26. July's 10 Hot Thoughts
My J.Crew x MNZ shopping hack, gardening updates, and a pastry worth the splurge.
This week, I had a lot of feelings. As such, I have about 10 abandoned drafts that I can’t seem to find the brain power to wrap up in a thoughtful way for you. While I let myself chew on those a little bit more, I wanted to offer something less latte and a more espresso shot. 10 short blurbs of shopping suggestions, reading recs, and a few musings spurred on by being home alone all day in the heat.
1. A MNZ x J.Crew Shopping hack: I was running errands on the Lower East Side last weekend and decided to pop into Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s store, a neighborhood haven for cool downtown girls. MNZ and J.Crew just launched a collab of sheer, floaty summer pieces and after striking out on J.Crew’s website, I am happy to report that lots of pieces were in stock at her store despite being wiped out on J.Crew’s end. This shiny little top is now mine! There’s a smattering left to shop online here, but my favorites were sold out the day the launch happened, so if you’re NYC based, take my lead and go in store, a better shopping experience IMO anyways.
2. The art of wedding guest dressing: I’ve been unlucky in my guest dress shopping this summer. I’ve had one Rosie Assoulin number returned to the Real Real because the dress didn’t fit, one Vestiaire-sourced Brock Collection dress that didn’t make it past quality inspection. In the end, I finally found success with this Cecilie Bahsen dress, made of light and breathable cotton, but the silhouette feels fancy.
I’ve seen articles suggesting guests should never wear red, but having worn it twice over the last year, I strongly disagree (unless the dress code explicitly states so, of course). Red is the color of love, people! If you want to wear red, might I suggest this Ref dress or this one on sale from High Sport. I still have 2 more weddings to shop for this year and top non-red contenders include this Paris Georgia dress, this one from Doen, and this one from Tove.
3. Let’s embrace gardencore: On Sunday I paid a visit to cottagecore mecca Salter House for the first time. The kitschy curation featured a few things that tempted me like CouCou intimates cotton undies (from my underwear deep dive) and these funky hemp gardening clogs. I don’t have a garden of my own in which to wear said clogs, but I’m working on keeping the potted plants on my porch alive. I planted them on one of summer’s hottest days a month ago and I’ve had mixed results, but look… a pepper!
4. I got a hobby: While I was at Salter House, I was probably most taken by the hand-painted pottery (like this twee terracotta plate) but at almost $900, there’s no way I’d bring that home. Luckily for me, I’ve spent the last 4 months taking a pottery class, and while I’m making nothing anywhere near as sell-able, I’m still proud of the funky crooked cups and bowls I’ve created. If nothing else, they’ll be a gift for family when the holidays arrive.
Over the past few years, I’ve embarked on a number of new endeavors; freelancing for one, but also tennis and pottery. I’ve found a lot of self-growth in accepting and overcoming the frustrations of being a beginner. As a bit of a perfectionist, I’ve tried to stop equating imperfection and failure — as I slowly see progress, I’m opening up to other areas where I’m quick to write myself off. When the metric of “success” is removed, it makes it a whole lot easier to just try stuff sans pressure.
5. For those busy nesting: Having traveled a lot this summer, when I’m home I’ve been in hermit mode, trying to recover, and do the small projects I’ve avoided for months. I’ve cleared out some of the seasonal dresses and sandals I realized I’m never going to wear, and rearranged the kitchen with a new island from Facebook marketplace. I finally bought pillows for my slightly uncomfortable couch from Toast — they’re a soft striped cotton and made in partnership with a fair trade collective in West Bengal. I highly recommend the brand’s home section for plates and linens too if you haven’t perused yet. I’ve also spent so much time waxing poetic about my Bed Threads linen sheets, my sister admitted to being influenced and buying a set in lilac.
6. Summer reading: I have a Good Reads goal of finishing 20 books this year and I’m dreadfully behind (I got stalled reading the 1000+ page cowboy epic Lonesome Dove). Since re-committing I finished works by two of my favorite writers. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, which dragged a little in the middle, but I love her colorful descriptions of life in Mexico and her vision of the day-to-day life of Frida Kahlo — plus the ending had a satisfying twist. Now, I’m onto This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan, which has me questioning my addiction to coffee. He’s uniquely talented at making the scientific feel more human. Next up, I plan to pick up Miranda July’s All Fours.
7. And also watching:
Do you also turn on Bravo in the background when you’re working from home? Something about the soft hum of people fighting keeps me perky like a cup of coffee might. When it’s not reality drama, I’m watching sports as a low-stakes fan, tuning into F1, the latest from Wimbledon, the Tour de France and most recently the Olympics while I do my busy work.
Summer is also the season for unserious media consumption — explosions! cheesy ‘80s outfits! Currently I’m leaning into the thrillers and action movies I usually avoid like the plague. I highly recommend watching the lightly campy Terminator 2, to enjoy Arnold cruising through Los Angeles on a motorcycle, Bad to the Bone playing in the background. Another first time watch was Jaws, which I finally decided to watch after visiting where it was filmed in Martha’s Vineyard. I found the ridiculous animatronic shark to be delightfully silly, and the building suspense of the iconic score had me cheering for each impending dramatic moment. Post-viewing I went immediately to the Shark Tracker website to see how things are looking this year.
Speaking of campy, After I was never able to score an off-Broadway ticket I finally caught Oh Mary! on a Saturday afternoon. I know it’s a little old school and silly, but I love dressing up for shows and enjoying a cocktail in the neighborhood afterwards. Cole Escola’s portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic cabaret singer is over-the-top in the best way, and I love a show where you can feel the electric energy from the audience reacting directly to the antics on stage.
8. Dressing for too-hot-to-care weather: While I wait all year for summer and the chance to enjoy time outdoors, I’ve hit the period where it’s so hot out that my creativity is a bit deflated — I’m simply trying to keep cool. I’m mostly spending my days in Adidas shorts and my white tank from Amo which is thick enough for me to comfortably wear outdoors sans bra. When it’s so hot, the less material the better. In high rotation: a vintage Benetton dress with cutouts that act like built-in AC, and a vintage Dior top that’s styled with my Marc by Marc Jacobs bowling bag that I’ve had since high school and On Cloudultra Sneakers.
9. For the fellow runners: On days when I can bear it, I’m running outside to slowly start training for a half marathon later this year (more on that in future editions). These temperatures call for only the lightest gear because even 10 minutes outside leave me unreasonably sweaty from the heat and humidity. Hence, I often run topless — sports bra only! I hate when my clothes feel sweat-logged and heavy, so I skip my usual oversized cotton tees. With leggings a no-go, these light Hoka shorts and these bike shorts from Nike are the two styles I reach for most often. I tend to head out around 5 or 6pm when it’s still bright this time of year, so I run most times in Oakley sunglasses, but I’m still looking for a good hat if anyone has suggestions.
10. Thoughts on snacks: We’ve reached the end of our sensory deep dive for the week. If anything, after traveling, I’m a little tired of eating out and I’m busy trying to invent recipes to help me churn through all the fresh veggies in my CSA. I’ve riffed on Alison Roman’s zucchini pasta salad a lot, throwing in kohlrabi and garlic scapes. I also just made a panzanella, a seasonal delight that allowed me to make the most of my stale bread and a plethora of beefsteak tomatoes.
With the price of iced coffees reaching absurd heights lately (I can’t seem to order a cold brew with almond milk for under $9 these days), I’m keen to make my morning coffee at home. I just got a Phillips BaristaBrew which takes me back to my days working in a coffee shop and makes the whole morning ritual feel indulgent. I’ve taken to going out on weekends to get a reasonably-priced pastry instead — Otway is my go-to local bakery. The soft and crusty house loaf and the Kouign Amann, with a crunchy sugary shell, are personal favorites. Recently, I finally made the pilgrimage to Radio Bakery for shakshuka focaccia and an earl gray morning bun which were both lightly indulgent, not too rich or sweet. I’m looking forward to going back and trying more.
Enough with the recommendations for now. Here’s a soothing image from my saved folder to send you on your way — stay hydrated!
This is the first time I’ve ever heard you shouldn’t wear red to a wedding! I’m thinking it must be a US thing maybe? I hope so because I’ve worn red to half the weddings I’ve been to! Fingers crossed I haven’t left a trail of disapproval in my wake…
What is the long sleeve red dress that you're wearing? I love it!