Glitz and glamour
May 25, 2025 | Vol. 140
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope this email finds you sitting by a pool or lying in a patch of grass. Hope you have an easy, inspiring Sunday—like this sewing teacher in Brooklyn.
Note: As we head into summer, I’m planning to make this newsletter bi-weekly.
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Sarah Manguso and illustrator Liana Finck came out with a book called Questions Without Answers about the questions only kids think to ask. Manguso and Finck had a conversation with Sara Fredman on Substack about the inspiration behind their book, collaboration, parenting, and more. Manguso said:
“In the end, after answering a series of questions, because there’s never just one, I thought by far the most interesting part of this conversation was the question. It wasn’t my attempt to answer it with whatever knowledge about the world that I have simply by having lived on it longer. And so I called the text a choral philosophy because it seemed so clear to me that all of these three- and four-year-olds were—it's almost like they were reporting from the same sense of unknowing.”
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Last summer, 15-year-old Billy Stern was looking for an alternative to his summer job squeezing lemons at a food truck. The Montauk native enlisted a few friends and started The Ditch Weekly, a newspaper covering the beach town as they saw it. The New York Times has an excellent feature on them. Now in its second year, the staff is up to 20 teens and they hope to distribute 2,000 copies per week funded only by ad sales:
“Perhaps most ambitious of all, they hope to persuade other teenagers to put down their phones and pick up a newspaper.
‘When you’re on your phone, it gets boring after a while,’ said Dylan Centalonza, 14, a new writer for the paper who covers motels with her twin sister, Fallon. ‘This is something you have to put work into.’”
As a former high school newspaper editor, I loved reading this story. And as a parent of two young kids, I loved the spotlight on teenagers in 2025 getting curious, scrappy, and engaged. More than a hyper-local feature, it feels like a much-needed dose of positivity and wholesomeness.
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Keith McNally seems like one of the most curmudgeonly yet honest people in the restaurant business. His Instagram is a gem; I’m excited that he recently came out with a memoir. (I love the chef memoir genre—Gabrielle Hamilton, Anthony Bourdain—if you can call it that.) Here’s an excerpt on Grub Street to give you a sense of his personality and winding history, including how he met his future wife:
“Lynn was a brilliant waitress — she was also completely herself when waiting tables. I was so mesmerized watching this midwestern woman work that I quickly fell in love with her. (People become strangely appealing when performing a job with skill.) The only problem was Lynn wasn’t in love with me. Even so, she agreed to see me outside of work.
In the early days of our dating, there was such an imbalance of affection between us that, consumed with jealousy, I often refused to seat attractive men in Lynn’s section. Even unattractive ones. (When you’re eaten up with jealousy, all men become potential suitors.) I remember scanning the room one night and seeing only women seated in Lynn’s section. What excuse I gave the men for refusing them tables I’ve no idea.”
While we’re on the subject of books I haven’t yet read, below are others on my list. The ones I have made it as far as to order or add to my cart:
The Door by Magda Szabo – about the 20-year relationship between a writer and her housekeeper. That’s all I know!
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld – a short story collection by the writer of Prep (throwback) and Romantic Comedy (which I enjoyed)
When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter – a memoir about the golden age of print magazines, which I so strongly lament having been late to, by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter (whose current venture, Air Mail, I contribute to)
Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum – okay, fine, not the beachiest read, but a primer on this new age of authoritarianism, which feels important to wrap our heads around
Tilt by Emma Pattee – about a pregnant woman who experiences an earthquake and walks through the wreckage of Portland reflecting on her marriage, career, and baby
Coby made these Alison Roman salted butter and chocolate chunk shortbread cookies for me this week and I’m currently on my second one—or third. I may have lost count. They’re melt-in-your-mouth good with a nice crumble and my ideal chip-to-cookie ratio. Next up on the cookie adventures: this peanut-butter black-and-tan cookie from Joy the Baker, a riff on the classic black-and-white. Pro tip: whatever batch of cookies you make, ideally chocolate chip, double the recipe and stick a batch of pre-rolled balls in the freezer. That way, even if you just want one cookie (but why?), you’ll have them ready to go.
A summer series by illustrator Rob Wilson. At last!
When it comes to red carpets, particularly a whole week of them, I favor looks that say something, that exude personality and originality and, often, ease. Now that the Cannes Film Festival just wrapped up, there are a whole lot of outfits to look back on. Here are some of my favorites:
And because the Cannes photo calls are equally iconic, here are my top daytime looks:
Memorial Day Weekend sales are in full swing and my carts are especially full. Here are just some things I’m eyeing for you, for me, for anyone who’s got a case of the shoppies:
If you’re already looking for your summer raffia alternative, I have a metallic J.Crew bag for your consideration.
This Déhanche belt has been on my mind for a while now and an extra 30% off might seal the deal.
Button-downs always and forever: Like this luxe black tuxedo-style button-down from Frank & Eileen. Or this perfectly oversized denim shirt from Ralph Lauren.
Maybe this heeled sandal from A.Emery will get me to start wearing heels again. By the way, all shoes are 30% off at A.Emery with code PRIVATESALE.
The Gap umbrella—including Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic—has great things right now across the board. I’m particularly fond of this nylon bomber and this linen-trim ankle pant from Banana Republic. These barrel pants from Gap are compelling.
I like this linen set (top + bottom) from Jenni Kayne’s 20% off sale, among many other things, but trying not to get tempted by heavy sweaters and close-toed shoes right now…
Rothy’s! A brand I never thought was particularly for me until these clogs came along.
If you didn’t notice, everything above is under $200, an exercise in restraint. Below are just a few full-priced, but under $200, early summer treats I very much want:
The perfect bag for when you end up at a playground with a water feature and sandbox. Creative, but not precious.
Sweet ballerina flats by Home of Hai x Reqins in pastel colors. I love the suede toe detail.
The name says it all: best hat! Or best (big) hat. This rec comes via Instagrams of Annie Meyers-Shyer and Laurel Pantin, two California people whose style I very much admire.
Signing off with a throwback to Joe Pesci’s airport style, which feels like an A+ look for summer:
That’s it for today! More soon.