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I’m switching up the format for Weekend Vibes today. I felt like letting some new air in.
Listening: Kacey Musgraves’ “A Deeper Well” single. I can’t wait for the entire album to come out. The track titles are winningly evocative.
Reading: The Spanish Love Deception. I needed something light and frivolous, both in the wake of Tilly’s passing and after enduring an aching book hangover post Demon Copperhead. This was a romance rec from a trusted friend. It’s off to a slow start but I am grateful for the froth nonetheless.
Eating: We tried pita sandwiches from Yellow in Georgetown this week — they were delicious. (And they should be, at $18/pop!). Yellow is by the team behind D.C.’s beloved Albi. We will be back!
Shopping: I had the most special experience at Catbird’s new Georgetown location this week. The team invited me to select a few pieces from their beautiful, delicate jewelry line and I picked out a slender signet ring with a T for Tilly in the middle, plus two delicate diamond solitaire rings (this and this) to flank it, guided by the thoughtful staff. Fortuitous, that they’d invite me there this week, and help me find a way to honor Tilly. (Life rearranges itself.) Anyhow, if you’re local, the store is whimsically beautiful and I think their pieces are perfect for commemorating milestones, birthdays, achievements, etc. – think cute charms to send off with college graduates, and delicate rings to mark promotions. Their best in-store sellers are their “permanent bracelets,” which they sodder at the seams on site. The team told me they see lots of best friends, mothers and daughters, and even lovers come in to do this together. So sweet.
Online, I treated myself to one of the Ossa phone wristlets in a fruit pattern!
Watching: We tried watching “Upgraded” on Prime on Valentine’s Day and it was terrible. DNF! I love Marisa Tomei but the accent and bald miming of “Devil Wears Prada” workplace dynamics were not only inauthentic but inert. Hoping to redeem ourselves tonight by watching one of the romantic comedies you recommended here.
Reflecting On: “Metamorphosis is the naturally occurring consequence of paying attention.” – Arthur E. Smith
Inspired By: This chic look Sara Reilly wore to NYFW. I love everything, including her hair! Her ensemble is Tibi, and I keep thinking how avant garde Banana Republic is with some of its styles this season, including this one, which is Tibi-adjacent. (This denim maxi dress is also a ten for me — wowww. Perfect wash and minimalist styling.)
Weekend Musing: Yutori.
At the dawn of 2024, I set “stretch” as my intention for the year ahead. I wrote: “…Not in the sense of “straining to make things work” or “reaching for bigger goals,” but rather: sitting in the center of a room, sprawling out. Shaking out my limbs, leaning elastic, unfurling into the day. I think what I really mean is: making space.”
This week, I learned about the Japanese concept of yutori, or spaciousness. After discovering the concept from a Japanese student, the poet Naomi Shihab Nye described yutori as “leaving early enough to get somewhere so that you know you’re going to arrive early, so when you get there, you have time to look around. Or — and then [the student] gave all these different definitions of what yutori was to her. But one of them was: after you read a poem just knowing you can hold it, you can be in that space of the poem. And it can hold you in its space. And you don’t have to explain it. You don’t have to paraphrase it. You just hold it, and it allows you to see differently.”
I’m running a revision on my 2024 intention: yutori better captures what I’m after. Finding spaciousness in my everyday life, and all of its modalities. Sometimes this means turning off all sound and music and driving in silence. Often this means “rounding up” in terms of how much time I think a given task or errand will take, so that I can accomplish it without feeling pinched or frazzled, and actually bear witness to what I’m doing. Physically clearing spaces that feel cluttered in my house. Actively practicing self-compassion when I have said or done the wrong thing. Taking small breaks to step outside, perch on the floor, take a deep breath. Honoring multiplicity in my reading and thinking. Allowing myself to sit in irresolution, wide open with thought.
Weekend Buy: Goop 25% Off Code.
Goop is running 25% off its beauty and wellness products this weekend with code glowy. I must implore you to snap up their excellent Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator! I swear by this when I’m short on time. A two minute glow-up. It’s both a chemical and physical exfoliant and works like a charm. I also love their salt scrub for hair, especially in the summer months. Helps keep hair squeaky clean when you’re constantly sweating, swimming, applying spray sunscreen and bug repellent, etc.
Also had to sneak in two other great sale snags this weekend: 1) I just bought my son a few of these long-sleeved Lacoste polos, currently 50% off, and 2) my favorite facial cleanser is currently 20% off with code BIRTHDAY. It is creamy but exfoliating — I love it and miss it now that I’ve kicked my tube and moved on to other brands I’m testing. I am definitely buying myself one of these with the promotion.
This Week’s Bestsellers.
Far and away, the bestseller this week was this pair of J. Crew kick flare sweater pants, followed by my Donnis. Thoughts on how to style here, and I enjoyed Sarah Shapiro’s history and analysis on the style in her Substack here. A must-have for spring 2024!
01. ADIDAS SAMBAS // 02. GAP BELTED SHIRT // 03. DONNI RIB KNIT PANTS // 04. J. CREW SWEATER KICK FLARE PANTS // 05. J. CREW POINTELLE TEE // 06. ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS // 07. TARGET LAMP // 08. THROW PILLOW // 09. DORSEY CLEMENCE NECKLACE // 10. FRANK & EILEEN ASPEN SET // 11. T3 AIREBRUSH // 12. DOEN LEANNE DRESS // 13. TOWER28 MASCARA // 14. HALF PAST SEVEN LETTUCE LEAF VASE
P.S. “I don’t want anything to change.“
P.P.S. But also: nothing changes if nothing changes.
P.P.P.S. On taking risks in life.
I love that Catbird reached out with such serendipitous timing! I hope you were able to find some space to make it a healing, honorable moment. I can attest that permanent bracelets are lovely for marking milestones- I got my first one after losing my mother, and have three chains connected at one point as a tribute to my family – my mother, father, and myself as three beings, together as one unit of love. I’m eager to get another for a recent personal milestone.
Enjoy your rings, and I hope they bring warm memories of Tilly every time they catch your eye!
I love the way you honor your family with the jewelry, Jess – so beautiful and thoughtful and poetic. Thanks for the sweet wishes, too 🙂
xx
The hummus at Yellow is to die for! The creamy texture is unmatched – I think about it constantly. Also a huge fan of their cardamom cold brew with the coconut cream foam.
Oo this sounds divine. Need to go back just for the cold brew!