Issue #144: Pumpkin spice spice baby
Good morning, shoppers!
Welcome to Meg Ryan Fall, where I’m wearing my Shop Around the Corner sweatshirt as a litmus test for new friends. you catch the reference? Cool, let’s hang. It’s fine if you don’t like Nora Ephron, but if you don’t, maybe ask yourself who, exactly, you think you’re kidding. Just a thought.
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Kase + Maggie
LL Bean’s open top Boat and Tote has been having a moment … for the past couple of years. It’s been photographed in all its myriad sizes on the arms of fashion editors and featured in Vogue, it’s become a vessel for irony, a vehicle for “a contemporary sense of humor” and the primary focus of a clever Instagram account. During a recent trip to LL Bean’s flagship in Freeport, Maine, I left with four to my name; three to gift and one to keep, all embroidered with sweet hat tips in different colors and fonts. For my own, I kept things simple. Just my last name in khaki-colored script. Maybe because the best one I’ve ever laid eyes on still belongs to my friend Matt, whose extra large camouflage hunter’s tote announces in yellow stitching, “MONEY.” A nickname, a message and a mood, all in one. What can’t this thing say? –MC
I don’t know what’s bugging you, but I bet you’ll feel better if you clean some shoes about it. I’ve recently been on a spree getting rid of clothes that are lovely but not for me anymore. Farewell, I say to all those standby work dresses that I lived in through my mid-to-late 20s and now have no use for as I work from my couch. (Speaking of which, if you’re size 8-ish with a passion for dresses with pockets, hit me up.) So long, shoes I never reach for. (Again: where my 8.5 gals?) I’ve realized that a touch of elbow grease not only makes gently used sneakers look a million times better, but is also incredibly satisfying. I’ve treated at least a dozen pairs of shoes—mine, my kid’s, my husband’s—to a spa treatment of The Pink Stuff paste formulation, applied with gusto with this (which, let’s be real, is a glorified toothbrush, but whatever) and wiped off with a damp old rag. Suddenly, I’ve accomplished something. Life has meaning. My shoes look great. I am redeemed. Highly recommend. —KW
Thank heavens New York Fashion Week has come and gone. While I spent most of it sweating through my clothes and shouting “it’s so good to see you!” over the hum of a sweltering crowd, I am simply luxuriating in being online only as the showcase of spring-summer 2024 collections relocate to London, Milan and Paris. There’s something about poring over street style photographs like these from New York and these from Paris I’ll never tire of. Maybe it transports me back to sitting in front of a computer I paid for with waitressing tips in my dorm room and excitedly clicking around on familiar faces. Or maybe I’m just always looking for inspiration. Whatever it is, studying up on personal style – for better or worse – is still my favorite part of it all. –MC
I have many passions in this life, and one of them is my silly little phone games. I’m not going to show my entire ass aka screen time report, but I will say I’m closing in on a triple-digit New York Times crossword daily streak, and Maggie and I have been exchanging stats on the app’s new daily Connections puzzle. It’s so satisfying to let my sweet little brain wander and suddenly see the threads connecting the word sets, and infuriating when I just can’t get it. For what it’s worth, I think it’s gotten markedly harder in the past few weeks. And that’s coming from someone who, ahem, got genius level on Spelling Bee without looking at hints two days in a row this week already. Not to brag. —KW
This week, I’m listening to Oh My Mother!: A Memoir in Nine Adventures by Connie Wang. A deeply honest portrait of a mother-daughter relationship told across nine essays, Wang’s ability to fuse tenderness with humor (for example: learning about Wang’s mother’s affinity for Magic Mike) and deep reflection to share her family’s story makes it one I won’t soon forget. –MC
If you’re anything like us, back-to-school season makes you want to dive into a good book even more than usual. In honor of those bibliophile urges, we wanted to highlight Room to Read, which promotes literacy internationally by distributing books, teaching kids to read, training teachers and librarians, publishing books, and more. Head to their website to learn more and take action.