+KEEP GOING!: I thought multiple times this week about the idea that rejection equals redirection. I am trying lots of new things behind the scenes as I work to get my book out there (including asking small boutiques to stock it!), and I have been thinking a lot about an exercise Landon did his first year of his MBA program that had a lasting impact on him. The task was: “Collect nos.” As in: get out there, make the pitch, and get as many nos as you can as quickly as possible. Not lingering maybes, the slow-shut door. No! Make your ask, and take the feedback on the chin. Learn why you’re not a fit, why your product won’t work for someone, etc. It’s the fastest and most reliable way to figure out what to do next. In other words: the dead end is just a convenient place to turn around! Applicable to so many things in life. I love this post expressing a similar sentiment:
+ENGLISH MAJOR HUMOR: Why do I feel like Magpies are a sisterhood of English majors/minors, or women with that bad book girl energy? I love this tumblr in honor of “English Major humor” and especially this topical list of insults from Wuthering Heights:
By the way, I’ve been working on and off on a post of scattershot reactions to the “Wuthering Heights” movie that I plan to publish on Monday morning. Come with your thoughts, critiques, questions, obsessions, pls and thank you! (And you can jump into our conversation about the source text here. Personally, I think this book is well worth a re-read if you’ve not hung out with it since high school.)
+THE TEA ON TRADER JOE’S: I am loving this fascinating podcast on the business backstory behind Trader Joe’s. (My best friends love this podcast and will save episodes to listen to on road trips! They’re both finance people, but the series is accessible to even “lay” listeners like myself.) The opening alone is a great hook: Trader Joe’s breaks every rule of modern supermarket success! The stores are small and cluttered, and products are merchandised differently than they are in your run-of-the-mill Giant, Safeway, etc; they don’t carry name brands we rely on; the produce section leaves something to be desired; the parking lots and locations are notoriously annoying. And yet! It is everyone’s favorite grocery store! (Side bar: did you know there are only 600 Trader Joe’s? For some reason this shocked me. I don’t know the number I expected, but I feel like it should be higher relative to its brand prominence!)
+NEW DAYTIME DENIM TO TRY: I love these perfect daytime washes in various silhouettes —
CITIZENS PETITE MIRO JEANS // MOTHER LEMON TWIST JEANS // ASKK AXLE JEANS // AGOLDE RENS
I should mention I got my hands on a pair of the Lemon Twists from Mother in a petite inseam and they are SO good. The twist panel seam does something magical — lengthening, slimming! — to shorter legs. I’m blown away. It’s like an optical illusion! Mother knows what’s up with denim!
+A USED BOOK STORE CALLED MAGPIE?! Do we need to take a collective field trip to the Catskills just to step foot in here?! Look how charming it is! And the tagline on their Instagram account: “Specializes in awesome. And second-hand books.” Be still my heart! Thanks to the Magpie reader who shared this with me — she actually stopped by IRL and picked up a romance! How on brand…!
+SHE’S SO SENSITIVE: Gah! I love this little poem-ette: “She’s so sensitive. I know. Isn’t it stunning?” Amen!
+EYEING + BUYING:
+On the fitness front: can’t say enough good things about Vuori leggings (short inseam available, hallelujah!). I own this set in the cobalt blue and it does something magical to my energy level! Just looking at that bold color…! Meanwhile, continue to ring the bell about these gym sneakers from Nike (20% off at time of writing). I’m on my third pair — they offer so much support and ankle stabilization for strength training (good for forward and lateral movements).
+Still loving the look of the triangle scarf over a knit or tee. This striped one is so fun! ASOS has some good looks for less here, here. More on this nano-trend here!
+Love the weight of this cotton sweater. Sort of a hybrid between a jacket and cardigan. That soft blue color is divine!
+For my bad book gals: hats that say “well-read” and “support your local library.”
+Continuing to LOVE this blowdry spray for glassy, glossy hair (also smells SO GOOD) and the Dyson hair dryer (currently on sale for the same Black Friday promotional price I got back in November!) for the quickest blowout ever.
+Our favorite lip treatment in new flavors/tints!
+Continue to love my Alex Mill canvas weekday tote. Holds a TON; love the Goyard-esque shadow lettering on the side; the colors are so fun! The pink would be such a great baby bag for a girl mom. If you’re a soon-to-be grandparent, this would be a really cute gift for your daughter/daughter-in-law.
+Rothy clogs in a fun new navy hemp. Their phone slings are also really cute — this style of bag is SO HELPFUL while traveling / on travel days (i.e., airport – keep your phone and ID on your person; at hotel or theme park — just the basics while you’re on a ride/running down to lobby or pool!). Mine is Celine (I found it on The Real Real) but this would be a chic option for under $100. You might also take a spin through their final sale section to buy a second pair of your favorite style while at a discount!
+Got my hands on the newest color of my favorite tee. She’s a breath of fresh air for spring!
RACQUET CLUB TEE // NIKE METCONS // NICO CARDIGAN // ROTHY CLOGS // SOLD OUT TEE IN AZURE // DYSON BLOW DRYER // CHRIS MCMILLAN BLOW DRY SPRAY // COTTON/CASHMERE TRIANGLE SCARF (LOOK FOR LESS HERE) // EADEM LIP TREATMENT // VUORI LEGGINGS // WELL-READ HAT // WEEKDAY TOTE
+BESTSELLERS: My haircare obsession — for straight, glossy locks. Deeply hydrating. Almost has a keratin-like effect on my hair.
01. VIRTUE LABS SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER // 02. PINK STRAIGHT-LEG JEANS // 03. PERFECT PEONY-PINK CASHMERE CARDI // 04. Q-LESS CROSSWORD GAME // 05. REVERSIBLE JACKET // 06. KIDS CLOUDLEAP SNEAKERS (WHAT MY KIDS WEAR EVERY DAY) // 07. SPRING-LIKE RUNNER // 08. VERSATILE WHITE BLOUSE // 09. RHONE LEGGINGS (USE CODE SHOOP20 FOR 20% OFF) // 10. DUPIONI MINI SKIRT
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Magpie trip to the Magpie bookstore is in order!
Right?! Daydreaming about a Catskills retreat with good food, hiking, and second-hand book browsing…
Jen, This holds so true in life. The first attempt is never perfection it’s the calibration. Similar to the pancake theory. The first pancake you’re figuring out the heat and maybe the pan isn’t ready, but the second the timing is right and you flip with confidence. You only get the perfect pancake because you were brave enough to pour the first one! So thrilled for you and cheering you on!
Yes! The pancake theory! Exactly —
Thanks so much, Anne. Your encouragement means so very much to me.
xx
You HAVE to get your book into the MAGPIE bookstore!!!
Wouldn’t that be amazing!?
Acquired sells t-shirts that I always get my husband for his stocking!
I’ve been thinking about this, about rejection as redirection, about something breaking leading into a new direction, in the context of my home lately. Like yes was I upset when I dinged the marble counter? Sure, but in the end, it’s all patina.
“In the end, it’s all patina” is such a good tagline for making it through lives bumps and jags. Thanks for this!
xx