Weekend Edition
A book recommendation, a ballet shoe recommendation, and three museum exhibition recommendations (that have all since closed but I still want to tell you about them - sorry!!)
Hello there,
Thank you for all your kind responses to my last newsletter. And thank you even more for sticking around for what’s next! Here we go…
Not sure if you heard, but there was an earthquake in New Jersey on Friday. (That’s a joke - I’m sure everyone heard. The memes came out faster than NYC’s emergency alert.) I used to worry about earthquakes when I was a child (I used to worry about most things). Fortunately, this one turned out to be more intriguing than anything else. It felt like the subway was running under our apartment. But it threw me a bit off balance, metaphorically, if not literally. It was a good reminder that the earth is always moving and shaking, and we’re just along for the ride.
I’ve been desperate for good books lately (please send me your favorites) because I write better when I’m reading something I love. (Still working on that novel. The protagonist, Sam, is a fashion designer in New York City who loses her job, her boyfriend, and her studio apartment in the course of one spectacularly terrible day. With literally nothing else to do, she heads west to Wyoming to visit her brother and soon realizes that maybe Manhattan isn’t the center of the world. And she knows a whole less about what - and who - she wants than she thought. I’m writing it for fans of Book Lovers by Emily Henry and Sweet Home Alabama (a.k.a me). More to come with that.) But in the meantime, I just tore through Mayluna by Kelley McNeil. It shook me even more than the earthquake did. I went into it knowing nothing, which made it all the better. (I read it so quickly that I even snuck in a chapter or two at work. Don’t tell my boss!) It is FREE on kindle unlimited now, so try it, and let me know what you think.
If you’ve been thinking about hopping on the ballet shoe trend, I finally found a relatively well-priced, well-made pair at COS. I mostly stomp around the city in boots because they’re like snow tires in the mountains: they can handle it. So I don’t like to spend too much on what I expect will be ripped up by sidewalks and subway steps. I’ll report back, but the leather is very nice, and I like the tougher buckle and squared-off toe shape. I got the black, although I love the ivory, but can you even imagine wearing white shoes around New York City?
For the last six months or so, I’ve been meaning to share three fantastic fashion exhibitions that I saw this past fall and winter. One was at the Cooper Hewitt, one was at the Jewish Museum, and one was at the Met. I was hoping I could send you all on a day-long romp through fashion history down Museum Mile. But alas, life got in the way. I’d still like to tell you about them though and included some digital resources and (poorly lit) photos below! All three celebrated the stories and impact of incredible women in the industry. The Cooper Hewitt shared the life and impact of Dorothy Liebes, a textile designer who helped create the American mid-century modern aesthetic. The Jewish Museum presented the first retrospective of Gaby Aghion, who founded Chloé as a collective of amazing female talent. The Met exhibit, Women Dressing Women, was broader and presented designs from famous and less well-known designers over the last hundred years. Check out the Dorothy Liebes exhibit here, the Chloé exhibit here (there is also a charming sketchbook you can download and print for yourself, or children, or grandchildren), and the Women Dressing Women exhibit here (although, I suggest starting with the other two).
Ok, naptime is over and lunchtime is beginning, so that’s all for now.
Thank you for reading!
x Lindsay
A Dark, A Light, a Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes at The Cooper Hewitt Museum
Mood of the Moment: Gaby Aghion and the House of Chloé at The Jewish Museum
Women Dressing Women at The Metropolitan Museum of Art