Hello! I feel like this 38-degree night (in New York anyway) is as good a time as any to share an image of the wild and wonderful Manhattan kitchen of artist Francesca DiMattio, who covered her space in hand-painted porcelain tiles. In a season as muted as winter, it’s such a welcome dose of warmth:
Here’s what else is on my mind:
Well Read
“In 2023, the market conspired to sell us one thing, rendered every which way, and that thing was: girl.” So begins Isabel Cristo’s essay in The Cut this week, in which she articulates such a familiar feeling about what culture has brought forth this year. From girl dinners to bows to all kinds of “girlies” to pink everything (including Pantone’s prescient color of the year) to Miu Miu to Barbie to more bows… the allure of girlhood has never been more salient. Cristo writes:
“In 2023, the only way to have fun, it seemed, was by turning away from adult womanhood wholesale and toward a breezy, bright alternative. Instead of politics, can I interest you in some blissful, childlike ignorance? In Vanity Fair, the writer Delia Cai asks, ‘Is it reactionary or radical … to don the pink dress and beribbon ourselves in spite of what we know?’ The answer is: Neither, and that’s exactly the point. Finding an answer to that question is the purview of womanhood. Girlhood, instead, is an opting out of the whole calculation, a low-risk way to participate in mass cultural femininity.”
It feels like a superficial moment, and maybe that’s just what it is; a reprieve from the chaos of the world, which is almost too unbearable to process, coated in satin and pink. What do you think about this all? How does it contribute to, or set back, mainstream feminism? And more importantly, have you bought into it? Are you wearing a bow at this very moment? (I, for one, have been dreaming about this Sandy Liang bow-patterned puffer. No one is immune!)
Well Watched
This past weekend, I went to the Public Theater to see Hell’s Kitchen, a musical loosely based on Alicia Keys’ New York upbringing. Keys wrote the music for the show, which includes some of her existing songs and new ones. The main character, Ali, lives with her mom, a struggling actress working multiple jobs, in an apartment complex reserved for artists. At 17, Ali is finding her footing in love and in art. She comes across an old piano in her building and the wise woman who plays it every day, marking her fateful introduction to the instrument that would change her life. Hell’s Kitchen is strongest, though, when it presents itself as the story of a mother and daughter and that unique, thorny, but deeply loving, relationship. Shoshana Bean is incredible as Ali’s mom, Jersey, with a powerhouse voice. Her performance of “No One” brought me to tears.
Hell’s Kitchen is making its Broadway debut this spring, before which I’m sure some elements of the show will change. I’m excited to see where it goes. Until then, there’s always this video of the real Alicia Keys playing two pianos at once while hosting the Grammys in 2019. It’s a compilation of the songs she wishes she wrote, which include some all-time greats. Makes you excited about the prospect of an Alicia Keys musical, right?
Well Observed
Coby and I have decided to make the most of our parental leave over the last few weeks by venturing to the Upper East Side and visiting museum shows and galleries that have been on our radar as of late—with baby Isidor in tow.
Manet/Degas
The first, and probably most known, is the Manet/Degas show at the Met—two greats in one winding room. In the least shocking statement, I’ll say that Edouard Manet’s Olympia (“the Mona Lisa of modern art”) is really worth looking at in person; a bold, provocative female nude, Stateside for the first time ever. I can’t do the piece justice in words, but this Washington Post primer helps.
Mood of the Moment
Then, the Jewish Museum’s show on Gaby Aghion, founder of the fashion house Chloé. My favorite looks were, perhaps, these three Karl Lagerfeld-designed dresses above. If one of them looks familiar, it’s because Olivia Wilde wore a version of the guitar gown to the Met Gala in May. Downstairs, we stumbled into an exhibit of Marta Minujín, an Argentinian artist whose powerful works include El obelisco de pan dulce (Obelisk of sweet bread), which is exactly what it sounds like.
Beauty Must Suffer
The exhibit that probably stuck with me the most, though, was Karon Davis’ Beauty Must Suffer at Salon 94. As the name would indicate, it traces the rigor, pain, grace, and precision of a ballerina’s life. Black dancer figures are rendered in white plaster, their bodies cast in sections and assembled, imperfectly, with plaster bits dripping or sprinkled on the ground. A child stands at the barre, a young woman paints her ballet slippers with makeup to match her skin tone, and another takes a final bow in front of a pile of slippers.
One after the other, the statues are mesmerizing, even more so in this ornate Upper East Side townhouse. When we visited, a (real-life) young ballerina was posing among the statues in one of the rooms; I couldn’t tell if she was part of the show or not, but it cemented the energy that these figures brought forth, bridging the literal and the figurative. Of course, baby Isi slept through it all, but I gave him the highlights later. If this sounds up your alley, and you find yourself in the city, head uptown before it closes on December 23.
Well Drawn
As we enter a holiday weekend, this cartoon by Liana Finck resonated. Kidding! Sort of. It’s not not true that the hours are simply longer when toddlers are running around and it’s cold outside and you accidentally cut the apple into slices instead of offering them the whole fruit. But I go back to that beloved saying on my Lovevery mug: “The days are long, but the years are short.” It’s true. Happy holidays and, to the parents of littles out there, I’m with you!
Well Worn
Over the last two years, I’ve been pregnant and postpartum—and pregnant and postpartum again—which means my body has fluctuated, my level of fitness has ebbed and flowed, and my hips are just not the same as they once were. It’s all fine, but it makes wearing jeans an unpredictable experience. What was once a perfect fit no longer is. BUT! I miss jeans. I miss how they hug you in, how they feel casual but put together, how they are rigid but somehow comfortable.
So, now that baby #2 is grown (just kidding, he’s only three months old), I’m on the hunt for good denim again. Not too skinny, not too wide. Somewhere between straight-leg and boyfriend, in a medium blue. I’m picky and I’m on a quest. In no particular order, here are some solid (non-vintage, though vintage is A+) choices I’ve tried or bought or am just pining after:
Agolde has become the beloved jean brand of the moment and I’ve fallen for them, too. The Riley style is just cropped enough and feels like a new version of classic 501s. I kept this 90’s pinch waist pair, though, because it felt like (hate this term but) a mom jean.
German brand Closed makes a great denim pedal pusher that has the most wonderful pockets. I’m close to hitting ‘purchase’ on this one. It’s a great option if you’re one to tuck (or half-tuck) your shirts in.
Nili Lotan’s Shon style is the perfect antidote to the wide-leg trend. It’s wide, but tapered, and an interesting take on a style that’s everywhere at this point. Another good curved jean that isn’t overly so: Tibi’s Brancusi.
R13, which perfected the whole crossover jean look, can veer a little grungy, but right now, I love the brand’s distressed boyfriend jeans. I’ve been after a good non-stretch, slightly loose, slightly lower-rise style, with the potential for it to morph into the perfect pair of jeans for me over time. This might be it. Lucky Brand (there’s a high school throwback) makes a pair that feels similar enough for way less. Or Levi’s, always.
Chimala is a small Japanese denim brand that finds inspiration from vintage workwear and the result is of excellent quality. I’ve been looking for a pair of overalls from the brand (second-hand prices are more palatable), but these tapered-cut jeans are equally tempting.
I’m not usually for embroidered/patterned/painted denim, but Caro Editions does cute patchwork things with Levis and this pair painted by artist Alyssa Goodman is taunting me. Buy them so I don’t!
You have to appreciate a brand that offers just one style—meaning, it’s tried and true. That’s Feel Studio for you. Their genuine jean in Dume looks excellent and, while I haven’t tried it on myself, I’ve gotten enough recommendations to trust it’d be a keeper.
We can’t really round out a survey of good jeans without a mention of Madewell. Good price, great fit, wide selection. I’m intrigued by their utility jean right now, but the ‘90s straight jean is reliable and would probably get more use. (I like the Enmore wash, mid-blue with slight fading.) But also ~curveball~ how about this limited-edition rhinestone pair?
And there you have it! Let’s talk in the new year? I hope your holidays are filled with family, hot cocoa, good movies (Priscilla on VOD!), and maybe these disco ball earrings.