Discover more from All's Well by Nadine Zylberberg
Hello! For those of you who are new here, I’m Nadine and this is All’s Well, a weekly-ish newsletter of things to read, watch, do, eat, and buy—with occasional musings on life and motherhood, as well as interviews with creative women I admire. You know, a little of everything. Take what you like and leave the rest. You can find past issues here.
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Hi friends! Halloween is tomorrow and you’ll just have to wait and see what we’re wearing. Yes, we are now a family that costumes together. People change, you know! But also, I have to share these shots from Bode’s Lower East Side shop, where Halloween goes back to (well-stitched, nostalgic) basics:
Well Read
Daniel Jones has edited The New York Times’ Modern Love column for 20 years. In that time, he has read 200,000 stories about love and relationships—including the one I mentioned recently that Andrew Garfield read for the Modern Love podcast. What can I say, this series is solid. Over the years, Jones has learned a lot about love and loss. In navigating his own marital separation and the death of his father, he turned to the lessons embedded in the essays. He shares seven takeaways, worth reading in full. Here are a few lines that I like to keep with me as I go about my regular old days:
“Strive to be honest, generous, open-minded, curious, funny and humble both in writing and in love.”
“It’s not that flowers (and love) are beautiful and fleeting; they’re beautiful because they are fleeting.”
“Stop thinking about the future or the past, about what may or may not happen, and put away your phone. If a child in your lap asks about the best part of your day, say, ‘This is.’”
Here’s a gift link for ya.
Well Made
Artist Madeline Donahue is not a new name in this newsletter—I interviewed her before—and I love everything she continues to make, on canvas, on paper, and out of clay. I visited her studio in the spring and admired everything about her process, mostly how she’s not shy about letting her kids be a part of it, even if it means one of them will take paint to the walls of the studio.
Madeline created an editioned vase with Nina Johnson Gallery, whereby her original piece was cast into a multiple by artists at NYC’s Greenwich House Pottery. For our fifth wedding anniversary, Coby got me one of these babies! It depicts Madeline and her two kids in a field of wildflowers, but hey—I have two kids so if I squint a little, I see us. With or without fresh flowers, I love it, I love it, I love it. Consider this just another Madeline Donahue appreciation post.
But it’s also a reminder that vases, like picture frames, are functional, sure, but can be beautiful centerpieces in their own right. (More on this in my forthcoming gift guide…)
Well Fed
I may be missing my wallet or house keys half the time, but I always have at least three kid-friendly snacks in my bag. What about me, though? What about my snacks? During a recent downtown staycation, I came across these crazy good almonds in a hotel spa and was inspired to go searching for snacks you can take on the go that feel just a little bit fancy. Like these Spirit Almonds (Koji Salt and Black Garlic are my favorites) or crunchy corn. My hands-down favorite granola bar is the peanut butter bar by Lenka, but in general their product is good and I’ve bought in bulk. On the sweet end of the spectrum, I love Michel et Agustin’s mini cookie squares and Tony Chocolonely’s tiny chocolate mix. We’ll end on the classiest of snacks, Goldfish, which has recently seen a marketing push towards classy grown-ups, calling them Chilean Sea Bass instead. (Don’t worry, they still taste like regular goldfish.)
Send me your fancy (or not-so-fancy) purse snack recs, will you?
Well Drawn
In things I have never before wondered: What do dogs think of our shoes? They stare at them all day, after all. It makes me smile to consider what pair my own pup, Auggie, would pick out for me every morning given the chance. This illustration is by Juliette Green, whose handwriting I deeply admire. Click through to see which dogs like which (Hermès, naturally) shoes:
Well Worn
Giorgio Armani has been all over my feed the last couple of weeks. He re-opened his Madison Ave. store, which coincided with the opening of Armani Ristorante and a 12-story building of coveted apartments sitting above it. (He saved one apartment for himself.) I love the story of a nonagenarian who just can’t quit their job. Armani is the ultimate.
Two recent articles, an interview with Armani and a review of his show, shed some light on the significance of the man and the multi-billion-dollar brand he built. Rachel Tashjian writes:
“It sounds crazy to say, but hey, the guy is 90, so let’s just go for it: Giorgio Armani invented beige. Beige as tastefulness, as elegant refusal. He has made minimalism seem cool and aspirational over and over again: a connoisseur’s choice rather than a capitulation to the dangers of color and prints.
Now that the fashion industry is sapped of creativity, his innovations and originality are clearer than ever. Fear of God, the Row, the big brands trying to do ‘quiet luxury’ — all are toiling in Armani’s garden.”
But we’re here to talk about clothes themselves. During a recent trip to Bergdorf Goodman (I left empty-handed, promise!), I came off the escalator to see this:
Bland to some, inspiring to me. Gray and brown, wool and suede. I wanted to wear it that instant. And in a rare turn of events (or maybe just because Giorgio Armani retail is simply too expensive), I thought about the things in my closet—or already on my browser—that could approximate this energy. (Had Armani peered deep into my subconscious with this one?)
Staud x Keds suede sneakers, Theory flannel pants, and a wool bomber jacket from Almina Concept.
Massimo Dutti lace-up shoes, Max Mara wool drawstring pants (for under $200), and this Leset cashmere pullover over a gray merino long sleeve.
This H&M suit I found via
with these Dries sneakers.This look in its entirety.
I feel like I could go on forever, but I’ll stop before I miss preschool pick-up!
Before I go, though, quick protip: I find Giorgio Armani to be one of the most undervalued brands in The RealReal ecosystem. Maybe it’s because of how the wares are presented, but the prices are really good given the quality. Here are a few I’m liking right now (if they haven’t sold already): a velvet jacket, a pair of drawstring pants, a sheer black dress, a casual blazer, and khaki silk pants.
Signing off with a short clip of Saoirse Ronan shutting down a panel full of men with just 10 words:
More soon!