Discover more from All's Well by Nadine Zylberberg
Hello! This week, Elmo wrote to his followers on Twitter (or, as it’s now called, X): “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The question spawned some pretty sincere, pretty bleak answers. Elmo, doing what he does best, brought people together.
I watch Elmo and co. for a brief, but peaceful, 30 minutes every weekend; Sesame Street is reserved for those moments when our toddler needs to shift emotional gears. The byproduct is some time to sit on the couch and catch my breath. Even if I’m not watching with the same focus as my daughter, I’m still soaking in what Elmo is offering up. I don’t know if it’s the shape of the puppet or the way he talks, but there’s something so very sincere about him. I never watched Sesame Street growing up, but I get it. This tweet just brought Elmo’s genuine friendliness to the grown-up world.
To follow up on his viral message, Elmo shared: “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.” And it’s true. Let’s do more of that in 2024. So, before we launch into some of this and some of that—how are you doing?
Well Read
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French actress Juliette Binoche stars as a private chef in the upcoming film The Taste of Things (Feb. 9). It’s a love story of sorts, between her and her boss, played by Benoît Magimel, with whom Binoche once had a relationship and shares a child. The two haven’t been in meaningful contact for 20 years—until this film came along. Which is why their recent Vulture interview together is so magnetic to read. It’s a candid reflection among two creatives who share an intimate past—which feels so rare to see in public and in print, but also so… French.
Binoche shares the moment they decided to have a child together:
J.B.: I was driving in a yellow car, and we were just about to come to a red light. We passed a friend’s place, and I said, “I’d like to have a child with you.” I asked you if you agreed, and you said “yes.”
And they launch into a lengthy argument about their daughter Hana’s introduction to acting:
J.B.: I believe she wanted to do Hamlet because there’s a strong connection she feels with this character.
B.M.: You can’t have an 18-year-old kid play Hamlet. She did it because she wanted to get closer to you. Closer to her parents.
It’s an interesting preview into a movie I’m very excited to watch. Not to mention the cooking scenes, which are expected to be mouthwatering. Here’s the trailer:
Well Watched
I almost didn’t include this suggestion because it feels downright obvious. I may be the last person in this community of ours to have watched an episode of Seinfeld. I know! I’ve given it many tries over the years, but it only took hold last week, when it replaced all my previous sitcoms as the one to watch before bed. I’m hopping around the Netflix catalog, but here are three recent standout episodes:
The Chinese Restaurant: This one takes place entirely as Jerry, Elaine, and George wait for a table.
The Dinner Party: Jerry and Elaine run into problems trying to procure a chocolate babka for a dinner party.
The Secret Code: The one in which George doesn’t want to share his private ATM passcode.
Since I’m fairly new to this, send me your recommendations, too!
Well Observed
I recently stumbled upon Karyn Lyons’ paintings and they remind me of Sofia Coppola’s work in how they invite you inside those slow, languishing teenage days through the filter of memory. I love how these pieces feel both classic and contemporary. If not for a box of Corn Flakes or a solo cup on the canvas, they could’ve been made centuries ago, don’t you think? I sadly missed her New York show in December, but if you’re in LA, she just opened a solo show at Anat Ebgi.
Well Fed
Speaking of Elmo, I forgot to tell you that I baked Pella’s 2nd birthday cake and that it was actually pretty good! After a whole lot of testing, I ended up using the same recipe as last year. (Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?) I first tried Smitten Kitchen’s confetti cake, but it lacked egg yolks (to achieve its bright white color) and cake flour and, ultimately, tasted too bready. I tried Alison Roman’s birthday cake and loved it, but the frosting was a little dark and thus maybe too grown up for this occasion. I wanted not saccharine, but definitely sweet. The final rendition came from Joy the Baker, who, after much investigation, nails the classic birthday cake. I think it’s the addition of Ovaltine, which makes the chocolate frosting taste like childhood (if your childhood involved any variation of chocolate milk). I used a classic buttermilk frosting recipe to make enough white frosting that I could dye different colors to fashion a somewhat believable (?) Elmo on top. I have to give Coby credit for outlining Elmo and his features for me in the first place; I’m very much a paint-by-numbers girl and would’ve been lost without some guidance. I’ll stop talking now—here’s the final result + the visual approval of a discerning kid:
Well Drawn
Sometimes it helps to have a visual reminder of why stepping outside and taking a walk can feel so mentally good. Even if it’s just circling the block, or getting a cup of coffee; let’s give our thoughts some s p a c e. The series above was illustrated by Charlotte Ager for The New York Times.
Well Worn
It all started with this photograph snapped by Scott Schuman (better known as the Sartorialist):
I love everything about it: the coat (from Golden Goose, it lives on in my dreams), the bag, the trousers especially. It launched me down a rabbit hole for a pair of simple, loose, quilted pants like these. It was not an easy feat because most searches landed me squarely in ski gear, which this is not. Sadly, I haven’t found the exact pair because, as the woman photographed explained in the comments section, the original pair is brandless (the best things always are). But it opened up a void in my closet that now I can’t unsee. So, textured pants remained the mission. (Sure, corduroy pants are textured, but this is not the same.) Below are the pairs that have been on my mind:
Google kept feeding me this Rachel Comey pair when I tried to gather search terms to approximate the aforementioned perfect quilted pants. And while they are not the same, I’ve grown to like them, especially in the mustard color. They’re warm and casual, and look particularly attractive with the matching top.
Etsy offered up this alternative, which, judging by the comments, seem to be thicker and, thus, cozier. An at-home quilted pant, if you will. Aviator Nation makes a quilted version of its extremely soft sweatpants, too, if cozy is what you’re ultimately after.
Maybe this Cordera pair comes closest to what I’m getting at…
But once you start looking for something, you see variations of it everywhere. So when Laila Gohar posted herself in these textured Cecilie Bahnsen pants, I immediately added them to the list.
Issey Miyake may be the OG of textured pants. The designer’s Pleats Please line comes in more colors and shapes than you can imagine. It’s worth a deep dive on The RealReal too—and a note that sizing is based on pant length, not waist. Here are a few pairs I’m liking right now. Swoon. Okay, one more. Julia Heuer riffs off Miyake’s style, adding unique prints to the mix; this one is fun and this is on sale.
These Taion pants seem a little more technical than the others, but that also means more insulated and more practical. Which sounds pretty good these days. They look surprisingly slimming and… do I want a pair myself now? (The matching poncho is cool too.)
That’s it for today. More soon!
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A decent take on the coat (for what I assume is less than Golden Goose money) is this one from Horses Atelier (https://www.horsesatelier.com/products/alchemical?variant=44726880829672)!