Leandra Medine's Blog, page 27
May 1, 2020
This Month’s Theme Is [Awkward Silence]
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I’ve started keeping the world’s simplest diary in quarantine. It’s inspired in part by the Susan Sontag book I’m “reading,” a collection of the “Notes on Camp”-writer’s journals and notebooks kept between the years 1964-1980. When I pulled it out from the middle of my “to read,” pile I imagined it would be a more classic sort of literary diary—the kind with polished prose that seems like it was written by candlelight itself. Instead, it’s a chaotic bowerbird’s nest of random thoughts, memories, and realizations, which, it turns out, is much better for me right now. The very pages of this book seem to have ADD—and, well, so do I.
I’m keeping my diary because, well, George Saunders told me to, but also because I’m afraid that if I don’t make an effort to differentiate the days in my memory, they will cease to differentiate themselves. It’s a very unfussy affair—my notes are housed in a Google Doc called “CV Diary.” Here’s a sample week.
April 11, Sat:
Groceries
April 12, Sun:
Distanced walk with Matt’s parents at Art Omi
April 13, Mon:
Rainy & windy
April 14, Tues:
Lunch with Haley (Google Hangout)
PM walk, complained to Bennett about a variety of things over the phone
April 15, Weds:
Morning run
1 year at MR!
April 16, Thurs:
Stayed up till 2 am listening to new Fiona album
Felt really good to indulge in collective excitement about something
April 17, Fri:
Went on a morning run so I could time the “running up that hill” lyrics in the new Fiona album to literally running up a hill. Worth the effort
April 18, Sat:
April 19, Sun:
Made eggplant parm literally all day
Cursing Claire Saffitz in a good-natured way
Some days I write more, but never anything even approaching a paragraph. Other days, I don’t write anything, which sometimes leads to multi-day stretches of nothingness that I will go back and fill in after consulting my Google calendar, text messages, and camera roll for hints about how exactly I spent that time.
I can’t believe it’s been an entire month since I told you there would be no official April theme, and nearly everyone in the comments responded with a “yep, that checks out.” At that time, on April 1st—April Fools Day, if you can believe it—I didn’t even consider that I’d be writing the same thing again on May 1st. But of course I am!
Things have changed though, even if the message is essentially the same. On April 1st—an era that my diary informs me entailed “fluffy coffee x2” and “skipping therapy”—many of us were still getting into the rhythm of things. Today, both the pervasive fear of how bad this would get and the novelty of a new indoor life has faded slightly, but new concerns and interests (culinary, sartorial, and otherwise) have emerged in their place. I’m back on May 1st, not to tell you what’s coming, but to ask you what you need now.
Styling ideas that bring Spring indoors? Recipes that make good use of leftovers? New skincare tips? Good excuses to play with makeup again? Silly-ass articles about the Sauce Man du jour or an update on the animals who’ve gone wild?
Let us know what you want to see right now and we’ll get to making it.
Photos by .
The post This Month’s Theme Is [Awkward Silence] appeared first on Man Repeller.
Send Us Your Love Letters to New York
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A few Septembers back, a wayward raccoon took his talents on the road and moseyed on over from the Frederick Law Olmsted landscape he called home, Central Park, to live on the median of a two-way thoroughfare instead. I was aware of it for a few weeks, as I try to keep up with most New York raccoon developments. This raccoon had taken to eating the trash of a ritzy hotel on the cusp of the Upper East Side, the discards of room service eggs Benedict and french fries likely better than what he was used to at home. One evening in the weeks-long raccoon saga, I witnessed dramatic irony unfold firsthand: A woman rounded the bend of 57th Street and Madison Avenue, without giving the street corner a wide berth, and collided with the uptown raccoon as he was doing the same. The New York I miss cracks its own jokes.
The New York I miss looks like one giddy summer Friday, walking east to west on Canal, parallel to the traffic backed up the entire width of the island. Deadlocked between Mulberry Street and Baxter, I hear the Verizon van that hasn’t moved in bumper-to-bumper traffic for a half hour before I see it. Admitting its defeat, the van subjects all of Canal Street to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” blaring from its stereo, announcing the start of the weekend, the start of summer, the only way it can.
We’re collecting love letters to New York for an upcoming story on Man Repeller—to include yours, send a paragraph to write@manrepeller.com with the subject line Love Letter to New York.
Photo By Beth Sacca.
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3 Vintage Sleuths on How to Find Band Tees, Fringe Jackets, and Wacky Wall Art
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Sometimes I lay restless in the night, wondering about other peoples’ hyper-specific search terms, guarded like sapphires at the Smithsonian. What first editions of books do my contemporaries find worthy of rooting around the Internet for? Whose bedroom will finally feel tied together if they have a Valentine Olivetti typewriter perched on their desk? Who will swear off all other vessels if they can carry their wallet and keys in a Christopher Kane jelly clutch? What else do they find on their journeys down these rabbit holes? My curiosity became so overwhelming, so egregious, so probing, that I caved and just asked.
And aren’t I glad that I did: I heard stories that were the 21st century equivalent of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road—the road, in this case, is the information superhighway—and so we’ll be publishing these ditties as a series over the course of this week. The table of contents is like so: first, Ruby Redstone on tracking down a 2013 pair of Acne Studios glitter boots, followed by Tatiana Hambro in her ongoing quest for the Boyy Wonton bag in Olive, Lea Carey who trails flight attendant uniforms by Emilio Pucci, Lauren Chan who struck gold after searching for a shearling aviator coat in plus-sizes and Tafarii McKenzie on the chic makeup bag that eludes her. Read on for today’s installment in the series, below.
Hannah Mosman, Apparel Designer & Stylist
View this post on Instagram
April 30, 2020
I Can’t Wait to Have Side Conversations Again
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The last week before social distancing protocols were announced, I went out to dinner with five other friends at Bacaro, an Italian restaurant on the Lower East Side. In between bites of tiny spicy meatballs, asparagus dripping in baked egg yolk, and crostini with ricotta and mint, discourse solidified and scattered like a symphony of instruments. Intermixed between our collective Love Is Blind excitement, mutual exclamations about how good something tasted, and a quintuplet of echoes in support of a particular reading recommendation, there were countless parentheticals, snippets of exchanges between two or three of us that branched off, humming with the intimacy of lowered voices and the snap crackle pop of easy laughter as we followed tangents wherever they led: relationship angst, memes, kale in teeth, the Democratic caucus, skincare revelations, moms.
No topic is too weighty or too small for a side conversation, which is why they are so integral to sustaining a satisfying social encounter. I wasn’t aware of this until they disappeared altogether seven weeks ago, relinquished alongside commutes to the office, movie theater outings, the triumph of catching a bartender’s attention, window shopping, getting caught in the rain, the smell of someone else’s neck, communal bowls of mints, and “FOMO” as a concept. I wasn’t even aware they disappeared, until I stopped to consider why socializing during quarantine felt less satisfying in more ways than simply lack of in-person contact.
The nature of Zoom calls, phone calls, and texts is such that they only allow for conversation in block form: a single topic at a time–or else it gets confusing. Only one person talking–or else it’s impossible to decipher what anyone is saying. There is no branching, no scattering, no snippet-ing, no barely perceptible winks or knees secretly knocking under a table. There is only the linear progression from subject to subject and voice to voice, a forward march that requires so much conscious care-taking it can easily start to feel awkward or forced, no matter how familiar the participants happen to be with each other. It makes interaction taste like broth without salt and sound like wheels without grease: lacking in flavor and ease.
I’m curious if you miss them as much as I do–these seemingly meaningless, overwhelmingly meaningful conversational asides–and if so, whether you’ve found another way to scratch the same poignant itch. If not, know that I’m focused on the upside of the anguish of waiting to indulge in them again: a stronger conviction that I’ll appreciate them even more, and perhaps a keener sense of gratitude, now that I know exactly how big a small thing can feel.
Graphics by Lorenza Centi.
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Juice Squeezers, Steamers, and More: 7 Crucial Kitchen Upgrades (But What Do We Know?)
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In the back of my journal, I’ve been keeping a list of everything that’s going to remind me of quarantine: Alison Roman’s shallot pasta, the opening music in Animal Crossing, and these Outdoor Voices shorts I’ve been wearing almost every day. That list also includes spicy margaritas—made with one part tequila, one part Cointreau, one part lime juice, and sliced jalapeño—which I’ve been making every Friday night.
My Friday cocktail hour is one of the best parts of my week—the sound of ice cubes shaking inside a Mason jar delivers instant end-of-the-week calm. But here’s the thing: One part lime juice is a lot of lime juice—like just as much lime juice as tequila!—and I dread squeezing limes. It’s worse than you think: My hands would end up raw and rashy (is a lime allergy a thing?), and I’d lose a considerable amount of juice down my arms. Suitably inspired, I started researching the best juice squeezer on the market. I was subsequently thrilled to discover a recommendation from none other than Bon Appetit’s Chris Morocco: the Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer. Obviously, I ordered it immediately.
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This nifty $20 juicer was everything I could have hoped for and! more! With barely any effort, lime halves are squeezed into cute lil’ flat discs, every drop of juice collected and ready to be mixed with tequila. I’ve also used it on lemons and plan to test it out with a small orange ASAP. The little utensil has single handedly taken my Friday night routine from perfect-once-I-get-these-damn-limes-juiced to consistently excellent start to finish.
In an effort to spread the word about my juicer—and potentially find something else new to try along the way—I asked the team to share their favorite kitchen utensil.
A steamer basket that won’t leave you with soggy, sad veggies
Price: $8
Recommended by: Jasmin
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? My mum actually bought this for me. At first I was like, “Surely just boiling your veg is fine enough?” But this actually makes it so much easier! Never over-boiled, and the clean-up is minimal!
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? I’ll usually steam broccoli, green beans, asparagus, etc., while the main part of the meal is cooking (maybe some baked salmon), so when I’m ready to plate up, the veg is good to go. Recently I’ve also been tossing my vegetables in oil, salt, and lemon, too—not groundbreaking but definitely delicious.
Who would you recommend this item for? Someone with saucepans deep enough to fit a steamer basket and still close the lid.
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A silicone baking mat that will save your sheet pan
Price: $21.95
Recommended by: Tiffany
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? This glossy mat nestles in the bottom of your baking tray and catches all the oily-sticky bits that would normally bake onto your sheet pan to form food rocks that need to be chiseled off—use this and you’ll never have to scrub your sheet pan again.
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? Mostly I roast veggies on it, but I’ve used it for everything from baking cookies to making pizza. Recently I’ve been baking tarts using it—this Roasted Mushroom and Butternut Squash Tart from NYT Cooking was a good one.
Who would you recommend this item for? Do you love eating, but hate washing up? Use this! Hate waste? Use this to cut down on single-use baking parchment. Francophile? This silky mat was developed for French patisseries, so you can live your best Julie & Julia fantasies without leaving your home. (Stanley Tucci not included.)
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The rounded-tip paring knife from this very good Wusthof set
Price: The set is $19.95
Recommended by: Leandra
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? I took this knife from my mom’s house one weekend two summers ago, I am pretty sure, after acknowledging how good it was at cutting shit: an apple, a slice of baguette from a loaf, and parmesan cheese from a pretty big block, all in an hour’s work.
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? Apparently I am supposed to be using it to peel, cut, and mince, but because the blade is so sharp and the knife is so light, I basically use it to cut everything from raw fish (and other forms of protein) to bread or onions–so while there is no one particular food that I love to make with it, the knife plays a role in basically everything that comes out of my kitchen. I am sure this is a gigantic faux pas (or as I like to call it, a fax piss), but I didn’t even know what a paring knife was before this, so I prefer to call it progress.
Who would you recommend this item for? Anyone who is aware they are in a bad relationship–cut that shit!
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A microplane that makes zesting a breeeeeze
Price: $14.95
Recommended by: Elizabeth
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? Three weeks before I wrote this story, which goes into great detail about my love for it. I’d seen it on a NYT YouTube video of necessary pantry essentials. (Also, my mom has three.)
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? Basically everything, from sweet potatoes to yogurt to cake to sparkling water to garlic, which produces an aromatic, creamy garlic paste. I’ve also used it to grate chocolate over ice cream and nutmeg over a cocktail. Everything!
Who would you recommend this item for? Anyone who takes photos of their foods. But also, anyone who loves a citrusy burst in their dishes, snacks, desserts, and drinks.
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A stainless steel tea kettle that will calm you the f— down
Price: $31.25
Recommended by: Mikaela
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? My family bought this tea kettle after moving to St. Louis 15 years ago—we were excited to match all our utensils to our fancy new kitchen, with stainless steel appliances. For the last three months, it’s been used about six times a day. I guess tea is our chosen coping mechanism.
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? Earl Grey tea with a splash of Coffeemate creamer
Who would you recommend this item for? It’s perfect for the dehydrated and H2O averse who must be coerced into drinking water. Try it scalding and steeped with plants; your pores will thank me.
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A marble mortar and pestle perfect for smashed avocado lovers
Price: On sale for $23.95!
Recommended by: Marisa
When did you buy this and, most importantly, why? This was actually a housewarming gift from my mom a few apartments back. I love a homemade guacamole moment, and this set was the perfect tool for the task.
What’s your favorite thing to make with it? Any sort of smashed avocado. It’s also a great vehicle for mashing garlic, crushing spices for a homemade blend, or crafting pesto/aioli/chimichurri/the like.
Who would you recommend this item for? The smashed-avo lover with arms of steel and a penchant for marble decor.
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Lauren Chan Found the Best Shearling Jacket But WHERE Is the Perfect Makeup Bag?
Exciting news! We’ve launched MR Think Tank, a digital braintrust we want *you* to be part of. We’re kicking it off with a survey that will help us get to know you better, so we can keep making stuff you love. In exchange, you’ll receive exclusive content and other fun things. Interested? Sign up by taking the survey!
Sometimes I lay restless in the night, wondering about other peoples’ hyper-specific search terms, guarded like sapphires at the Smithsonian. What first editions of books do my contemporaries find worthy of rooting around the Internet for? Whose bedroom will finally feel tied together if they have a Valentine Olivetti typewriter perched on their desk? Who will swear off all other vessels if they can carry their wallet and keys in a Christopher Kane jelly clutch? What else do they find on their journeys down these rabbit holes? My curiosity became so overwhelming, so egregious, so probing, that I caved and just asked.
And aren’t I glad that I did: I heard stories that were the 21st century equivalent of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road—the road, in this case, is the information superhighway—and so we’ll be publishing these ditties as a series over the course of this week. Ruby Redstone was first up in the series, with her tale of tracking down a 2013 pair of Acne Studios glitter boots, followed by Tatiana Hambro in her ongoing quest for the Boyy Wonton bag in Olive and Lea Carey who trails flight attendant uniforms by Emilio Pucci and wooden puzzles by William Accorsi. Come back tomorrow for more where this came from!
Lauren Chan, Founder and CEO, Henning
View this post on Instagram
April 29, 2020
Here’s Why Stanley Tucci Is the Perfect Quarantine Celeb
Exciting news! We’ve launched MR Think Tank, a digital braintrust we want *you* to be part of. We’re kicking it off with a survey that will help us get to know you better, so we can keep making stuff you love. In exchange, you’ll receive exclusive content and other fun things. Interested? Sign up by taking the survey!
My apologies to Ansel Elgort, Fiona Apple, and Chrissy Teigen. The accolade of Perfect Quarantine Celebrity has been claimed by another member of A-list society. He would never brag about this triumph, which is part of why he deserves it, and also why I must do so on his behalf. Stanley Tucci, will you please stand up and take a bow?
Some might say it became clear Tucci deserved the win early last week, when he stopped the internet in its tracks with a video for how to make a Negroni (or, as he put it, “the ubiquitous Milanese cocktail”). Clad in a skin-tight black polo shirt stretched over well-defined biceps, the bespectacled messiah proceeds to talk us through concocting the beverage. Listening to it is like drinking an entire bottle of CBD. When he assures us that “if you don’t like gin, you can use vodka,” I’ve never felt more understood. When he recommends using a coupe glass, objectively the worst kind of glass given its propensity for spillage, I wasn’t even mad. Such is the power of the Tucci Effect. In lieu of Negronis, that is what social media decided to get drunk on:
not to be horny on main but stanley tucci doing a cocktail masterclass on igtv is the most erotic thing in the world pic.twitter.com/LphyhHHKS8
— lucy ford⁷ (@lucyj_ford) April 20, 2020
An Ode to Stanley Tucci's Forearms
When Stanley's cooking dinner
his sleeves get in the way.
But when he rolls them up
it makes us feel some kind of way.
It's not just that they're hairy,
or muscular, or tan.
It's all these things and more
that give us no choice but to stan. pic.twitter.com/tm0uIDx1aF
— Philip Ellis (@Philip_Ellis) April 21, 2020
POV: Stanley Tucci makes you a negroni because you are the love of his life pic.twitter.com/syTP9iDHvN
— Larry (@lrutschm) April 21, 2020
So yes, I can understand why that might have been perceived as the moment his Perfect Quarantine Celebrity victory was clinched, but I am inclined to trace it back to an earlier date: November 11, 1960. The day Stanley Tucci was born. You see, as is the case in many of humanity’s most epic narratives, the true purpose of Tucci’s presence on earth was hinted at–but not fully revealed–for decades. The Negroni video was simply the final clue as to why such an innately soothing creature originally came to exist. He’s here to make this period of unprecedented isolation and uncertainty a little more bearable. The evidence is overwhelming:
+ Tucci is the consummate Sauce Man, a.k.a. a person of any gender who gives off the aura of feeding you marinara on a wooden spoon, gently blowing on the sauce to make sure it is not too hot, seeking both your approval and admiration of their slow, simmering labor. A mix of sensuality and support, a Sauce Man seeks simple pleasures and delights in sharing them with you (and what is more emotionally urgent right now than that?).
+His voice sounds like it was designed in a lab by the nation’s foremost scientists for the express intention of making anyone who hears it feel as though their mind has been submerged in a warm bath.
+He is eternally content to not only play the supporting role, but to play it so well that he makes the act of “supporting” look like Oscar-worthy heroism instead of an afterthought.
+While everyone on the planet is trying to cook delicious things at home these days, Tucci has been doing so generously and enthusiastically for years. In addition to authoring two cookbooks (The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table), he is also reportedly the proud owner of a large roasting box called a Caja China that can cook up to 100 pounds of meat. I am fairly positive that as soon as social-distancing protocols are eased, he’s going to fire up that bad boy and make dinner for every friend who needs a protein-filled hug. If we’re lucky, we’ll hear about it through select back channels, and thusly be hugged by the transitive property.
+He is the perfect dad (see: Easy A), the perfect husband (see: Julie & Julia), and the perfect work wife (see: Devil Wears Prada). In other words, he is the human embodiment of flying buttress, bending over backwards so that those closest to him might stand a little taller.
Stanley Tucci, if you’re reading this, I’d like to express my utmost thanks–to you, yes, but mainly to your parents, Joan Tropiano and Stanley Tucci Sr., for blessing the world with such a necessary confluence of DNA.
Images via Everett Collection.
The post Here’s Why Stanley Tucci Is the Perfect Quarantine Celeb appeared first on Man Repeller.
It’s Time to Get Way Too Into Baked Potatoes
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Loaded baked potatoes—not unlike party subs, the vanity check of sandwiches—are universally beloved, but receive little to no respect. I am here to change that today. With my blog post.
I was first introduced to loaded baked potatoes (to be referred to as LBPs going forward) by my dad, a grand connoisseur of foods with limited nutritional value—and also a man prone to leaning back in his chair after a big meal and proclaiming something like, “Stick a fork in me I’m done.” He taught me how to take said fork and poke a spud for optimal ventilation, then slice and fill it with all manner of artery-clogging accoutrement—butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions. The works, as we call them in LBP biz.
Today, I type before you as a woman of if-not-refined-at-least-slightly-reformed tastes. And this woman has been reacquainting herself with LBPs. These days, though, with love and respect for classic LBPs, I have better ideas about what to load into them. My go-to recipe at the moment is just a combination of my two favorite things right now—labneh and salmon roe—sprinkled with dill. (At the beginning of March, I happened to be working with leftover labneh from dinner at Glasserie in Greenpoint (currently delivering!) and a little tub of salmon roe that I’d recently picked up from Zabar’s.) The labneh basically subs in as a sturdier sour cream, and the salmon roe are salty little fireworks, delivering the kind of savory decadence normally provided by crispy bits of bacon. The dill—forever a fast friend to potatoes, labneh, and salmon roe alike—replaces the scallions. Here’s exactly how to make it:
A note on the labneh: It’s not always available at grocery stores, so you can either make clever use of leftovers from your favorite Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant or prepare it yourself. DIYing is easy and there are lots of recipes online—you basically just combine salt with full-fat yogurt, then strain over a cheese cloth in the fridge for 24 hours.
Directions
-Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees
-Stab your potato all over with a fork
-Say you’re sorry by lovingly caressing your potato with a palm full of olive oil
-Kosher salt and pepper all over
-Put in oven for about 50 minutes—1 hour. This may be the longest hour of your wild and precious life
-Take this time to arrange ingredients in an Instagrammable fashion
-Remove potato from oven and let rest for as long as your self-restraint allows, but not so long it loses steam. (The key here is that the potato needs to be hot enough that the melty things will melt.)
-Cut lengthwise with a knife and use the backside of a fork to open potato
-With a spoon, add labneh, then salmon roe, then sprinkle with dill
-Salt and pepper again for good measure
-For added intrigue, consider layering in smoked paprika or za’atar between the labneh and salmon roe. I tried both today and went home (er stayed home) a satisfied customer
This is just my combo of the moment! You may not have labneh handy or a purveyor of affordable salmon roe and good normcore hats nearby. That’s okay: There are lots of other directions one can take with their next-level LBP, and chances are you already have a few supergroups of ingredients lounging around in your fridge like it’s a tour bus stuck in Coachella traffic. (Traffic was a thing that used to exis— never mind.) Carrying on with this dumb metaphor… nearly all good LBP bands feature the following instruments: a vegetable; a sauce, cream, or butter; a cheese; an herb. Plus salt and pepper. Always S&P.
Some ideas…
The LBP I Made Last Week
The LBP I Intend to Make Next Week
And my favorite restaurant version…
Pssst… Mekelburg’s is still delivering in Brooklyn 
Wooden Puzzles? Flight Attendant Uniforms by Pucci? An Illustrator Shares Her Favorite Search Terms
Exciting news! We’ve launched MR Think Tank, a digital braintrust we want *you* to be part of. We’re kicking it off with a survey that will help us get to know you better, so we can keep making stuff you love. In exchange, you’ll receive exclusive content and other fun things. Interested? Sign up by taking the survey!
Sometimes I lay restless in the night, wondering about other peoples’ hyper-specific search terms, guarded like sapphires at the Smithsonian. What first editions of books do my contemporaries find worthy of rooting around the Internet for? Whose bedroom will finally feel tied together if they have a Valentine Olivetti typewriter perched on their desk? Who will swear off all other vessels if they can carry their wallet and keys in a Christopher Kane jelly clutch? What else do they find on their journeys down these rabbit holes? My curiosity became so overwhelming, so egregious, so probing, that I caved and just asked.
And aren’t I glad that I did: I heard stories that were the 21st century equivalent of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road—the road, in this case, is the information superhighway—and so we’ll be publishing these ditties as a series over the course of this week. Ruby Redstone was first up in the series, with her tale of tracking down a 2013 pair of Acne Studios glitter boots, followed by Tatiana Hambro in her ongoing quest for the Boyy Wonton bag in Olive. Come back tomorrow for more where this came from!
Lea Carey, Illustrator
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lea Carey (@leancarey) on Dec 10, 2019 at 1:17pm PST
Your shopping rabbit holes:
Wooden puzzles and sculptures by William Accorsi (Etsy, liveauctioneers, Instagram)
Also, this vintage Vandor Imports rainbow tea set, made in the late ’70s. (Chairish)
Braniff Airways flight attendant uniforms by Emilio Pucci (with color palettes chosen by Girard!) also designed in the ’60s. (pictured here/current eBay listings: eBay top, bodysuit).
1960s Alexander Girard matchbooks for the restaurant La Fonda Del Sol. (Chairish, eBay)
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Can you walk me through what going down these rabbit holes entails? For the Accorsi puzzles, I saw his book on the Press SF Instagram account, and purchased. Have been pining after $500 NY Yankees wooden sculptures and the likes ever since.
For the Vandor rainbow tea set, I don’t remember when this one first came onto my radar, but I do know I have had eBay alerts for the tea pot since 2014, and have subsequently discovered that there exists a full matching set that not only includes mugs with rainbow handles, but also a pitcher and mini cloud sugar pot. Feels necessary.
The airline uniforms started with a Pucci retrospective book that has a really nice spread on the Braniff airlines uniforms. They’re so good (the bubble helmets!) and brought me down a deep internet rabbit hole of vintage airline uniforms—the Pucci textiles are hard to beat. (The photos and ads alone are worth their own rabbit hole; I re-visit on a monthly basis). SFO had an exhibition on the history of airline uniform design a few years ago, and since then I’ve had alerts for the Pucci uniforms in particular, which pop up from time to time (there were six collections in total that spanned the 1960s and ’70s). Would I have the courage to wear? TBD.
When I read that Alexander Girard designed the color palette for the Braniff airline uniforms and rebrand, I ended up heading down an AG spiral and revisited the work he did for the restaurant La Fonda Del Sol, which led to a lot of time spent eBay admiring the matchbooks. (They are pricey, but I have the alerts set anyways for kicks).
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What ultimately satiates the quest? If it’s something special that I’ve been tracking for a while and the price is reasonable, I’ve been known to go for it. (I also find the “add to cart” click comes easier post-2 a.m.). There are some rabbit holes I could never fiscally justify, but the act of going down them (or buying a book on the topic instead) is fulfilling!
Graphics by Lorenza Centi.
The post Wooden Puzzles? Flight Attendant Uniforms by Pucci? An Illustrator Shares Her Favorite Search Terms appeared first on Man Repeller.
April 28, 2020
160 People on Exactly How to Date Online Right Now
In partnership with Bumble.
10% of proceeds from Man Repeller’s partnership with Bumble will be donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which answers calls, chats, and texts from those affected by relationship abuse and supports survivors, their friends, and family members 24/7/365 throughout the U.S. and its territories.
A friend texted me a few weeks ago with a salient theory: “Once we’re allowed to go on dates again, I feel like it’s going to be the greatest time to be single in American history.” His optimism was energizing, as was the suggestion that we might be a part of something historic, something akin to the repeal of prohibition. As the weeks in quarantine add up, my initial survey investigating who’s swiping on dating apps right now already feels like a relic from a bygone era. In need of an update on the state of dating swiping affairs, we’ve partnered with Bumble to take the pulse on how Bumblers are Bumbling a month or so into isolation. Who’s dressing up on top and wearing sweatpants on the bottom? Whose moms keep sneaking up behind them on their Video Chat dates? Who’s doing a design-agency-caliber rebrand of their profile?
You know what’s better than texting your friends for dating advice (sorry, friends)? Surveying the greater MR community on their Bumble shenanigans, and gleaning all sorts of intel in the process (tried-and-true opening lines chief among them). And for the cherry on top: a few MR readers annotated their Bumble profiles, walking us through their thought process like a celebrity home tour.
In the logical chronology of how modern courtship unfolds, read on below for: Pie charts aplenty! Annotated Bumble profiles and first date outfit ideas! Giggle-inducing stories during our global gossip shortage, as my friend Starling called it! Polar opposite predictions for dating’s future! And then, whether you’re looking for connection or banter, pick me up around seven in the comment section?
Table of Contents
Step I. Refresh Your Profile
Step II. Craft Your First Move
Step III. Make Your First Impression
Step IV. Soul Search
Step V. Pivot to Video
Step VI. Pick Your Outfit
Step VII. Plan Your Date
Step VIII. Debrief With Friends
Step VIIII. Look Into Your Crystal Ball
Embrace the self-portraiture boom
— “Updated my pictures, had more time to take bomb selfies.”
— “I added some photos post-quarantine-hair-dye!”
A new chapter for your autobiography
— “I changed the bio to: ‘
out of quarantine snacks plz send help’”
— “New bio, to indicate I am also sealed in my house but looking to speak to other humans who are fun.”
— “My bio: ‘I’m super passionate about socializing which is why I’ve already gotten in contact with your blood relatives and turns out I could potentially be your type.’”
— “My bio is now: ‘Keeping my social distance.’ And I changed a few photos.”
Widening or narrowing the radius
— “I’m with my parents, so I updated my location.”
— “I haven’t updated my profile, but I put my friends who didn’t leave NYC in charge of managing my profile. I retreated back to my hometown in MA… and do not wish to match with anyone here.”
— “Changed my preferences (I’m not anonymous in my hometown… and I’m definitely not out).”
A tip straight from the source: using three or more profile photos increases your chance of matching on Bumble by 31%.
Canned as a sardine
— “The gif with the bear saying hello with his paw.”
— “‘You come here often?’”
— “‘If your name is Junior, and you’re really handsome, c’mon raise your hand.’”
— “I just type out the guy’s name with an exclamation point.”
— “‘I’m gonna be honest, I don’t plan on leaving my house anytime soon, I’m just really bored.’”
— “The recipient’s name and exclamation points !!!!”
— “‘Will exchange home-brewed mead for fly-fishing tips.’”
Flattery (the sincerest form of flattery)
— “‘You look really sturdy.’”
— “I use a really genuine compliment, honestly. I feel like guys don’t get those a lot.”
— “Congratulations on being the most attractive person I’ve matched with.”
Intellectual curiosity with a question mark
— “‘What’s your favorite quarantine snack?””
— “‘If you had a free afternoon (no quarantine), no obligations, no traffic, and $50 in your pocket, what would you do?’”
— “‘If you could road-trip anywhere in the world, where would it be?’”
— “‘Hey what’s your dog’s name!’”
— “‘Do you believe in ghosts?’”
— “‘What’s the most interesting thing you’ve done this week?’”
— “I ask about their go-to album during quarantine.”
— “‘If you were a shoe, what shoe would you be?’”
Bespoke as an Italian suit
— “I typically look for something in the profile of the person that I matched with that is either unique or strikes me as a bit strange and I’ll ask them about it.”
— “I’ll ask a question about one of their pictures. If they’re playing an instrument, I’ll ask what kind of music they like, if it’s an obvious touristy picture (example: them at the Colosseum) I’ll ask when they visited and if they liked it.”
— “Something related to their linked Spotify.”
— “It’s usually based on their profile. I’m a custom gal.”
A tip from Bumble: the bold among us can send an Audio Message to your match instead of text.
I’m funnier than a standup special
— “I’m a laugh and a half.”
— “That I’m fun and can banter.”
I contain multitudes
— “I’m multifaceted with a big personality.”
— “I’m a collage of a human being. Also, that I am a successful woman, and I will not tolerate someone who will talk down upon me.”
I know exactly what I want
— “I like a very specific radio show that I hope some man out there also likes.”
— “I want happiness, no drama, a creative thinker, and someone with a sense of humour.”
They should manage their expectations
— “I’m probably taller than them.”
— “I am (and this should be) uncomplicated.
— “That my love for Jeff Goldblum will never match any kind of love for you.”
— “That I‘m hot, fun, and need to be fed constantly.”
— “I mean business.”
— “I’m looking for something real.”
— “I am cute and like pizza.”
A tip from Bumble: add the Virtual Dating badge to let your match know you’re down to date from home.
Crisis management, considered
— “It’s interesting to see how people react to a crisis. It says a lot about a person.”
— “I need someone I can prepare to be locked away with for months on end with no external contacts.”
— “Petty things don’t matter, just make me laugh.”
— “Being around my parents during this makes me realize what I do and do not want.”
— “It is more important to me that he be actively working on his health and wellness (physical, mental, emotional).”
— “I am definitely more curious now about how people spend their spare time. Something I probably would have never thought too much about before the pandemic. Obviously it’s nice to know hobbies and such, something I would have liked to know before, but what is occurring now helps you understand the various ways people are dealing with this. It’s an odd social experiment and distraction that I am definitely enjoying!”
— “I’ve always thought about who I want to go into an apocalypse situation with.”
Dealbreakers, reconsidered
— “It all feels a bit pointless right now, so I’m more open.”
— “I feel like I’m not limiting myself as much—usually location (especially in a city without a car) plays a role, but right now it’s not a factor and maybe it never needed to be! I also definitely am paying more attention to the men that are taking this seriously.”
Opportunities for self-reflection, seized
— “It’s given me an interesting break to think about my ‘need’ for another person. When relationship progression is off the table for a while, the stakes are lower and you can just enjoy talking to people.”
— “More interested in companionship.”
— “More long-term vision.”
A tip from Bumble: you can now expand your Distance radius to the entire country.
The smooth move
— “I bring up a heated topic and then I say, ‘Actually it’d be easier to explain over Video Chat.’ Usually, they want to debate so badly that they agree.”
— “I say: ‘It’s a long story! Let’s Video Chat and I’ll tell you.’”
Weave your dulcet tones into conversation
— “We texted for three full weeks. Then I asked, ‘Have you wondered yet if I have a super weird voice that would make all this texting kinda pointless?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, it would be kinda weird? But if you have like a Darth Vader voice, I’m into that.’”
— “Say: ‘Hey, wanna hear my voice?’”
— “Send Audio Notes first.”
A personal touch
— “I sent an iMessage hand-drawn note saying: ‘Do you want to go on a Video Chat date? Check: yes or no.’”
Make the second move
— “I think just ask! Worst that’s going to happen is they will say no!”
— “I say something like, ‘So usually I’d want to go on a date with you, but how about a Video Chat for now?’”
— “It’s video time, baby face.”
— “The Bumble video call feature is great. When I’m tired of texting someone, I ask them if they want to go on a video d8.”
— “Discuss plans for the next few days and then suggest an early evening drink.”
— “He initiated. He was like, ‘[This place] is normally where we would go on a date… Grab some wine and let’s pretend?’”
— “Just ask.”
A tip from Bumble: try Voice Calling within the app if you aren’t ready to exchange numbers or take it to the Video Chat level.
Fast casual
— “I don’t really think virtual dates are real dates but hangs, so I would just wear what I wear when I FaceTime a friend.”
— “I wore a sweatshirt, he did too.”
— “Nice sweats.”
— “Simple T-shirt and leggings—we both know what we’re getting into at this point in quarantine.”
Half-dressed is more
— “Cashmere jumper or silk pajamas so I look luxe, but like I’ve not made too much of an effort.”
— “A black camisole with a cozy sweater and gold hoop earrings. Sweatpants or pajama pants on the bottom. 
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