Sale PSA: Stella McCartney’s fun take on the classic Stan Smiths, now 40% off, the “Boss” bag from Everlane, now 40% off, a cotton button front tiered mini dress from Madewell, now $62 with code GIANT, the excellent Kitchenaid Artisan mixer, now $280, and a very cute (!!) ruffle tee dress from See by Chloe, now just $125 with code SUMMER.
1. This week, sharing this linen button down dress from English Factory.
Have any of you seen Match Point? The movie? You know that scene where we see Scarlett Johansson for the first time (if you haven’t seen it, you can see the style photos here in this post – which I forgot I wrote and only found just now looking for photos of the dress, and lo and behold its my own site as the first search result. Anyway).
This dress reminds me of it. Demure and pretty but also appealing in its way (maybe with another button undone)? And super classic. And a decent price!
2. An article via the NY Times, about how nannies have been treated (both well and poorly) by their families during the time of Covid.
3. This piece via Adweek, sent to me by R (thank you!!) was fascinating reading for anyone interested in “influencer” culture and physical branding. I think most of the big influencers likely work far harder at their job than it may appear, but its also a fair point that a lot of that work doesn’t compare to say, managing inventory, delivery dates, customer service, etc.
4. I had a different article I meant to share with you this week, but had to post this one instead, via the NYT, because it is in my opinion the definitive piece so far on parenting in this pandemic: In the Covid-19 economy, you can have a child or career. Not both. Eager to hear your thoughts on this one!
5. Given the urgings of several of you in the comments of last week’s post, this week I’m reading A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth.
So I actually already owned this book! I must have bought it years ago and been intimidated by the length (it is FAT and LONG). I started it again and was immediately drawn into the story. YES it is VERY LONG and yes at times Seth can go on and on for pages on a topic and you don’t know where it’s going. But this is such a rewarding read. I am looking forward to finishing (hopefully in a few weeks)? If you like Jane Austen, the big Russian novelists or just books about India, I highly recommend A Suitable Boy.
Have a wonderful July 4th weekend, for those in the USA!
6 Comments
Anna
July 3, 2020 at 8:49 amYes, I love the big Russian novelists, so yes, I’m ordering A Suitable Boy. I read the NYT article. Sigh… What is the solution though? I don’t know if we would ever come close to solving the underlying problem in this country. I’ve seen quite a few friends moving out of this country since this pandemic started, back to Europe, or Asia or a third country that they haven’t lived before. So yes, my husband and I are pondering on moving out of the country too. Not necessarily permanently, but sometimes you can see and think better from a distance. And yes, I know it’s a huge privilege to have that option.
heebie-geebie
July 3, 2020 at 12:59 pmSchools reopening is a topic that I’m irate about, actually, and imo the NYT article is on the right track but falls short. Everyone seems to be trapped in this false dichotomy about whether it’s worth the tradeoff to open schools again. The missing, unstated premise is that we have to make this decision on the thinnest of dimes. “Should we open the schools, given that we can’t spend any extra money to solve the question?” is just a rat trap. The correct, third option is for the federal government to drop a boatload of money, and allow public schools to (1) hire 3x the adults. Have them be grouped under a certified teacher if they lack training. Have them just be supportive adults who can guide kids through the curriculum taught by the teacher. And (2) rent extra space that’s going unused in conference centers, hotels, office parks, etc etc etc. In all but the densest cities, there is a surplus of developed space right now.
The only reason we’re in this impossible situation is because we’re all forced to solve this problem without spending one red cent extra. Of course it’s no surprise that this country is massively dysfunctional, but this particular crisis is hitting hard. I’m operating under the assumption that I’ll be the one to WFH from the fall on the days that my kids are not in school, because my husband’s job is less flexible, and it’s going to be utterly miserable.
GS
July 3, 2020 at 1:29 pmYes, this! I am lucky in that my son is 14, but he had a really tough year and we go through shelter in place by basically just blowing off the semester, which was pass/fail. It was a good decision for his anxiety, but the fall is going to be a nightmare since he will start high school. I can’t imagine figuring this out when he was really little. And we are fortunate—we have the means to be financially okay during this time and can afford to hire tutors to help if that’s necessary. But it shouldn’t be like this!!!!
GS
July 3, 2020 at 1:09 pmYay, so glad you’re reading the book! Can’t wait to hear what you think when you’re done. I too had it, was intimidated by its length (and I’m usually not afraid of long books, but this is LONG) and put off reading it, but was so happy after I did.
Kiran
July 4, 2020 at 8:39 amHi Kat, I was a bit surprised when I heard about Everlane and its management.
I have loved some of the Everlane items I bought following your recommendations. I am a POC and would like to step out of the white washing and the trends perpetuated by what white people thin as the next hip thing.
Lets try to get away form this.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90449436/everlane-is-the-latest-company-to-come-under-fire-for-a-toxic-workplace
Kat
July 6, 2020 at 8:55 amUnderstood and thank you for sharing! I struggle with this because I like Everlane, Reformation, and how their clothes fit me but I also recognize the need to understand the company as a whole while shopping. What are some of your favorites that you’ve found?