Discover more from All's Well by Nadine Zylberberg
Hi friends. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? I hope you’re doing okay and I hope this weekend brings some comfort food and comfort movies. (I hope that for everyone every weekend, really.) To quote writer Rebecca Solnit, “You can keep walking whether it’s sunny or raining.” One foot in front of the other.
Below is a little bit of everything. As ever, I’m glad you’re here!
Well Read
There’s a magazine out there that reaches 15.4 million customers each month, that is actually growing—and that you may never have noticed before (even if you receive it). It’s Costco Connection. Naturally. For the New York Times, Mattie Kahn dug into the history and operations behind the Costco members’ magazine and why Jimmy Kimmel lobbied hard to be on the cover. “I go there for relaxation,” he tells Kahn of the ubiquitous warehouse club.
“The magazine is charged with covering the same assortment of items that stores sell — a selection that includes not only marinara sauce and pretzels, but also solid gold bars, prefabricated saunas, Bulgarian caviar, 72-pound wheels of cheese and coffins,” Kahn writes. This is a great, left-field piece if you’re into media news that has nothing to do with politics.
I gave the Connection a perusal to see what kinds of stories I’m missing: For starters, the recipes look good, like these buffalo-baked baby carrots or deep-dish honey crisp ginger apple pie. And then there are stories spotlighting members, like a family of bakers, a man who makes Lego replicas, and a few members who take their Costco hauls home on bikes. Somehow, the editorial team has managed to capture the cozy familiar chaos that is Costco, and I’m here for it.
Well Lived
Having a professional photographer for a sister-in-law (hi, Gesi!) means appreciating high-quality camera photos of everyday moments. While I’m the most amateur of amateurs, I do love using a Leica Q2 to capture memories of my kids (birthdays, recitals, moments at home when the camera is within reach). It’s big, though, so until recently, I had a small Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot to bring with me everywhere else. (It just broke, sigh.) So, like most of us, I’ve been relying on my iPhone’s camera more and more. It’s not a bad thing! I get fresh pics of my babies daily. That said, in The New Yorker recently, Kyle Chayka named something I didn’t consciously realize was bothering me.
The way we take iPhone photos has become so perfectly AI-optimized that the resulting images are void of the messiness of real life: the shadows, the grain, the flaws, and, yes, the richness. “What if the flaws are actually positive features,” Chayka asks. He’s recently fallen back in love with iPhone photography through a camera app called Halide, whose Process Zero feature avoids all that dramatic editing we’ve become accustomed to. I’ve been using it over the last week and I find myself less inclined to take multiples of a picture. One and done. Give it a shot—fair warning, if you forget about the free trial (guilty), Apple will charge you $19.99 for the year. A happy accident!
Well Watched
Gap has been doing things very right lately. The right collabs (Dôen, Cult Gaia), the right press moments, the right products: I know some of you bought the cotton crewneck sweater (if you haven’t, save hundreds of dollars on Babàa and give it a shot). Also, denim authority
recommends the straight-leg black jean. All of this to say, more of Zac Posen’s Gap, please! The brand’s 2024 holiday campaign launched this week and it’s the first welcome dose of holiday cheer: the colors, the simplicity, the voices. Give it a watch and tell me you’re not transported to some ’90s, Janet Jackson, easy breezy place:You can also read more about the talented musicians featured in this a cappella performance. (I wish Gap would pay me for this.)
Well Fed
Never underestimate the power of a good breakfast sandwich. I made one for myself at home Wednesday morning and, not that it fixed anything, but it was healing and nourishing, and that was enough. I started with homemade focaccia—tall order, I know, but it’s surprisingly easy as far as breads go**—and topped it with a two-egg omelette, a slice of melted muenster cheese, and a generous pour of Cholula.
You can also make it à la Smitten Kitchen, with a slice of American cheese folded into the eggs. And if you can’t get yourself to Daily Provisions for their BEC (a solid, solid, lazy day option), you can copy it at home, too. The options are endless, but as long as you have eggs, cheese, meat (optional), and two slices of [insert preferred bread here], you’re golden.
**I should say that Coby made the focaccia on his own using our friend Juli Massari’s recipe.
Well Drawn
Too good. (This happened to me today.) Cartoon by Sofia Warren.
Well Worn
It’s November. I know now is not the time, but I find myself wanting good white jeans. And so, while I was fully prepared to publish a whole long list of cardigans, I’m saving that for another time and honoring my sartorial spirit in this moment. White pants it is! And a few of the reasons why they work.
While writing this at an Upper East Side coffee shop, a woman walked by with the coolest two-tone white jeans with an angled hem. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find them, but this two-tone Sportmax pair comes kinda close.
B Sides’ Plein cut is a crowdpleaser I think: straight, but not too. Wide, but not too.
On the wider end, I recently got a pair of Citizens of Humanity Ayla jeans, heavy and cuffed at the bottom. I wear it with fitted crew neck sweaters, though now all I want is this v-neck to pair it with. On the straighter end, I like Agolde’s 90’s pinch waist jean (and here’s one more classic by Levi’s).
Oooh, I love the pleating on this AYR pant.
While I’m generally wary of trends, I think the low-cut, wide-leg, drawstring situation all around us is appealing. I feel like Still Here got on it early, but Madewell has a solid pair. Proenza Schouler offers a classy, belted take on this.
Cargo pants are a good everyday, non-denim alternative, and they work in white. This TWP pair veers a little summery, but I like the idea of contrast.
Some other winter whites that are filling my cup:
A minimalist but makes-you-look-twice white sneaker.
I’ve been eyeing Jane Herman’s trip jacket for a while and sale season convinced me to go for it.
This might be the perfect white tee, as the name suggests.
A long satin cargo jacket from Banana Republic, sold out, but cropping up in resale.
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake trousers, which I’ve been coveting since I saw them on Bergdorf Chief Merchandising Officer Yumi Shin’s Instagram over the summer (see above). Pop a turtleneck underneath and it works now.
Signing off with some beautiful textile embroidery (and a great Instagram follow):
More soon! Until then, share this with a friend, won’t you?
P.s.: Contrary to what this email title says, the gift guide will be hitting your inboxes in a couple weeks. Stay tuned!