In Other News
Chunky Boots, Paris, and ugly cars
I’ve had Paris on the brain all week: Buying tickets for my first flight abroad since last March, vicariously taking in all the fun that a vacationing friend is having there right now, and not least of all, watching Paris (Hilton) cook: perfectly mind-numbing in a fizzy and hilarious sort of way.
1.
I was somewhat underwhelmed by the first season of Modern Love, but nonetheless curious to give the second season a try. Episode one, “On A Serpentine Road, With the Top Down,” chronicles a women’s heart-aching dilemma over the choice to sell her late husband’s vintage car (which, aside from her memories and daughter, is one of the most meaningful connections she still has to him). My first reaction after seeing the car: Ew, sell that ugly thing! Of course, having never even heard of a Triumph Stag before, I did some research and…it turns out there’s a reason so few were made: it’s ugly and poorly engineered.
2.
I’m only halfway through Yolk by Mary K. Choi, but if the two sisters, whose conflicted relationship anchors the crux of this novel, come out of it resolved to be friends, I’ll be seriously pissed. The best part of this story is how well Choi captures the complexity and rigid dynamics of sisterhood, not just on a universal level, but within the unique structures informed (imposed?) by race and cultural backgrounds. Familial relationships can be fraught with landmines and other thorny nuances, and as someone who knows what that’s like, I love when authors aren’t afraid to expose their readers to those realities.
3.
Here’s a great story of a TikTok-er who didn’t get mad and just cry about it when her so-called “friends” opted to exclude her from a party. She got even by making thousands of new pals—and sharing that opportunity with others who were feeling similarly socially-isolated.
4.
Clodhoppers are what my mom used to call the chunky, lug-soled footwear I wore throughout my teenage years. Between my massive, size-10 feet, and the outlandishly clunky aesthetic I was going for at the time, she wasn’t wrong. Whatever your mother called them, they’re back, from Ulla Johnson’s recent turnout with Diemme, to Prada and Bottega Veneta, each with their own surrealist, cartoon-like takes on Chelsea boots, and Sam Edelman’s rubbery puddle-stompers in a delicate shade of cream.
5.
Pairs Well With A Good Time: We’re serving this surprising, chilled red at my birthday dinner this weekend. It’s so juicy-good!