Still a Snack One Day Late: A Great Read, Great New Store, A Great Hair Product, etc.
Sorry I'm late!
Sorry, so sorry. I had kind of a weird week and just needed so much sleep and normally I write these snacky letters on Friday or Saturday night, but I was so tired. So here it is now! Meanwhile, if you just want to shop the edits, you can find most/all of mine from Earl and Your Mom here.
A NEW CONCEPT SHOP FROM TORY BURCH X HUMBERTO LEON
The most exciting thing to happen last week was the opening of this new concept shop by Tory & Humberto on Melrose. Shopping in LA is tricky, I find, so much of it caters to a sort of disposable luxury I don’t love, or it’s so niche I can’t easily find my way in. This is an exciting addition - I love Tory Burch, and Opening Ceremony really shaped the way I think about fashion and retail, and anyway, it was fun to go to the opening. The shop features blown up photographs by the artist Walter Schels (Burch used the prints in her Resort ‘24 collection) but the whole thing looks like a super girly, cat-lovers paradise. From the press release, I especially love this quote from Humberto Leon: “We’re proposing different ways of wearing and styling clothing, making everything less precious, mixing runway with, for example, fleece,” he says. “In your closet, everything is equal. Your concert T-shirt you got when you were 18 is as valuable as the latest runway piece.” I think that so perfectly encapsulates how shoppers operate in 2024, and is exactly also how I approach dressing in my life, and in this newsletter universe, so all in all - this is excellent.
A BOOK I COULD NOT STOP SCREENSHOTTING
I mostly read on the kindle or books app on my phone (yeah, yeah… save it) and this one really hit me. In a nutshell, it’s about a college age aspiring writer confronting the adult world around her….sort of. I love reading books about writers (I think partially why I love John Irving so much) and this one is beautifully written, a great story, and had so many hit the nail on the head moments perfectly encapsulating what it is to be a young woman in college.
A GREAT LITTLE WINTER PICK ME UP
Say what you will about celebrity brands, I’ll give Gigi Hadid this - the gal knows color. I am a fan of Guest in Residence for that reason, and were I still living somewhere cold, this is the point of winter when I’d start needing little fun extras to help get me through it. This knit cashmere cap is on sale, and comes in a zillion colors - I’m partial to the cobalt, though there’s also a great tomato red and bright green.
ANOTHER PICK ME UP
A new coat! I feel like I was always looking for a sharply tailored coat like this, and I love this kind of off mossy color, but mostly I love the price. It looks expensive but it is not.
NEW SHOES!
Ugh! My shopping fast is still on - I haven’t bought anything since before the new year, but these new shoes are tempting. On the left, a basically flat boot from Khaite in shocking gold (years ago I passed up the zebra print ponyhair boots, and I still think about them all the time) that I can already think of ten different ways I’d wear, and on the right, new sandal heels from Proenza in that can’t-look-away red. I would really love to own both.
A HOODIE BUT BETTER
I always enjoy a fresh grey hoodie, and this one from Cos is that, but better. It’s a double faced knit viscose, so it has most structure and polish than your average terry or jersey hoodie. It has a spongey quality that I enjoy, and looks like a more natural (though still unexpected) pairing with wool pleat-front pants. It is very good.
A VERY GOOD SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER DUO
I have fussy hair - it’s color treated (ahem….), curly, and fluffy and fine - it’s like a baby chick’s hair. I tried this shampoo & conditioner duo expecting them to be good, but like…shampoo is shampoo kinda? However, this shampoo isn’t super intense, where my hair feels brittle or over-cleaned, and the conditioner isn’t mega thick. Neither product is extreme. They’re kind of the Goldilocks combination that makes my hair behave just a little bit better, and seem like it needs slightly less fussing. I also love the Milk Hair Serum when I wear my hair down and curly - my curls hold together better, but stay springy not sticky or weighed down.
A VERY FUN PAIRING
Ok, ok, ok, brooches are back, every season, they’re back! They’re always back, it’s just not something everyone feels comfortable wearing, so when someone does it successfully it’s a harbinger of a trend. Ok, so. My buddy Danielle made this incredibly beautiful diamond brooch/tie pin inspired by an art deco piece, and I love everything about it, but mostly that it’s such a masculine piece that can be worn to look very feminine. When its on, it’s like a line of very subtle sparkle, and I love LOVE the idea of it worn on a workwear-ish jacket like this one from J.Crew. This jacket is so good and will look so cool over a cotton knit with a diamond pin. THE END of the Brooch conversation.
A VERY HOT LINGERIE SET
Hellooooo nurse! Not much to say here except this is very pretty (I love the rosettes) and Valentine’s day is coming up, and it’s just as fun to wear fun lingerie for someone else as it is to wear it for yourself.
That’s it!
Your friend, Laurel