Warming Up, Issue Eight
Happy April, everyone! There's a lot happening right now, on earth and in the stars. It's a time to pay attention, but also to take a beat, to listen to the storm rolling in and to enjoy those brilliant breaks of sun all the more. It’s not just the weather that’s hot and cold, we’re in a transitional state of mind, too. We’re appreciating the solitary pleasures of home but also dreaming of warm evenings spent under the stars…and even the beach! This issue takes both of these feelings to heart. There are things that will make your interior life more lovely and things to help you get ready for the warmer, more frenetic months ahead. We revel in new discoveries but also honor truly classic items that we need reminding of.
We hope Issue Eight will bring some extra joy to your everyday life. And if you’re interested in supporting the work we do by upgrading your subscription, we have some nice extras (the cheap and cheerful things we buy over and over again, a special dispatch from Paris) coming your way…
Talk to you soon,
Alexa, Courtney & Aaron
You snip a bouquet of narcissus and return your pruning shears to your soft, deep pockets. At this time of year, a CHORE COAT is one of those hard-working pieces you’ll throw on every single day. It’s as useful for gardening and grocery runs as it is nippy cocktail parties and windy afternoons spent reading on the beach. It covers you up (and covers your derrière) in a way that makes you feel put together and in charge. The late actress and green thumb Katharine Hepburn knew their value, pictured above in one of the many light cotton cover-ups she wore to tend to her garden (pls read this 1986 interview wherein she pulls out a New York Transit uniform jacket she got at a thrift shop for $2.50 and poses with an old sweater tied over her head!) Hepburn’s jacket ticks all the boxes: roomy pockets, a floppy not-too-high collar and a comfy oversized fit. Right now, we’re loving (in order of price) La Bagatelle’s grass green denim Didion jacket and these unisex ones from Hey Gang and Stan Ray. Once you’ve got one, put it on and walk over to the Katharine Hepburn garden in NYC.
The sound of a quill gliding across thick card stock transports you to a simpler time, when written correspondence was a way of life, smoke rose from ashtrays and jazz played on vinyl. Watching Andrew Scott play an elegantly murderous Tom Ripley on screen, reaching for Dickie’s molto bello fountain pen each time he forges a check at American Express, reminded us that having a truly exquisite implement—the satisfyingly heavy kind that screws open and closed—is one of life’s small (and largely forgotten) pleasures. Montegrappa FOUNTAIN PENS have been made the same way since 1912 in Italy’s Veneto region (Hemingway was a fan) and can be completely customized, including colors and engraved monograms. It will look handsome resting on a beautiful tray on your desk, and even more so in your hand, when you finally sit down to write an overdue note to an old friend.
A spritz of perfume, the perfect gold hoop, bare feet gliding across a dew laden lawn, ice tinkling in your glass. A dress in which to enjoy cocktail hour outside on the first warm-enough day is a magical thing. This BLOCK-PRINTED CAFTAN, hand-stamped with marigold flowers on lurex striped cotton voile, is just the shift you want for that moment. It is designed by our very own Aaron Dickson Millhiser in collaboration with SZ Blockprints, who create all of their pieces at Jaipur’s most important workshop, founded by the late Kitty Rae, who introduced the art of block printing to the West in the 1960s.
In the quiet moments of evening before bed, you reach for a dab of this potent little balm. Weleda’s SKIN FOOD Original Ultra Rich Cream has been around since 1926 and is still the very best salve for dry hands, heels and everything in between—especially now when our parched winter skin needs a pick-me-up. Infused with pansy, rosemary and almond oils (among other sorcerous herbs) this cream produces a silky luminosity we really can’t explain. (We’ve heard people even use it as a highlighter on their cheekbones!) Founded in 1921 by Rudolf Steiner (also the father of the Waldorf educational philosophy), Weleda still uses ingredients grown on the heavenly 50-acre biodynamic farm in Germany started by Steiner himself.
With his gullet pointing happily to the sky and his glossy coat in the sunniest of shades, he makes your day brighter just by being there. This enamel and EARTHENWARE FROG is from Jean Roger, a third-generation ceramic studio based in Paris that has been creating these adorable grenouilles since the 1960s, when Roger modeled the first one off of an 18th-century Chinese Kangxi frog. Since then, they have been collected by everyone from Jackie O to Princess Margaret and come in four sizes: the mini makes a great vessel for rings by your bed and the large is perfect as a planter for a myrtle topiary, which we love as a longer-lasting alternative to cut flowers on your dining table.
Morning traffic, drop-off hellos and strangers on the train all have a rosy hue. Moscot’s Lemtosh MONOCHROME GLASSES, which come in a delicious variety of color-coordinated frames and lens shades, provide a happy barrier between you and the real world. Our obsession with color-tinted lenses is longstanding and Moscot offers the best colors and quality. In the 1940s, tinted lenses were matched to frames to complement one’s complexion and were even thought to aid with depression. They’re also an awfully chic way to go incognito if you want to see but not be seen.
Ahhhhchoo! It’s allergy season and if you’re not curled up with a tissue box at least a few days this month you’re not living! But one simply cannot allow a box to go uncovered (no wire hangers ever!) Enter this cotton TISSUE BOX COVER from Le Château de ma Mère, a wonderful little company inspired by the Provençal way of life with a shop in Paris’ St. Germain. In a quilted palm tree-printed cotton, it fits a 7x11” box (or a lone stack of tissues) and dresses-up your Kleenex in fine Rive Gauche style.
You listen to the sound of bees buzzing and wicker crackling under your weight as you shift to stay in the bright spring sun. It is the time to think about furniture that works as well inside as it does outside, and there is no better steal than Ikea’s AGEN ARMCHAIR. A household staple we have all ordered over and over, it is hand-woven in a simple Swedish style and looks great on your patio, at your dinner table and everywhere in between. Order it with Ikea’s white cushion or go with one of these custom cushions from Etsy, which are covered in fun Sunbrella stripes.
You pull it over your head, as you have so many times before, and it envelops you like an old boyfriend (we can almost smell the Old Spice!) There are few shirts as tactile—and dare we say sexy—as a RUGBY SHIRT. Especially one that has been worn to perfection. Land’s End made the hard-wearing English sport shirt popular in America in the 1980s when they designed the US national ruby team uniforms. To capture that ‘80s je ne sais quoi (think Mick Jagger, David Hockney), we’ve carefully sourced a small number of vintage Land’s End rugbys that are perfectly patinated in heavy cotton jersey with rubber buttons, a twill collar, tennis tails and rib-knit cuffs. These are men’s shirts, but we also love wearing one à la Princess Di with jeans (just a casual front tuck!) or over a bikini when the beach gets chilly.
You make it once, you make it twice and suddenly you have a new trick up your sleeve. Baking can be daunting, but this olive oil cake or GÂTEAU À L’HUILE D’OLIVE in Aleksandra Crapanzano’s cookbook Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes (Scribner, 2022) is an easy-to-make crowd pleaser that requires only about an hour of your time. An herbaceous confection made with basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, the cake is “as close to perfection as anything I’ll ever serve,” writes Crapanzano, who recommends using this olive oil. (She also pens a wonderful dessert column for WSJ.) We love bringing it to a dinner party or eating it for breakfast with a strong cup of espresso.
As always, all of our illustrations are original and hand-drawn in ink by Courtney Broadwater
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