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What Inspired Me This Week…
+FRENCH RIVIERA VIBES: A Magpie recommended this French Riviera playlist on Spotify and I’ve loved listening to it while working, cleaning dishes, putzing around the house. (BTW, I know many of you still listen to my Magpie Dishwashing Playlist! I just put it on last night while, well, doing the dishes, and was reminded how much I adore each and every song on that transportive but relaxing mix. Also: what is your preferred ‘house music‘? I love reading your comments on this!)
+A NEW BOOK: Geraldine Brooks’ Horse. My neighbor recommended it after I mentioned I was enduring a long and brutal book hangover after finishing Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead (<<full review), insisting I’d be hooked after the first chapter. She was right! I clipped right in. It’s a time-skipping, POV-shifting narrative and I love that some of the opening scenes are set in D.C.!
+SHADE SHOPPING: I finally completed a decade-long penance for losing a pair of Chanel sunglasses in a Target dressing room and invested in these Celines. I know many of you own them, too! Speaking of sun protection, I also have this packable raffia bucket hat from Janessa Leone on its way to me. Like the Prada one, but sans logo and a much better price, and the J. L. ones are handmade by female artisans in Madagascar. Each one takes three days to weave!
+UNDERGARMENT LOVE: I loved reading your responses to my recent Magpie Icebreakers post — so many surprising and insightful replies. One thing that took me by surprise was how many of you said that a good outfit starts with something abstract, like confidence or a good mood, or proper undergarments! I solicited your recommendations fro the best undergarments on Instagram and these were the top vote-getters: 1) Natori Feathers Bra (by a landslide, the most upvoted), 2) Hanky Panky thongs and 3) Chantelle briefs. I had frankly forgotten about my Natori Feathers since I’ve been wearing (almost exclusively) the True & Co seamless triangle bra. It is like wearing nothing at all — no underwire, super stretchy, does not show beneath garments. But I have to say that it doesn’t give the best silhouette and feels a bit school marm-ish? (Is that a term?) I’ve been wearing my Natori all week, since reading your answers, and it does put a bit more pep in my step and make me feel a bit more pulled together. It is the most comfortable underwire out there — not as comfortable as no underwire at all but you do get the support / silhouette / shape, so…! A few other undergarments I love that I suggest you consider: 1) Negative’s whipped boyshorts are the most divine underwear I’ve ever worn. Ultra-soft, no edges that cut in or dig in or anything, and sexy! They are, however, very spendy. I have one pair and I can’t wait for them to get out of the wash each time. Otherwise, like you, I’m a Hanky Panky devotee during the day and I like to wear these bikinis to bed. 2) If you are wearing anything form-fitting or semi-sheer / white, these inexpensive seamless nude underwear are the way to go. Sometimes even Hanky Pankies show through with their lace pattern. These, by contrast, are invisible. Sizing is very bizarre — I took a 5 but probably could take a 6, too. 3) I loathe and detest strapless bras and think they should all be burned. I wear these petal covers instead. However, people do say the Wacoal Red Carpet strapless bra is comfortable. 4) Final thought: I really love this Whipped bralette from Negative. So comfortable. Offers zero support/coverage, but I like when wearing beneath a loose fit dress/caftan at home. I also like these inexpensive bralettes from Amazon.
You can shop all of these undergarment picks in one place here.
+IN LIEU OF TRANSFORMATION: I loved this piece from writer Jess Janz. All about how we can find the luminous in the ordinary. And a little reminder for creatives: we don’t always need to stretch for grandeur. Oftentimes we find authentic beauty in detail, in routine.
+A FRESH LAUNCH: Alex Mill launched its April collection yesterday and the team invited me to pick an item. I chose these white overalls and am in love! Such a fun new piece to play with. I noticed they’re already selling out in select sizes, so jump if you love. I styled them a few ways this week — over a striped tee, beneath a cardigan, over a blouse. I like pairing them with unexpectedly polished pieces, like Chanel ballet flats, a little cardi. These run big – you can size down. I cut the hems for a raw edge because they run really long for us shorties. The collection includes some great capsule wardrobe basics for the season, like this breezy white blouse (tucked into jeans or skirt, underneath overalls!), this linen skirt (it’s giving Diane Lane in Italy vibes), and this chic rollneck cardi in the perfect Nancy Meyers oatmeal hue.
Below, styled my overalls with this Splendid x Cella Jane striped tee (quickly become one of my favorite tees — love the slightly longer sleeve length, the neutral stripe, and the quality of the tee), Gucci dad sandals, and my Watermill tote. I later threw this shrunken cashmere cardigan over top. Later in the week, I wore with this blouse (20% off with JEN20) and my VB Goody bag.
+ON BEING NICE VS. KIND: A new favorite Substack of mine: Monica Ainley de La Villardière’s Mon Review. She wrote a thoughtful and earnest piece this week about the difference between being nice and kind and noted that when you’re too nice, you will let people down in the end anyhow — for example, by backing out of something you should have said “no” to from the jump. By contrast, she notes: “Kind is thinking of others’ longterm interests without said interests necessarily gelling with your own. Kind is random acts when people don’t expect them.” I’ve been reflecting on her distinctions since. I also loved her quick culture study on Canadian niceness versus French — well, how do we put it? — honesty. (She’s a Canadian living in Paris.) I have felt this cultural friction myself. New York was much more straight-forward than the Midwest and certainly the South. New Yorkers will call it like it lays, and this was challenging for me until I understood that the bristling, direct energy was not pointed at me in particular, but rather the ambient mood of the town. I remember one New York mom “needling” me about where I sent my daughter to school and why — and I burst into tears in front of her! She was genuinely shocked, and rushed to comfort me, and I realized after that she hadn’t been “needling” but rather expressing genuine confusion about why I’d take a subway to get my daughter to Montessori each day when there were plenty of wonderful schools in our neighborhood.
+A GREAT SALE: Sephora’s tiered sale launched for VIB Rouge members yesterday. All my favorite picks here.
+THE ETERNAL STYLE OF A STRAW TOTE: How great is this carousel of chic outfits styled with straw totes? I was particularly arrested by the gray cashmere crewneck look! Recreate with this $50 sweater, this $100 tote, and these oval shades (I believe her exact pair).
What You Loved This Week…
+GIAMATTI FANGIRLS: A bit of (admiring!) chatter about Paul Giamatti and “The Holdovers” this movie nestled deep in the Icebreakers comments. This is now streaming for free on Peacock if you have that subscription! I loved the styling and aesthetics of this movie, and of course Giamatti is a national treasure. I found the narrative itself predictable, though still-heartwarming. A good Friday night popcorn by the fireplace pick.
+NEW EVERYDAY ELEGANT EARRINGS: So many of you bought these leverback diamond drop earrings. I love mine, too. I have been wearing them in lieu of my standard pearl studs since I received, and I feel like I’ve “grown up”!
+ALL BESTSELLERS:
DORSEY EARRINGS // MILLE SAFFRON DRESS // J. CREW RAW HEM DRESS // MILLE SHANGRI-LA DRESS // ELECTRIC & ROSE EASY PANT // GAP WHITE KICK FLARES // BARDOT FLORAL DRESS // KIDS CHORE CHARTS // COLORFUL COUPES // MISS MOUTH STAIN EATER // BEADBOARD DRYING RACKS // SEE BY CHLOE PLATFORMS (UNDER $200 NOW)