Cute as a button
April 6, 2025 | Vol. 136
Happy Sunday, friends! How’s it going? Over here, we’re making a frittata (sounds fancier than it is), building small cities with new magnetic cube toys, reading Dr. Becky’s new kids' book, and planning our Sephora sale haul. (Is there such thing as too many lip balms? Please say no.)
Let’s get into it. And again, if you like getting this email, consider sharing it with a friend—or just tapping the ♥ at the bottom. Any and all of it means a lot.
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I loved this Ssense profile on fashion critic Rachel Tashjian. I’ve quoted her here several times; she’s opinionated, a voracious consumer of culture, and committed to her work and her readers. “I don’t want to be friends with designers,” she says. Beginning her career with a personal blog on Tumblr, followed by stints at Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, and now The Washington Post (she also writes an old-school newsletter “Opulent Tips,” which she operates via Gmail), Tashjian seems to have retained her unique style and her disregard for the status quo. She cares about clothes and the way people live in them. Eliza Brooke writes:
In Tashjian’s world, shopping is evidence of living—of a certain worthy hunger for pleasure and beauty—and clothing should never be divorced from the people who end up wearing it. She finds it odd when people feel the need to justify the importance of fashion by situating it as art, or when they only seem to care about garments as they appear on the runway or in magazine editorials.
Here’s the profile in full (and while you’re at it, maybe peruse the top-notch Canadian multibrand e-store before tariffs hit).
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I can’t stop and I won’t stop talking about The White Lotus. Not yet! At least not until tonight, when the season finalé ends… and then tomorrow when we all talk about what happened. So, before we put this behind us and immediately start demanding news about season 4, here’s a terrific cast interview from The Hollywood Reporter with equally enchanting photos. If you’re a White Lotus fan, make this one your Sunday-morning-with-a-cup-of-coffee read.
Impossible to pull the best highlights from this because there are so many. But, one thing I did learn is that everyone on the show, from season 1, got paid the same and gets alphabetical billing. Which makes you realize just how much every actor wants to be working with Mike White right now. Speaking of White, the show’s creator, he says: “At this point, people want The White Lotus to be different things. But I’m just one random writer trying to figure out how to get through the day.” Ever humble. I want to hang out with him and everyone else featured here. Okay, let’s get reading.
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I’m back on the Meghan Markle beat, which surprises me every time. But you can’t say the girl doesn’t try. The New York Times profiled Markle Sussex and, this time, a reporter went into her actual kitchen (but wasn’t allowed to photograph, sigh). The piece seems an attempt to remedy her Netflix show’s backlash, painting a picture of a latchkey kid who grew up eating Jack in the Box curly fries and making memories in Grandma Jeanette’s kitchen in Crenshaw. (“All that butter,” Meghan recalls.) Now, years later and roughly 100 miles north in Montecito, California, Meghan “is a passionate home cook who knows her way around a vinaigrette, is quick with a lemon zestier and deft with a knife,” Julia Moskin writes. Meghan gives off “big Charlotte York energy.” And she sells out her trademark jams in under an hour. Doesn’t change how I feel about the show, though; all surface.
What does pique my interest though are Meghan’s outfits. If you’re looking for her chic white tank sweater from the article’s main image, I’ve got your back. The dutchess can put together an outfit and may as well capitalize on it. In fact, she’s started her own ShopMy page, a popular site for influencer affiliate marketing.
interviewed for her newsletter Back Row, and Andjelic came to the conclusion that Meghan might have been better off doing this through Netflix or her own brand. But it’s something!
Last week, SNL had a great animated sketch about how New York was probably planned. Hilarious to think about this highly fictionalized (but… is it?) conversation, especially if you live here. Even if you’ve just come for a visit, you’ll find yourself nodding at some truths of this place. Nothing here makes sense, and yet, we love it.
I told you I was on a podcast kick! Actress Ellen Pompeo’s episode of Call Her Daddy is fantastic. It’s aptly titled, “Ellen Pompeo: Pick Me, Choose Me, Pay Me More.” Pompeo has played Dr. Meredith Grey for an astounding 443 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. On the podcast, she talks about the magic of Shonda Rhimes, her unexpected path towards motherhood, and fighting for greater pay on the show. Growing up in a mob-heavy suburb of Boston, Pompeo worked her way towards becoming the highest-paid woman on a primetime drama after she successfully fought for a $20m salary on Grey’s, something she says brought her true financial independence: “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.”
I dropped off the Grey’s train a few seasons in (which is to say, nearly two decades ago?), but we can all agree that Pompeo is a force, on- and off-screen. The podcast is making me want to return to Grey’s for a good cry—Any favorite seasons? Or episodes? Are there any scenarios they haven’t covered? To conclude, Pompeo is embarking on a new stage of her career—her first role since Grey’s—with American Family on Hulu. I’m intrigued; If you’ve been watching it, let me know what I’m in for.
Special mention: My brother and wine expert, Shawn Z, just launched a new business and podcast. The first episode is out, in which we learn why certain glasses are made for certain wines. It’s an easy way to up your wine game—or at the very least, help you figure out what glasses to buy. (Here it is on Spotify.)
I’ve loved Annie Meyers-Shyer’s Instagram, @thisoakhouse, for some time now. Through the process of renovating her family home, which has taken four years, Annie has become a total interiors expert. Her AMAs are gold (and, thankfully, saved as highlights for repeat viewing). If you love interior design and beautiful things, or find yourself in your own home reno project, she’s an amazing resource with excellent taste. I interviewed Meyers-Shyer about her newfound passion and how she became an “accidental influencer.” You can read it on Air Mail.
Buttons can make or break an article of clothing. Maybe this is an exaggeration, but only slightly. They can make something feel one-of-a-kind, incredibly special. Or they can make something feel cheaper than it is or just… fine. Now that my antenna is up, I’m seeing interesting buttons everywhere. Here are a few:
Emily Levine Milan makes small-batch pieces and each one feels intentional. Like this tuxedo tunic with button details. Or this pearl button jacket that’s out of stock, but looks like the perfect transitional piece.
I feel as though whimsical buttons are sewn into Libertine’s DNA. This button-down shirt is a great example, and so is this embellished trench coat. (There’s a lot of brand inventory on TheRealReal, if this is your jam. Iconic Bergdorf stylist Betty Halbreich was a fan.)
Schiaparelli probably started the funky, sometimes mismatched gold button look we see everywhere now. Like in this set from new-to-me brand Françoise: top and skirt. Or this yellow Zara vest.
Sometimes it’s as simple as a good gold button. Totême gets it—look at this elegant cardigan jacket. If a Bottega Veneta cardigan is in your cards, then this, with the gold knots, is the one. One more cardigan, but swap gold for shell and ivory.
I’m seeing much of this toggle-style fastening lately, starting with Rohe (big fan of the green and black one), but now Massimo Dutti has a nice linen version.
It can also be about button placement, like with this TWP cross-over button-down shirt or the way this other one buttons at the sleeves so rolling them up becomes neater.
I can’t not associate the brand Area with Taylor Swift, but if it’s your vibe, then this button-detailed jean is neat. If you trend earthier, these wide-leg drawstring pants from Sea NY might fit the bill for summer. I know there’s a lot going on with these Rachel Comey jeans—two-tone patches, fastener in the back, but I think it’s the exposed buttons that make them great.
I’m really hoping this suede swing coat from Kuzyk comes back because it’s a great shape and, again, buttons.
And some aspirational button merch, if you will:
Metal button coasters (though, we all know felt coasters are the best coasters).
A Pomellato necklace that might not be a button, but sure looks like one; genuinely on my wishlist, if anyone is asking.
Some vintage Hermès button cufflinks.
Finally, in what feels like an actual helpful thing to share,
sourced a very good guide on how to sew a button, which feels like a valuable life skill. One I don’t yet have. But I am willing to learn!That’s all today—more soon. x