End of Summer, Issue One, August 19th
We are so excited to share the first-ever issue of The Perfect with you—our very small but thoughtful newsletter and shop filled with only the most perfect things—nothing less and absolutely nothing more.
First, let us introduce ourselves. We are three old friends—an artist (Courtney Broadwater), a clothing designer (Aaron Millhiser) and a writer and ex-magazine editor (Alexa Brazilian)—who are never not obsessively chatting about and searching for the best of everything. We travel, we screenshot and we tirelessly hunt for truly special, soulful finds and ideas.
Our aim is to spread joy, spin yarns and help you live a more beautiful life. This is THE PERFECT newsletter. We hope you love it.
The sun is low and hazy, your nose is pink from a long day at the beach and your cocktail party is in full swing. The drink orders pour in, and you can’t mix them fast enough. Enter the Lazy Man’s Margarita: no laborious lime-squeezing or saccharine mixes needed. Serve it in any glass with ice and equal parts 123 Organic Tequila and Newman’s Own Virgin Limeade, furiously swirled with the key ingredient: Tiffany’s PADOVA BARTENDER SPOON. Created by the Italian jewelry designer Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. in the early 1980s, this 7.5-inch-tall sterling silver spoon is both elegant and ridiculously useful—you’ll honestly wonder how you ever lived without one! Hang it by your bar from a hook or wall peg, as Elsa did in her own kitchen.
In the early morning, when the house is quiet and cold, you wear it over your pajamas while brewing your first pot of French press. You button it up on the beach when the sun sets and before the bonfire is lit. You wear it as you would a blazer, over a freshly ironed button-down, a pocket square stuffed in the wooly breast pocket. Sometimes a jacket can become a second skin, something you wear every day, no matter what you’re doing or who you’re seeing. The CPO JACKET from Nantucket Looms, a shop and weaving studio on Nantucket Island, is just that kind of piece. First made in 1968, the handwoven tweed jacket’s shape is inspired by the shirts worn by chief petty officers in the US Navy. Each jacket is made-to-order with your choice of Liberty London floral fabric lining. It’s an investment piece, but like all things worth their salt, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. To place an order, email Becky at weaving@nantucketlooms.com or call 508-228-1908.
You excuse yourself from the dinner party and wander off to a wallpapered water closet under the stairs. There, next to the soap you can actually use, you find a collection of what we like to call trophy soaps: super special bars that are too pretty to lather up. Everyone should have some. This gleaming, giant 7” GLYCERINE SOAP from Hermès is not for human skin—it’s for saddles—which is fine because we just want to gaze adoringly at it. We recommend never letting water touch its perfectly embossed form, unless you’re the horsey type, in which case, there can’t possibly be a better way to scrub up.
Everyone is gathered in the living room. A stack of linen cocktail napkins, canapés of radish and butter, oozy cheese and baguette cover the coffee table. Along with what looks like an ashtray but is in fact a little bit of trompe l’oeil magic, care of the British artist Alma Berrow, whose ceramic SCALLOP SHELL ASHTRAY, complete with a faux martini twist, olives and stubbed out ciggies, is the best possible party trick you can play on any guest. Put one anywhere that will prompt double-takes and delight. Price upon request, www.almaberrow.com
The heat of the day is suddenly gone and the fog rolls in. Is there anything better than throwing on a COTTON TURTLENECK on bare skin in late summer? We don’t think so. Especially this one from Nitto, an Italian knitwear brand started by a former professional violinist. Hand-knit from a weighty undyed Brazilian cotton yarn, the pullover’s neck also rolls ever-so-slightly (and perfectly) over.
Your skin is parched from months of too much salt, sun and merriment. Après outdoor shower, Santa Maria Novella’s IDRASOL CREAM is just the ticket. Originally created to relieve severe burns, the coco butter-based salve is very thick but also surprisingly absorbent, leaving skin feeling deeply dewey and—most importantly—bathed in the ancient Italian apothecary’s most heavenly rose gardenia scent.
Inside there are just a few special things. A lipstick that’s as matte and red as farm tomato skin. A tiny vial of your favorite summer perfume. And maybe not your phone, because you’re with everyone you want to see. Copenhagen artisan Line Sander Johansen’s DRAWSTRING BAG is preciously soft and reminiscent of the dainty evening pouches that once dangled from Regency-era women’s wrists. It is stitched from vintage cotton fabric quilted with Danish wool, lined with African wax-print fabric and made to carry only things that make you happy.
You slide them on to walk the dog, to survey the progress of the dahlias and cucumbers in the garden, to have an easy dinner in the neighborhood. MINNETONKA’S MOCCASINS are reassuring in their appeal: comfortable, reliable and beloved since 1946. Made with white leather, glass beads and a rain-tolerant rubber sole, these slippers are just what you need, and nothing more.
You’ve been led upstairs to your guest bedroom for the weekend. It’s painted the perfect peach-pink and has a slightly musty, salty smell. Atop a well-loved chest of drawers sits a fine-toothed comb in the shape of a great white. Reminiscent of the scrimshaw combs 18th-century whalers would carve for their loves while at sea, Siren Song’s brass SHARK COMB makes the perfect hostess gift, especially on this particularly sharky summer. Personalized engraving upon request.
The last dog days are here, and you want to savor every moment. Dezso by Sara Beltran’s one-of-a-kind SAPPHIRE AND SCALLOP SHELL EARRINGS, hand-plucked by the designer herself off the shores of Sag Harbor, will forever remind you of tranquil afternoons collecting treasures on the beach long after summer is gone. If you have special shells of your own you’d like to immortalize, Sara can also work with you on a custom project.
We would love to hear what you think is perfect. Share your favorite things with us on Instagram @theperfectshoppe or via email at alexa@thisistheperfect.com
The Perfect illustrations are original and created by Courtney Broadwater.
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