Q: Daughter’s first birthday outfits — for me and her.
A: Happy birthday to her! I love a birthday-themed outfit — this bubble from TBBC would be absolutely perfect. Proper Peony also has some precious birthday embroidery pieces that I’ve purchased for mini over the years. If those are too on-the-nose, a timeless smocked Luli and Me outfit like this (on sale!) would be up my alley. Don’t forget the baby birthday hat!
For you: I like something fun and festive (you survived a year of parenthood!) like this Mille mini, this SWF, this Celia B, or this head-to-toe Boden moment.
Q: Matching sets. Bright, mod like mango!
A: Chic! A few fun finds…
JULIET DUNN SHORTS AND TOP (ON SALE!!)
MAAJI SHORTS AND TOP (J’ADORE, ESP OVER A SWIMSUIT)
FAITHFULL SKIRT AND TOP DUO
STRIPED BOXER STYLE SET (UPGRADE PICK: AYR!)
SPLURGE: ROSIE ASSOULIN SKIRT AND TOP
Q: An oversized wallet — think long.
A: Gucci or Bottega for investment pieces, Cuyana or Clare Vivier for something mid-range (get the C.V. hand painted with your initials!), Neely and Chloe for something more affordable.
Q: Bathing suits that fit humans.
A: !! I so relate to this because I have been loving all the splashy styles from high end designers (thinking specifically of Agua Bendita — I recently bought this) but am puzzled by the fit — I don’t know many women who want a high leg hole and minimum rear coverage. I end up feeling like I need to cover up on the bottom with A.B. in particular. Which is fine if I’m just sunbathing or sitting poolside, but for function? I do stand by Solid and Striped, which I’ve mentioned thousands of times on this blog. I find their styles are flattering but functional, especially their Anne-Marie, and they have a huge sale section ATM. I also find Marysia’s Venice style is very flattering – I like that the bottom provides a lot of coverage and I find the material has a lot of give/stretch (unlike their pique styles). A few other brands that many Magpies swear by from a flattering fit standpoint:
SUMMERSALT – ESPECIALLY THE SIDESTROKE
HUNZA G – OSFA!
HERMOZA (I THINK OPRAH LOVES THIS BRAND?)
I also was chatting with a chic pea at the pool the other day who was wearing this striped Melissa Odabash swimsuit — very flattering and full coverage — and she was raving about the brand, saying that she finds the suits demure and very comfortable, especially while chasing children around!
Q: Dress to wear to my sibling’s wedding ceremony next month.
A: Aw! So special. A few great dresses at different price points and covering different levels of formality:
THIS SACHIN AND BABI REMINDS ME OF MARKARIAN
THIS DISCOUNTED MILLY (!)
Q: Something for myself in the $500-$600 range to celebrate work milestones. Something classic, not clothes or shoes.
A: My first thought was a great wallet. I shared some continental style ones above, but for smaller, you might consider a card wallet or card case. Another thought: an Hermes scarf! You will treasure it forever. I also love the idea of one of these leather Hermes bracelets or a pair of Tiffany earrings.
Q: A carry-on backpack.
A: I love my MZ Wallace for travel with my children and would easily use for myself if I needed the extra carry-on space. But if I were looking more for something fashion-forward, I love the look of the Paravel one. Alternately, the Dagne Dover ones come in some really fun colors like this tangerine, which would be so chic paired with an all black travel outfit (I’m envisioning head-to-toe Jenni Kayne loungewear) or patterned HHH nap dress (<<my preferred travel day outfit). I also noticed that travel brand Beis has a simple and functional backpack that is a part of the Nordstrom anniversary sale. For an investment — Gucci!
Q: A crochet midi skirt.
A: This Milly, this Ba&sh, or this Everlane!
Q: Dress to wear to my sister’s summer rehearsal dinner.
A: Enjoy yourself! I would say this Agua Bendita, this Derek Lam, this unexpected Matteau (with pearls! are you kidding me?!), or this Maria del Orden.
Q: Early October black tie wedding in NOLA.
A: I can’t unsee this Emilia Wickstead. Wow. This Aje is also loud and on-trend, this Staud is gorgeous, this citrus one is spectacular, and I love the demure simplicity of this La Ligne. If it’s more of a gown situation, I love this Sau Lee or this one, or this aforementioned black column dress. Have fun!
Q: A dress for me for family photos. In the blue family.
A: I love this Naya Rea — the pattern reminds me of D. Porthault bedding in the best way. This Anthro dress always gets rave reviews from Magpies — flattering, comfortable, and I love the blue print. I’ve personally been contemplating buying one of Sue Sartor’s dresses recently — j’adore! — and this long shirtdress style could be flattering and interesting to mix with other prints, as would this Rosie Assoulin. On the less expensive side: this Zara or this HHH dress in the pond floral!
Q: A gingham one-piece swimsuit.
A: Love the ones from Ephemera (I own this suit in a different pattern!), but this Shoshanna is adorable, too, and you know how I feel about the brand Solid and Striped!
On the swimsuit question — I so agree with this! So many of the recent and current designs are so cheeky on the bottom or cut so weirdly on the sides (side boob anyone?) and seem like they were really just designed for lounging poolside/beachside rather than actual swimming.
I wear mostly long-sleeve zip-up one pieces nowadays, but prior to that I always relied on J.Crew swimsuits for the combination of style, real-life practicality, and reasonable pricing that I wouldn’t feel too bad if the fabric got snagged or something.
Jen, not a shopping question but a food question — I’d love to hear if you or Mr. Magpie have ideas for heat-wave-friendly meals that require minimal cooking. We’ve cycled through a few versions of panzanella (one with tomatoes, another with stone fruit), couscous/other grain salads, lentil salads, vinegary potato salad (I still follow the recipe you posted here a long time ago!) etc. We’ve also been rotating through dips like baba ghanoush, muhammara, savory yogurt-based dips, and such. I will say I’m not much of a gazpacho/chilled soup person (they just don’t seem filling/satisfying enough for some reason) but I’m willing to branch out to that too. Thank you so much!
P.S. We eat vegetarian meals most days, but do eat chicken and seafood occasionally.
Hi Mia! Sadly I’m coming up short on meals that require minimal cooking beyond salads. Have you tried “The Kale Salad That Started It All” from Six Seasons? It’s reprinted here —
http://www.theotherbrothercompany.com/the-kale-salad-that-started-it-all
We eat this fairly frequently at home, especially for lunch. It’s a classic kale caesar but something about it (the bread crumbs?) takes it to the next level. Very garlicky in the best way. The breadcrumbs have to be homemade! It makes the dish.
I’ll keep thinking…
xx
Oooh you had me at garlic 😉 Thank you for sharing this link, Jen!
Do you have the Six Seasons cookbook? How are you liking it?
Yay! We do have it, and Mr. Magpie likes a lot of the recipes. Definitely suggest — it’s a great reference for us in our cookbook library.
xx
Jen, I had to come back here and say that I made the kale salad recently and — WOW! I never thought I would say this about kale salad as I used to always prefer my kale really (really) cooked, like in a braise. Even my husband who is decidedly not a raw kale salad kind of person ate a decent portion. I did up the garlic from a half clove to a full clove, and massaged the kale really well with a bit of olive oil, salt, and lemon juice to really soften up the fibrous texture before I added the dressing. Oh and I added lemon zest as well. And yes, the homemade breadcrumbs, yum! I love the uneven bits and pieces that really add texture. I like it as a topping for pasta too.
Funnily enough, today this landed on my inbox from the NYT Cooking: “Cooling Salads for Hot Days.” There was a link to a radicchio Caesar that I’d like to try: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023292-radicchio-caesar-salad
Thank you again for sharing the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Ooo I am SO glad! I want to try that radicchio — Landon recently made a radicchio salad with a homemade ranch dressing to serve alongside hot breaded chicken and the combo of spicy / salty / fatty from the chicken against the bitterness of the lettuce and the tangy, herbacious coolness of the dressing was DIVINE.
Love the idea of an Hermes scarf, thanks!
Of course! Congrats on the milestone!
Thanks for the bathing suit recs! A good friend of mine just launched an amazing swimwear line for women our age/mothers who want to feel beautiful but not overexposed! She used to be the head designer at Kate Spade, Milly and Shoshanna! Website is http://www.shopchangeofscenery.com I can run on the beach now with my kids and not feel like I’m indecent 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing, Jillian! xx
I have a great longer wallet from Ann Mashburn that is truly perfect—plus it’s just wide enough to carry my vaccination card, a huge bonus!
OO great tip! Wouldn’t have thought of SM! xx