Hi! Sorry I’ve been MIA. Q1 (and the beginning of Q2) was hectic, and tbh, my inspiration bone has not been tickled much in 2025 so far.
Little by little, the veil is lifting, perhaps it’s the proper arrival of spring, a good amount of reading, the return of Haim, or finally eating enough protein per day, but hey, hi, hello. We’re feeling something again, and it’s time to fire up the ‘ol stack and recommend things, my specialty (with some light criticism).
Shopping
In a shocking twist of events, I have not been shopping as much as I usually do, which is a big win for me (and my savings account). Though I figured I’d share a few things that I did buy recently that I’ve been wearing on repeat.
Anything and everything from Le Bon Shoppe. I’ve talked about the LA-based brand at length before, and I am pleased to let you know they keep delivering. I had a vintage St. James red and white stripe boat neck t-shirt I wore for years, but I recently had to say goodbye to it because it wore out so badly. I was *very* happy to see Le Bon Shoppe doing their own version of my all-time favorite basic, by way of their Marseille Boat Neck Top. The weight is ideal, not too thin and not overly warm. I bought it in both colors. The Little Boy Tee is a favorite too, with lots of new colors for spring/summer!
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the internet, everyone is beginning their recaps and reviews of everything Met Gala as it’s on Monday. I’m honestly really excited to see what takes shape this year; I think this theme is one of the best in recent memory and is honoring some folks with actual taste and style.
Anyway, onto my very niche anecdote that led me to my newest library purchase. An account I follow posted an old photo of designer Nicole Miller and Decades store owner Cameron Silver at the 2012 Met Gala, which that year was themed “Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations.”
Overall, it was a time when things still felt pre-gimicky and slightly less photographed, if you can believe it. There was truly nothing special about this photo of the pair, and the outfits were not good despite their homage to Schiaparelli (sorry!), but big ups to the caption, which has introduced me to my new sidequest, which is, of course, researching anything and everything to do with this exhibit.
After going through a bunch of looks I thought my fashion brain couldn’t retain from 15 years ago but somehow did, like this great Carey Mulligan paillete moment, I uncovered that there was, of course, a book published in tandem with the exhibition, and you bet I was on eBay immediately to get a copy. I found the book for $20, and I am super excited to see what’s inside and add this to my library. The outside is the iconic S/S 2000 lip print :) Perhaps we’ll even do a little walkthrough here in an upcoming newsletter.
I know everyone *all the time* is like archival Prada, vintage Miu Miu, this that! And literally so am I! But another inspo photo post of Angela Lindvall Prada ad here, same Miu Miu pre-2000s fanny pack, there. Truly no shade, but sometimes, when everything becomes so homogenous, as a creative, that’s when I turn on my research brain and try to find other avenues into the things I love versus just looking at the same things, over and over again. We gotta branch out, y’all!
Watching
The Rehearsal
It’s literally not possible for me to explain this show to anyone at this point, unless you’ve seen the first season of The Rehearsal or know anything about Nathan Fielder. Perhaps you’ve seen the laptop harness meme or like starting sentences with “The Plan?” like I do (an insane person), but you’ve gotta watch season two of this show.
The whole premise is setting up “rehearsals” for life’s most significant moments. Season one was good, but now our friend Nathan is going where Nathan has never gone before. Known for never breaking character, his scheme this season is figuring out what causes airplane crashes by setting up unhinged role-playing scenarios to get inside the minds of pilots. It’s a deeply absurd 30 minutes of cringe comedy television I require per week.
Last weekend I finally sat down the spring film from Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons series. I’ve seen screenshots of this movie for literal years across various corners of the internet, and visually, it did not disappoint. The plot overall was fine, it reminded me of a Bonjour Tristesse-type story (which, FWIW, I have not read yet, but vaguely know the overall plot and can’t wait to see the new version film version with Chloe Sevigny this year). It ultimately didn’t keep me that interested, but admittedly, I’m not always watching a Rohmer movie for a full-on plot.
Aesthetically, it was perfect (ofc), my favorite scene being the younger girlfriend of the co-lead’s father, wearing a matching Breton stripe shirt and headband, peeling potatoes while smoking a cigarette. Seemingly dangerous, but undeniably so chic and French. The interiors were perfect too, old plaster finishings in Parisian apartments, piles of books, a Matisse poster, and lots of flowers. You can watch it on Criterion Channel.
Listening To
“Down to be wrong” by HAIM
I was lucky enough to see HAIM at the first of their two warmup shows last week, and the gals did not disappoint. The limit does not exist when it comes to seeing HAIM for me, being a ~ valley girl ~ and all, they hold a special place in my heart. They played a couple of their new tracks, including “Down to be wrong,” my favorite from their current trio of singles. Overall, love the new album concept of quitting things that don’t serve us…I know that’s the track I’ve been trying to be on for *years.*
It’s everything I need in a soon-to-be summer anthem—a scream chorus, excellent percussion, and a touch of Rostam Batmanglij’s production. (Excellent music video BTW.) Is it my 2025 “Everyday is a Winding Road”? Perhaps…
Reading
Where I Was From, Joan Didion
Appropriately, I found a copy of this, which the author published in the last 20 years of her life, on a recent trip up to Sonoma, at a cool shop in Santa Rosa called Treehorn Books. A used bookstore hates to see me coming, and this one was no different.
Naturally, I checked for any Didion they had on hand, because after reading Didion & Babitz, I’ve been on a Didion spree. (I also read The Friday Afternoon Club by Didion’s nephew, Griffin Dunne, which was lovely) I’ve dabbled in Joan’s essays over the years, but *candidly* I haven’t yet read all of her! I’m on my way, though!
I’m enjoying Where I Was From ( as a native Californian and Angeleno, and I started it on the tail-end of our drive back to LA on the 101, which just felt so right. It’s a bit dry and informational, but it’s a bit different than what I’m used to in terms of nonfiction. It’s definitely something that I feel five or six years ago, I would have had no interest in, but now at 31, I am weirdly interested in the infrastructure of California and how this ambitious state came to be, and who better to describe to us than Sacramento-native Didion herself.
P.S. Did you read Didion & Babitz? Did you like it? I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I actually felt like the author really disliked Joan Didion (for no good reason) and was oddly disrespectful of her career. She loved Eve Babitz, and literally wanted to embody her, it seemed, as a writer herself, but in the end, I felt there was disrespect for Eve too as an author. What did you think?
The Pilgrimage, John Broderick
Published in 1961, this book was originally banned in very-Catholic Ireland for its ~scandalous~ themes, an extramarital affair and homosexuality. I’m about halfway through. I randomly picked this up at Chevalier’s Books on Larchmont last month because I loved the artwork on the cover of a gorgeous McNally Jackson edition. It definitely seems like a good one to toss in a beach bag this summer. Broderick has a long list of novels, and I’m excited to dig more into his bibliography. I mean, how good is this vintage cover I found in an Irish Times article?
See you next time! Have a good rest of your week. x
Just picked up a copy of Didion & Babitz - I’ll report back! Finishing Hilma af Klint’s biography first
ok but this is so good 🙂↕️✨💫