Rag & Bone/JEAN striped shirt | medium
Elizabeth Suzann Clyde work pants (gift from Elizabeth Suzann) | size 6
Birkenstock Arizona Sandals
Shopping…
As you can see, I bought the Rag & Bone striped top I mentioned in my stripes post recently. I got a 20% off coupon in the mail, so I went to my local store this week to try it on. I’m wearing the medium, and it’s still rather short, but a great length for me. I just have to be aware that my jeans aren’t low-rise when I wear this shirt, or if so, I’ll layer it over an Everlane ryan tank. The length is absolutely PERFECT with the Elizabeth Suzann clyde pants, since they are high/mid-rise.
This top is a medium weight and has a raw hem (that rolls slightly with wear), and dropped shoulders. I LOVE it and have worn it a few times since I got it. I think I like the subtle stripes and white background as a good way to “ease” into them. I do still want to try this striped top by The Great, to see if I like a more bold stripe.
Are you excited for the cold weather collection at Elizabeth Suzann?? I am ridiculously excited to see what they’ve been working on; the sneak peeks I’ve seen via their Instagram account look amazing. And I’m definitely going to order a pair of the clyde pants in black at some point, I couldn’t be happier with them, and would love a black version as well as this olive green.
I did finally cave and order this “old gold” pair of Rachel Comey Mars Mules (using credits earned at Garmentory – if you sign up and purchase from Garmentory via my referral link, you’ll get a $20 credit and I will too).
First, can I just say how comfortable Rachel Comey shoes are right off? (most anyway…I’ve had one or two pairs that weren’t). I honestly think one of the best things about them are how lightweight they are; you don’t have to work so hard to walk in them! And these, even with the heel, are very easy to walk in, not too high, and so soft and comfortable. BUT. I haven’t quite convinced myself that I’ll wear them yet, so I’ve been playing around with them at home. I LOVE THEM so much, especially the gold (which is rather neutral, right?), but, first, the heel is something I need to get used to, and next, the gold. I’m 90% convinced at this point…
Rodale’s has some good summer sale items if you haven’t checked lately: Only Hearts, Linen, Kowtow organic cotton.
Reading…
via ecocult: Some members of the Ethical Writers Coalition (of which I’m also a member) are trying to create zero-waste (or not create waste LOL) for two weeks starting 10/1. I look forward to reading about everyone’s experiences, and I may try to just be more aware of my waste-creating habits during this two weeks, but I’m under no illusions that I can actually ACHIEVE zero-waste. I try very hard to not be wasteful, and at my house, our recycling bin is always more full than our garbage, but there are so many ways in which we create waste that we don’t pay attention to (too much toilet paper??).
Andrea reviewed Everlane’s heel boot recently. They’re so cute on her 🙂
Any good book recommendations recently? I’m reading Everything I never told you right now, and man, it’s depressing. Honestly, I can’t wait to be finished with it, and almost want to quit, which I NEVER do after getting more than 50% through a book. But I can’t see that anything really “good” will come of finishing. The writing is good, I guess, but the story is SOOOOO depressing.
My favorite genre is fantasy (more wizards, magic, etc., than science fiction, although I do enjoy good sci-fi as well), and I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the Fitz & the Fool Trilogy since finishing the first two recently, but would love any suggestions from anyone else who’s a fan of fantasy. With the caveat that I’ve pretty much read it all by now!!
OH, and I tried to read Elena Ferrante and quit after getting about 30% through the first book. Is something wrong with me? It just didn’t do anything for me.
Happy Friday!!! How was your week? Anything exciting planned for the weekend?
In terms of fantasy, I’ve been waiting for the third book from the Patrick Rothfuss series…if it ever gets released I’ll need to re-read the first two since it’s been so long!
I vote YES on the gold shoes (as long as the heels are comfortable ;-)) I am strongly in favor of metallic shoes, and they ARE a neutral!
Reading the second book in way of kings right now and it’s really good.
I agree – love my silver & bronze neutral shoes!! (I almost never wear yellow gold anything, so that’s a metallic I skip)
I’m wearing my silver Birkenstock Gizehs at work right now 🙂
LOVED those books tess. all of his books are really good!!
you and me both! i will definitely have to re-read. i get really frustrated by reading series and waiting on the next book! i tried to convince myself not to start a series that wasn’t “complete” yet, but I can’t do that…
the heels are really comfortable on the RC shoes, and they’re so good…but i’m having a hard time convincing myself i’ll actually wear them. like right now, i had them on with my ES cecilia slim black pants and a chambray shirt, but am wearing my freda salvador flats instead. and i know i don’t have to wear them ALL THE TIME – they can be my “special” shoes – but I do want to wear them, you know?? ugh…
Good Morning
I was so excited to get the Elena Ferrante and bailed early on in the first one too! And I never not finish a book. If you havent read any Elizabeth Berg all of them are good. Elinor Lippmann too, in fact I wish they would give us some new stuff.
Have a great day,
e
Raising my hand, also bailed on Elena Ferrante, the casual misogyny and violence was too much for me. As for fantasy, I’m going to guess that you have read The Magicians trilogy, but I’m mentioning it here because I’m often surprised that people don’t know it. Another good series is the Monster Blood Tattoo books. No wizards, but an alternate world with magic and (obvs) monsters.
But I’m really here to vote yes on the gold shoes; they will definitely work as a neutral, especially the color on these!
Glad to hear you’re feeling the same about Everything I Never Told You as I did. My day job is as a child therapist, and all I could think about was why I decided to read a book about miserable family life that I inevitably help kids with every day?! It was such a bummer to read and with a background in psych, too easy (for me) to see solutions the characters were actively running away from — which may have been the point, but was endlessly frustrating to passively take in as a reader. I put the book down (on my Kindle) after the brother finds out he gets in to Harvard (?? It’s been a while since I read it), and haven’t looked back.
My fiance’s more into Fantasy than I am, but the more “sci-fi” books I’ve read recently were Gollum and the Jinni (LOVED) and Ready Player One (even though I know less than nothing about video games it was a quick, fun and cute read). I’ll ask my fiance for some recs as well for you!
PS: I’m more of the “whimsical, fantasy” type when it comes to sci-fi (if that IS sci-fi?) — so both Gollum and Jinni and Ready Player One are definitely more whimsy/fantasy type books…
Grechen, you have to remind us of Rodales next spring – So many linen/cotton dresses I love that are now sold out – How did I miss it earlier in the season ?!!
oh my gosh, now i don’t feel so bad about wanting to quit. although now i wonder if there’s anything redeeming at the end?? i’m curious, so i think i’ll stick with it, won’t take too long…i agree with your assessment though, it’s so obvious. and i wonder what is the point of it all??
i read ready player one a long time ago and thought it was pretty good, but haven’t read gollum and the jinni so i’ll check it out! thank you!!
i’ll try to be better about that 🙂
it’s worth it to get their email newsletter, they have interesting stuff in there sometimes, aside from new arrivals and sales, etc.
phew! glad to know i’m not alone with ferrante! i was so excited to start the series, because it gets such good reviews/etc. and wow…it was just…nothing. but that’s how it is sometimes, nothing can appeal to EVERYONE!
i started the magicians too, a while ago and gave up, it just didn’t grab me very quickly!! is it worth it to push through??
i’ll look up the monster blood tattoo books!
You love fantasy too? Geez, I got so excited reading that! I highly highly recommend the Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. When the first book came out the series was touted as a young adult series and in the same vein as Harry Potter – big mistake on the publisher’s part since I think they missed out on a larger adult audience. The world building is incredible, and the author is so young which leaves me super impressed with her talent! I can’t wait to see how she expands the world in the remaining books. Also, if you’re OK with something that’s somewhat like urban fantasy with supernatural beings but no magic (don’t worry, not cheesy urban fantasy), The Others series by Anne Bishop is terrific. I also devoured the Erika Johansen Queen of the Tearling books. This series is more magic and high fantasy with another element that I can’t speak of because it would be a HUGE spoiler. Tomorrow afternoon I’m hosting book club (we are adults who read young adult novels, a bit nerdy I know) and this month we are discussing my book pick – Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. It’s mélange of dystopia/action/sci-fi.
Also, those boots are gorgeous. If the heel isn’t too much to get used to, I would absolutely recommend keeping them. I consider gold a bit of a neutral too. 🙂
Oooh I will check out Bone Season. I’m WAY older than HP’s target audience (I don’t care, I still love the series), but anything comparable to Harry Potter definitely piques my interest. Thanks for the recs, I was just thinking this morning that I needed more book recommendations!
loved steelheart!! did you read the one after that?
WHY CAN’T I LIVE NEAR YOU?? i want to come to your book club 🙂
thanks for all the great recommendations – i haven’t read ANY OF THOSE!! yay!!
I’m a HUGE book hound and I never could get into the Ferrante books either. Or the Magicians series.
I’m reading the latest Ann Patchett book – Commonwealth. Love it.
Do you listen to the Book Riot podcast? It’s weekly and is about books (of course!). They have two other podcasts called All the Books and Get Booked – both of these have amazing book recommendations. Lots that you’d never get from the NYT or other more mainstream sources.
i have commonwealth on my list at the library! i have to usually wait FOREVER for my turn at electronic books at my library…
i don’t listen to a lot of podcasts, although i’m trying to get better – i just usually stick to my local NPR station all day while i’m working. but i’ll check that one out, thank you!!
I may need to get those pants…and love the stripes on you!
I just finished Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. Life changing! Recommend for anyone.
That’s on my list too. Saw her on super soul Sunday last weekend 🙂
Love those shoes! I’ve been eyeing them too. I have the gray suede pair from last season, though, and I can’t figure out the sock situation. I wear Smart Wool footies with the Mars booties, but that doesn’t work with this style. It’s not a problem for me with clogs that have a wooden base, but with these, it’s different. If you find a solution, please share!
Yeah, I’m a HUGE adult HP fan (I have two tattoos to prove it!), but didn’t really understand the comparisons between it and Bone Season. Maybe because they both take place in England and contain magic (even though it’d different types of magic)? Bone Season is definitely more of an adult series and all of the characters are adults. I’m not sure younger teens or kids would be able to follow some of the themes or character motivations. I’d be interested to know your take if you end up reading it!
I’m almost done with Steelheart (eep have to finish tonight!), but so far I’m really into it! Such an interesting world he created, and the main character cracks me up with his bad humor and is super endearing. I am most definitely going to read the 2nd book once I finish this one!
I wish you lived by me so that you could join book club! It’s a lot of fun! Are you on Goodreads? I am: https://www.goodreads.com/michallamarie. I am trying to do a better job of writing coherent reviews. Maybe we should compare notes! 😉
I heard so many raves about Elena Ferrante, but when I looked at the books in the store, it just didn’t appeal…glad to know it’s not just me and won’t go out of my way to force myself to read them!
I have been reading some post-apocalyptic US / economic collapse books…The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver is good (though the last section gets a bit libertarian-preachy) and California by Edan Lepucki.
Haha!! My husband accuses me of being preachy sometimes and I am a libertarian…so… 😉 I’ll check it out!
I just finished Hijacking the Runway (the infiltration of celebrity into fashion). Very interesting & a fast read. There has been increasing backlash regarding fashion bloggers of late and I see the celebrity obsession as a precursor to that. Love the shirt! My Current Elliott, which is my fav and my most flattering has a similar print (lots of white with thinner dark lines). I have such a difficult time abandoning a book! Even if I hate it. I feel guilty lol. Since I love to write I emphatize with the writer. There was a memoir that I read that had beautiful prose but she was so annoying and entitled, lacking any self awareness regarding her own decisions repercussions. But she had a horrible childhood so I finished every last page, because of my writer guilt.
i usually feel very guilty for quitting a book also, which is why i hardly ever do…it takes a lot…but this one, i don’t know. i get so depressed about people when i read it LOL
i like reading about fashion, etc., so i’ll look into that one. i read teri agins’ book a long time ago and loved it, i forget the name, (haha. i just looked it up and she also wrote hijacking the runway LOL) – the end of fashion was the one i read, it was very good…
i almost posted about the blogger backlash in vogue this week here, in this post, but decided not to. i don’t know, i don’t take the blogger’s side necessarily, because i think it’s ridiculous all the prancing around and trying to get noticed that fashion week, and blogs/instagram/etc have become the last 5 years. it’s all about who can look EXACTLY right at any given moment, not about anything substantive at all. then again, magazine editors need to get over themselves also. industries evolve, things change, keep up and adapt somehow, or move on. it doesn’t mean they have to like it, but it’s pointless complaining about something that’s not going anywhere or doesn’t seem to be evolving much either…
same with celebrities and fashion. i agree with you that celebrity obsession is a precursor to blogger obsession – people see them as one in the same i think. the super big ones anyway. i don’t get it. i’ve never cared about celebrity, or anyone “famous” other than what they do as an artist, they’re just people, after all. but i think i understand why some people find that sort of stuff appealing – as an escape from everyday life. that’s why the aspirational bloggers do so well.
ha. enough of that. definitely going to add that book to my list 🙂
i’m not on goodreads, but have looked into it a million times. i should be…i know, then i would stop being annoying here asking for book recommendations!! but then again, if i wasn’t i’d not find out such interesting things about my readers 🙂
Haha, I have been feeling alone in my dislike for Ferrante too! As far as The Magicians goes, if you didn’t enjoy it because of the unlikeable main character, I would encourage you to keep going. It’s really his coming of age story, and since he starts as a really whiny, navel-gazing hipster, he has far to go! But I thought the writing and story arc were strong through all three books, I really loved them.
I adore Ann Patchett’s writing! That’s on my list.
Love the gold mules. They are so much better than my gold clogs. I think if the leather feels as soft as it looks, they’d be a keeper for me. Definitely a style-maker!
Just waiting for cool enough weather here to wear my cotton Everlane sweater!!! Love Andrea’s Evetlane boot post.
Welcome back to the stripe club! You look great. 😉
I usually ALWAYS quit a book if I’m not enjoying it, life’s too short, right?! But for some reason, I pushed through the entire Elena Ferrante trilogy and it NEVER paid off! I was so disappointed! I’ve really been enjoying anything by Emma Straub.
Grechen – Hi
Ok this is not a series but I just finished reading all of Ruth Reichel’s books she was the restaurant critic for the NY Times and the LA times and wrote 5 books so far, Delicious, Tender to the Bone, Garlic and Saphires, Comfort Me With Apples, My Kitchen Year. Start with Delicious and you will be hooked. Trust me.
Today I am going through my closet and taking out all fall/winter tops and going through them for the Marie Kondo once over again. I’m trying to buy items that go together not just pieces I like. Yesterday I bought 3 tops from Eileen- a lightweight merino sweater w grey/blush stripes, A black tunic w wrap around pockets, and a teal ‘cozy’ box-top. All to be worn w jeans and black pants. I also want to go back to the Everlane studio and try on their sweaters. I am trying to create a wardrobe that once put together will get me dressed in 5 minutes in the cold mornings to come.
I wish you lived closer to NY too! Enjoy your princess shoes- Remember-
” Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.” Vivienne Westwood
Happy New Year from your tribe in New York City,
hugs, Gena
HI Grechen – love the t-shirt (and the gold mules- hope you keep them).
I am reading Commonwealth right now, too. Ann Patchett – one of my big favourites. I’m not a big fantasy reader so can’t help there. You’ve probably read “All the Light We Cannot See” – I love this book and will go see the places in St. Malo next summer. I also love Joseph Boyden’s “The Orenda” (and all his books) – he is Canadian and lives in New Orleans part-time. This is a life-changing read for anyone who wants to understand the place of aboriginal people in North America.
And by the way, I used to make myself read every book I started – then my lovely friend Bob reminded me that life is just too darn short (and full of so many good books) to inflict reading as pain on ourselves!
All the Light We Cannot See is one of the best books I’ve read in… oh maybe ever. SO good. Enjoy St. Malo! I’ll be in France next year too and am tempted to re-read the book and explore the town…
I used to push through books I wasn’t enjoying, but no more. There is too much I want to read!!
happy new year gena!! here’s to a sweet one 🙂
thanks for the book suggestions – i will give them a try, i do sometimes enjoy reading about food/eating, and i like her very much.
Hi Grechen!
Love this outfit! Can I ask if the color of the Clyde pants in your pictures is true to life? I’ve been eyeing the olive color, but it looks kind of more like a dark khaki on the ES website. Your photos, on the other hand, make them look like exactly the dream pants I’ve been looking for!
Also, I know everyone else already weighed in on this – but I work in a bookstore, and trust me, you are not alone in not getting into Ferrante. It’s way more common than the book media machine would have you believe. 🙂
Thanks!
They are definitely more green than brown in real life – such a great olive color!!
Thanks for the the reassurance on ferrante! I’m surprised and feel better :). And by the way, my dream job was to work in a bookstore in college and I finally got hired at my favorite bookstore in Atlanta – oxford books – when they started closing locations I was devastated!!! So, I envy your work 🙂
Fan-tastic! Thank you! That will be the tipping point to put them on my shortlist!
You’re welcome! The job definitely has it’s perks – although sometimes it can be hard to actually bring home a paycheck and not just turn it into more books!
Fan-tastic! Thank you! That will be the tipping point to put them on my shortlist!
You’re welcome! The job definitely has its perks – although sometimes it can be hard to actually bring home a paycheck and not just turn it into more books!
Did you keep the mules? I have another color and they are by far the most comfortable shoes for that heel height… I wear them often! But I too have been tempted by gold recently, especially Freda Salvador’s Moon bootie in the gold metallic. They are supposedly a lower heel than the RC Mars mules which I am happy about. Just hard to pull the trigger on something so expensive, even during the sale!
I did keep the mules. Haven’t worn them yet though! Too hot here still…
I love those moon booties, and Freda shoes are super comfy. Was tempted by them definitely. But yeah $$$$
Thank you for the shoutout, friend! xo