Molly Shannon's adventurous "Shannon-agins," silly faces for cookie-vores, and a new newsletter on deck...
A number of you sent me last week’s New York Times feature on the “Dirty Shirley,” which had me thinking: Wow, this is so on-brand for FGM, thanks guys! At the same time, part of me wonders if I’ve been personally mis-branded as a major summertime tippler…
Anyways, there’s a lot to pack into this one, so to prevent burying the lede, as they say in journalism (which is indeed buried at the bottom of this email), some of us are launching a new newsletter about fashion in the most personal sense: how we dressed then versus how we dress now, from childhood to the more regrettable phases, to current day—and even beyond (ie: what would your very last meal be, and what would you imagine wearing for the occasion?). More info down below…
1.
You don’t need to be a mom, you don’t need to dress like a mom, you don’t even need to dress like Jessie Klein to understand and appreciate what’s really at the core of this essay she wrote about finding a new and comfortable way of dressing after her son’s birth. Klein’s candid, humorous reflection on personal style and how it evolves ever so stickily—and how we struggle to find some sense of our new selves amidst the changes we anticipate and more often don’t—is all too resonant, but no less personal.
2.
For one of the most insane, Moth-worthy, true-life tales you may ever hear a celebrity share, listen to Molly Shannon* recount to Conan O’Brien how she and her best friend illegally hopped a flight from Cleveland to New York…at the ripe old ages of 11 and 12. (*If you want to fast-forward, the story’s about at about 20:00 minutes)
3.
Speaking of true life, this one is for my friend Julie (whose boyfriend adorably referred to me as her “bestie” when I met him for the first time this weekend). Julie is the perfect type of big sister—ie, the kind who has a car, and teaches me famous dirty quotes from movies I haven’t seen yet (like Saturday Night Fever’s infamous “!@#$% finger” reference). She takes the liberty of brushing my bangs out of my eyes, when they’re going askew, and she’s always dropping recs for riveting documentaries, true-crime miniseries, and anything else proving life is so much more twisted than fiction. She’s probably already seen everything on this list, but now I have something bookmarked to save me hounding her for picks.
4.
There’s a new bakery on the block, and this one is probably where I’ll be buying many last-minute birthday and dinner party gifts that will likely be devoured as soon as they’re Instagrammed. I tried one—a sassy ode to Julia Fox’s “uncut jaaaaaams” meme—and it was buttery, soft (but not too soft!), and deliciously hit all the right dopamine receptors.
5.
I’m head over heels for the fun and jaunty seaside-inspired prints in Turkish designer Mehtap Alaidi’s spring collection, many of which are shown off on chic, voluminous silhouettes in comfy and breathable cotton. Perfection for channeling the breezy French Riviera, during the sweltering Soho afternoons we’ve got coming up.
Love love love all of this, and that Molly Shannon story made me scream when I first heard it! xx