My Latest Snag: My Rotate Floral Maxi Dress.
I have had decision paralysis trying to figure out what to wear for Thanksgiving and a couple of other upcoming events. I think I am actually going to wear trousers (!) to one event — more on that in a future post — but I needed a dress to wear to a few dinners out. I had been eyeing this Rotate dress, seen above, for weeks (ahem) and finally pulled the trigger. I plan on wearing it with either my suede OTKs or ankle booties (<<mine are almost identical to these).
You’re Sooooo Popular: The Floral Blouse.
The most popular items on the blog this past week:
+This black watch tartan dress (would work with bump!)
+These darling Christmas jammies.
+My beloved, cherished vacuum.
+Mittens for your mini or micro.
+A chic embellished sweater at a great price.
#Turbothot: Virtue Signaling in the Digital Age.
The NYC Marathon was last weekend and Mr. Magpie commented that he had seen commuters wearing their marathon medals on the Subway even multiple days after the race. We mused over this behavior for a spell. As non-runners (or at least non-marathoners), we have no claim to understand what goes into training for or completing such an athletic feat. All I know is that it is an immense physical and mental challenge and an incredible lifetime achievement, and though it is not one I aspire to tick off my personal bucket list, I have several close friends and family members who participate in them (including my own father, who has run dozens of marathons in his lifetime) and I therefore deeply respect their efforts. Still, we thought the medal-wearing a week after the fact a bit…strange?
But then — was it?
Scrolling through social media can occasionally feel like observing a string of self-congratulations. “We bought a house!” “I voted!” “I donated to this cause — please do the same!” “Look at my cool outfit!” “I’m in the Bahamas!” “I successfully made this complicated Thomas Keller dish!*”
Most of the time, I look on with bemusement or excitement or envy or encouragement. On my snarkier days, I tire of it, as some of the posts read like virtue-signaling or self-adulation. But that’s our generation for you: bleeding hearts that need to be seen bleeding. A desire for acknowledgement. A cultivated sense that we are all special snowflakes. (And lest you think I am tossing a stone from a glass house, I will be the first to admit that I share this mentality.) At any rate, as we chatted, we realized that the medal-wearing on the subway was an analog example of a behavior primarily and prolifically carried out on digital platforms every single day. It is simply easier and more accepted to tout our own accomplishments via post to Instagram or Facebook, and certain functionalities make that self-promotion ultra-easy: “Share on Twitter!” and “Invite 10 friends to do the same!” and “Post to Facebook!” The job is three-quarters of the way done! It would be so easy to just let everyone know…
Maybe I have this backwards, or maybe I’m being ill-tempered. Maybe these modalities (even the physical object of a medal!) afford us the means to celebrate people and their victories in our own communities, serving as visual cues to support the people around us.
What say you, Magpies?
*Well, this would elicit genuine reverence in my book.
Post-Scripts: St. Frank Sale!
+25% off everything at St. Frank through Monday! I both own and have gifted their alpaca throws (so fun with a saying beaded on the side!), but their framed textiles are ultra-covetable! (I included them in my roundup of my favorite sources for artwork for the home — please also read the comments on that post, as there are tons of other incredible ideas shared there.)
+A good everyday boot at a GREAT sale price. I’d layer this under my new snakeskin maxi in the black or nude.
+My favorite source for Boppy covers. They have the greatest fabrics!
+I think I need this letterpress Chesapeake Bay print.
+Love these patterned mittens in the black and white for myself.
+Such a cute quilted coat for a little one.
+Love these $10 striped Christmas jammies! Meanwhile these remind me of SZ Blockprints!
+Ordering some of these for mini.
+Read good things about this chic and inexpensive puffer coat — though do note that it runs really, really, really small and that apparently the company who makes them is hard to work with.