Souvenirs #8
White Lotus reads, why you need a nemesis, and pics from my week
Happy Sunday, and happy March. Have you had a good weekend?
Here are three photos from my week:
1 / I have been on a reading tear lately! I’ll share all my recent reads in an upcoming letter, but in the meantime, this is what’s next on my list. The cover of STILL LIFE caught my eye over the holidays and I’ve been excited about it ever since. Have you read it?
2 / It finally happened. After years of an empty coffee table, a few items made their triumphant return. One day your baby is learning to walk and crashing into everything, and the next your design books and tchotchkes are back in action. In this small stack: The Finer Things (secret attempt to indoctrinate my child with a love for decorative arts), a book on nerikomi ceramics (upcoming Deep Dive, watch out!), and an old Ina cookbook (our entire family likes to watch Barefoot Contessa on Saturday mornings, so I thought, why not?).
3 / It finally happened (Part II). Her hair grew long enough and she asked for a princess braid, which is all well and good except for this fun fact: I never learned how to French braid as a kid! So now I’m trying to teach myself the one styling skill that has always eluded me (well, that and how to blow out one’s hair with a round brush). I’ll get around to YouTubing a tutorial at some point, but if you have any braiding tips (especially for wavy/curly hair), drop ‘em below.
Onto the Souvenirs!
Today I’m sending along links to enjoy over morning coffee, or when you need to zone out during the Oscars tonight. (Though I’ll admit, it’s a low likelihood we’ll even tune in—count me in for The White Lotus and a book and then bed.)
Whatever your plans for the day, I hope this roundup provides a respite, and you take away something that delights, or that you connect with, or gets you thinking. Enjoy!
1 / Speaking of The White Lotus, are you caught up? I loved reading this profile of Parker Posey, as well as this in-depth profile of Mike White and his creative process.
2 / In related Parker Posey news, Gap just featured her in a fab new campaign, which dropped yesterday. I was thrilled that the spot features METTE’s “Mama’s Eyes,” whose music video I’ve talked about before but am going to link again because it remains a favorite. Watch this immediately if you need a pick-me-up. The choreography, art, and editing still amaze me, every time!
3 / For the parents who are reading, you’ll relate: Want to change your personality? It’s easy! Have a child.
4 / For the dog parents who are reading: With this machine, your dog can talk to you. Would you want this for your pup??
5 / The evolution of the color pink—an interesting historical look, excerpted from this new book.
6 / A wonderful gallery of a designer’s collage sketchbooks. I think collaging could be the new coloring. Doesn’t this make you want to grab some magazines and cut and paste?
8 / A lovely essay on the freedom that comes with saying NO.
9 / Total dumpster Fyre. Like honestly, who would pay for this?
10 / I’ve been drinking less lately, and so have a lot of friends, hence why this glossary of nonalcoholic drink terms caught my eye.
11 / A moving, all too real essay about a birth mother and daughter reunion.
12 / Loved this fascinating read on how Gilded Age society marched their way uptown, forever changing New York’s urban landscape and architecture! P.S., if you love architecture, real estate, and the history of both (especially in New York City), you’ll love this newsletter.
13 / Great piece (as ever!) from Kathryn Jezer-Morton about “big-reveal” content (think: pregnancy reveals, gender reveals, proposal reveals) and how it’s shaping everything—families, politics, society. Lines that walloped me:
“We are living through a time when power and influence flow toward and coalesce around whomever is best at creating a spectacle. Big-reveal content helps to transform ordinary life into something splashier, and enlarges our modest domestic worlds into places that feel hyperreal and exciting alongside the manufactured excitement produced by brands and influencers. Over time, this kind of content has aggregated itself into the contours of a worldview wherein something has to be visible for it to be interesting. The invisible; the mundane; the entire immense world of preparation, maintenance, care, repetition, and service — none of this exists in the world of the big reveal.”
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Image: Eugene Golovesov