Jen's Weekend Drafts: Derivative Art + A Secret to Marriage.

+DERIVATIVE ART + SENSE + SENSIBILITY: I was talking with bookstagrammer Jennifer Cash this week (we recorded an episode of her lovely brand-new podcast, The Literary Lounge!), and we were talking (off camera) about all the adaptations that are circulating right now, about the feeling that so much of what we consume is derivative of something else, and whether this is good or bad. Personally, I think most art is “found art,” “recycled art.” We are always drawing from thousands of predecessor images, references, quotes, lines of thinking — it comes down to how original the recasting is. I am thinking of Little Women, and how Greta Gerwig’s version somehow managed to be an entirely different movie from the 90s version, plucking on unique strings that I hadn’t fully contemplated prior, especially the tender, shifting, and fraught relationships between the sisters. Anyhow, I will never turn down a new adaptation of an old classic — for me, the more the merrier. Hence my excitement that my girl crush and bang muse, Daisy Edgar Jones, will be starring in a new version of Sense and Sensibility. I cannot wait! She’s the perfect casting! (And, P.S., the bangs are banging here. Holy cow!)

+EDELWEISS: I shared this gorgeous acoustic version of “Edelweiss” on Instagram this week and was bowled over by a high volume of comments about how important this song is to so many of us! There were many stories of this connecting us to grandparents and fathers; this was a walk-down-the-aisle song at someone’s wedding; etc! For me, this is one of the two songs I have sung my children since they were born (!) It’s one of my favorite movie scenes of all time, and it takes me straight back to my childhood. (I know there are fellow Christopher Plummer fans out there, too. An oddball shared hero/crush of our generation.) I’m curious, though: what other songs connect you to your childhood or to your children? Are there other songs in this vein?

+THE SECRET TO MARRIAGE: “NEVER STOP TRYING TO WIN THEM OVER”: I was so moved by this interview with actor Jon Bernthal. The way he speaks about his wife…! I love the comment “without her, it just doesn’t work.” What else would you add?

+PINCH ME MOMENT: OMG! I could not believe when I randomly stumbled upon this sweet house tour on Instagram and spotted MY WORDS on the shelf?! I remain speechless…! (She has on her shelf one of the framed prints I did with Inslee in 2024! PS – You can still find a few of the framed prints from my collab with Riley Sheehey here!)

+LONDON TRIP UPDATE: Thank you so much for all the incredible comments and recs on my London trip planning post! I love our hive mind mentality. Let’s surface all the choice details! Thanks to you, I feel well-armed with information and plans (the comments are a fantastic resource for other Magpies planning a visit). I had some of my dates wrong (God, this year has really left me scattered) but we are in fact doing three nights in London before we visit Norway and then three more nights in London on the way home — total of six nights! Wow! A major stint there. We decided to stay three nights at The Goring in Belgravia (sadly, they were all out of family rooms when we booked, but this was one of the big selling points — they have rooms that sleep four), which is the oldest family-owned hotel in London and is actually where Kate Middleton stayed the night before her wedding (random trivia), and three nights at Beaverbrook Town House in Chelsea. I came across loads of rave reviews of both of these places as interesting boutique luxury hotels that are good for families. If we’d wanted to bust our budget, I would have stayed at Cadogan Gardens, but the rooms available to us (now that we’re like three weeks out) were steep.

I’m excited about our choices. We’d been heavily considering the Rosewood (also has family rooms) but what pushed us in this direction was the opportunity to stay in two boutique hotels that are super specific to London, and based on my liminal and emerging understanding of the city, I am excited about the neighborhoods we’ll be visiting! More to come! (If you like the general vein of our hotel selection, this Instagram post has a couple of others that seem similar / in conversation with the ones we were looking at.)

Finally, a couple of common threads among Magpies on Instagram and the blog:

Kids apparently love the Tower and then walking across the bridge — this was THE #1 rec for a kid-friendly activity

Firmdale Hotel chain – strong rec for less expensive but chic/design-forward hotels in great areas (specifically the Ham Yard — came up a ton!)

Consensus is to book as many of the museums/experiences in advance

A lot of recs for the science museum, the transit museum, and also the dinosaur tea at the Ampersand — we will probably go with a more traditional tea experience at Claridge’s or The Goring (or maybe do the cool one a the Sketch) but this did come up a ton

Some debate over whether or not to do Borough Market with kids — apparently can be unpleasantly crowded (I’m thinking of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence)

Lost count of number of people who rec’d Dishoom for family-friendly dining

+WEEKEND FINDS:

J. CREW CROCHET TOP // FOR GLOWING SUMMER ARMS // DORSEY ENAMEL BRACELETS // LOBSTER BEACH PANTS // LOEFFLER CANVAS MARY JANES (30% OFF) // HUNTER BELL DRESS (30% OFF) // PRADA CANVAS BAG // NISOLO HUARACHES (25% OFF) // THE GREAT SAILBOAT SWEATER // THE GREAT SAILBOAT SKIRT // BANDANA SOCKS

+Loeffler is running a sale – 30% off a great selection of footwear. I have these in my cart in the red. They look comfortable but fun/different. I already own and love these, included in the sale — insanely comfortable!

+Speaking of insanely comfortable footwear, my Nisolo huaraches arrived and I’m obsessed. They are crazy comfortable right out of the box and look a lot like the Miu Mius that cost $1200 — but are under $150. So thankful to Kelly for raving about this brand so much! I just noticed that they are offering 25% off orders over $125 this weekend, too!

+20% off sitewide this weekend at Anthro — use code ANTHRO20. I use these promos to by Hunter Bell and The Great pieces at a discount; favorites right now include this party wonder and this adorable sailboat print skirt. And even the Great’s ultra-popular sailboat sweaters are included!

+Speaking of Hunter Bell — they are running an epic special FOJ sale! My birthday dress (which I wore last night) is included, as is this ultra-fun lobster motif one.

+Obsessed with applying this oil right out of the shower during the summer. I got it bundled with the moisturizer!

+Dorsey just released enamel bracelets in a rainbow of colors. These are so fun to mix and match into your arm stack!

+Trending at J. Crew: these lobster print beach pants; this crochet top.

+Ordered Landon and I these bandana print socks!

+Prada magic.

+A RECIPE I’M DYING TO TRY: While I was sick in bed this week, I saved so many recipes on Instagram. This caramelized onion chili crunch noodle recipe is at the top of my list. Also — her breathy voice…!

+BESTSELLERS: THE shorts of summer, encore! I realized the other day these are kind of like the Ruti pant in terms of material, drape, ease of wear. I feel like they don’t read TOO performance-y and find you can blend them in with everyday wear more easily than true sportswear.