everyday art
Tuesday, May 5
I’m not usually one to judge red carpet events but the Met Gala is almost designed for exactly that. The theme this year centered on the body as canvas—structure, form, the idea of clothing shaping and framing the body. Plenty of room for interpretation. And yet so many landed in the same place: naked dressing. Kim, Kylie, Kendall, Hailey, Lauren, etc…turned up in variations of corseted/sculpted silhouettes. Not surprising, I guess, but still a bit of a letdown, considering the opportunity to do something truly original. Which is why I want to call attention to everyday dressing here, because the goal isn’t spectacle, but rather small, interesting choices to take it out of the ordinary. A detail, a proportion, something that yields personality. Some ideas to scroll through: Christopher Esber’s asymmetric halter top, Essential Antwerp’s embellished scarf top and collared shirt (looks very Miu Miu), my floral print Paige jeans (currently on repeat), the blue back-baring Aflalo mini dress, Norma Kamali’s lace romper, Marlies Grace’s halter top, Mansur Gavriel’s (on-sale) leather tote bag, Rag & Bone’s grommet studded dress, and Blanca Miro’s above fringed Mango skirt (I’m a proud owner of it too)!
heatwave on the horizon
Tuesday, May 5
Summer beach uniform officially covered. Love it in orange too!
closet keepers
Monday, May 4
ICYMI, yesterday’s Substack dabbled in the art of not dying (light reading!), which feels ambitious for a Monday morning. More immediately useful: clothes that stand the test of time—easy, enduring pieces that will help us thrive this summer without trying too hard. And there’s no time like the present to act: Shopbop’s 40% off sale is on for just three days, rife with closet lifers like the red jacket, below, the below striped blouse ($70!), these forever jeans, this Alemais mini dress, and this Anine Bing jacket, and this Shop it all here!
walking on sunshine
Monday, May 4
My red pair caused drama last summer: attempted theft by my sister, raving compliments. These are next!
bag-bundance
Friday, May 1
I seem to have reached peak handbag abundance: three new options are currently perched on an ottoman in my closet, each convinced it deserves its inaugural outing today. And that’s before even considering the others still calling me from the open tabs in my browser P.S. The tote I posted earlier this week and bought is now sold out, so perhaps I am not the only one bingeing on bags around here. Might as well share the surplus! Here are some more summer contenders (for every whim) to consider, most of them well under $500: the Guanabana macrame, immediately, below, the woven leather Vipera, the Bobo Choses canvas bucket, the gold framed Marc Jacobs (en route in port, but comes in black too), the beaded Asos bucket bag, the cotton embroidered tote, the navy/red Mulberry clutch, the blue-on-blue Zara, the striped crochet Miu Miu, the button-trimmed natural fiber Mango, the large top handle Gucci tote (or the black buckled Borsetto, above), and the Ann Taylor pearl raffia clutch.
stripes and plumes
Friday, May 1
Stripes and feathers? Why not!
- Dorothee Schumacher striped t-shirt
- Loewe skirt
- Ralph Lauren sunglasses
- Ian Charms bracelet
- Hermes Nail Polish in Brun Helios
- Ancient Greek Sandals jelly flip flops
see and be seen
Thursday, April 30
It’s volleyball playoff season—for me, a big (and super emotional) indicator that one season is ending and another is about to begin. Everything starts to feel roller coaster-y in a way that only happens this time of year. And then there are the smaller signs. Different yet telling details, repeating enough times that I begin to trust them. A sweater tied around the waist. A completely unbuttoned top. An out-of-the-blue green shoe, (perhaps now a mainstay, especially after Chanel Resort 2027 show earlier this week, so I now have these). The bag clutched by one handle (below), not both. And shorts—suddenly everywhere, but not in the way they’ve been before. The surfer short, the bloomers, the military, the ubiquitous Bermuda, the vintage-looking-meets-sporty-leaning. And it’s about how they’re being worn: with a sweater, a sateen button-down, a small heel. Slightly elevated, slightly offhand. Plus: the anchoring tank top, the floral brooch to pin on everything from a t-shirt to a trench, the statement scarf that does the heavy lifting. These are the little adjustments. The things you almost miss—until suddenly you don’t. And now, like me, you can’t unsee them!
cover me up
Thursday, April 30
There are the things we try to fix ourselves—drink more water, get more sleep, finally book the personal trainer—and then there are the things we leave to our friends. The ones who show up with better perspective. The ones who say, here, try this, and suddenly the problem softens around the edges. Enter my friend, founder Gregg Renfrew, who—like any good friend—went ahead and solved something I have long struggled to fix myself. Her latest invention for Counter Beauty, the Skin Twin Concealer (in Tan 2, for me), feels less like makeup and more like another supportive friend in the mix. It just gets in there and does the hard work—blurring the sun spots that I spend more time than I’d like resenting and evening things out in a way that feels less like concealing and more like full-on covering up. Which is to say, it’s miraculously effective. A small victory, yes. But one that, somehow, feels a lot bigger.
bead to it
Wednesday, April 29
All signs are pointing to a long beaded necklace summer. Not subtle. Not short. Slightly in the way? Even better. Love this one especially. Add a ($150) beaded bag while you’re at it—fits nothing, completes everything. Now you could pretend you’re going to style this responsibly. Or—you could lean in. A cool t-shirt, below. Maybe two chic t-shirts?? Layered for absolutely no reason except it feels right. Then a printastic Stella Jean skirt that refuses to match anything politely. More color (hello, turquoise mesh Madewell Mary Janes). Then more. Crochet enters the chat, obviously. Wait, this is actually a “just one more thing” summer. One more strand, one more texture, one more questionable but correct decision. Which brings me to the enabling portion of this message: Everyone is, in fact, shopping for summer—and if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it strategically. Remember when I told you about CAKE?? It’s a members-only shopping club with a $100 entry fee that pays for itself almost immediately with exclusive and very steep discounts on current pieces by brands like Staud, Sea, Ciao Lucia, Kirna Zabete, Sold Out NYC, Hill House Home, Adina Reyter (Mother’s Day 20% off sale ends tomorrow!), etc. Use my link to access! Anyway. The beads are getting longer. Your cart might as well follow.
