Swift Style, Chic Savages, And Salty Margarita Bars FTW
Welcome to A Few Good Mentions, a weekly (or so) toss-up of five random, share-worthy things I may discover, see, read, do, or eat in a given week. You can find me on Instagram, and my website, which I try my best to update with latest published works. Ok, let’s go!
1.
A Very Savvy Museum Residency: Just in time for Taylor Swift’s NYC tour dates, the Museum of Arts and Design is unveiling “Taylor Swift: Storyteller” next week, an exhibition chronicling Swift’s various creative “eras,” through the lens of her complementing costume and aesthetic reinventions. The show makes a strong visual case for her cultural impact beyond her musical capabilities and our obsessions over who she’s dating, yet it’s hard to tell how involved Swift was in the show’s actual curation. Perhaps “The Unauthorized Biography Of Taylor Swift, According To Her Style” would be more apt, but given a Swifty’s fierce devotion, I think anything Swift-related would get fans in the door, especially if there’s good merch. Tickets are already on sale, and blessedly not sold out.
2.
There is something decidedly less bitchy about fashion and society gossip when it’s decades-old. I’m currently reading the 1989 book Chic Savages by media scion John Fairchild, and delightfully lapping up all the juicy opinions and intel on New York’s “Nouvelle Society” and fashion celebrities of that era. Compared to today’s commentary across social media, it’s downright highbrow! But the book offers more than just fashion-insider fodder, and a glimpse into the very cushy lives of the haves. The more things change, the more they stay the same; and Fairchild’s telling is like a super-niche historical document proving that notion, from publications maintaining cozy relationships with their advertisers, to well-knowns who would strive to be photographed at public events in looks “gifted” by designer labels (Nan Kempner was apparently one of the most blatant of the OG influencers.).
3.
I have so much respect for designers and founders who have the restraint to launch their lines with just one or two extremely well-crafted pieces, and then build out from there. Case in point, the NYC-based label Attersee, which debuted two years ago with a sculpted vest that quickly became a cult hit. The brand has since expanded to include full seasonal collections, each one just as deliberately considered as the one preceding, and its offerings for this summer are no exception. I’m loathe to make a comparison to the Row, because I don’t want to strip anything away from Attersee’s own merits, but if you love one, you’ll absolutely love the other.
4.
My friend Jason made these salted margarita bars for Cinco de Mayo last week, and I absolutely refuse to wait another year before having them again. If you’re a fan of Key Lime pie, Atlantic Beach pie, or anything else along the lines of a citrusy-custard with a salty crumb, then these are the thing for you, my friends.
5.
It takes a lot for me to veer from my usual skin regimen, which includes the same Shu Uemura facial cleansing oil I’ve been using since the late aughts, but my friend Christene recently introduced me to the new brand Motif and this luxuriant-feeling cleanser. It’s rich and creamy (but not greasy), and has been a sublimely soothing treat to my skin during the occasional allergy season flare-up.