Would you rather be cute, cool, or fabulous?

A book I'm into, cringe in every direction, and clay that'll blow your mind

“What should I wear under this dress? Jeans? Will that look good?”

It was Tuesday night, and I stood in the doorway of my daughter’s closet, watching her pick an outfit for the following day.

I try to encourage her creative instincts wherever possible, and letting her assemble her daily look—even if it defies color theory—means I tend to agree with whatever she selects, no questions asked. The only rule is that if she’s wearing a dress and it’s below 70 degrees, she has to wear a legging or pant of some sort underneath. This is why she was holding up a pair of jeans with a drawstring elastic waist for me to inspect.

“Oh yeah, jeans!” I said, “That would look so cool.”

“Hm,” she said. She frowned at the pants and tossed them back into the drawer. “Well, I don’t want to look cool tomorrow, I want to look cute.”

“Oh, ok.”

“Cute, cool, and fabulous.”

“Like, one word for each day of the week? Or all three together, tomorrow?”

(I needed to clarify, obviously.)

“One for each day,” she said, “First cute tomorrow, then cool, THEN fabulous.”

And so, dear reader, you can thank my pre-schooler for the inspiration behind this week’s quick-but-hopefully-fun letter: something cute, something cool, something fabulous. I had big plans for a different essay, but here’s the other thing about Tuesday night: as she declared her sartorial intentions for the week, I couldn’t breathe. I have escaped the Pre-school Virus Gods for a very long stretch, but this week, they exacted their revenge. Amidst the always perplexing combination of a runny gushing nose and headache-inducing congestion, very little writing of any kind got done, so as ever, I am thankful to my kiddo for being an endless source of amusement, and now, newsletter inspiration.

Let’s get to it.

Something Cute.

Or cute, two ways—

One: I have two trips to Hawaii planned for this spring and summer, both part of bigger family reunions. On our last few trips, I’ve packed older sun and maxi dresses for dinners and what not, not bothering to shop for anything new. This year though, I felt like it might be time to introduce a couple new pieces into the mix. I’m eyeing this beautiful black and white kimono dress situation from indie brand Banjanan. I also like the cut and color options (and price point) of these square neck dresses from Playa Lucila.

Two: it’s cute how hard I’m trying to change my phone habits. I’m ten days into my new life with a real alarm clock, which also means ten days into my phone’s bedroom banishment (more on this soon!).

As screen time has (semi-successfully!) gone down, I’ve recently started a tome called HOMESEEKING, and am very much enjoying it. It was just released on January 7—has anyone else read or started it? The particulars: historical-ish fiction, changing point of view, with two main characters who met as children and fell in love before fate sends them in different directions. From his perspective, the story is told from the present going back to their childhood. From her perspective, the story runs from childhood to present. It’s super immersive and has been a great antidote to the doom and gloom of the news. I’m about 100 pages in and am looking forward to finishing this one!

Something Cool

Haley Nahman is definitely cool, as is her essay called The Cringe Matrix. The gist?

“Today I’ll be presenting a taxonomy of cringe, from wholesome cringe to malevolent cringe, based on my theory that all cringe exists along two axes—from delusional to aware, and insincere to sincere—but hugely varies depending on where it falls.”

Oh my god, sign me up. Hilarious, simultaneously serious and unserious, perfectly observed, completely low stakes, yet highly applicable to our current culture and climate.

And for the record, I will own any and all of my cringe moments, of which I’m sure I commit plenty. Hopefully none malevolently.

Something Fabulous

I may have accidentally replaced Instagram with Reddit. This week, I came across a thread featuring the ceramicist Jacques Monneraud, and was immediately hooked by his work. His “cardboard” vessels are just incredible—playful, functional, masterful in their attention to detail. Wait, let me be clear. These aren’t really made from cardboard, they’re made of clay.

In a piece for Ceramic Review, he writes:

I grew up in a family of artists and craftsmen, between my mother’s studio as a painter and my grandfather’s as an industrial designer. These two places and my family taught me a lot of things that stay with me today: the idea that creativity comes from boredom or constraint; that you can do a lot with a little.

This is the most common reaction to my work; making the mistake that it is cardboard is an indirect compliment that means a lot to me. After this initial surprise, people are immediately drawn to the object and want to touch it. I love this moment because everyone, no matter how different they may be, reacts in the same way. With curiosity, they ask if they can hold it. As they lean in for a closer look and touch the fired clay, they are often surprised by how real it feels. It is a moment of wonder. If, through the surprise played on them by their senses, people relive a second of childlike innocence, I am happy.

You can view more of his fabulous work on his Instagram, and I found this wonderful interview about his practice, approach, and personal history here.

Just because it’s the weekend, you know?

1 / I’ve been sucked into the whole Baldoni/Lively saga, you guys. Pop Apologists released a couple super in-depth podcasts that were great listens, if you also want to go down this vortex of celebrity gossip and intrigue. (Though the updates are comin’ almost everyday at this point…)

2 / Related: Vanity Fair’s piece on Meghan and Harry. What do we think of this?

3 / On the heels of my recipe, a cheat code for cacio e pepe.

4 / A squirrel fakes its own death. (This one is pre-schooler approved.)

5 / Don’t make small talk, make big talk. “I don’t care about your new golf clubs. Life is short; go deep or go home”

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Images, in order: Victoria McGinley, Evelyn Verdin, Luise and Nic, Roberto Sorin, Jacques Monneraud