When you read this, I’ll be more than halfway to New York City, en route to my event at Ann Mashburn tonight! If you’re local, please join! I’ll be in conversation with my dear friend Alison of Homeworthy (we went to high school together), Landon will be pouring wine, and my friend Dana is going to be gifting coasters from her cool brand (the only coasters we use at home — you can wipe them clean!!)
But wanted to share a few great recent buys —
01. J. Crew is offering 30% off for anyone with a (free) loyalty account — and I used the promotion to order these bandana print pants I’ve been eyeing. So good with a statement denim jacket (I own and wear this season after season — a splurge but you’ll never need another denim jacket!; it looks great over dresses, jeans, tees, etc and I love the flattering cinch waist) and jellies!
Other sale items not to miss: their iconic balconette one-piece (I go up a size in this style — it’s GORGEOUS on) and this CHIC striped lady jacket, which has been a Magpie reader bestseller. Also a good time to stock up on kids’ summer basics, like these dock shorts (got them in the map print for Hill).
ULLA JOHNSON DENIM JACKET // BANDANA PANTS // TOTEME CLUTCH // BEST CREAM BRONZER // JELLIES
02. On Small Wonders‘ launch day, I celebrated by ordering two Julia Amory pieces I’d had in my cart for weeks: this eyelet Betty in the shell pink (so, so me — canonical Jen) and this patterned caftan. I never regret her caftans and I always think brown is an underrratedly chic color. I have several that I live in all summer long. Reminder that JEN-15 gets you 15% off there!
03. While in Charleston, I saw my friend Grace wearing these Miu Miu flats and ordered these similar Loefflers (seen above) in the pink color to get the look for less! I really debated the color. Love the green and red, too!
04. These striped pillows to replace the insanely expensive designer pillows our interior designer had custom made that we somehow destroyed (…) in our family room. A hard pill to swallow, but I guess signs of a well-loved space. These are much more practical, and I love the patterns! I got them while they were 20% off! Reminder: when buying inserts, go 2″ up from the size of the pillowcase. So if you get a 20″ pillow, get 22″ inserts. This will give the pillow a much happier, fuller look!
05. Victoria Beckham Foundation Drops. I just re-ordered. Can’t find them on sale anywhere (although if you are new to BM, you can use code WELCOME15 once) but I am, unfortunately, in a committed relationship with them. Sigh. They really are *that* good — your skin but better, and blend like a dream. I love these so much I contemplated getting them for my mom for Mother’s Day since I know she probably wouldn’t buy them for herself given the splurge price tag, but then color-matching is a challenge. While you’re there: BM has this cute Chantecaille trial/travel set trio. I absolutely love this brand and these three products in particular. My mom would love this…and the packaging! So luxe!
In other shopping news…
+On the launch front, Marea just released a fabulous eyelet capsule. I’m eyeing the shorts and top combo, availablei in white or navy! So polished with an oversized tote and the Loeffler sandals..
+Leset just released their Kyoto pants in the perfect juicy tomato color and I sort of wish I’d waited for those to come out! I love the yellow though. But red! So perfect with a blue and white stripe or a crisp white tee or a navy pullover! Ugh, just love a tomato red for summer. I just noticed you can get 10% off your first order there with code ALLSET. Toss in one of their flagship Margo tees in the new ringer combo or a solid. They’re a nice, heavy-weight, very matte (no sheen), boxy tee and they’re having a moment ever since Harry Styles wore them in his “American Girls” video (double layered).
+Ruggable is offering an end of season sale that includes my bedroom rug!
+Sail to Sable just launched a really cute capsule collection with Poupette St. Barths – I see this brand all the time at the pool at the summer! I love this blue cover up, which appears to be selling through quickly…
+Stunning evening dress new arrival at La Ligne. Swoooon. The butter yellow! The sheer overlay! The elegant but easy silhouette.
P.S. Great resource for planning family vacations.
P.P.S. Madewell has some great pieces this season.
P.P.P.S. Warm laundry thoughts.
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Hi Jen!
At some point, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you balance the “small wonders” perspective of appreciating what we have/the simple yet magical joys of life and the impulse to shop/follow trends/spend significant money on more than what is necessary. Do you feel inner conflict between the “Maine Woman” and the Magpie? I struggle with this personally so am eager to hear your thoughts!
Co-signing this request for your thoughts! I love to shop but feel an increasing tension between wanting more (bc something is available and pretty) and feeling gratitude for what I have (including a beautiful environment to look out for and appreciate). I guess I’m trying to say: it doesn’t feel like what Mary Oliver would do. Curious if you ever feel similarly burdened and, if so, how you grapple with those feelings?
I’m also interested in hearing your thoughts on this subject. Personally, I follow very few creators because of the never ending consumption mindset most seem to have. No one needs to buy clothing on a daily or weekly basis. It’s incredibly wasteful.
On a different note, I’m bummed I wasn’t able to make it to your NYC event last night! I plan to check out my local bookstore this weekend to see if they have Small Wonders.
Lauren! Thanks for chiming in here! Per my note above, I think there is friction here and a lot of us will land in different places. I’m sorry to have missed you in NYC too but thank you so much for reading along! I hope you can find a copy at your bookstore! If not, they can probably order it for you 🙂 xx
+1 to this convo! I have been wrestling with these topics as well, and wrote about it in a comment in one of Jen’s older blog posts (https://magpiebyjenshoop.com/valentines-day-2026/) in which I brought up some not-so-recent tragedies in the Global South related to our overconsumption (the collapse of the clothing factory in Bangladesh, the fire in the second-hand clothing factory in Accra, Ghana). I love the style inspiration Jen offers here (not to mention her lovely writing, most importantly) and keep coming back, but I have also been struggling with this. You are not alone, Heather!
I read somewhere that on average, most people wear 10% of their clothes 90% of the time, and it really provoked some thinking on my personal habits. For me, I find that there are times when I really need to abstain from the “shopping stimuli” — that is, taking breaks from Instagram and other sources that provoke those “I want xyz” feelings. It really is SO easy to be influenced, unfortunately (for me, at least), and I realized that I need to set those guardrails for myself because the truth is, I love to shop and I love pretty things! So I might see something I like and then remind myself to wait for, say 72 hours or more, before clicking “order”. Or I take a step back and go through the “HALT” questions (Am I hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) as I do when I feel triggered as a parent, to get to the bottom of my true needs or unmet needs. Or I go to my currently already full closet, which is an effective visual for me. Verbal affirmations such as “I have enough” and “I AM enough” help me as well.
Admittedly, I think part of the challenge is the ease of shopping online. The transaction feels a lot more tangible in person (especially back in the days of paying cash), and that forced us to re-think our decisions. Another guardrail I do is unsubscribing from as many marketing emails as I can, and not saving my credit card information on retailer’s sites to add as much friction as possible to an otherwise painless, effort-free shopping experience.
These are more “strategic” for me that don’t necessarily get at the heart of the philosophical/ethical/environmental issues but without having a full reconciliation to those in my own head, I try to enforce some of these personal logistics. But given a warming planet and increasing economic inequity not just domestically but globally, it behooves me to think about and rein in my consumption.
Also, just in case you worry that not sharing new new new would be boring for your readers, I actually would be much more interested in how you get creative with your existing closet rather than how it grows. It sounds like all of us would like that inspiration! 🙂
Hi Heather et al! Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. There is friction to look at here — I’ve chased similar trains of thought. For me, I consider the curating and editing of fashion finds a core part of what I do here on the blog. I know many readers have told me they’ve “come for the fashion and stayed for the writing,” and I think there’s space for both/all/everything. I love the idea of self-expression through clothing, and I love to chase down, spotlight, and forecast different brands and trends — this is a creative pursuit for me, and it enables me to be a working writer, too. xx