Issue Twenty-Five

Less is More

Hi everyone! This issue is concerned with unconcerned beauty. It’s about unaffected stuff that’s stylish precisely because it was not created with style in mind. Unbreakable glassware; a good-looking tote that’s also stain proof; a face balm that radically simplifies your skincare regimen; and fashion pieces so classic they’re radical. It’s no surprise to us that many of the items in this issue are French—a culture that blends utility and beauty better than any other. It’s also a concept no fashion designer interpreted better than Coco Chanel. Her clothing posed a simple question: Can less be more? Words to live by. Here’s to keeping it sublimely simple.

Luminous and smooth, they feel cool and satisfyingly weighty around your neck. A LONG STRING OF PEARLS is never (ever) wrong but feels oh-so-right at the moment. Whether black or white pearls, we love the idea of wearing them with a bit of devil-may-care casualness. Coil a strand twice, with one loop choked tight around your neck (à la the GOAT) or don one like Vreeland’s with a scarf tied around your waist for good measure (a look Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy riffed on for his Métiers d’Art collection). Chan Luu’s freshwater pearl and gold pearl pendant necklace is a dead ringer for Vreeland’s and legendary costume jeweler Kenneth Jay Lane does fabulous faux-glass strands (this was Jacqueline Onassis’ brand of choice) in white and gray and multicolor. And if you want to go all out (‘cause what’s a better investment than pearls, we ask you?), there’s always Mikimoto or layering Chanel’s long freshwater and mother-of-pearl necklaces which are mixed with pearl-like glass beads, a nod to the Mademoiselle herself who was known to pile on “ropes and ropes” of faux pearls with the real ones she was gifted from admirers like Boy Capel and Grand Duke Dmitri of Russia. It’s a high-low trick she single-handedly made fashionable, along with costume jewelry in general (thank you, Cokes!)

Beautiful without trying to be, they are Provençal ease in a glass. First invented in 1946, Duralex’s PICARDIE TUMBLERS are 2.5 times stronger than ordinary glass and sturdily stackable for portable moments like carrying a tray out to the garden which makes them the perfect vessel for sunny lunches and picnics and even boat rides. They’re also dishwasher, microwave and freezer safe and work as well for water and lemonade as they do for a highly drinkable lunch wine. Virtually unchippable, Le Picardie comes in pretty colors—we love green, marine blue, amber and of course clear—and Duralex also offers soup bowls, dinner and dessert plates in the same signature tempered glass, which make for an unfussy spread, especially when paired with a heavyweight linen tablecloth and napkins or Martha’s fab new shells and leaf placemats.

They are equal parts ease and style. A pair of light-as-air PULL-ON PANTS are just as versatile as a summer coverup, and really more comfortable and chic. They look great with a cotton sweater and flats for sunny days around town, with a little heel and oversized Oxford shirt for cocktails and go easily with a one-piece suit for lunch at the beach. That’s why we’re stocking up on a few pairs for the coming months, whether it’s thin taffeta or silk versions from Donni and Buck Mason, casual cotton pairs from Leset and Proche, or wide-legged linen pairs from Banana Republic and Reformation that work for nighttime or a day or night.

At the end of a long day, your head floats on a cloud. Finding a pillow that has the perfect firmness and softness is an extremely subjective and often elusive endeavor. That’s why we’re obsessed with COOP’S ORIGINAL ADJUSTABLE PILLOW which is created from a cross-cut memory foam and microfiber stuffing that feels a lot like regular down and is CertiPUR-US and GREENGUARD Gold certified which means it’s free from toxic chemicals and is also allergy-friendly for those who can’t tolerate feathers. It also comes with an extra bag of filling so that you can add (or subtract) loft to create your dream pillow.

In the morning and the evening, it is a potent quick fix. You may have read about BONJOUT BEAUTY LE BALM recently, the buzzy all-in-one pharmaceutical-grade face balm created by French pharmaceutical doctor Natacha Bonjout that claims to reduce your skincare routine to one simple-yet-lavish salve. They call it an 8-in-1, packing in everything you’d get from a serum, treatment salve, moisturizer, eye and night cream, lip balm, primer and overnight mask including peptides, hyaluronic acid, squalane, amino acids, ceramides and fatty acids. We’d heard great things from a few friends and figured we should test it out for a month and share our findings with you, our favorite people! Here’s what we have to report: After four whole weeks of using nothing but facial cleanser and Le Balm we can say that it’s almost the hero product it’s touted to be. We’ve loved giving our serums, retinols, moisturizers and mists a rest and particularly enjoyed bringing Le Balm with us on our spring break vacations (it’s TSA friendly and weighs a lot less than your full regimen!). The consistency is heavy and needs to be warmed up in your hands a bit before applying, but it doesn’t feel filmy on the skin like every other balm of that weight we’ve tried. It seemed to be absorbed immediately, which is remarkable. It also didn’t cause break-outs, even in the beginning and lent us a certain glow, clarity and evenness that was noticeable after just a week. Fine lines might have been reduced a bit, too! Redness, definitely. And it smells great but is not synthetically fragranced (a deal breaker for us). Our conclusion? At least before summer, we need one more layer of moisture in addition to Le Balm, so we’re adding back in our favorite lactic acid cream (thank you, Taylor!), which we’re applying first and then sealing it all in with Le Balm goodness, which is indeed très bon.

Sunglasses on, glass travel cup filled, you thread your wrist through its sturdy handles and fly out the door. We’ve loved Hervé Chapelier bags since we were teens, carrying their classic colorful nylon styles in college and even our first jobs in NYC. These days our lives are messier, requiring an indestructible tank of a tote, which is where Hervé’s medium MARKET TOTE comes in. It has the same distinct boxy shape we’ve always loved, but comes in a rough-and-tumble polyethylene that’s perfect for gym days, the beach (soon!), or a Saturday jammed with kids’ sports games and sticky snacks.

Tough but soft, stylish but unaffected, it has inspired many imitators but has no equal. Saint James’ MÉRIDIAN MODERNE BRETON shirt is just one of those things that, no matter how fashion tries, simply cannot be improved upon. The French brand—which was founded in 1889 and began by weaving water-repellent wool fisherman sweaters—makes many versions of their iconic Breton shirt, but this is the only one to own. Based on the original striped marinière worn by fisherman in Brittany and adopted by the French Navy in 1858 to better spot overboard sailors, the Méridian is cut from a heavy jersey that becomes like a second-skin after years of wear and washing which you can layer over just about anything on a chilly spring day or summer night. We lovingly wear ours with everything from tennis whites and khakis to slip dresses and cut-offs.

Smoke billows up into the blue, sunny sky. It is officially time to think about your grill game and BLACKSTONE’S ORIGINAL OMNIVORE GRIDDLE is a genius alternative to your traditional charcoal or gas grill. Rather than grates, its surface is comprised of a solid plate of steel which means it gets hotter, cooks faster and more evenly and creates a supremely flavorful crust on anything from ribeyes to sausages to chicken (it also holds up to 25 burgers, 22 steaks or 102 hot dogs!) The griddle is designed with two separate stainless steel burners so you can cook things at different temperatures and is handy for things that are tough to manage on a slatted surface like pancakes and eggs (how fun to do alfresco breakfast!?), a whole fish, shrimp or scallops. And if you want to throw on a Benihana chef hat and plan a backyard hibachi party for your family, this is the tool you need to make their dreams come true!

The garden is tranquil with bird song and the sound of your pencil. These days, we could all use a few new tools to help us meditate, relieve stress and find peace. Enter PRINTS FROM KIN FABRICS a new coloring book of Indian floral blockprints created by artist, educator and Fulbright scholar M.J. Levy Dickson (also: Aaron’s mom!!!). She made this beautiful book, which we highly recommend you enjoy with this truly excellent Caran d’Ache set (or this $35 tin), to help foster the mental positivity generated by both the flora of Rajasthan and artistic endeavors. As our days get brighter and warmer, we’re planning to sit down with ours outside in the mornings for 30 minutes of pre-10am vitamin D and a meditative moment each day.

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