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I am always intrigued to look at which posts were the most-visited each month. I was surprised that last month’s “On My Radar” earned the most views, so I thought I’d bring it back for the present steamy midsummer month of July.
BOOT // HAT // CHERRY CLIP // DRESS // SKIRT // BOTTEGA-INSPIRED BAG
01. While in Aspen, my mother and I wandered through some of the fabulous boutiques in town (it sounds like a lot of you are headed there / are curious about Aspen and will do a roundup of all our favorite haunts, activities, etc soon), and we were both transfixed by the bags at Bottega Veneta seen above (top, bottom). The handles are like jewelry! I probably stared at that little red bag for a good three minutes before a salesclerk began to hover and I moved on. I haven’t invested in a designer handbag in awhile, and I know it’s not a practical buy, but Lord did I love it! Would be so chic with a simple slip dress. I also saw several of these crossbody bags worn out and about in Aspen, and one of the fellow patrons in the boutique was eyeing this metallic one, which the salesclerk was going crazy over. (“The metallic! The metallic is so fabulous!”). Lucky for us, there’s an Amazon look-for-less for $50, which, when worn with a classic white linen set ($50 off with ESCAPE) or simple dress, could pass for the real deal. I also really like the new “Bang Bang” crossbody style — a twist on the loop bag.
02. I absolutely devoured all of your scent suggestions in the comments here (“the scent enclave” contingency of the Magpie community is thriving!) and went into the Cos Bar in Aspen to see if I could track any of the recs down. While there, I stumbled upon this scent from new-to-me perfume brand Ex Nihilo and fell in love! I sprayed it on myself to test for a full day of wear and then ordered when I got home. Description: “LUST IN PARADISE embodies a dreamlike and sensual French Riviera. Chosen from a botanical garden, a bright white Peony mingles with Pink Pepper and captivates the senses to the core.” This will be my new summer scent, and will always remind me of Aspen — even though it’s not a very “Aspen” scent. (BTW, I rounded up several of the most upvoted perfumes from the Magpie Scent Enclave here.)
03. I also stopped into Miron Crosby’s beautiful boot boutique in Aspen. I don’t know that I’m an on-the-nose cowboy boot wearer (will wear “riffs” on the theme with Isabel Marant, which feel a bit more urban — this pair on sale as a part of Tuckernuck’s sale on sale!), but those boots were spectacular. Aspen style is interesting. A lot of active wear (as our rafting guide put it, “if you don’t love the outdoors, Aspen is a hard place to be”), some cowboy cosplay (?), and then a mix of high end designer bags and easy dresses. If you’re into the cowgirl vibe, Miron Crosby is THE place for gorgeous boots, and select styles are 20% off as a part of their seven year anniversary. Their kids offerings were beyond.
04. While at Miron Crosby, I noticed the salesclerk was wearing this fun cherry clip in her hair with a white dress and Miron boots — playful but chic. I have been wanting to add some statement claws to my arsenal now that my hair is longer. You can get the look for less with these or this. I also just received this large red claw that I’ve been wearing nonstop! Another haircare must-have: these ties. Great for running/active life and the only thing that actually keeps my daughter’s thick hair in place.
05. I did a bit of online shopping while away, too, adding this sweater and this dress from La Ligne to my closet. I can’t stop with La Ligne! Everything they make is compulsively wearable, remixable, and beautifully made. I packed only one sweater for the trip that somehow went perfectly with everything from my linen pants to my jean shorts to thrown around my shoulders with this eyelet dress, and it was, of course, La Ligne. I also wore this striped slip skirt (again La Ligne) for my shopping outing with my mom and it was comfortable-easy-chic. If you like the vibe, you might like this $110 dress — MAJOR La Ligne vibes for about 1/3-1/4th of the price of a La Ligne dress.
06. Mentioned this yesterday, but I caved and ordered the Jenni Kayne lifeguard hat (look for less here). I’ve been seeing this and variations thereof all over the place this summer.
07. I also caved and ordered the LR jellies! I kept coming back to the jelly trend and wanting those Mara ones from The Row (which I believe are now sold out again; look for less here) but couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger, so I went with these LRs — classic shape with the fun rhinestone embellishment. I like the idea of pairing mine with a simple dress like this.
08. These Negative bras in this and this shape are the only thing I’ve been wearing this summer. Divine. Breathable, comfortable, dreamy, and come in fun colors. I also cannot stop wearing these lounge pants. Run a tad small – if between sizes, go up.
09. A random discovery while on vacation: a lot of Aspenites were using these cool folding chairs to watch the Fourth of July parade. I imagine they work well for outdoor concerts, camping/hiking/picnicking, and general outdoor life. Note how small they fold up to! You could throw one in your suitcase / backpack with no trouble.
10. One of my favorite things I wore on the trip was this Veronica Beard dress, which I previously described as “the perfect country club dress.” It is ultra-flattering on and has a fabulous, interesting neckline. I also love this similar navy striped dress they just released. Classic but without feeling stodgy. A perfect dress for meeting the parents, cocktail party that might skew more traditional / formal, any place you want to feel tailored vs boho.
11. I’m going to do a full post on some of the travel beauty finds I enjoyed, but I was so glad I packed this lip remedy and this multi-moisture mask to cope with the ultra-dry mountain air. The air is so thin up there (at some points of the trip, we were at 13,000 ft!) They were total skin-savers.
12. Last but not least, I followed your lead and ordered this perfect denim dress. I couldn’t not! This will look fab with leather sandals and a big tote.
P.S. How do you spend time alone?
P.P.S. The best biscuit recipe.
P.P.P.S. Interesting to revisit your intention for the summer now that we’re midway through. How are you doing?
«Ça roule » remains my guiding principle! Trying not to control too much and letting things ride (my husband calls this “summer rules”) has meant some 11 pm bedtimes, but also nights out drinking margaritas while our kids watch a guitar player, truly stress-free potty training, and coming home from the playground after the streetlights come on, covered in chalk. I’m naturally someone who wants control, and the book Autonomy Supportive Parenting has been really helpful not just in providing opportunities for my kids, but in identifying moments where I get very rigid and controlling and managing my overwhelm before it happens. Main takeaway was to be kinder to myself so I wouldn’t be too hard on our kids. Our house is both cleaner and filthier than ever (on alternating days), my 7 month old daughter is climbing on the back of the couch, sticking her whole arm in the recycling bin, and stealing her brother’s Magnum bars; I’ve found what could be the summer of grey hairs is instead the summer of laugh lines. We’re all covered in the juice of ripe peaches and a little bit of sand about 90% of the time.
I’ve been rolling out with the Negative bralette with the white piping under an unbuttoned short sleeve button down (if it gets me from home in PJsd to apero hour faster), not letting stubbly legs keep me from wearing shorts, and swiping blush over the bridge of my nose, using it as eye shadow, and generally embracing slightly feral, sloppy, and sunscreen-sticky over perfection. I have a giant sun visor and a bag full of snacks and some days the baby is in pajamas all day.
https://www.romper.com/parenting/feral-mom-summer-is-the-only-way-youre-going-to-make-it
Today’s plan is the museum with my toddler boy and his best friend (no baby sister!) and he’s going to pick his own snack from the vending machine.
I keep an In Search Of list of my own (useful when Prime Day or other sales roll around) and right now I’m looking ahead to my kids’ shared room I’ll be redoing in November, considering the Ninja Foodi air fryer as my husband’s birthday gift (any Magpies have strong feelings about it?), looking for a sale on the Eufy mopping robot vacuum, thinking about the Boox Palma eReader after my FOURTH kindle in three months completely failed, and trying to justify that gorgeous Veronica Beard vest of yours even though I have a sloppy baby eating on my lap in every restaurant outing. This week I’ve bought another pair of EyeBuyDirect glasses, new clothes for both kids as they get bigger, a replacement for an empty Fenty Brow MVP, and this gorgeous custom crib sheet: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1611276015/
Love the “feral mom” vibe – I’ve embraced that in my own ways, most narrowly letting my daughter brush and tie her own hair (per her request!). It looks half-done all the time, but she’s so proud of herself, and it’s the right thing to do. Also love your mention of swiping blush over the bridge of your nose. Have you heard about the “sunburned makeup” trend? Sounds horrible, of course, to emulate skin damage, and I much prefer the “strawberry milk” branding of the same makeup vibe, but the idea is a bright wash of poppy red on cheeks, lips, nose for a flushed, peak-summer look. I’m into it!
xx
Please share details on Aspen, I’m headed there in August. Also, I saw dupes for the BV handle bag at Anthropologie, not woven but identical gold handles!
!! Thanks for the tip!! Will share my Aspen guide next week! xx
Oh my! I loved ALL of these. So, so fun. Enjoyable blog for my breakfast post.
Thank you.
I love the Western look and always embrace it full throttle whenever we go West. Hat, boots, lots of turquoise jewelry, anything! I love it all, I guess because it is so very different from my conservative Southern everyday wear.
Love the idea of dressing for vacation / venue – so fun!!
Glad you enjoyed!
xx