And slender list of what’s bringing me joy this week —
+Mango’s new arrivals are next level. I am dead over this wool coat in the perfect muted green, and love the way they’ve styled it with white denim and taupe loafers. But the knitwear is beyond beyond, serving up major Ulla-meets-Missoni vibes, and most of it $59. I currently have these three statements in my cart:
+This oversized, Bottega-inspired dumpling bag (seen at top of post) from the collection also turned my head, in no small part because of the showstopping model. I need her makeup situation — love the dramatic mascara with the pale pink lip. So good! (More great spring bags here.)
+OK, so did everyone know about the TV show “Ted Lasso” and just not say anything to me? Mr. Magpie and I were positively delighted by this series, in which Jason Sudeikis plays an underdog American football coach recruited to lead a British football (i.e., soccer) team. The show has so much heart and boasts countless wisdoms about good management and leadership. I cried, I laughed, I loved. Cannot wait for the next season.
+Picked up a new word while re-reading Dracula: saturnine. Saturnine: adj. (of a person or their manner) slow and gloomy. How do you keep tabs on new words? I write them down in my planner (more on that beloved but heavy daily tool here) and aim to trot them out within a week of acquisition. So, this is my lazy attempt to make good on that plan with regards to saturnine. I’ve been ISO an opportunity to use the words philological and epidemiology for weeks now to no avail, though the latter shouldn’t have escaped my purchase for so long given COVID. Any other word lovers out there? (P.S. Some words I hate here.)
+Related: my verdict about one third of the way through Dracula: interesting but probably best-suited to an academic context. I’m slowly making my way and can’t say I’m exactly atwitter with frisson when I pick it up, though certain elements of the text positively jump out at me on this re-reading. For one, I am keenly aware of Stoker’s representation of anxieties around miscegenation and racial/cultural “otherness” this go around. Still, I am anxious to get to Didion’s latest and my next thriller, Lisa Unger’s Confessions on the 7:45!
+Ordering tickets to attend this virtual reading and interview with Jhumpa Lahiri, a longtime favorite author of mine (permanently in my personal canon), who just published a new book, Whereabouts. Note that the ticket includes a copy of the book, which they will mail to you! I was able to listen to Madeline Miller (virtually) read from and talk about Circe last week, so this will be a big season for hearing directly from some of my favorite writers.
+Two movies we watched recently that I enjoyed purely from the standpoint of — I have missed BIG HOLLYWOOD FLICKS: “News of the World” starring Tom Hanks in peak patriarch mode (description: “five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas”) and “The High Note,” featuring a likeable Dakota Johnson and an absolutely electric, scene-stealing Tracee Ellis Ross (description: “Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis, a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer.”) I wouldn’t say either of these movies startled me in any profound way, but both were deliciously well-designed and well-cast with uplifting messages sorely needed at present. Solid four star territory. Perfect Friday night movies with a big bucket of popcorn. “Tenet,” on the other hand, we had to turn off. I found the premise absurd to the point of distracting (it’s an action film in which we are closing in on WWIII because bad actors have figured out how to reverse time) and prone to glossing over details in a transparently smoke-and-mirrors kind of way. Ha – guess it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
+What audiobook should I listen to next? (Some of my favorites in the past here.) I am looking for something on the lighter end of the spectrum.
+Going to test this Vitamin C Serum next, on the recommendation of a Magpie reader. Just finished my bottle of Vichy, which was fine but I did not care for the consistency (very runny). I do feel that adding a separate vitamin C serum makes my skin much, much brighter and is worth the extra step.
+We just started watching “Derry Girls” on the recommendation of a girlfriend. It’s a British sit-com in which a group of Irish girls navigate their teen years during the end of “The Troubles in Derry” (the North Ireland conflict). It can be Rabelaisian and flip (not sure this is a great show for you, mom), but we’ve laughed out loud!
+We occasionally turn on Selena Gomez’s HBO cooking show when we’re looking for something super lowkey and light, and a lot of the episodes are admittedly vapid, but I loved (!) the one with Jose Andres, whose zest for life and love of food is positively contagious. Pessimism always seems cooler until you cross paths with someone of such prodigious joy. Fun fact: we had our rehearsal dinner (eleven years ago…) at one of his restaurants in D.C.! We have loved him forever.
+Counting down the days until Hill House’s spring nap dress launch (slated for Feb 10th). I have positively lived in my tartan nap dresses from November through present, from the hours of 5 pm until bedtime. I often change out of my “day clothes,” refresh my makeup, and slip into one of these to mark the end of the work day. (More details on this routine here.)
+Westman Atelier just launched some super gorgeous new cheek stick shades. I want to try “Minette” (peach!) for spring.
+I have been dutifully keeping up with my manicures-at-home regimen using Essie’s Gel Couture, which really does last a full week (even with using my hands fairly heavily in cooking, cleaning, activities with children, etc). I love (!) their pre-show jitters color, which is the perfect white-pink. My Instagram friend Nan (her blog is excellent!) recently told me about Dazzle Dry and I have to say I am intrigued. Any other converts out there?
+A couple of recent shopping finds worth a mention:
THIS KIKA VARGAS TOP (!!!!)
BEGINNING TO THINK ABOUT MICRO’S WARM-WEATHER WARDROBE, AND EYEING SHORTS FROM RALPH, TBBC, CADETS, AND MINNOW — ALL STYLES THAT ARE A BIT MORE FITTED / SHORTER THAN TRADITIONAL STYLES CARRIED ELSEWHERE
MICRO WILL START IN A TWOS PROGRAM NEXT FALL (!!!) AND I LOVE THIS BACKPACK FOR HIM
VELVET. GUCCI. LOAFERS. ON. SALE. (APPLAUSE)
FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH LITTLE BITTY BABIES
I THINK MINI NEEDS THESE JAMMIES — SHE HAS SWAN BEDDING!!!
THIS STAUD DRESS IS MARKED DOWN TO $118 — AND IT’S MAJOR GRACE KELLY TERRITORY
P.S. The last installments of petite excitements here and here.
P.P.S. European pharmacy favorites.
P.P.P.S. All the best laundry gear.