Jen Shoop, Author at Magpie by Jen Shoop

By: Jen Shoop

Over the years, I have slowly curated a set of preferred shower products — just another frontier in my endeavors to outfit every aspect of my life as thoughtfully as I can. (Why not make one of my favorite relaxing rituals as luxurious as possible?) I will first ‘fess up to owning three distinct robes, and using all three all the time. I like Hill House’s hotel robe for when I am just out of the shower (preferably with a Weezie bath mat underfoot — nice and plush but not too thick, and has grippies on the underside). It is thick, warm, enveloping–and I love the botanical/tile print. But it is much too heavy and hot to use while styling my hair. For that, I use Weezie’s short robe, usually layered over an Eberjey romper (so, so soft and chic). The Weezie short robe is a lighter pile to begin with and also has those genius short sleeves, which prevent me from overheating while heat styling my hair, but I also like it for washing my face / doing face masks / applying makeup because then I am not dragging thick cuffs through water / getting my sleeves all wet / constantly shoving them out of the way while applying makeup. Finally, I have Weezie’s French terry robe, which I usually wear any time else, but specifically love wearing over my pajamas before bed and in the morning. I guess it’s not so much a shower product, but I had to mention it because it is easily one of my most favorite belongings. And if I had to choose, I’d probably buy it over the short sleeve Weezie one because you can roll up the sleeves on the French terry one and it is a nice, thin material anyhow. The length and weight are beyond incredible, and I love the scalloped trim and color options. Just a lovely product.

Anyhow, sharing in detail a few of my current favorite shower products/finds below.

amika shampoo review — Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

01. WEEZIE FRENCH TERRY ROBE — see effusive rave review in headnotes. Truly a Magpie must-have. Beg your husband for this for your next birthday, mother’s day, etc! It is a treasure.

02. TERRY HEADBAND — Looks ridiculous but actually really handy if you’re applying a face mask.

03. SHOWER CAP — Truth be told, I collect shower caps from hotel stays, but my point is: I need a shower cap on hand at all times. It’s not uncommon for me to want to shower/shave but not have to fuss with drying my hair.

04. FRESH HESPERIDES BODY LOTION — I keep coming back to this lotion, which I’ve used on and off for probably a decade or so. It has a great grapefruit scent, and the formula is ultra-rich but not greasy. I also appreciate the price point — currently under $20. I will admit that I once tried Byredo’s ultra-luxe, ultra $$$ body cream in the Blanche scent and it temporarily ruined me for all other body lotions…the scent, the texture, the results!!! It is divine. But I was getting indigestion thinking about how much money I spent on a body cream, and would mete out as small a measurement as possible after each shower. That’s no way to live! It feels good to go back to something more affordable that I can apply liberally. Still, if you’re out there in a mood to try something totally extravagant, treat yourself to the Byredo!

05. BILLIE RAZORS — Still an enormous fan of these inexpensive, attractive razors, principally because they ship replacement blades to me at a regular cadence and I literally never have to think about buying razors again. I also love the little magnetic mount — brilliant way to keep the razor away from small hands / not rusting on a bench or in a puddle.

06. SERENA AND LILY WAVE TOWELS — My latest obsession. So soft!

07. OLAPLEX CLARIFYING SHAMPOO — I used this for a few months this year and found it left hair very clean-feeling. I personally prefer products with a scent (I know I’m the vocal minority here) so I always wished it had a little something going for it in that department. I also found it left my hair pretty tangly after.

08. OLAPLEX BOND SMOOTHER — After I’ve towel-dried my hair, I apply the dpHue leave-in conditioning mist (more details below) all over and then this bond smoother on the bottom half of my hair. The bond smoother’s chief virtue is halving the time it takes to air dry my hair! It is phenomenal. Also serves as a protectant.

AMAZON LOOFAHS. (Forgot to number it in the collage!) I know people say these are breeding grounds for bacteria but we replace ours frequently and I just can’t get the lather with a wash cloth…so, here we are. These cheap and easy guys.

09. AQUIS HAIR DRYING TOWEL — Anything to abbreviate the hair drying process. Left to its own devices, my hair takes probably 1.5 hours to fully dry. It is fine but I have a lot of it. Anyhow, I like to let my hair air dry until nearly 70-80% dry and then finish with the Revlon One-Step, and this towel, in conjunction with the Olaplex bond smoother, dramatically reduce (as in, like halve!) the time it takes to dry.

10. AMIKA COOL BLOND SHAMPOO — Just started using this. I’d been using the Olaplex which I thought was good and gave me a clean feeling (see above), but it also left my hair really tangly. I thought this would be a good product to try given how long I’ve been highlighting my hair blonde. Initial observations: a bit on the thin side as far as shampoos go, but with a light scent and a nice sensation of coating the entire strand thoroughly. My hair did look brighter/shinier after. But will report after more sustained use.

11. DAVINES OI CONDITIONER — This is probably my favorite scent of any bath/body product I’ve ever used. Just gorgeous — elegant. The conditioner product itself is also bananas. Ultra-hydrating and detangling. I adore it. I know a lot of you are big fans, too. I have been rotating in and out of other shampoos but will not give up on this conditioner. 100% worth the price.

12. DAVINES BODY WASH — I’ll be honest that this is not the best body wash — I actually prefer Molton Brown’s formula, especially in the Rhubarb and Rose scent. With the Davines product, I don’t like that you have to pour it out of a bottle (I always spill too much out), it doesn’t lather particularly well, and the scent doesn’t last long enough on the skin. But! While in the shower, it boasts the most divine perfume. It’s almost Pavlovian for me. I smell it and feel immediately relaxed and cared-for. I supplement with this near-prescription-grade gly/sal cleanser, which REALLY works if you are prone to body breakouts.

13. dpHUE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RINSE — I use this every month or so when I feel like I need a thorough cleanse of my hair/scalp. It leaves hair feeling squeaky clean. I still find its application a little tricky — never sure if I’m using way too much or way too little? Since its a liquid and sort of runs all over? But it is a nice way to hit the reset button.

14. TANGLE TEEZER — This little palm brush makes detangling wet hair a breeze. I use it right after I get out of the shower.

15. CLIPS — These inexpensive guys are a must for sectioning hair while drying.

16. OXO SHOWER CADDY — As with all OXO products, very thoughtfully designed, with shelf heights that actually accommodate most bath products, a soap dish, and grippies that keep the entire thing suctioned to the wall.

17. dpHUE LEAVE-IN MIST — Still obsessed with this leave-in conditioning spray. It leaves hair SO soft and lush, and is great at detangling if you’re prone to tangles like I am.

18. REVLON ONE STEP 2.0 — Still obsessed with this and still turning everyone I know onto it. If you have the original version, you should contemplate upgrading to the 2.0. It’s more powerful, lighter-weight, and does not get as hot. I know MANY of you swear up and down about the Dyson AirWrap as a meaningful upgrade from the Revlon, and I hope to one day join your ranks. Somehow I always find more compelling ways to spend $600, but I am envious every time I hear you talk about them…

19. LINEN WASH DETERGENT — For years, I used The Laundress’ fancier detergents for our sheets and towels (and Tide on everything else). I found they were much gentler on clothes and also left sheets/towels (which you are frequently burying your face in!) beautifully scented. Unfortunately, as you probably heard, The Laundress found high concentrations of bacteria in its products and recalled many of them, and so I chucked everything we had. I have just been using plain old Tide on everything since but recently realize that my favorite ironing starch spray also had detergents by the same line. Going to give a try as a replacement for Laundress!

20. HILL HOUSE ROBE — My favorite for just-out-of-shower. See all details in headnotes.

By: Jen Shoop

Our interior design continues — our designer, Kelley Proxmire, recently came by to discuss our formal living room plans and we are orienting the space around the gorgeous painting seen above and a beautiful green rug we purchased at Jayson Home a few years ago. I temporarily styled the table above with a couple of coffee table books and accessories we had on hand, but I am eyeing a few different coffee table books that might fit better with the color scheme, especially this gorgeous Hirst book and maybe this Kelly Wearstler? I also absolutely love this Sargent painting (its image really captures some of the sisterhood I wrote about here) and it would be fun to work it into the stack.

One of the reasons I chose Kelley as our interior designer is that she is not afraid of color and is known for her pattern mixing. I like bold, different, interesting! The finds below reflect that mentality. Like, why have a boring folding chair when you can have this one?! And why have a standard lamp when you can have this rattan one ($75?!)?

01. HIRST BOOK // 02. KELLY WEARSTLER BOOK // 03. STUDIO MCGEE RATTAN LAMP // 04. ANTHROPOLOGIE FRAME // 05. FRUIT BOWL // 06. RATTAN BAR CART // 07. ST. FRANK TRAY // 08. END TABLE // 09. SARGENT BOOK // 10. AMANDA LINDROTH TRAY // 11. CASABRANCA SOFA // 12. FLOOR CUSHION // 13. CERAUDO CHAIR // 14. FURNITURE TASSELS // 15. VASILY KANDINSKY BOOK // 16. SCHOOLHOUSE SIDE TABLE // 17. FOLDING CHAIR // 18. CHAPPY WRAP BLANKET // 19. S&L TABLE LAMP // 20. MATOUK SHAM // 21. HALF PAST SEVEN CLUB POUR NAPKIN SET // 22. THE INSIDE BARREL CHAIR

I am hoping to buy a few items for my son’s room in the coming weeks…really love this side table, this train table (grows with the child — just add the longer legs!), anything in Katie Ridder’s beetlecat print, this new crib sheet, and some sort of large swivel chair to read books in…perhaps something like this. I need to think a bit more on these items but his room is due for some sprucing.

P.S. If your day has gone haywire — it can be helpful to remember that you are probably where you need to be.

P.P.S. If you’re battling perceived criticism: think of the howling wolves.

P.P.P.S. Recent Amazon finds.

By: Jen Shoop

The Friday before last, I ate dinner outside on a flagstone patio underneath twinkle lights with good friends and bare shoulders, and a few days later, it turned cold again. I resented the reversion, and then sat shivering in my studio wearing inappropriately light clothing for much of the week, in feeble and futile protest. Though it eventually climbed up to 70 degrees, I carried a chill with me all week. A neighbor and I went on a walk together on Wednesday and I arrived at her door wearing three layers in spite of the bare noon sun: sometimes, the cold just catches. It took thirty minutes of hilly conversation to shed the top layer, and I kept thinking of Elizabeth Bishop’s wonderful poem, “A Cold Spring,” in my noontime defrost. I had just been listening earlier that morning to a section of the Anne Lamott book in which she talks about the occasional technical problem of representing the passage of time in language. She makes the point that you might be more easily able to represent these transitions visually — leaves turning color, a clock’s hands, etc — but in writing, they can often feel belabored. Anne Lamott would probably love and envy Elizabeth Bishop’s poem, then, which is about as masterful a representation of the flow of time as you’ll find. The stanzas carry themselves unbidden from the first thaw of spring to the fullness of firefly-dotted summer. You can read the crescendoing stanzas in full here, but my favorite couplets are the first:

A cold spring:

the violet was flawed on the lawn.

For two weeks or more the trees hesitated;

the little leaves waited,

carefully indicating their characteristics.

The punctuation, the way it designates a cadence of circumspect hesitancy, is a marvel, but so, too the personifications: I find myself feeling roundly for the little leaf waiting, “carefully indicating [her] characteristics.”

Post Scripts.

+More on my love of Elizabeth Bishop.

+Thoughts on Nora Ephron’s Heartburn.

+An ode to the Upper West Side. (New York is still a shock.)

Shopping Break.

+Urgent: Appointed is launching its well-loved day planners, weekly grid planners, and year task planners today. These have sold out in the past. They run from July 2023 – August 2024 so you order now and enjoy a fresh planner come midsummer. I am highly tempted by the day planner, which they brought back this year after a hiatus. As you know, I LOVE this brand for notebooks/lists/task pads.

+Perfect vacation/beach dress.

+A great white linen basic.

+ADORE this little bikini for a little love. (Under $20!)

+Newly on my beauty lust list. Have been hearing SUCH good things about this moisturizer. (More spring beauty buys here, and European pharmacy finds here.)

+This caftan is so gorgeous.

+Into these earrings.

+Love the tile print on this $129 dress.

+Loewe lust.

+FUN starfish earrings.

+This crochet dress!!!!

+OK but how good is this rattan footed bowl for keys, or matches, or fruit?

+Under $80 rattan heeled platform.

+Everyone’s favorite beach caftan now comes in a tiny size for little loves!

+Love the exaggerated collar on this white mini. 70% off, too!

+Gorgeous engravable heart necklace.

+These floral linen patches (on sale!) would be so cute attached to a girl’s backpack.

By: Jen Shoop

This week’s finds…

This cheerful Prada-inspired mesh bag ($31!) arrived and is such a fun little pop of color for a beach day! Other colors available, too. It is bigger than anticipated but I actually think a chic little add-on for a beach/pool day.

My new sunhat from Janessa Leone arrived on a rainy day, so I just had to make do with a mirror selfie to spotlight her. She is so fabulous. I love that she is packable and the brim edge has a kind of wire moldability to it, so you can bend it and it sort of stays in place? I have a very small head and it is a tiny bit big but I think my skin/eyes will thank me. I’m wearing with an old Julia Amory shirtdress.

A reader introduced me to the fragrance line Linnea and I’m so happy she did. These candles are exquisitely scented and beautifully packaged. I think these will be a new go-to housewarming/house guest type gift — they are ultra-luxurious but are less expensive ($39) than other high-end candles. I have been burning the heirloom tomato in my study — hard to describe, but it’s earthy and herbaceous and also slightly sweet. I love it. You can get 10% off your order with code MAGPIE10.

This week, I received a generous box of goodies from Spanx and I literally lost my mind when I tried on their Perfect Fit Crop Flare pants. These pants are SO good. They wear like leggings (soft, stretchy) but are ultra-slimming and really hug you in all the right places. I love when brands carry petite and tall pant lengths — saves a BUNDLE on tailoring! I tried these pants on and wore them out to dinner 20 minutes later. They have other styles in their “perfect fit” range if you’re not loving the cropped flare, but I do love this silhouette. I took the XS (in the petite length) and they fit like a glove — maybe a tad snug, but not uncomfortable. If you are between sizes, though, I would probably size up. I’m wearing the pants above with my Cara Cara jacket and this gorgeous new bag the founder of FRP Collection, Francesca, so generously sent me. I have another one of her bags and have been raving about it for the past year straight. I literally cannot believe the price relative to quality. These bags could be Gucci selling for north of $1K! One of my neighbors bought one after seeing me with mine and, when we went on a walk earlier this week, we blabbed about how incredible these bags are for a good five minutes. Francesca is offering Magpies 10% off their purchases through today with code MAGPIE10.

Believe it or not, I attended a pool party yesterday (!). It was indoor and my son was so looking forward to it. I pulled out my new Hunza G suit, which actually somehow makes you look tan no matter how pasty you are, and this gorgeous pareo. The colors are even better IRL and I couldn’t capture them in my poor studio lighting. This would be pretty as a wrap with white jeans/a white tee.

I am loving our new scallop-trim towels from Serena and Lily. They are wildly soft and I of course love the scallop trim. There are few things more appealing than a new stack of white, fluffy towels! When I had strep (ugh) two weeks ago, the first day was absolutely miserable — I was achey all over, sensitive to the touch, and I kept shivering and then sweating through my clothes. I laid in a hot bath with epsom salts for at least thirty minutes and felt temporary reprieve. Seeing these towels laid out along the lip of the bath was somehow the most reassuring sight?

I outfitted our summer dining table with a new set of gingham/plaid melamine plates from Target. I got two orders each of the four packs of the dinner plates, the salad plates, and these fabulous square appetizer plates, which I fully anticipate will get the most use, as they are perfect for children’s snacks (whether dining inside or out).

This Merit tinted lip oil (I have it in the Les Deux color) is SO good. I hate the tacky/stickiness of lip gloss, but this feels almost like a balm once applied and deposits a great sheer, buildable color. It looks like it’d be neon in the tube but it’s not! My basic litmus for lip color usability is: can I apply it without a mirror? This passes with flying colors. Now I want the rest of the shades.

Our beautiful new garden bench arrived and I couldn’t love it more. It has the prettiest lines! We enjoyed a cocktail on it the day it arrived, and the arms are clever in that they can easily hold a cocktail since they’re cut flat and wide. However, we are planning to buy a table. I am lobbying for a garden stool but we might just get the matching table. How gorgeous are the azaleas behind, by the way? This brings me to the next highlight of the week —

Mr. Magpie took me to lunch at the most incredible taco truck out in Wheaton, MD, Tacos Don Perez (don’t skip the chorizo taco or the agua frescas), followed by an afternoon date at Brookside Gardens, which we’d never visited before. We’d just missed peak azalea and tulip seasons but it was still spectacular and there were some portions of the azalea garden that still took your breath away. The garden itself is a zen-like experience, with signage along the paths reminding you to take in all the birdsong and attend to your breathing and the like, stone gardens, water features, and more. Strongly recommend for a midday sojourn.

In the box of goodies Spanx sent, they included this half-zip and…it’s the kind of thing you are like, “but how did I live without this?” I feel the same way about my Alice Walk half-zip, which I reach for constantly. As in, we went away for two nights to Deep Creek Lake and it was the first thing I packed. The Spanx one is unbelievably soft. I can’t even describe the material — sort of plush and also silky? Two people petted me while wearing it! Ha! It is really the kind of thing you can’t stop touching. Comes in a few great colors. I wore with my favorite Splits59 leggings and this little $20 sherpa pouch.

Last but not least, discovered a small trove of Minnow pieces 25% off at Neiman’s! I picked up these shorts for my son (he had and loved last summer) and this rash guard and this terry dress for my daughter.

How was your week? What inspired you?

By: Jen Shoop

My Latest Snag: My Shopbop Order.

I picked up a few things from Shopbop this week, including this pareo (too pretty to resist), this sunhat (had heard SUCH good things about this brand and this particular style — it is packable and therefore infinitely more practical for me, even if just schlepping to the local pool), and this fun asymmetrical dress.

This Week’s Bestsellers.

Lots of pretty dresses and woven footwear this week, but I’m especially tickled by how many of you snapped up these inexpensive seamless bralettes I live in. Slowly I’ve come to the view that life is too short for underwire. Ha. They are a dream — just remove the padding and you will be in heaven. I also find the racerback, low-v style works with lots of necklines and requires no adjustment.

01. ASHA CAFTAN // 02. GIRLS’ FLORAL SWIMSUIT // 03. WOVEN BALLET FLATS // 04. ULLA JOHNSON NANETTE DRESS // 05. KITCHENAID HAND MIXER* // 06. SMOCKED FLORAL DRESS // 07. ZARA PRINTED MIDI DRESS // 08. WOVEN SLIDES // 09. ZARA FLORAL PRINT MINI // 10. NIXON DIGITAL WATCH // 11. CRUSHED MINT CANDLE // 12. MOLTON BROWN SOAP // 13. SPANX PERFECT FIT PANTS // 14. SEAMLESS BRALETTES // 15. BELTED SHIRTDRESS

*This hand mixer is truly one of my favorite kitchen tools. I find myself much more inclined to whip up cream / homemade frosting when I don’t need to lug the stand mixer out from the cabinet.

Weekend Musings: On Becoming an Expert in Yourself.

I enjoyed this essay (free, but you must subscribe to read) by Hannah McKinley of In Kind magazine, and specifically the embedded interview with Amanda Baudier, an executive coach and mindfulness expert. There are lots of things to digest in it but these words leapt off the page:

“You have to become incredibly self-aware. You have to become an expert in yourself. You have to know what your triggers are. You have to pay really, really close attention to how things affect you. Some people absolutely cannot stay up late. Some people absolutely cannot skip three days of exercise. We all have our things, and if we’re going to become experts in anything, we’d be wise to become experts in ourselves—really know what sets you off. What are the things that you lay awake thinking about at night? Getting clear on the things that are pulling you away from [something] else that you could be doing.”

I loved the notion of “becoming an expert in yourself.” Of taking an interest in not only what triggers you, and why, but also — what sparks joy, what fills your cup. I have written elsewhere that female joy is often trivialized and I think that part of my own maturation has been leaning into the things that really interest me without any preamble or disclaimer. Like, yes, I love a good thriller, and I enjoy rainbow sprinkles on my ice cream, and talking about dad sandals, and tumbling down TikTok beauty wormholes. I don’t need to shrink any of those things. One of my favorite Instagram follows, Caro Chambers, often shares the books she reads and includes a “smut factor” rating. She is incredibly intelligent, and self-aware, and a wonderful mother, and though she has on occasion defended her interests in romantic-oriented beach reads, she generally just puts those interests out there shruggingly, without apology. She recently mentioned: “I’m just in a busy, so many kids, hectic phase of life that I am looking for really light escapism right now.” And I thought, “We need more Caros modeling this kind of earnestness.” Here is a successful food blogger and cookbook author who writes exquisitely and honestly about motherhood, and she is also showing us how to listen to ourselves and our own needs and not diminish those requests.

Anyhow, I was thinking — how does one become an expert in oneself? Like, if you wanted to take that provocation seriously and wrap some ops around it, make a studied attempt. Writing is my obvious pathway (a friend recently said: “Thank God for therapists,” and when I shared that I did not have one, she paused and said: “Well, maybe you don’t need one because you therapize through your writing,” and her insight there caught me off-guard: this blog is many things, but primarily, I am here for self-knowledge), but I recognize not everyone is inclined to the pen. Perhaps it is about daily check-ins:

What is the most important thing today?

What is causing me friction today?

When during today did I feel my best? My worst?

What do I want more of today?

What do I want less of today?

Etc.

What do you think, friends? What helps you get to know yourself better?

Shopping Break.

+This dress is SO fun. Maybe a good option for my birthday? It looks like Johanna Ortiz, but under $250!

+Another option: this under-$150 steal from &OtherStories, which looks like Zimmermann, no?!

+Fun new pattern for my classic MZ Wallace tote. I still use this bag all the time with the children — great for travel. Full review here. I highly recommend as a diaper bag or travel bag with children — it holds SO much.

+A great organizer for children’s art supplies.

+Such a gorgeous quilt.

+Adorable little scarf-handled straw bag — $115.

+Love these wicker frames.

+WOW – this little eyelet number is $50 and reminds me SO much of Alemais.

+Love Les Gamins for straight-forward basics for children. We have lots of these sweatshirts — best colors and cute, boxy fit — but eyeing some of the terry cloth variations as well as these track shorts for my son this summer.

+One of the bestsellers this week was a striped shirtdress — very similar style from the same brand with short sleeves for summer!

+These raffia heeled sandals are somehow $60!

+LOVE this cover-up!

+Currently reading. Fun!

+Love these wave earrings — $35!

+20% off sitewide at The Inside with code FLASHSALE23. I love these upholstered cocktail tables — especially handy when you have toddlers inclined to hurl themselves at any sharp edge in your home. Upgrade pick: Serena and Lily’s tufted ones.

+Really pretty and simple leather sandals for under $110.

+Really fun, dramatic table lamp.

By: Jen Shoop

Shopbop’s sale section is a total gold mine at the moment and includes several items in my own closet, including this Apiece Apart beauty and this Farm Rio top (seen above, and perfect for Cinco de Mayo next week!)

I have this Agua Bendita gown in my cart for a late summer wedding…

01. AGUA BENDITA DRESS // 02. XIRENA JULES TOP // 03. XIRENA MARLOWE DRESS // 04. DANNIJO NECKLACE // 05. SCHUTZ VERONA SANDALS // 06. MILLE DAPHNE DRESS // 07. NEW BALANCE 327S // 08. POOLSIDE TOTE // 09. FARM RIO TOP // 10. ILLESTEVA SUNGLASSES // 11. MISSOMA HOOPS // 12. APIECE APART MESA DRESS

P.S. Some of my favorite spring fashion finds.

P.P.S. Wayfair’s sale was just extended for 24 hours. Still some great buys! All my top finds here.

P.P.P.S. Did you buy your mother a gift yet?

By: Jen Shoop

*Image via Maria de la Orden featuring their gorgeous trousers.

I am having trouble resisting one of these gorgeous embroidered clutches from Pam Munson’s collaboration with Aerin. It, together with some other sweet spring finds (including these wildly popular J. Crew sandals, just re-stocked in all sizes!) below — I’d like absolutely everything on this list.

01. XIRENA MARLOWE DRESS // 02. PAM MUNSON X AERIN CLUTCH // 03. MILLE THALIA TOP // 04. SUE SARTOR DRESS // 05. CITIZENS CHARLOTTE JEANS // 06. SUNDRESS JOANNA DRESS // 07. JANESSA LEONE HAT // 08. J. CREW SANDALS // 09. CLOVER BRACELET // 10. SANCTUARY EYELET DRESS // 11. MARYSIA ROMPER // 12. KNOTTED DUMPLING BAG // 13. SKIMS TEE // 14. MARIA DE LA ORDEN PANTS // 15. RAFE CLUTCH // 16. ULLA JOHNSON DRESS

P.S. More favorite spring fashion finds.

P.P.S. Parenting as process.

P.P.PS. My favorite home organization gear.

By: Jen Shoop

When my great-aunt was near the end of her life, my father visited with her, and when he returned, he said: “I admire her. She is staring death straight in the face, head on.” A shiver went down my spine. I accommodated the message — as Philip Larkin put it, “Death is no different whined at than withstood” — but knew I lacked the backbone my father had observed.

When my friend Elizabeth was sick with cancer, I remember her panic at learning that her reproductive organs had been compromised, and that she would not be able to bear her own children. I could not bring myself to say anything, though I wanted to scream: “It’s you we’re worried about losing.” I just nodded, and agreed with what she said, and white-knuckled it through the rest of my visit, and then worried for the rest of her too-short life whether she knew how sick she was. When I was younger, my best friend had traveled to Guatemala with her family and returned with a tiny set of “worry dolls” for me. Following her instruction, I placed them under my pillow when scared, pursuant to the promise that my trivial woes would leave my body and replant themselves in the dolls instead. When Elizabeth was sick and possibly in denial, I imagined that I was her worry doll: I could carry the disastrous truth for her. I could let her sleep easily in dissent of death.

The afternoon she passed away, my friend T. called me to tell the news. I sat down on the bed of my 32nd Street apartment in Georgetown in a trembling shock. I remember everything about that moment: the quality of light coming through the old-fashioned paned row house window, the dimness of the far side of my quilted bed. The words that came out of my mouth belonged to somebody else: they were distorted, alien, as though submerged in water. I remember consoling T., and thinking that her grief must be larger than mine, as she had been there until the very end with her, and I had not seen Elizabeth in perhaps two weeks. I know now I was beginning the fruitless, fugitive sprint from my own grief, believing that I could somehow shrink or contain it.

I know this because a classmate of ours reached out a few days later and said, “I am so sorry, Jen. I know how close you were to her.” And I responded, “Thank you, but I know that ____ are grieving her especially. I will pass on your condolences.” Perhaps, by disowning the grief, I could avoid it.

It has taken me a long time to look at that summer without ducking. I wish I had done more in the face of her death; I wish I’d channeled my great-aunt’s courage. A few weeks ago, a Magpie wrote in to share one of her favorite mantras, Jesus’ words to Mary of Bethany: “She did what she could” (Mark 14:8). Despite my regrets, I know that I did what I could at that time. I was unable to shepherd those end-of-life conversations with her, or to accept the initial onset of grief, but I did fashion myself into her worry doll, and love her through every moment, and I have spent many years writing to come to terms with her passing. I sometimes feel that writing about Elizabeth is a wan atonement for my absence at the time of her death and my sequestration from immediate grief, but equally I know that sometimes we write to survive the impossible. We write to reckon with endings. We write to rage against them, knowing full well that even a sentence must progress to its own period. We write to watch ourselves wax and wane, eventually reaching a peaceful coda.

Post-Scripts.

+A permutation on this theme inspired by John Prine.

+Life takes root around the perimeter.

+On the uses of sorrow.

+Marriage is an act of optimism.

Shopping Break.

+This is what the worry dolls looked like. I have no idea where they went — I wish I still had some.

+This $108 dress is a dead-ringer for La Ligne.

+I absolutely live in these slippers at home. They are the most comfortable things on earth. I love that they have a rubberized/thick sole so you can actually run out to the garbage bins / take your dog out if you need to. (They’re called “Coffee Run” slippers for a reason.)

+Already getting a lot of wear out of these platform espadrilles this year.

+Anxiously awaiting the restock of these sandals. They are SO good for $60. I also bought a couple of really cute items from Zara kids this week, and my favorite item was this pair of striped denim shortalls for my son. He’s also going to freak out when I give him this Rolling Stones tee. They LOVE rock music and any graphic tee is gold to them. Some cute graphic tee options here.

+Another great Boden find.

+Two fabulous clutches to know about: this dramatic marbleized pearl style and the beautiful new embroidered floral ones from Pam Munson’s collaboration with Aerin.

+Two new pairs of earrings I’m loving: these Lizzie Fortunatos and these Simone Rochas. More spring jewelry here.

+Pretty white eyelet dress — under $100.

+My melamine plates from Target arrived and I’m thrilled! So inexpensive and I love the patterns. I am now eyeing this rattan caddy and woven tray.

+Cute pink jeans.

+More al fresco dining finds here.

+Love the stripes on this summer knit.

+This tiered rose print dress is fabulous. Aptly called “The Kentucky Derby dress.” Do you watch? I’m going to a Derby party this year!

+This has to be the most beautiful candle I’ve ever seen.

+Love the styling on these helmets for kids.

+These personalized Mason Pearson brushes are beyond precious.

+My dream evening gown.

By: Jen Shoop

We are preparing for a summer with a lot of pool time. I’ve been slowly getting myself organized for the season ahead — I cannot wait to wear this Hunza G and this J. Crew all summer long, and I am itching to buy a new Marysia to round things out. Love this seashell pattern! Last year, I got a lot of wear out of this cover-up and various pareos — I would love to add this Agua Bendita dandelion print one to the mix, especially after reflecting substantively on the magic of that particular flower earlier this year. It’s currently 20% off! I also love this less-expensive pareo style from S.Z. Blockprints, and then of course Amazon has these $20 ones that are fun to throw into the mix, but the one not to miss is this Agua Bendita x Target style, which was just re-stocked (possibly returns?) after selling out lickety split two weeks ago. I also have this Janessa Leone hat and this blockprint oversized button-down at the top of my summer shopping list. I’ve heard such good things about the hat — it’s packable, and I like that it has a longer brim than most bucket style hats.

01. AGUA BENDITA PAREO // 02. COSSIE + CO SWIMSUIT // 03. SZ BLOCKPRINTS SARONG // 04. MARYSIA PALM SPRINGS SWIMSUIT // 05. PERSONALIZED POUCH // 06. SOJOS CATEYES // 07. GUCCI SANDALS (LOOK FOR LESS WITH THESE) // 08. BOGG BAG // 09. SZ BLOCKPRINTS SHORTS (ALSO AVAILABLE IN PINK STRIPE) // 10. J. CREW X SZ BLOCKPRINTS SWIMSUIT // 11. NAGHEDI TOTE // 12. PUCCI SWIMSUIT // 13. JANESSA LEONE SUNHAT // 14. SOJOS CATEYES // 15. MONTCE COVER UP // 16. LA VESTE TERRY COVER-UP // 17. HUNZA G SUIT // 18. GUNES TOTE // 19. TARGET TERRY FLIP FLOPS // 20. ZARA PALAZZO PANTS // 21. TARGET MESH POUCH // 22. J. CREW SUIT // 23. TARGET X AGUA BENDITA PAREO // 24. EMILY HENRY’S HAPPY PLACE

P.S. Imprints of a new (suburban) lifestyle.

P.P.S. Getting ready for outdoor dining.

P.P.P.S. What are your favorite audiobooks?

By: Jen Shoop

There is a fantastic scene in “As Good As It Gets” in which the protagonist (played by Jack Nicholson) senses that he is missing his opportunity to woo the character played by Helen Hunt and plays a tape cassette marked “for emergency.” Nat King Cole’s “I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)” crackles through speakers of his red convertible. His love interest is not having any of it, but — for a moment — we sense that change may be afoot, and we find ourselves moved not only by Nicholson’s valiant last-ditch effort to communicate his romantic intentions but his evident pre-planning in stowing the tape in his glove box to begin with.

Do you have “emergency music”? Music that can change a mood, turn a tide?

During the depths of the pandemic, I must have played Tony Bennett’s “Silver Linings Album: The Songs of Jerome Kern” close to nightly. It is piano bar music — jazzy, crooning, light on the ivories — and I find it fills a room in a unique way. It casts a cozy ambiance, almost like the subtle perfume of flowers or the throw of candle light, but shies from center-stage. You never need to turn it down, or interrupt your thoughts or conversation to accommodate it. It is fundamentally non-competitive with other elements of an evening experience–and yet I find it wildly effective in changing my mood. I put it on, and I feel my shoulders relax, and the dense networks of thought and emotion I have been knitting throughout my day loosen from their spindles. There is a beautiful couplet from the poem “Failing and Flying” by Jack Gilbert in which he writes: “every morning she was asleep in my bed / like a visitation, the gentleness in her / like antelope standing in the dawn mist.” The poem is about a failed relationship, and so this remark is wildly out of context, but whenever I listen to the Silver Linings album, I feel that precise kind of gentleness gathering inside, a fawn-like, quiet grazing in morning haze.

Some of the album’s appeal sprang from its dramatic contrast with my daily life in those days: my day-to-day was so far removed from an elegant piano bar experience. I was marooned in my apartment with two young children and a dog and we did not know when or if New York’s restaurant scene would reopen. And so perhaps there was an element of imagination or ruefulness afoot, a nostalgia for the evening Mr. Magpie and I shared a bottle of champagne with my sister and brother-in-law at Bemelman’s Bar, or the times my parents treated us to cocktails at The Pierre before dinner, or the night we caught Stacey Kent performing on Central Park South. Those nights felt impossibly exotic to me as I rocked my son to sleep on the floor of his tiny Manhattan nursery in my marinara-spattered sweatshirt, not knowing when I would next see my parents, let alone next sit at a bar in a cocktail dress. I am still processing the endlessness and imprecision of those days. The way time just sat, pooling in the middle of Manhattan. It required strength of mind to find the breaks in the clouds in those days, but Tony Bennett helped me through. And now the album’s name now feels oddly, movingly prescient: it was, in a very real sense, a silver lining. It remains my “break in case of emergency” soundtrack.

How about you?

Post-Scripts.

+A dinner party playlist.

+A song that reminds me of my siblings.

+More on processing the pandemic.

Shopping Break.

+These pants just arrived and OMG. I have gone evangelistic about them. They are as comfortable as leggings but can easily be dressed up for work / cocktails / etc. I took the petite XS and they fit snug but flattering — I would size up if you have any question at all. I am now unsure how I ever lived without a great, flattering pair of black ankle-length pants? These are absolutely perfect for slightly dressier occasions, work meetings, conservative affairs. But I also think I will style them with my Nike Daybreaks for more casual wear and they’ll totally work. LOVE. Love. LOVE! They are SO flattering. I wore them they day they arrived to dinner with my parents. (You can see me in them here with my new FRP Collection bag! The founder of FRP is generously offering us 10% off through 4/30 with code MAGPIE10. These bags are quickly becoming an obsession. They are so high-quality for the price – could easily be a $1000+ bag!)

+Three fun new beach attire finds: this woven Missoni-esque cover-up, this gorgeous sarong, and this oversized button-down.

+My Hunza G suit is on sale in a gorgeous lilac color here. More details on fit, etc, here.

+Adore this J. Crew dress.

+Sweetest lavender pattern pajamas for babies — I actually just bought a girlfriend expecting her first this sleepsack from the same brand in that pattern. I LOVED the Kyte sleepsacks — they come in different weights to accommodate season/geography and hold up so beautifully in the wash. They are so incredibly soft. The best colors, too!

+Love these $58 earrings.

+Hearing good things about this beach read book.

+My kind of everyday dress — love the pattern!

+ICYMI: attractive athletic shorts for little ladies.

+A spectacular summer dress.

+This white mini dress is a perfect bridal outfit.

+I find infinite uses for utility tubs like these — perfect for under sink, utility closet, lightbulbs, batteries, etc.

+For mamas about to become the tooth fairy — how cute?!

+Fun statement sandals.

+Such a cute stool for extra outdoor seating.

+Perfect outfit for a little prince.

+Adore these bold striped trousers.

By: Jen Shoop

In the past, I haven’t found anything remarkable at Wayfair’s sale days, but OMG — some really, really good deals this go around.

01. Erin Gates Rug — this fabulous neutral rug is 60% off and selling fast. SO chic and elevated.

02. Wicker basket — in the 19×22 size, very similar to my Beachcomber basket, but about 1/2 the price. So attractive for toys, under a console, blankets, etc.

03. Obsessed with these Jenny Lind-inspired spindle beds, currently 50% off! So chic for a child’s room or guest room! The aqua/seafoam green color is spectacular.

04. Garden stool — currently in my cart! I love the design. I can’t decide if I’d put it in my studio next to my arm chair (perfect for a cup of tea / book / etc) or use it as intended, out by our new garden bench (also currently on sale, FYI)! More styles on sale elsewhere, like this gorgeous chinoiserie.

05. Scalloped tray — great for a coffee table / console table / bar.

06. I love my tulipieres! Have mentioned in the past I know — just so pretty with or without flowers! Love in the sky blue!

07. Kitchenaid Hand Mixer — I use this hand mixer more often than my stand mixer. It is so easy to pull out quickly and the beaters are easy to remove and toss in the dishwasher. I especially like this for things like whipping cream or icing.

08. Not a part of the dramatic Wayfair sale, but this teak storage bench for outside is so attractive and well-priced for keeping pool gear / equipment / outdoor toys / towels.

09. Rattan lamp — 70% off and major Serena & Lily vibes.

10. Not a huge price break, but these Jenny Lind convertible cribs are classic and such a great price. If I had splurged on window treatments or wallpaper for a nursery, this would have been an easy way to spend less on the overall budget for the room.

A few other items not seen above but worth a look:

+Vitamix — This is not the exact model we have (ours is the 5200), but the reviews on the one on sale at Wayfair are very strong and Vitamix is a highly-reputable brand. We were late to the Vitamix train but it was a major missing puzzle piece in our kitchen gear repertoire. You will howl with laughter when you compare the Vitamix to virtually any other blender on the market. It is a completely and entirely different appliance — leagues more powerful and effective. We use the Vitamix for a lot more than smoothies, too — great for blending purees/marinades, soups, any ingredient that needs to be pureed. Absolutely incredible tool for a well-equipped kitchen.

+Seagrass bins — I can never have enough. 60% off a set of three. Great for toys!

+Children’s table and stools — love the Scandi vibes. Can’t beat the price.

+Love a drum style end table with an interesting texture, like this or this. So chic and a great way to introduce texture into a room.

P.S. More recent home finds here and here.

P.P.S. Chic spring fashion under $200.

P.P.P.S. My New York apartment judged me.

By: Jen Shoop

I was deeply inspired by the above photo of Sofia Richie from her wedding week — did anyone else follow her spectacular outfit lineup? Wow! She is wearing this Posse linen top and this skirt and both are now in my cart. I am also in love with this $130 white poplin skirt from Banana. Love everything about it — so fabulous for the price.

With regards to styling these skirts — I think any/all of them would be perfect with a simple white tank (upgrade pick: Vince; chic strappier alternative here, and racerback option here) or tee.