issue #79: weekly recap

the days are long and the years are short, right?

1. The Proenza boys are officially going to Loewe and I think it’s great! I’ve always been a fan of theirs, and I think they do justice to the DNA of Loewe and Jonathan Anderson’s tenure there, as well as bring something new to the table. Plus, I love to see American designers elevated internationally, although one of these days I hope it a woman (any woman), you know?

   

   cute patooties, right?

2. Sogole Kane
   wrote recently about this trend of buying stuff to sell it, and everyone should read it. I am a huge reseller, and I also buy a lot from resale sites, but she’s right - when did we rely on the ability to resell to inform not just our purchasing decisions but also how we wear our clothes. I am a big believer in things meant to be worn and used, and although the resale market is great, and the ability to make a quick buck here and there (which is one of the main reasons I do it, along with living in NYC and having a tiny ass closet that needs to be weeded on occasion and a changing postpartum body I still haven’t adapted to fully that requires more frequent shopping and purging than I would like) is handy as well, it also seems to me that maybe the ability to resell is encouraging us to buy and shop outside our means? Like, if we can’t really afford that new Toteme bag, but assume we’ll make at least some of our money back, are we being financially responsible in that decision making? I would think not. And, although I can’t predict the future, I do think this resale bubble is going to burst eventually, or at least diminish.

3. I recently caught up with an old friend from college who was passing through town (hi, Jess!), and she mentioned that she was making embroidered tea towels for friends and family for Christmas, and now I want to make embroidered tea towels for friends and family for Christmas. Do I know how to embroider? No. Will I still attempt it? Yes. I think this is where Etsy comes in handy, as in my internet deep dive search for a kit to make this easy on me, I found this pattern and, well, I am obsessed. If you’re reading this and usually get a gift from me pretend you never saw this.

   

4. I made these over the weekend and they were excellent, although doing so with my toddler strapped to my hip added at least 40 minutes of cook time. And then she realized they were muffins and I wasn’t going to let her eat all of them and had a two hour meltdown, one of our first ever temper tantrums! It was unpleasant, yet somehow relatable.

5. We’re in the midst of a sleep regression / separation anxiety phase over here, which was coupled with a fever this weekend. I’m running on very little sleep at the moment, and am finding it harder and harder to catch up these days. But alas, life must go on. I did a very unofficial poll in the chat for advice, though, and loved what came back:

   1. Outsource: get help where you can and when you can, and put off extra things to family members, neighbors, or paid help, if possible.

   2. Lower expectations: not everything will get done, or get done well, and that’s ok. Mac & cheese in lieu of a healthy, balanced meal? No problem. TV instead of books? Fine. An extra giant pile of laundry? It’ll happen when it happens.

   3. Let go of guilt: it’s ok to be stressed, tired, overwhelmed, and cranky. Just as it’s ok to feel guilty for feeling those things. But at the end of the day, motherhood (and parenthood) is about doing the best we can with what we can.

   4. Cancel everything non-essential: focus on the basics. Are you and the baby fed? Bathed? Slept (ish)? Then that’s enough! Nothing else needs to be done, be it for work, around the home, or with friends. It’ll all be there when the tough period ends.

   5. Complain: I love this one, because what are fellow mom friends for if not to complain to from time to time! We get it more than anyone because we have been there and it’s also nice to know we aren’t alone!!

   6. Get fresh air: this is a biggie. A simple walk can make a huge difference, for both your mental health and the kiddo’s! Also, long stroller walks, at least for me, make me feel like I’m getting some movement in, and I can listen to my podcasts in peace while she watches the airplanes.

   7. Eat cake: ok this needs no explanation nor justification.

      

      a sweet moment amidst the chaos

6. You guys know I’m obsessed with department stores right now, and Lauren Sherman recently had some great reporting on Saks Global and the Hudson Bay of it all. If you haven’t heard, HBC is liquidating, which is a sad thing due to it’s storied history but also makes a lot of sense when you put someone obsessed with deal making and real estate and who doesn’t care about anything else in charge (sound familiar?). Anyways, it’s worth a read.

7. I attended an event at Fish Cheeks last night and the passed apps were truly delicious and now I can’t wait to have a full meal there, even though it would require going all the way into Manhattan. Highly recommend.

8. I’ve actually managed to tap out of a lot of the discourse on parenting styles and new fangled ways to teach and communicate with kids, mostly because I don’t really have time. If I get a few minutes to read at the end of the day, I want it to be something I enjoy, not a book telling me how all wrong I’m parenting my daughter or proposing a magic fix that really is, frankly, bullshit. But I do, sometimes, stumble across an odd article here or there that lightly hits on the parenting styles of today - like this one, about teaching kids to say no. I live in Clinton Hill, which is essentially gentle parenting mecca, and although I haven’t experienced much of it personally, I know it’s coming. CHFG parents are a lot. They’re great! But you know, a special breed. I should know - I’m one of them. But listen, I tell my daughter “no” all the time because she does things she shouldn’t be doing!!! Throwing food on the floor? No. Eating stickers? No. Licking the toilet? No. Drinking puddle water? No. Biting my shoulder? No. Wearing shoes to bed? Ok fine she can do that, whatever. Anyways, kids are allowed to be told no, it’s how they learn.

9. I couldn’t help but do a tiny, tiny bit of shipping this week because everything is trash and I needed some retail therapy. I am patting myself for not going too overboard, which I very much wanted to, but instead practiced restraint and attempted to consume responsibly, which feels good! Anyways, I bought this new eye cream to try and so far it’s great, and I found the Apiece Apart Meridian jeans I wrote about recently on Poshmark for a very good deal so I had to snag them (they’re perfect). I also promised my daughter a red striped shirt like the one in her favorite book (V is for Voting), so I bought her this.

10. During my shopping adventures I popped into the new-ish Aritzia on Broadway in Soho (I work right around the corner). They moved a while back, but I hate that store (the tweens!!!), so I’ve just avoided going there. But, I have to say, I was impressed! I didn’t spend a lot of time poking around, but rather found myself enthralled by their lower level, where they have a full coffee bar/cafe (!!), an incredibly robust denim selection including Agolde and Citizens of Humanity, giant fitting rooms, and a few spots to lounge around. As you may know, I’m on a mission to find denim, so I tried on a few pairs, naturally. I didn’t find anything I truly fell in love with to buy immediately, but I did end up setting Poshmark alerts for a couple of pairs I liked and would buy second hand, rather than shelling out full price (I’m a woman on a budget, people). Anyways, my finds below, but please excuse the bad angles, weird faces, and uncool socks. **for reference, I’m 5’7”, typically wear a 4 or 6, and all jeans pictured are size 28 except the agolde lunas, which are a 27**

    

    

    top row: agolde low curve jean - not usually a fan of low rise, but could get into these for summer - so comfy; bottom row: agolde luna pieced jean - love how barrel-y these are, but would go up a size for more room - would also likely cuff most of the time (both added to posh wishlists)

    

    

    top row: aritzia the 90s vintage - I was least excited about these but actually quite like how they look, although they remind me a lot of my 501's, so I'd probably just stick with 501's; bottom row: aritzia the farrah high rise wide leg - I was most excited about these but hated them! they weren't high enough and they weren't long enough and they weren't wide enough! the name farrah led me to believe they would be farrah fawcett-y and they definitely were not!

    

    agolde 90's pinch waist - ok everyone raves about these, but for me they were a meh. again, I'd rather just stick to my 501's if I want this vibe, but I do like that these were a little higher on the waist (I tend to prefer a super high rise)

see you tuesday!

xx

jen