Back to reality
It's still summer, we still have a few weeks left!
Greetings! It’s been a while. Exactly two months, to be precise. This summer has been an absolute whirlwind, and now that August is coming to a close, I’m feeling that familiar bittersweet tug of “can I have five more minutes, please???” I don’t want it to end.
The past few months moved at a more than steady clip, at work we closed the September and October issues (I have stories in both), and are well on our way into November, and for the web I’m already starting to plan on gift guides. I went to France twice, first for the Art of Color with Dior Beauty and then back again for the Olympics with Omega. I have been both deeply tired in between, felt the slow loneliness of an emptier city, and somehow still ended up in late August wondering if I had really taken advantage of all the good things that summer has to offer. It’s perhaps no wonder that I had a visceral reaction when I started to see people buzz about fall trends and what to wear for the season ahead. The short lead shopping cycle doesn’t align with the time we have left in Summer and while I do understand the restlessness, I’m also wanting to keep my feet squarely in the hot, hazy days while I still can. It’s possible to plan and visualize, and get excited for a new season, but not wish the time away, too. At least, I hope. I’m trying to be better about that.
In all of this, I just couldn’t find time to make myself do another productivity or task related thing during my weekends. So here we are in late August. Which brings me to my next announcement, which is that this newsletter, now has a name: References Made. I think it’s the perfect summation of the personal, professional and the who-knows-what-else of my wild life that may find its way into these dispatches. I still don’t really know what I want this to be or the perfected format, but I am excited about the new chapter.
Something I have become more and more aware of is the tightrope of me, me, me centric writing that is exhausting, while also wanting to build something that is representative of my very layered, and dare I say it, often weird life. (Weird in a good way.) Just this past week, as I was reading a newly released, and hotly anticipated memoir, my best friend texted me saying “Um, there’s a chapter that is clearly about name redacted.” Obviously, I rushed home from dinner to do some investigative reading and can confirm that Chapter 27 is indeed about name redacted. How utterly bizarre and somehow really very me it is to read a buzzy book thinking it will reference worlds far removed from my own, only for it to have a whole chapter about someone who in a way was a chapter of my life, too. Only me! So maybe this will become less letter home from camp, more memoir. I don’t know yet.
I’ve been lapping up what I’ve come to think of as my annual retreat from civilization out east, a time that I’ve really come to cherish with my family. Even though I worked through some of it, I really made it my top priority to not try to frantically, if not feverishly, spend every day rushing, trying to jam it all in, and let myself just do what I wanted. It was a wonderful 9 days of sleeping, eating, going for walks, reading, playing tennis and not much else. I would like to leave the rushing in the past and keep the yummy calm and presentness I’ve felt as I return to the hustle and bustle of real life… and fashion month. It’s sure to be an exciting one, and I may, emphasis on the uncertainty because it is not yet booked, be headed to London Fashion Week. All in the midst of starting a new solar year. Lots happening and lots to feel good about.
If you’re still with me, some things below that I have been loving of recent, that maybe you will love too.
I mentioned this in June, but only just got to reading it, but I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol. It’s dynamic and endlessly quotable, and is just a wonderful example of the pursuit of life well lived by a woman who exists outside of the bounds of convention. LOVE. I wish I started it sooner.
Pastis and Soda. The perfect end of summer drink. Herbaceous, a touch sweet, but definitely strong, so it’s one to sip not guzzle.
The Parent Trap (1998). Needs no explaining really, but somehow my brother had never seen it and we rectified the issue the other night. So 90s in the best way possible.
The satin/silk pant. I’ve been living in this style all summer because it’s comfortable but still looks polished. And I have no intention of stopping as we head into the cooler months. They’ll look great paired with chunky knits. Texture, texture, texture!
Turquoise. The color and the stone has had a bit of a comeback recently, though I’d argue that it never left. There’s a more teal toned purse in the September Investment Portfolio in print that I think is really striking, and Loewe and Dior have done their own handbag iterations that I really love. It’s actually a great color for transitional seasons because it offers a lovely contrast to sumptuous burgundies and vibrant mustard tones.
I’ll end this here, but I’m looking forward to the next send in a few weeks. So much is going to happen! And I’m sure I’ll be so excited to tell you all about it. Until then, I hope you are preparing for a new season that’s dipped in honey.
Your friend,
Roxy