Under $1K picks: basically anything from Little Liffner, especially this or this, and this Altuzarra. I’ve been so impressed with my Watermill tote this summer – great quality and fantastic details. I also don’t see them carried much out and about. I’m currently trying to decide what shape / size is the best investment for everyday wear — like, what is something I won’t hesitate to grab that can fit the essentials and then some? I love a tote because I can just throw everything in, but routinely wear smaller buckets / crossbodies, too. The pochette is probably too impractical. What bags are on your radar?
BESTSELLERS: This under-$50 denim popover dress is reminiscent of Veronica Beard but at a much better price. Wear now with leather sandals and later with tall boots! Also can’t believe how many of you purchased this chic soap pump!
Last Friday, I posted an Instagram story about Mr. Magpie and I peeling off for some time at the adult pool, just the two of us. He has Summer Fridays (a blessed vestige of the NYC commuter lifestyle of yore), and we decided to make the most of his free late afternoon. We met up with a few friends, enjoyed a cocktail and a quiet dinner, and were home by 8:30 and in bed a little after. This invited an unexpected, staccato sequence of conversations with Magpie readers, most of which fell into two categories (paraphrasing): “But tell me more – how do you handle this, logistically?!” and “I’m inspired by this but can’t get over the Mom guilt of leaving my kids with someone else during the witching hour.”
Logistics are easy: we had our neighborhood sitter come by from 4-8-ish and scheduled to have a pizza delivered around 6. But I was knocked sideways by the “Mom guilt” comment. I manage to find guilt in everything and yet its familiar shape hadn’t crept through the lintels of my Friday afternoon-to-early-evening date arrangement. How could that be?
Do you feel guilty leaving your children at bedtime?
I’ve reflected on this intensively for the past week.
Maybe because I’ve worked from home for my children’s entire lives, and am available to them for most of the day, I don’t consider the bedtime hour any different from any other hour of the day? It’s just another time of day to be a mother? And there will be hundreds of other bedtimes, alongside mornings, noons, and midnights, to be called upon? I’m imagining a different scenario: I am working outside the home, and the hours between 6 and 8 p.m. at night are my primary time to connect with my children. Then, yes, I think the equation would feel different?
And yet those mothers, too, need breaks from bedtime. And it doesn’t seem fair to feel guilty about missing a handful of them a year.
Another hypothesis: maybe bedtimes aren’t as fraught for me as they are for other mothers? I mean, let me be clear: it feels like the final, occasionally impossible, hurdle to clear, and there are nights where I am zapped of all energy and sentiment, and I more or less throw them into their beds, speed-read through a chapter of a book, and turn off the lights. But I think because Mr. Magpie and I follow a two-nights-on-two-nights-off pattern, where I handle bedtime two nights in a row, and he handles them for the subsequent two, they feel more manageable? And maybe the fact that he and I have our own ways of approaching bedtime (still following the same general arc) means that our kids accommodate modest changes in routine at this hour, which makes it easier for me to invite a sitter in and trust that all will be well? Or maybe I’m less connected in some way to the bedtime routine because I only do it half the week (Mr. Magpie handling the other half), and perhaps other mothers find it more deeply woven into the fabric of their motherhood experience? And in turn there is anxiety about missing one? Especially if she is the only one who handles it, night in and night out? I can easily imagine stress there.
I can’t speak for any other mamas, but those are some possibilities?
Digging deeper, here are some reassuring thoughts that crossed my mind as I puzzled at my complete lack of guilt over the Friday afternoon date:
01. It is probably healthful to have my kids be put down by other people? There will be (and have been) situations and occasions where this will need to happen. Good practice. I do worry any time one of my children insists “only mama can do x.” An alarm goes off in my head and I immediately get to work finding ways to help them learn to do the task independently, or accept another person’s scaffolding. It is beautiful to be needed (and wanted, and called for), but the anticipator in me is conjuring all kinds of incidents in which I won’t be present and they will melt down?
02. I like the idea of modeling a devoted marriage for them. Of course I’m enjoying the date itself, but I don’t mind the tertiary benefit of them seeing us prioritize our relationship and lean into time alone, together. My parents were up front about this when I was growing up, too — I can recall weeping as my mother left for various trips abroad, and her saying: “Jennifer, this is time for your Dad and I, and it’s important.” Just last weekend, my daughter overheard my mother and I talking about our planned trip to Italy this fall, and she interjected: “But why can’t I come?” My mother reflexively responded with the same talking points she used when I was a child, as if she were talking to a seven year old me. “Your mom needs time with her best friend!”
03. As mentioned above, bedtimes are the final hurdle of the day as a parent. I hope you won’t judge me for saying that sometimes I am relieved to miss it. It’s nice to have that break, to give myself a little hall pass.
04. My kids are easier on sitters than they are on me, even when they are over-tired (!). And the sitters get to tap out at 8, even if the kids are still awake. I baby-sat and nannied for years (entire summers of my life) and can’t recall a single situation in which I thought, “well this mother really left me in the lurch here.” Sitters are meant to be indulgent. I recall reading books and telling stories by flashlight well past bedtime to calm my charges — and it always felt fun and empowering to me, and special for the children. I soothe myself with those thoughts if I’m worried one of my children is missing me, or having a hard time going to sleep, or out of sorts. It’s temporary, and they’re probably being spoiled!
05. The night after our date night, my son woke me up four times between the hours of 12-4 a.m. These can be difficult interruptions — I am exhausted, and sometimes short on patience; I just want to get him resituated as quickly as possible so I can get back to sleep. On this night, carried forward by some unknown motherhood grace, I was able to accept the wake-ups and present my calmest self to him. I had observed that he’d been out of sorts the previous week owing to a new camp (new rules, new faces, new places!) and surmised that perhaps these sleep disruptions were part of the adjustment — and was in turn able to accept them with an internal quiet that, trust me, I cannot always muster at 3 a.m. I found myself thinking about what it meant to be the first person he cries out for when he wakes and is upset. Like, what an absurd honor to be someone’s safe space? I bring this up here because it occurred to me that it didn’t matter that I’d missed bedtime the night before. I was still his safe place, and I still have hundreds of (daily!) opportunities to reassure, comfort, support him. Perhaps having had the break gave me a new lease on that mentality?
What do you think? So curious to hear your thoughts on this topic! Do you have guilt leaving your kids for bedtime? Why or why not? How have you talked yourself into or out of guilt with this arrangement?
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+I have been stalking these Loro Piana bags (crazy expensive, even on resale) and love the look / shape. I found this insanely cute bag in a similar shape for under $100 and it’s currently in my cart as a way to scratch the itch.
+OK, results are in. I really like this “dream coat” thermal blow out spray (rec’d by Julia Amory). Gives you a really smooth, polished blow-out. Great for a 90s style smooth-and-straight look.
+Just starting using these resurfacing pads this week — impressed. Similar to the YSE ones I raved about earlier this week (and just ran out of). There is something so delightful about this kind of product after a good cleanse — it feels like you’re really getting every last speck of anything off your face and starting with a fresh canvas. I love to use these at the end of a long, hot, sweaty day.
+Old Navy is bringing it with their pre-fall assortment. Love this denim skirt, and so many of you bought this denim dress (which feels very Veronica Beard to me). Wear now with leather sandals and later with tall boots.
+Just got my daughter a few new activity books for rainy days and upcoming travel — how cute is this one? She’s going to love it. Also eyeing one of these illustrated Bibles for her as a back to school gift.
+Some really good finds in the Net-A-Porter sale section. Love this Cara Cara (right under $200 – great for wedding, cocktail party, etc!), these trendy Isabel Marant sandals, and this kiwi green evening dress (would look incredible with big jewel earrings and a fuchsia satin heel). I know it’s hard to buy boots right now, but it would be a great time to snag these chic Staud suede ones or invest in Toteme’s while 40% off…! Finally, their Doen sale section is amazing – on par with Doen’s recent warehouse sale. Consider this top or this $64 one (!!!) to pair with white shorts now and jeans in fall, and this under-$100 dress to pair with strappy black sandals for date night. I organized all my picks into one visual shopping shelf here.
+Hill’s pajamas above are Lake and one of the, like, three items not included in their ongoing sale. My toxic trait is honing in on any item “excluded from promotion.” Other cute prints are included!
Just trying to get ahead of the back to school craziness! I received my children’s school shopping lists last week and was mildly gobsmacked by its imminence. Below, 16 amazing finds for fellow anticipators:
01. Obsessed with these jammies for boys and girls as a back-to-school gift. I often “gift” my kids new pajamas at a specific moment — the night before school, Halloween night, etc., as a way of marking the occasion and making it special vs. just passing them new pajamas when they arrive. These ones can be paired with the matching eye mask — surprisingly, my son loves sleeping with these on! Sometimes he borrows my Slip eye mask, too. (And — while talking sleepwear, Lake’s summer sale is going on right now, and you can get jammies for kids in great prints on sale here!)
02. My son’s obsession: his new Sambas. Adidas sent a pair for he and my daughter and I just couldn’t hold them back for the school year — he’s been wearing them around the clock.
03. Just stocked up on these in navy for my son’s uniform.
04. Kids’ dictionary. Bought this for my daughter!
05. Sweetest back to school dress. I miss those days! Now my children wear uniforms from day one, but it used to spark such joy to get my girl all dolled up in a new dress with a big bow on back to school day.
06. My son is using his camp backpack above, from Paravel (currently on sale for $27!) — it’s very small and can scarcely hold a lunchbox/snack pack and water bottle, so not great for school year but I do recommend it for toddlers / pre-schoolers / travel days because it weighs NOTHING and can hold just the essentials. For older kids, love the backpacks from State. This gingham number, this pink metallic, and this ice cream cone print are adorable. My kids have ones from Crate and Barrel that they picked last year but they’ve taken a beating! Time for a refresh!
07. THE best snack pouches — put them in the freezer the night before. Keeps snacks cold all day long.
09. Stocking up on extra underwear — the patterns on these are so cute. Hill owns these in a few patterns.
10. I have a pennant like this that says first day of school on the front / last day of school on the back that we’ve used for years. These grade-specific ones I found on Amazon are very cute too — I’d order now! I’m sure they will sell out closer to the start of the school year.
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It’s been a minute since I’ve tackled your questions!
Q: Looks for the US Open.
A: I’d wear an easy dress like this with flat sandals and a great bag that can be worn crossbody — feels low-key, chic, functional. I also like something like this, this, or this with a classic leather sandal and a bag with brown leather trim. Alternately, try a patterned pair of shorts or skirt with a white tank and t-strap sandals. My rules are: flat shoes, something that feels good in heat, and free hands.
A: I loved using my Goyard St. Louis PM. I also love these Anya Hindmarch totes — have the Goyard vibe but less than half the price, and the eyes are cheeky. More reasonably priced: Rue de Verneuil totes!
And of course this Veronica Beard! I know many of you purchased this. I think you could dress up with a mule and some earrings, or it’d be perfect for a preppy/nautical rehearsal dinner.
Q: Speakers.
A: Can’t say enough good things about our new living room speaker — attractive, sounds great, easy to use (can integrate with Siri/Alexa). We bought on Prime Day but it’s still discounted!
Q: Nicer white tees and tanks to wear with fancier skirts — Julia Amory, Agua!
A: I love Sezane’s Juan tank and SoldOut.NYC’s scoop neck tank for this use case! For tees, I like Uniqlo (polished, heavy weight with a bit of structure) and SoldOut’s iconically soft tee — also looks polished, but drapes a bit more. SoldOut has offered us 15% off sitewide with JEN15.
Q: Amazing scented shampoo for color treated hair.
A: Oribe shampoo for beautiful color. IMO, there is no shampoo scented more luxuriously. And, it’s fantastic for color treated hair.
Q: Quiet luxury bag under $300.
A: I love the chic styles from Little Liffner. If you use code YOUROCK, this mini bag comes in just under $300. I would also specifically stalk Hunting Season on TRR. Their bags are so unbelievably chic — most around $700 (right now you can get this one for under $400 on their site brand new) — but you can often find gently used ones for under $300 on TRR, like this and this (like a slightly larger version of the Celine phone sling I’ve been using all season). A great buy. (P.S. Speaking of Celine phone sling – this one just arrived on TRR. Run! These always get snapped up and this little bag has been one of my favorite pieces this summer. Was SO good while on vacation.)
By: Jen Shoop
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
I can’t stop with red this summer — a few recent finds I’m loving, starting with my red shorts (15% off with JEN15) and ladybug suit (seen above). More below!
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
I wake up at seven when Mr. Magpie springs out of bed. We take turns “getting up with the kids” — two days on, two days off — and this is one of my “sleep-in” mornings, which feel deliciously slow during the summer, as we have nowhere to be until we leave for the children’s camp drop-off at 8:30 a.m. It’s astonishing how baggy an extra forty-five minutes feels in the morning. I send off a praying hands emoji to the digital prayer circle (text thread) my mother, sister, and I participate in daily, and then check my emails. Then I’m up for my A.M. skincare regimen. I get dressed (today: Sezane button-down, Madewell shorts – go one size down; run big, Hermes Orans, By Pariah earrings), put on makeup and perfume, and head downstairs for the day. My children greet me the same way they always do as I descend: “The. great. mamooooo!!!!”, as though tiny announcers for WWE. (If it’s Landon coming downstairs, it’s: “The. great. dadoooo!”) I ask how they’ve slept, ruffle their hair, and assess how much they’ve eaten of their breakfasts. Then Mr. Magpie hands me a green smoothie (kale, banana, avocado, OJ) and we slip outside to the back porch to have an impromptu huddle about whether we’re going to send our son into camp today. (These deliberations must be kept out of earshot to a) complete the conversation without immediate interruption and b) prevent little ears from taking information and using it against us. My daughter is an expert litigator at age 7 and will use any “but what about…” musings as incontrovertible evidence to be lobbed against us.) My son was under the weather over the weekend, and here is one of the ongoing shocks of parenthood: that no one is going to tell you what to do with your kids in these situations. I still find those calls complex, even 7.5 years into the practice of motherhood. He seems better today (eating a full breakfast, chipper!), but do we keep him home just in case? As always, I err on the side of “keep him home” and Mr. Magpie on the side of “send him in,” but we both agree it’s better to let him rest. Immediately after announcing he won’t be going to camp, my daughter demands to stay home, and my son starts ping-ponging around the house, all traces of illness absent. Onward.
I manage to settle my son into an armchair with a stack of books while accommodating my daughter’s hair style request (a braid today; space buns yesterday). I submit an absentee form for my son online, pack my daughter’s water and snacks for the day (lunch provided at camp — praise be), supervise her shoe-tying (a new skill), finish my smoothie, send off a few texts to one of my Magpie team members (I have a few contractors who help with various aspects of my blog), and then we scurry out the door. I placate her huffiness (“it’s so unfair he gets to stay home”) with “you can pick whatever music you’d like in the car ride.” (A constant battle site between the two of them.) She requests Family Dance Party Playlist and off we go, blasting “Cake By the Ocean” at 8:33 a.m. After drop off, I switch to “Fleetwood Mac” and collect myself on the short ride home.
Back home, Mr. Magpie and I launch into a few urgent STPs (Shoop Talking Points) we’d been putting off, mainly around travel logistics for two upcoming trips, over coffee. It’s like threading a moving needle as we evaluate his remaining PTO, flights, credit card points, loyalty programs at various airlines, other happenings on our calendar, etc. My son chirps interruptions every 3-4 minutes. “Can I have a coloring page?” “Can I have Cheetohs?” “This is what a polar bear looks like,” “Remember that time on the ride?” At a good breaking point, we pause our conversation so I can go down to the basement to focus on him for a little bit. “Let’s play a game. It’s called family,” he announces. He’s arranged various stations around the basement — magnatiles in one part (“the restaurant”), a tent with Go Fish in another, a pile of “snacks” (more magnatiles) guarded by a tiny Buzz Lightyear figurine, and a big map spread out on the ground that he in turn uses to guide our movements on an imaginary plane. I love the idea that “family” to him is one big adventure: the two of us moving around from station to station, seeing alligators, eating magnatile hamburgers, and then playing a full round of Go Fish in a tent. I am so deeply relieved that he seems to feel better today, and I interrupt his imagination several times to squeeze him. “Mamaaaa,” he protests. I spiral when my children are unwell, worrying about having missed a symptom, anxious to make them comfortable, and can’t suppress my relief at his rebound.
I then go upstairs with my boy at my heels to finish the travel logistics conversation with Mr. Magpie and get some of the details off to our travel agent. This is the first time we’ve ever used a travel agent and her counsel has been welcome and relieving — Landon and I are heading to Italy in the fall and there are so many moving parts that it’s been wonderful to have someone advising us on where to fly into (and why), how many days to stay, handling hotel reservations, etc. I am pinching myself as we have these conversations. This will be our first long trip abroad in a decade, and the longest we’ve ever spent away from our children. Even during this brief exchange, my son steadily drops his own requests and commentary every 30 seconds. It can be very challenging to complete a single sentence in our home.
Then Mr. Magpie digs into his work day (he is more or less on the phone at all hours of the day — the life of a remote senior leader!) and I situate my son with some coloring pages and activity books and get to my desk. I will admit I am relieved when he announces he’d prefer to work in his room than at my feet, where he normally stations himself during “sick days.” Even with him in the other room, I already anticipate today will be a choppy day of half-productivity with my little shadow at my side, and that’s OK. It’s all about headspace.
I text my mother and then clip into my workday. I write first, and then consult my ticklist of action items — interacting with brands, working with my consultants on various aspects of the blog business, and a few personal items (appointments, returns, etc). I am always the most limber and creative first thing in the morning — my mind slowly turns to rock over the course of the day. I’ve learned to carve out the early hours for “maker’s time.”
We break for lunch at noon. A year or two ago, I promised myself I’d never eat lunch at my desk again. This is one of the glorious allowances of working for myself: I can make such declarations, and see it through. I find taking a proper break for lunch sets a gracious pace for my day and introduces a needed pause at midday. It’s also a way of drawing my stated values into alignment with my actions: philosophically, I am in search of whole numbers and wider margins in my life. I don’t want to be busy. So here we are, breaking for lunch on a daily basis. We eat leftover Greek pasta salad — I used Caroline Chambers’ delicious recipe — and my son has a leftover slice of pizza, cucumbers and peppers, a few rounds of salami, and a big serving of fruit. He’s still a year or two away (in my calculus) from willingly eating a mixed pasta salad. We’ve finally crossed that threshold with mini, but are still in the “separate foods and general pickiness” phase with him. I’ve made peace with this. (If you’re in the weeds with this, you might find comfort in the wise comments and suggestions in response to my post titled: “How do you get your children to eat?“)
Midway through lunch, my son notices a red-bellied hummingbird in the kiwi vines behind us. Incredible how children are naturally adept at things like noticing birds. I have been making a mild study of birding myself (with this book and this one) and some of the literature is almost embarrassingly basic in the sense that my son could teach me this: to be a good birder, you must stay still and watch, with no sudden movements. I text my sister-in-law, a more advanced birder, because she’d just messaged me about the hummingbirds in her mother’s garden the night before, and here one is, at my porch, reminding yet again me that our lives become mosaics of the people we love.
After lunch, I clean the dishes and eat one of the black and white cookies from the brand Oh My God that my girlfriend brought by the other day. They’re shockingly good — fresh, and just like the ones we used to get in NYC — and I will be ordering them as gifts. Then I retreat to my office to edit an essay and adapt some of my writings to share them on Instagram in appropriately-sized slides. (I use Canva.) Somehow, my son entertains himself quietly with Legos for most of this period. Then I pack up my daughter’s bathing suit and goggles in my new Bogg bag and make her a snack — a mini bagel and cream cheese alongside some cut fruit; these are my favorite little post-camp snack containers as they feel like the perfect size and I like the way it invites me to serve her fruit or veg alongside something with protein — as she is routinely ravenous after camp, and will need the sustenance before swim team starts at 4. As I walk out the door, I learn swim practice has been canceled owing to rain, so I pick her up and take her with me to the grocery for a few ingredients Mr. Magpie needs for dinner. More Family Dance Party, several dispatches from my daughter’s day at camp, then home. I make my daughter and son yet another snack, as both insist they are starving, and then negotiate with them about getting into the bath. One of my biggest parenting “hacks” (hate that word) is to bathe them before dinner. One less hurdle at the day’s finish line. Both routinely protest getting in and then promptly refuse to get out. I am happy to acquiesce on the latter. I let both of them prune in the tub. After, I permit them time on their iPads. My daughter is still patching for her amblyopia, and we find it’s easiest to let her ease into her two hour patch session with iPad, especially after a long day of camp and swim.
I return to my desk to edit a few photos and work on a shopping blog post before “closing up shop.” I close most tabs, clear my desktop, turn off the lights, stack my notepads. Then, I switch into a Mirth Caftan dress (past-season print, but I think this is the current version). One thing I’ve noticed about their dresses is that they pay a lot of attention to fabric — I find I want to live in them in the evening hours. They are all soft, brushed cottons in loose and drapey fits. I also own and love this striped style I just received a few weeks ago — it’s almost like a triple gauze robe material? Absolutely divine. I touch up my makeup and spritz on some perfume. I normally do this little refresh around this time as a way to toggle between my writer self and my mom self — a way to buffer! — even though the summer’s schedule has been more mottled than usual. It feels nice to officially mark the end of the day, or the start of the evening wind-down, by switching into something else.
Back downstairs, it’s five o’clock somewhere. Well, technically, it’s 6:05, and we mix up a batch of La Bombas as a prelude to the the absolute feast Mr. Magpie has been working on for several days now. He purchased the Maydan cookbook during Prime Day and has been speaking in exclamation points about it as he’s pored over it since receiving. (If you’re local to DC, you must visit Maydan — one of our top five favorite DC restaurants.) We have the music going — right now, the routine seems to be Carly Rae Jepsen (or other female pop) while prepping dinner, and then a fade into Frank Sinatra during dinner. Around 6:30, we decide that dinner is going to be too late to serve the children, so I make some buttered noodles, freezer meatballs, and edamame and cut up some fruit alongside. We try to eat the same meal, all together, as often as possible, but sometimes it’s too difficult to get the meal on the table by the time Mr. Magpie finishes his workday. So the children eat separately while Mr. Magpie mans the grill and I work on cleaning the kitchen, which is a Thanksgiving Dinner-grade amount of bowls, tools, and cutting boards owing to the massive undertaking happening in our kitchen. Mr. Magpie apologizes for this, saying “I know your time is occasionally collateral damage when I get into these cooking moods,” but I am quick to wave him off. I do close to zero cooking and meal planning thanks to him; cleaning is a lean pittance given how well I eat.
Normally, we have this system we love where one of us is “on” for two days with wake ups and bedtimes, and then “off” for two days while the other spouse handles those parts of the day. This enables us to both take breaks and also have one-on-one QT with the children. We love the feel of this. On a logistical level, since it’s one parent on deck at bedtime each night, this means he or I put down our son first and our daughter next, separately and in tandem — which also works with their ages / bedtimes and prevents them from squabbling at a time when everyone is already a bit over-tired. My son has not napped since he was three on the dot and he is still (at just-five) exhausted by seven p.m. My daughter routinely stays up reading until 8 or 8:30. We are pretty lax with her about bedtime, and generally give her the responsibility of putting herself to bed when she feels ready. This occasionally backfires but has been a great way to teach her to listen to her body and to give her a long leash in a low risk area. (Independence goals!)
Tonight, given that Mr. Magpie is at the grill, I tap in for bedtime. We generally follow the two-nights-on-two-nights-off pattern but are fluid with it depending on what’s happening. When my son is “down” and my daughter is nestled in her room with her audiobook on, we plate up the Maydan Feast and sit at the kitchen counter to eat and digest our day together. We sometimes watch TV after or during dinner, but tonight, we linger over our plates before deciding, around 9:15, it’s time to turn in.
We put the house to sleep — lock all doors, turn off all lights, turn on the dishwasher — and run through our nighttime skincare routines. I read a few pages of my book on Kindle and fall asleep immediately.
+I’m telling you, this is the best sweatshirt for lounging on a Friday night — feels vintage right out of the box and has a perfect loose boxy fit with the unrolled hem. This is one of those products I 100% know you will write to me about after receiving.
+This dress arrived and OMG. The fit is insanely good. You can see me trying it (in motion!) on here. I have this set aside for an event I’m attending in a few weeks!
+We met up with some friends at the adult pool last Friday and my girlfriend was wearing one of these iconic Eres suits. Incredibly chic. I wore my Follow Suit Flora (in this exact color combo) — these sell out SO fast and have sold through multiple times this summer. You can find a few more here and here. Run TTS and I find very flattering — a perfect fit. Full coverage in rear, a little saucier at the bust. You can see me in it here.
+I can never have enough striped sweaters — these are on super sale at J. Crew and come in the best colors! Love the navy and especially that athletic green!
+Updated my Shopbop hearts! My $42 earrings arrived and they look much more expensive than they are (and are lighter weight than anticipated), and I’m loving these striped lounge pants (La Ligne vibes).
+My sister brought me this lip balm from her recent trip to France and I know have it sitting on my desktop — great moisture and also a sweet reminder of my thoughtful sister. More of my European pharmacy favorites here.
+Have been using this body wash and it smells absolutely divine.
By: Jen Shoop
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
I’ve been inspired by all the chic peas sporting statement pants this summer — the look is effortless yet pulled together. Frankly, I’ve surprised myself by becoming more of a separates gal this year. For as long as I can remember, I’ve reached for dresses day in and day out — but now I find myself branching out into shorts and pants with fervor. Maybe an age thing?
Anyhow, this summer’s offerings have made the transition to separates easy, because there are such great options. A few of my favorites below:
01. Seen above: These eyelet pants paired with my Sezane bag (sold out in mini, but larger size here), Hermes sandals (look for less here), and La Ligne sweater (look for less here).
04. I also ordered these — $55 and so fun in the navy! (Ed. note: I received and had to return because the sizing is very idiosyncratic here! Check the sizing grid!)
05. Similar style but with a bit more polish/finish thanks to the belted waist here and on sale.
07. Leg-lengthening stripes here. Dress up or down!
08. La Ligne’s can’t-keep-in-stock Colby pants were just restocked (use MAGPIE10 for 10% off). Get the look for less with these from J. Crew.
09. Gauze pants from Alice Walk — the stuff of dreams. I just received these last weekend and they are officially my new favorite thing. You know how after being at the pool / beach, you have a shower and then you don’t want to get in pajamas but you also don’t want to wear a full on outfit? These pants are the answer. I paired mine with this striped tank from Sezane and felt so comfortable but pulled together. I shared a photo of myself wearing them here with the caption: “The best lounge pants known to woman.” But truly they are more than lounge — you could also dress up with a button-down or dress-down over a suit.
