Leandra Medine's Blog, page 53
January 15, 2020
Harling’s Apartment Tour, Featuring a Cow Chair and Two Naked Ladies
Welcome to Make Yourself at Home, a collection of home tours as told through the items within them. In this installment, Harling walks us through her apartment in New York.
When I started searching for a new apartment on Streeteasy last spring, I had no idea it would become more addictive than any form of social media I was otherwise active on, triggering a goose bump-inducing thrill every time an email landed in my inbox with new listings that conformed to my “saved search” of criteria. Austin and I kissed a few frogs (a.k.a. toured some really awful apartments) before finding what looked like a potential prince. We submitted an application 10 minutes after saying goodbye to the broker. More than a month of paperwork and hand-wringing later, we were approved to move in (we later found out that we were in competition with another couple who we’re friends with, which is my nightmare, especially because this particular duo is very charismatic and have “ideal tenant” written all over them. Happy to report they ended up finding another great apartment nearby).
As exciting as it was to hunt for the apartment, the decorating process has been even more so, though with its own share of hand-wringing, and even some paperwork–I had to sign a document to confirm that a bureau I bought from the U.K. was over 100 years old so it could be released from FedEx (apparently antiques are exempt from certain customs duties)! There was definitely a learning curve since I was buying mostly vintage pieces, which I wrote some advice about here, but also a lot of satisfaction to be gleaned from the requisite scouring and bargaining that resulted in many of my favorite finds.
In addition to discovering furniture, I discovered that my mother’s home decor proclivities had seeped into my own. Having grown up in spaces marked by her distinctly maximalist perspective, I thought I would rebel with a penchant for minimalism. But my Instagram bookmarks folder—riddled with floral-papered bedroom ceilings, brightly patterned armchairs, and jewel-tone lacquered bookcases—told a different story. There’s only so much you can do in a rental, though, and I actually think that parameter was a helpful guardrail in determining how my aesthetic choices manifested. I was conscious of choosing things that would be adaptable to future spaces.
It was hard to choose only a handful of things to zoom in on for the purposes of this story, because I could bore you with tales of Etsy wormhole and missing andirons, but below is a rundown of five (okay, six) things that tickle my joy bone to a notable extent every time I look at them.
1. My room divider that functions as a headboard
Before I moved in with Austin, I lived with roommates for three and a half years and had the same bed and headboard the whole time. By the end of those three years, I hated my headboard so much I was almost embarrassed to have it in the background of my mirror selfies (an equally embarrassing qualm in its own right?) Everything about it, from the overly girly shape to the gray ikat print, felt like a relic of an old self, which really drove home the reality that large pieces of furniture are automatically embedded with longevity–unlike, say, a pair of pants or a going-out top.
Anyway, I say all of this as context for what happened when I had the opportunity to wipe the slate clean with my new apartment: a headboard is the first thing I started obsessively looking for. I had an idea for what I wanted based on a photo I’d seen on Instagram, in which someone had unfolded an antique room divider flat against their wall and pushed a bed up against it. Voilà! Headboard.
After weeks of stalking my saved searches on Chairish, Etsy, and eBay, I eventually found THE PERFECT ONE (it was actually listed by the same seller on all three platforms). It was beautifully designed, vintage but in great condition, and wide enough to accommodate a king-size bed. The only problem was its price–about $1,000 more than I originally envisioned paying for this particular acquisition–and that didn’t even include the cost of shipping it from California where it was located. I tried bartering multiple times to no avail. Meanwhile I was starting to panic because I had yet to find anything else that even came close to being as good, and I was worried someone else would snap this one up. In a last-ditch effort of desperate hope, I told the seller if they could knock $200 off the price I would commit to buying it. They acquiesced, and although it still cost more than I would have liked, I gulped and pressed “buy.”
It was harder than I thought it would be to lay flat against the wall (it’s really heavy so I ended up bolting it with screws), but now that it’s all set up, I have zero regrets. In my mind it’s the perfect example of how I tried to approach decorating my apartment in general–only investing in things I picture myself owning and loving for decades in different spaces. For now this particular thing happens to be my headboard, but I like that it could easily moonlight in other rooms and in other forms down the road.
2. My orange (gasp) nightstands
If you told me a year ago that I would have orange nightstands in my bedroom, I probably would have sent you the emoji that looks like it’s about to throw up. Orange, in theory, is a color I would consider objectively tough, particularly in a semi-permanent home setting. It can easily skew garish, or Halloween-ish, or traffic cone-ish. But here I am, the owner of two orange nightstands, and if you can believe it I love them as much as I love my own toe knuckles.
I got them from an Etsy shop called ChurchofMod, and the seller was an absolute stickler about maintaining the listing price. It’s actually the only instance in my experience buying vintage furniture for my apartment in which I wasn’t able to get even a tiny discount. Apparently she had a matching dresser that went with them and was hesitant to be selling them separately in the first place. In the end, I decided the price was reasonable enough to go for it, because after a couple weeks of debating whether I was destined to be an orange nightstand person I concluded I definitely was. I couldn’t resist the charm of their bamboo and chrome accents, their spacious storage, and their ideal height. I was also conscious of trying to give my bedroom a punch of color and quirk since at that point the palette was mostly neutrals.
3. My (or rather, Austin’s) cowhide desk chair
This chair is from a shop called FleurdeLisLLC on Etsy and I get stressed just thinking about how I almost didn’t buy it. That’s how much I love it!!! I was a little nervous about whether Austin would feel the same way when it first arrived though, because I bought it with the intention of making it his desk chair. He works from home a lot so I wanted him to like it but more importantly find it comfortable to sit in. Luckily it’s extremely comfortable and he seems to like it just fine. Maybe not as passionately and enthusiastically as I do (sometimes I wish he would situate himself in it with a little more visible awe), but I’ve heard no complaints beyond the occasional inquiry about whether the cowhide has noticeably shed on his sweater. My favorite thing about it (besides how it looks) is that it can accommodate two people in a pinch and thus serves as a “bench” at the end of my kitchen table whenever I’m having friends over.
4. My waterfall coffee table that used to be my grandmother’s
My coffee table belonged to my paternal grandmother who passed away a few years ago. I remember admiring it every time I visited her apartment–the deep green color, the scrolled shape, the slightly waxy surface–it has a very unique look. Now it technically belongs to my parents, and my mom says she has “dibs” to take it back at some point, but it’s vacationing in my living room for the time being.
I’m not sure where the table is from, but when people ask me where I got it I tell them to search for “waterfall” table since apparently that’s what it’s called. I didn’t know this before but someone told me on Instagram, and I think it’s such a good term. I’ve also started noticing them pop up here and there–how cool is this pink laminate one from the 80s?
Having a coffee table with a reasonable large surface area has cultivated my interest in coffee table books to the extent that I’ve probably (okay, definitely) over-accumulated. I fit as many as I can on the coffee table without it looking insane, and the rest are stacked in various other places around the apartment. I’ve found gems everywhere from Chairish to Barney’s (RIP) to the used books stand at my local farmers market, and I also discovered this company called Maison Plage that helped me source some really unique ones. I try to only buy coffee table books that a) have interesting covers and b) actually contain information I’m interested in reading. Hitting both of these criteria is surprisingly hard.
5. My nude girl crew
I know this story is only supposed to include FIVE THINGS, but I’m sneaking in a sixth since this duo–though situated in different rooms–travel as a thematic unit, the sum of which is that I love accumulating naked women around my apartment. The sculpture is from lacunashop on Etsy. My mom sent me the link and I bought her immediately because the price was right and I was utterly charmed by the idea of putting her on the credenza in my bedroom. It was made by Vincent Glinskh, an American artist from Russia.
The painting I found on Chairish. It’s by an artist named Beth Downey. I kind of bought it on an impulse over the summer after drinking two glasses of Prosecco with peach juice and when it arrived it was smaller than I expected (serves me right for not double checking the dimensions!). I was briefly bummed that I had potentially slightly overpaid for it, but upon closer examination I realized the frame was painted with real gold leaf, so that made the price feel more justified.
My nude gals are two of my favorite accents in the apartment. Now that I’ve gotten all the big/necessary furniture purchases out of the way (I don’t recommend waiting three months to acquire a couch unless it’s the chartreuse sectional of your dreams), I’m not actively hunting on vintage decor websites as much anymore, but I’m excited for what I see as the “next phase” of decorating–acquiring small, serendipitously discovered pieces like these over time, not because I’m purposefully looking but because I just so happen to come across a photograph that would look cool on my bathroom wall, or a vase that picks up the colors of the rug in my living room, or a light fixture that feels like a worthy replacement for the cheap plastic lightbulb cover I bought on Amazon as a temporary fix.
Is it annoying when people say they’ll “never be done” decorating? I’m sorry, but I can’t help myself. I’ll be tweaking until my ceiling falls in or I move out and into this place, whichever comes first.
6 PHOTOS
click for more
Photos by Sabrina Santiago.
The post Harling’s Apartment Tour, Featuring a Cow Chair and Two Naked Ladies appeared first on Man Repeller.
A Delicious Way to Save Time Every Day (and 5 Things to Do Now That You’re Freeee)
In partnership with Daily Harvest.
If I had a nickel for every instance in which I’ve uttered the words “I didn’t have time,” I’d have enough nickels to barricade myself in a quiet room with nothing but my menacing to-do list. On a separate but related note, my physical body is (allegedly) 60% water, but I’d wager a guess that my metaphysical mind is 90% thoughts about nourishment–from what I should eat (too many options!) to whether I should order it, pick it up, or attempt to cook it. Do you see the connection here?! No worries either way, because my fingers are itching to type it out: If I spent less time thinking about and subsequently procuring something to eat at least three times a day but occasionally more, I would have more time to do… literally anything and everything else.
Enter Daily Harvest, a weekly or monthly plan that delivers perfectly portioned food directly to your door. Food that is not only delicious but also nutritious (please excuse the corny but factually accurate rhyme), with the goal of allowing busy people to be their most effective selves because the whole “OMG, I’m so hungry what the ham sandwich do I eat and how do I get it A.S.A.P.” thing is circumvented and replaced with healthy options that are only as far away as your freezer.
It takes just a few minutes to prepare food from Daily Harvest, which means you can devote the oodles of leftover minutes you would have spent pondering, prepping, or procuring to do whatever it is you always intend to do if you had more! time! But if you, like me, seem to experience temporary memory loss every time you do come across some extra time, suddenly rendering you incapable of remembering your hypothetical list of “if only” aspirations, I a) sympathize deeply and b) took it upon myself to crowdsource the Man Repeller community for suggestions. Below is a definitive list of the five most-cited things people wish they had more time to do, which you can feel free to bookmark and pull up next time you’re microwaving a Cauliflower Rice + Pesto harvest bowl.
1. Read a Challenging Book
Making (and therefore having) time to read can be a battle in its own right. Making time to read a uniquely challenging book is often a much more demanding endeavor. I’ve been known to fantasize about finding a fairy (godmother?) who would flit over to my apartment in the morning and cook me something tasty and satisfying while I concurrently became one of those annoying, envy-inducing people who commence their days with a few chapters of 19-century literature. Turns out with Daily Harvest I can be my own fairy godmother and whip up an oat bowl with 18 grams of protein that tastes like chocolate chip banana bread so quickly I’ll be inducing envy with my literary progress posthaste.
Cinnamon + Banana Oat BowlSee All 1
2. Put Away All the Clothes on The Chair
Almost everyone has some version of The Chair. In my old apartment it was an actual chair and in my current apartment it’s either the foot of my bed or my hamper–either way, the function is the same: a dumping ground for clothes you don’t have the time or energy to fold yet. “Yet” is the operative word, because the whole idea of The Chair is that it’s merely a temporary quick-fix, but I don’t have to tell you how easy it is for a quick-fix to become a medium-length-fix to become a basically-permanent-fix when time is of the essence. If you’re nodding your head with empathy, imagine this: a fragrant coconut cream curry with green chickpeas for Vitamin C and protein, anti-inflammatory turmeric, and immunity-boosting ginger that heats up in five minutes flat, thus prioritizing the question of how to properly fold a sweater over the suddenly irrelevant question of what to nourish yourself with for lunch.
Green Chickpea + Kale CurrySee All 1
3. Practice Yoga
I’ve gone through periods during which I attempt to do yoga videos on a mat in my living room and the effort lasts for approximately three days until I inevitably quit because–say it with me!–I don’t have time. I somehow do find the time to brainstorm afternoon snack ideas for questionable amounts of time most days, and I’m not shy about trekking a few extra blocks out of my way to purchase my favorite chocolate chip cookie if that’s what the snack-o-meter in my brain happens to land on. Something about this math doesn’t quite add up, but I’d vastly prefer to skip calculations altogether and blend a Tart Cherry + Raspberry smoothie (reminiscent of fresh berry sorbet but with loads more anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting, digestion-friendly nutrients) in less time than it takes to search the internet for “at-home yoga for lazy people.”
Tart Cherry + RaspberrySee All 1
4. Learn a New Language
If I told you I spent nine years of my education learning French and now barely remember how to say bonjour, would you still be friends with me? I’m so ashamed!!!! And routinely amazed that knowledge I spent so long acquiring could slip through the sieve of my mind in what felt like a matter of months. I’m hoping that a few solid fragments are still lurking, to the extent that if I coaxed them forth they would coagulate into some form of remembrance, but in order to coax I need tiiiiiiiiimeeeeeeee to concentrate on doing so. Perhaps if I were to whip up a Daily Harvest Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash harvest bowl that tastes like a sneakily healthy breakfast burrito instead of debating whether to roast some tofu for half an hour before ultimately panicking and ordering a pizza, I’d have exactly that.
Sweet Potato + Wild Rice HashSee All 1
5. Spend Time With Your Own Self
There are few things that leave me feeling as rejuvenated, as creative, and as peaceful as a bout of intentional alone time, but it’s an easy thing to neglect (even though it often has more payoff than the other agenda items I habitually prioritize over it). Spending time solo can take many forms, from going on a walk sans-headphones to meditating to taking a bath, and I’ve found that if I’m overly stressed or agitated or overwhelmed, the root cause is a suppressed craving to do any of these things, even for just ten minutes. Forty-five minutes would be even better, though, and legitimately possible if instead of running to the grocery store to grab a few ingredients in an effort to sate your umpteenth hunger tickle of the day you could simply walk to your freezer, blend up a bowl of butternut squash soup (full of antioxidants to protect from winter colds!), and spend your spare time one-on-one with your very own self in whatever way you please.
Butternut Squash + Rosemary PureeSee All 1
What are some other things you always think about doing if you had more time? Feel free to drop them in the comments below, and click here if you’d like to read more about Daily Harvest–you can receive a discount of $25 off your first box when you use code MANREPELLER.
Photographer:
Brooke Shanesy
Stylist: Harling Ross
Market: Elizabeth Tamkin
Model: Emma Walraven via Unite Unite
Prop + Food Styling:
Max Rappaport
Art Direction:
Lorenza Centi and Sabrina Santiago
The post A Delicious Way to Save Time Every Day (and 5 Things to Do Now That You’re Freeee) appeared first on Man Repeller.
January 14, 2020
Outfit Tutorial: How to Make Your Former Style Feel Like Your Current Style
Have you ever experienced the feeling of outgrowing your style? I have made the mistake of misinterpreting this sensation as a declaration that my style is not my style anymore but I think it’s really this expectation that by now (as in, the time at which you believe you’ve really reached adulthood), it should be different.
I have called this “phenomenon” a number of things such as de facto outgrowing your style, palate-cleansing, evolving into “thoughtful” personal style, or most recently: streamlined fashion but all of these pleas have danced around what today I will call the truth, but which tomorrow I may rescind: my style isn’t actually changing, it’s just… maturing.
That’s a significant word swap, and I’ll tell you why: when something changes, it’s no longer the same. When it matures, however, it is, at its core, still the same thing, it just has more perspective. It’s expansive. Like us, you know? As we grow up, we don’t actually change, we just settle more firmly into who we are and throw away the things that perhaps we have tried, but have never actually been true of us.
I realized this right before the holiday break when I came to work in a blouse with a ruffle collar layered under a cashmere v-neck sweater paired with high waist skinny jeans and black suede Adidas sneakers. Someone commented that it was funny to see me in sneakers, which took me by surprise because they’ve been a relative mainstay of my style for as long as my style has been conscious. I may not have known the reason for their presence–that I consistently pursue tension in how I dress (e.g. formal trousers with casual shoes; fancy footwear with athletic apparel and so forth), but it occurred to me that I hadn’t worn sneakers in a very long time. When I dug into why, because, you know, I love a feckless intellectual investigation (I think some people call this navel-gazing?), I realized that after I turned 30, I started to feel like I was trying to act young and hip every time I put on three kinds of garments that I’d defined as uniquely me throughout my 20s. Said garments were:
Leggings (see: this feature image)
Utility jackets (see: same feature image)
And sneakers.
So, mostly, I eschewed them. I’d like to think that overwearing such items while I was pregnant contributed to the shunning, but I think fundamentally, what I wanted, really, was to be taken more seriously. And because I didn’t honestly believe that I deserved it, I used clothing (kitten heels and straight-leg jeans and shirts tucked into them and trousers) to try to make it be true. Maybe the greatest lesson of my very early 30s has been this exactly, but lately I have found myself nestling more comfortably back into the “old me” clothes, just in a new way. So the good news seems to be that I now believe I deserve to be taken seriously. The bad news is that you’ve read 534 words, but I’ve yet to make good on the titular prompt and you still have to withstand how I’m wearing old me clothes in new ways. I guess you can leave if you’ve run out of time, but if you’re sticking around, I’m here toooooooo. No more ado, here for you:
Sneakers
A good question to ask yourself is: what would the most cliche version of me wear this ballet flats — or better yet: what would I never wear with ballet flats because it’s too cliche? The answer for me is an outfit like this one, boasting a very mature buttery leather brown jacket — back-office brown! — with a silk blouse underneath it of the same color and a pair of jeans so tailored and stiff not even the most effusive attempt at a squat will get me very far. For jingle bells and flair, I have also included pearl earrings, wayfarer style sunglasses and a bag tiny enough to hold just the essentials of a self-assured woman.
Leggings
Same question applies, but the subjects change. The most cliche way to wear leggings used to be to work out or weekend schlep, but in 2020, they’re a closet mainstay, so maybe this plea is cliche too but for the purpose of this exercise, I added mary janes with a comfortable heel, a white Hanes ribbed tank and tuxedo jacket so technically I could be: going to a gala, to work, or, you know, to weekend schlep. But I don’t look it! Or do I? You decide.
Army jacket
The first utilitarian garment I ever fell in love with: Army jackets defined so much of my style through the early to mid 2010’s and then by the end of them I started to feel like a parody of myself every time I put one on because I couldn’t shake the way I used to wear them — with something cutesy like a floral silk top and high waist denim cut-offs and ankle socks and brogues. I actually didn’t nail the new me in old army jacket until I was styling this story and said to myself: Okay, what would I wear on a Monday to work if I knew I had two meetings out of the office, and might be going to like, a presidential candidate fundraiser at night? I landed on this Toteme top styled over a black turtleneck and these wool pants I got from a sample sale with black kitten heel boots then put the jacket over it. So I guess the question part of this tutorial would read: what would you wear right now for an event that reflects the “new you,” and can the jacket fit in?
The spoiler answer is that if you have a flexible enough mind, it’s always yes.
Sooooooooooo, what are some clothes that are “so you,” but which could use a resuscitation? Tell me.
Maybe I can help.
Ta ta.
(For now.)
Photos by Sabrina Santiago.
The post Outfit Tutorial: How to Make Your Former Style Feel Like Your Current Style appeared first on Man Repeller.
Goop at Sea: 7 Predictions About Gwyneth’s New Cruise
Kale chips ahoy! Last week it was announced that Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop is partnering with Celebrity Cruises on what I would consider a perfectly titled initiative: Goop at Sea. Not many specifics have been shared about what will surely be the greatest opportunity for guinea pig journalism and think pieces since the dawn of Instagram itself, but according to the Celebrity Cruises website, guests will “have the opportunity to engage with Goop Founder & CEO, Gwyneth Paltrow and Goop’s chief content officer” and “work with their very best healers.” The corresponding writeup on Goop’s website also promises “plenty of surprises—and goopy perks—along the way.” Given that I spent the better part of my weekend (lovingly) hypothesizing about what the itinerary might entail, I felt a need to share a list of the most promising fruits of this mental labor with you so I can gut check them outside the hallowed halls of my private brain labyrinth. Proceed below with caution, because I really let the ‘ol imagination run wild.
Vagina Candle Making
Goop’s recently released “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle (note of geranium, citrusy bergamot, and cedar absolutes juxtaposed with Damask rose and ambrette seed for $75) sold out in 24 hours, so I fully expect a cruise class led by international scent experts wherein attendees can concoct candles that smell like their vaginal ideals interspersed with essence of sea spray.
Chinchilla Yoga
What comes after goat yoga is a question I’m sure has been weighing on you for some time now, which is why it’s my pleasure to report my prediction that Goop at Sea will likely provide an answer. Goats are a hard act to follow, but if anything can raise the bar to the next level it’s chinchillas, don’t you think? They’re cute enough to set social media aflame and agile/dry enough that I’m fairly certain they would thrive aboard a cruise ship.
Honeybee Bath Time
I envision many baths being taken on this cruise, partly because Goop loves baths and partly because there’s something about being on a large ship floating in a body water that makes you want to enjoy the meta experience of floating in a smaller body of water within that body of water, or so I assume. I also feel like a bath would be the perfect medium through which to engage in apitherapy–a.k.a. the practice of letting bees sting you on purpose, which Gwyneth has personally endorsed–not only because the branding opportunities are endless (honey-scented bubble bath formula and “Meant to Bee Stung” bathrobes, anyone?) but also because you could always duck beneath the artificial waves if you no longer wanted to be stung by a thousand bees.
Sex Barking
If you’re familiar with some of Goop’s more notable episodes of break-the-internet uproar, then you can probably recall that time they published a recipe for “Sex Bark,” which is basically chocolate that makes you want to take your clothes off. I’m banking on the potential for Goop at Sea to take this concept one step further and have attendees whip up a batch of Sex Bark while also legitimately barking–in the vein of a friendly seal–as a means of loosening up and shedding the bondage of societal norms in an effort to prepare for whatever horniness-induced actions arise after the consumption of the chocolate.
Parasite Visualization
According to a legendary Goop story, you “probably have a parasite,” which means that anyone attending Goop at Sea probably has a parasite, which means parasites will undoubtedly be a topic of targeted interest for the promised healers aboard. The goat milk cleanse cure is a little passé at this point, and doesn’t necessarily lend itself to maritime living, so I’m guessing the wellness practitioners might suggest an alternative approach… like, say, visualization: Close your eyes and picturing exactly what your parasite looks like. Pick up a pencil and draw it if you’d like! Does it have bulbous eyes? A tail? A penchant for Old Céline? If the sayings are true (know thine enemy, keep your friends close and your parasites closer, etc.), then I think this strategy will be highly effective.
Boob Poaching
I know in my heart of hearts that there is a logical successor to Goop’s beloved vaginal steaming and my heart of hearts tells me it’s boob poaching. Boob poaching is an entirely hypothetical practice not dissimilar from poaching a piece of salmon, except instead of immersing fish in hot water you are immersing your breasts in hot water and the result is not a delicious dinner but rather a décolletage that is significantly softer than it was prior to treatment. Sorry in advance for bringing up vaginas again. Actually, you know what, you’re welcome for bringing up vaginas again.
GP Observation
I’m hard-pressed to think of another instance in which Gwyneth Kate Paltrow has been confined to a boat in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by her most fanatical fans, so whether or not the opportunity to observe her every waking move is included in the official itinerary, it’s safe to assume that guests will budget plenty of time for this unprecedentedly viable activity. What is she wearing? In what manner is she breathing? How many times has she used the word “goop” in a nautical pun? Provided I can convince Austin to ditch our current honeymoon plans and replace them with a stint at Goop at Sea, I can’t wait to find out.
Photos via Getty Images.
The post Goop at Sea: 7 Predictions About Gwyneth’s New Cruise appeared first on Man Repeller.
Baths Are the Coffee of the Evening and More People Should Take Them
There are so few things in life that a) bring you immense pleasure and b) you can reasonably, healthily enjoy every single day. For instance, large ice cream sundaes bring me immense pleasure, but I can’t reasonably, healthily enjoy them every single day. Conversely, I can reasonably, healthily enjoy walking to work in the morning, but does it bring me immense pleasure? Not particularly. I mean, it’s fine, but it doesn’t inspire me to get out of bed in the morning.
Coffee certainly does, though. Coffee is actually the perfect example of something that brings people immense pleasure and is permissible to enjoy every single day, which is why it is the subject of so much cultural interest. It’s more than a simple source of caffeination–it’s the ultimate elixir of ritualism, think pieces, and community alike. And the best part is that your cup is always imminent. Maybe you’ll have it later this afternoon, or maybe tomorrow. Whatever floats the boat that keeps you chugging along on the choppy river that is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
My preferred way to wash my adult human body is via a hot bath.
All of this is critical context for what I’m about to tell you, which is a somewhat controversial confession that might feel like a complete non-sequitur unless you stay with me: My preferred way to wash my adult human body is via a hot bath, and I take one daily before I go to bed. I relish in the ceremony of it–filling my tub with steaming hot water, stepping in a tentative toe, easing myself in limb by limb, and then soaking until my fingers turn to prunes. I admitted as much during a recent meeting at work and was met with a mixture of disbelief and mockery:
“What!”
“I haven’t taken a bath since I was, like, four.”
“Aren’t you just soaking in your own filth?”
I recognize and understand the perspective of anti-bath culture, but the thing is, for me at least, baths are the coffee of the evening!!!!! They bring me immense pleasure and I can reasonably, healthily enjoy them every single day. Am I soaking in my own filth? Possibly. But I work in an office, not a Tough Mudder course, so I can assure you the water remains translucent.
I can also confidently say that if you’re not soaking in your own filth, even just occasionally, you’re missing out. When you emerge from a hot bath you’ll feel like a better, more virtuous version of myself, with softer skin and more pliable limbs. Your head will be clearer and your sleeps will be deeper. Your potential for reaching a state of peak relaxed-ness will be significantly higher. And it’s so easy to facilitate–literally all it takes is the turn of a knob. Take things to the next level with a cup of epsom salt and a dash of coconut oil. Bring a book, or a podcast, or a person, to keep you company. Then towel off and tell me if you still care about the “filth.”
At first glance, neither impart the same degree of anticipatory excitement as, say, an impending vacation.
Ultimately, baths–like cups of coffee–are things I can look forward to with regularity, morning and evening, so my days are bookended with small joys. At first glance, neither imparts the same degree of anticipatory excitement as, say, an impending vacation, or playing with a puppy, or a birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant, but when you consider the significance of quantity, their collective effect is as potent as any one-off delight.
Are you pro-bath or anti? I’m eager to bask in the comfort of my supporters and gently spar with naysayers in the comments, so have at it, my sweet, sweet saber-toothed cats.
Photos by Cody Guilfoyle. Prop styling by Sara Schipani. Art Direction by Sabrina Santiago and Lorenza Centi.
The post Baths Are the Coffee of the Evening and More People Should Take Them appeared first on Man Repeller.
January 13, 2020
5 Things That Actually Make Winter Bearable (Maybe Even Enjoyable?)
Defending the period of winter that occurs between January and March is kind of like running uphill or tickling a scorpion. The forces of nature are almost literally against you, not to mention the general opinions of most rational people and their respective social media platforms. I enjoy playing devil’s advocate though, to the extent that after personally participating in a long-winded conversation with my colleagues about how much we were dreading the descent of true, bone-cold, schleptastic winter, I piped up with a seemingly contrarian but ultimately hopepunk thought: “But think of all the things that are better in the wintertime!”
The stares I received in return were sharper than the impending icicles we were just bemoaning. Nonetheless, I maintain that there are a handful of activities that are actually more magical in the winter compared to other seasons. It’s a small list, but it counts for a lot given how vital it is when the blues hit. Scroll for a rundown accompanied by correspondingly optimistic outfits to consider wearing while you engage in each of them, give or take some tights and mittens.
1. Walking to Work on a Sunny Day
I walk to work almost every morning, and sunny winter days are pretty much the only instances in which this experience is completely seamless. During the summer, I practically ruin all my clothes from sweat. During the fall and spring, I’m either too hot or too cold. On crisp, sunny winter days, I’m just right. I bundle up in a fleece or sweater and whatever coat will fit over my layered human pastry self plus my favorite non-athletic sneakers, plug in my headphones, and stroll in peace. Everything smells clean and delicious and whatever the opposite of warm rotting garbage is. The sidewalks are slightly emptier. The people-watching is somehow richer. Need I say more?
2. Staying Home on a Saturday Night
As someone who skews more toward the side of homebody-introversion, winter “socializing” (or lack thereof) is where my proclivities thrive. Winter transforms not going out into a celebrated choice instead of a potentially lame cop-out. While I might harbor some degree of regret or FOMO when I opt out of making Saturday night plans during other seasons, in winter I embrace staying in with open gusto. Hot tip (pun intended): play dress-up with all the summer clothes you’re currently in a long-distant relationship with while you wait for your chicken fried rice to arrive.
3. Cooking Something In an Oven
Alternatively, if you do want to fill your Saturday night with social interaction but you still don’t want to actually step foot outside your apartment, there’s no better time than the dead of winter to invite your friends over to help you consume a tray of lasagna that cooks at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, thus turning the entirety of your tiny abode into a sauna. You and your pals will barely notice the temperature change thanks to the windchill rattling outside your questionably thin windows.
4. Going to Bed Early
It’s 6 p.m. right now and I wish I could teleport myself into bed. It’s cold enough that I wouldn’t miss out on anything notable if I stayed awake for the usual five or so more hours that I might on a normal evening. It’s also cold enough that getting under my comforter is an uncanny form of pleasure, like getting a head massage or peeing after you’ve been holding it for too long. Going to bed early in the winter is THE BEST. It’s better than it is any other time of year, unmatched in its rewarding, wholesome coziness.
5. Cuddling!!!!
You know what isn’t fun? Rubbing your skin against that of another person’s when you’re even remotely warm–heaven forbid hot or sticky. You know what’s the best? Doing the exact same thing when it’s cold outside and you’re both essentially clothed head-to-toe. Pure pleasure, I tell you. The height of harmless hedonism. There’s a reason cuffing season is synonymous with wintertime and the urge to cuddle with a willing partner at all times is it.
What else do you love more during the winter than you do any other time of year? Tell me in the comments.
Photographer: Mia Rankin at Work Agency
Creative Director / Stylist: Monica Morales at DLM
Videographer: Nick Tsindos
Model: Cameron Stephens represented by IMG
Makeup: Claire Thomson
Hair: Taylor James Redman using Pure Haircare
Set Designer: Claire Mueller using pieces from Daniel Emma and Fenton and Fenton
The post 5 Things That Actually Make Winter Bearable (Maybe Even Enjoyable?) appeared first on Man Repeller.
Low Stakes Cold Take: Siri Could Change Your Life, If You Let Her
I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop I’ve never been to before, and I’m feeling very present and charmed, as if my cheeks were rosier than they are. I’m here to kill time because I’m running ahead of schedule. Do you remember what that feels like? To be early? To kill time? It’s very good and underrated. And it’s a situation I’ve found myself in a lot since I started using Siri like a real-life personal assistant.
Doesn’t it sound nice to have a robot who catches your every misplaced thought? Every random task you thought of in the shower, every person you remembered you needed to call at 2 a.m., every appointment you felt like booking in the middle of the workday? How about every time you said, “Yes, I will bring that to you tomorrow!” or “I’ll text you later to set a date and time!” What if that were all taken care of by someone who wasn’t you so you could just live your life, be early with the right things in tow, observe the old man next to you at a random coffee shop reading The New Yorker? Noticing inconsequential things is the best. It’s the opposite of being dead.
I’m here because I’m dedicated to my little $999 iPhone robot. It was she who reminded me to text my friend I hadn’t seen in a while about getting together last week, which is why I’m out of the house this morning. It was she who set my alarm early enough so that I could leisurely stroll here. She even reminded me to bring my computer in case I had extra time to work (which is how I’m writing this), and what the weather was going to be today (high of 41, windy), and what song is playing right now (“Fantastic Man” by William Onyeabor). Also to get paper towels on my way home later, bless her little heart.
I’ve been teased a lot by my friends about my increasingly aggressive use of Siri over the last year. Maybe because she’s literally been around since 2010, or maybe because I look like an idiot cosplaying as a futuristic cog when I talk to her. Both true. But I think part of them is secretly thinking, Maybe I should start doing that, and then they forget. Because that’s what humans do. Which is exactly why I use Siri. She is me without all the things that regularly foil my ambition and focus, like forgetfulness, laziness, and overstimulation. She’s me without the embarrassing American accent (I made her Australian). And as stupid as it feels to endorse a vaguely creepy Apple product everyone has known about forever, I’ve been using it to such consistent satisfaction I feel called to do it anyway, like a good boss would.
Here are some of the things I used my personal assistant for in the last week:
To remind me to text an old friend Happy Birthday the next week, when I was sure I’d forget (I did)
To remind me to email someone I thought of as I was falling asleep
To tell me the weather (and then again after I didn’t listen the first time)
To set a timer for roast chicken
To tell me how many ounces are in a cup
To research flights to San Francisco
To call my mom while I was washing the dishes
To tell me the exact meaning of the word “proselytize”
To tell me how old Rachel Bilson is (38)
To tell me how tall Drake is (6’0”)
To put “dinner with my brother” on my calendar for Friday night at 8 p.m.
To remind me to bring a book back to my coworker the next day
And my favorite: to tell me where she was (under my pillow)
As dystopian as modern comforts can skew, and as unexciting as this one is, I think it’s the first that’s actually made me a better person. Now I’m someone who remembers stuff! Who never forgets a birthday or to do that errand I thought of on my way home! I’m almost always on time, less anxious, never have to apologize for forgetting that innocuous thing that keeps slipping through my synapses. The seemingly unsolvable problem of being a person who remembers everything until I actually need to remember it has finally been addressed, and by the very device that caused most of the problems in the first place. Beautiful, isn’t it? Or cursed.
Every time I address Siri in the middle of the workday, my coworkers laugh, and you might be doing the same, which I will take on the chin, as the Brits say on Love Island. But getting in the habit of outsourcing random thoughts has genuinely changed my life. It not only solves one of the core incompetencies of the human race—that we’re far more ambitious about our future selves than our present selves—it also frees my inner hamster to step off the wheel of my mind periodically and take a nap in a pile of woodchips. Which feels like a victory worth sharing, no matter how ordinary.
Does anyone else use Siri like a madwoman and believe it’s underrated or should I see myself out?
Graphic by Lorenza Centi.
The post Low Stakes Cold Take: Siri Could Change Your Life, If You Let Her appeared first on Man Repeller.
Come Inside to See: 24 of The Very Best Coats from $58 to $716
The greatest issue I take with winter is the matter of coats. I don’t really mind the cold if I could figure out how to make my coat feel as much a part of my outfit as, like, jeans. I might even marvel in the cold because, you know, I’m warm, but I look cool. Or whatever, even if I’m not so warm—just warm enough, I’m fine with just looking cool. But the problem remains: coats ruin outfits. Not all of them, but therein probably lies the real challenge.
In the depths of winter, it can start to feel like you need a different coat for every different occasion. But this is unrealistic because coats take up a shit load of space, and they tend to be kind of expensive. So you find yourself in this predicament of having to negotiate which role is the most important one for your your coat to play. Most sane people will probably prioritize warmth over all else, so you get your coat, then think “Oh, thank God, I’m not freezing.”
But then as you endeavor to get dressed in the morning, feeling like you’re about to reach flow state because whyhasn’titoccurredtoyouthatwearingahenleyoveraturtleneckwithastrandofpearlstuckedintojeansisthebestideaever, you realize that your over-layer is going to fuck everything up because for as many times as you have professed that you need a soft shoulder if you’re going to wear boots with a pointed toe or a short coat if you’re going to wear jeans, and that it ought to be collarless if you’re wearing a turtleneck, you’ve never actually found The One.
Now, it could be that The One does not exist, which I say with semi-conviction based on experience, but man how great would it be if we could find one coat to replace all others? To meet enough of the criteria that satisfies my warmth and cool factors so that even if it fucks up the occasional outfit, it works for me, instead of against me, more often than not. This is, you know, the precise prompt that led me to an investigation I feel lucky to call “market research,” but which is referred to more formally as, “online window shopping.”
I turned the pages of various consignment and discount shops upside down to find what I might call coat nirvana. The legwork I did in advance was to evaluate what kinds of clothes I wear most frequently—is it jeans? Leggings? With boots or sneakers? How often do I wear dresses or skirts? Chunky sweaters, or fine knits, or layers and layers of both? The answers to these questions (I mostly wear jeans, with boots, very occasionally wear dresses or skirts—mostly they’re mini—and layers of both) created guardrails to help inform my definition of nirvana. I’ve identified it as a coat that is fun enough to throw over something boring, short enough that when you’re wearing something short, you don’t look like your socks are tucked into your pants, accentuating the difference in size between your ankles and calves, but long enough that your butt’s not freezing. Ideally it is collarless, but I’m open.
Now! Your answers are going to be different from mine, so I’ve separated out the greatest coats by theme.
The functional ones
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
As in, fun to look at, but also fun to wear. They pair best with wide leg pants and flat shoes with durable soles—like a classic mens loafer or brogue. I didn’t include this Bottega coat because it is still $1,163 dollars, but it has been haunting me since 2018.
Fashion missed connections
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
Calvin Klein from the brief reign of Raf Simons, Saint Laurent from the true Yves days, Phoebe’s Celine and just, idk, a great $275 fringe coat that is an extra 20% off; call these long fellow deeds (will literally buy you one of the above if you get that reference) the ideal counterparts for a wardrobe that is full of office attire in the form of fine knits, trouser pants, and the occasional pencil skirt. Personally, I’d prefer them if I were a fitness instructor and most regularly draped in sneakers and leggings. Contrast! You know?
Ye longe shearling
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
I think this category might be the closest we’ll come to nirvana, I imagine all of these pairing well with jeans, or athleisure or work clothes, particularly if you are after a vibe that makes you look like a commuter from the Upper West Side, but then again…
Apres ski coats for the year 1985
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
I hesitated even showing you that first Descente coat (the green one) because I want it, but I’m not self-serving (eh), so let’s call this a close second to coat nirvana—I’m less enthusiastic about our wearing such covers with jeans, but how great with a pair of like, velvet trousers, or some formal wide-leg pinstriped numbers. The people won’t know what to do with themselves, they won’t know who you are: a professional ski lodger or member of the corporate workforce.
Collarless
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
Short, sweet, and to the point. Great for people who hate how scarves look layered into collared coats. It’s fussy. You know? And finally…
I think I’m becoming a cape person?
[image error]
Turn on your JavaScript to view content
This one is probably not as helpful for you, but I think I am going to get that Tory Burch poncho and call it a season. It’s unlikely that I’ll wear it with anything but pants, but good news for me: I’m a regular round those parts anyway. I sure as shit hope there’s something in here for you. Was this helpful? LMK.
The post Come Inside to See: 24 of The Very Best Coats from $58 to $716 appeared first on Man Repeller.
January 10, 2020
Larry David Has a “Fashion Theory” and I’m Still Thinking About It
GQ published a profile of Larry David on Wednesday in which Larry David is even more Larry David than Larry David of Larry Davids past. In the first 10 minutes of the interview, he provides “feedback” to a server, argues it’s more satisfying to kill a fly than an ant, and offers a staunch, immoveable opinion on something he doesn’t know that much about. It’s this last part I want to discuss, because that opinion is his “fashion theory,” and I actually think it’s kind of good. Per writer Brett Martin, Larry David believes you “should only wear one ‘nice’ piece of clothing at a time.”
“Otherwise it’s too much. Too dressed,” Larry David says. “You have to be half-dressed. That’s my fashion theory, since you asked: Half Is More.”
Whether you like Larry David or not, or agree with my repeatedly using his full name, you have to admit “half is more” is a pretty good (if stupid) fashion theory. It puts words to something I’ve been thinking about a lot, which is that interesting outfits always engender a special brand of tension. Sometimes I think about this in terms of color or fabric, other times in terms of the dressed-up/dressed-down ratio. But those feel too simple or obvious or open for interpretation. Half-dressed, though—that’s evocative.
Like, this woman from the Aimé Leon Dore ads that everyone freaked out about is half-dressed, right?
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Man Repeller (@manrepeller) on Oct 28, 2019 at 9:34am PDT
I feel like she is. She’s wearing the kind of outfit you throw on when you’re running out of the house in a hurry and grab whatever’s nearest (but the unrealistic movie version of that). Is that peak “effortless”? I put that in quotes because obviously it isn’t. It’s actually an art form to look that half-dressed, brooch on the coat and unevenly rolled sweats and all.
This is a generous interpretation of Larry David’s theory (maybe everyone gives Larry David a generous interpretation), which for him manifests in pretty forgettable-albeit-nice outfits. But for the more creative, getting half-dressed can mean so much more. It’s not always as formulaic as wearing only “one nice thing”–although it can be—as much as its the general ethos of looking like you got dressed in a very attractive hurry, possibly after you’d already started dressing for something else. Whenever I do this I feel very good and also like a fraud, but also very good.
So if you’re getting bored of your winter wardrobe and a little calculated chaos sounds appealing, scroll for some outfits that capture the spirit of the barely-sensible-but-possibly-genius adage of “half is more.”
View this post on Instagram
Nipple Sweaters and Lizard Clothes: Why “Fashion Brand Company” Is Poised for Greatness
Imagine a trench coat long enough to brush the ground even while you were sitting on someone’s shoulders à la The Little Rascals. Or a handbag you could fully mistake for a real trash bag. Or how about a polo with three collars for all your necks/multitudes? These may sound like things you hallucinated after your wisdom-teeth removal, but they are in fact very real products for sale from ironic Instagram darling Fashion Brand Company.
I discovered Fashion Brand Company, founded in May 2018 by Penelope Gazin, when my friend DM’d me one of her particularly magnetic sweaters last summer. I closed the deal with an immediate follow, though I’ll always regret not buying it—it sold out shortly after. Since then, Fashion Brand Company has surprised and delighted me with not only the most absurd of styles, but also hilarious organic “marketing,” including dance, dramatic photoshoots, living life like a 3-year-old, and lizards. It—or rather, Gazin—consistently makes me laugh, which is not only unusual for a fashion brand but extremely difficult to do in this villainous news cycle!!!
View this post on Instagram
@whatthefaust in the nipple sweater top
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Apr 14, 2019 at 1:50pm PDT
Gazin, the founder and creative génie behind the brand, says she’s first and foremost an artist. She’s always dabbled in different artistic mediums, starting with a career in animation, then switching to illustration, then finally finding painting (her work has been featured in a number of LA galleries). Despite having no experience in fashion, the inspiration for a clothing line struck f after a show with one of Gazin’s bands (did I mention she’s in bands and is a member of a dance squad?). She pulled a frenzied all-nighter getting the ideas to paper, some of which would become this Bikini Knit Dress and this shrunken pom pom-dotted Clown Sweater. Unsure what to call the brand, she bought a handful of absurd domain names on GoDaddy, before finally landing on Fashion Brand Company, which she found funny in its obviousness..
Gazin’s brand decisions and designs—which she produces in inventory counts sometimes as low as 50—have a tongue-in-cheekiness to them. I mean, she has an entire section of her site dedicated to her custom Lizard Clothes, which the URL deems “Boyz-Corner.” She says the dry humor imbued in her work is central to it: “If I’m not actively making myself laugh and having fun with it, then I know I shouldn’t pursue it. If I’m saying ‘this is too ridiculous,’ then I know I’m on the right track.”
Thus, lots of room to play.
As a long time fan and first time caller, I got on the phone with Gazin this week and asked her to walk me through the genesis of five (yes, I narrowed it down) of my favorite Fashion Brand Company designs, and share some of her plans for the future, too.
The 3 Collar Knit Shirt
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Dec 12, 2019 at 11:26am PST
“This one came to me in a dream almost two years ago. I’ve always been obsessed with the famous conjoined twins Abbie and Brittany Hensel, and particularly their style, so I think that might have manifested in my subconscious in this weird way. After the dream, I instantly started Googling to be like, ‘Has this been done before? Did I get influenced or was this really my own idea?’ Turns out it was just me.”
The Sex House Sweater
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Nov 15, 2019 at 10:40am PST
“I found this potholder pattern from the 70s on Etsy and I just really liked how simple and graphic it was. And, at the time, I had just done a painting of a cross section of a doll house that had a bunch of people having sex in it, and had called it ‘Sex House.’ And that tickled me. So I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll combine my perv art with something very kind of innocent and genuinely kind of nostalgic, or something.’ And that photo featured on Subway Creatures? [Above]
I loved it, because he actually turned out to be a friend of a friend. And he’s this cool artist. But I liked that you couldn’t tell how aware he was of the sweater, just because he kind of fell right in that sort of gray area where you’re like this could be a hipster or this could be just some random guy. And I think people couldn’t tell. That’s what I want a lot of my clothes to do, where you’re like, ‘Is this garment super cool, or is it oblivious?’ No one knows. I mean… I know, but people on the street don’t.”
Lizard Clothes
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Oct 4, 2019 at 3:39pm PDT
“I’ve always been drawn to lizards and the idea of dressing lizards. So, there are maybe three people who have stores devoted to just making lizard clothing on Etsy. One of them is this lovely woman who has a store called ‘Penelope’s Closets.’ I give her my designs and she makes them for me. It’s fun to see how she interprets it. I view her as an outsider artist, and I’m just a huge fan of outsider artists in general. Every time she sends a shipment, she always types out a little letter to me in Comic Sans, and she’s just like, ‘Dear Penelope, I have so much fun making these as always. I love your kooky designs.’ I just love what she does and the customers love it, too.”
The Moth Mini Dress
View this post on Instagram
Moth dress- feels like a nightgown looks like a nightmare
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Dec 13, 2019 at 9:30am PST
“So my Dad was a magician and he collected vintage circus costumes from the 30s. He specifically had this one butterfly costume that was gold and beaded–super heavy and detailed. It had a similar shape to the Moth Dress, but different colors and it didn’t have eyes, and I used to love to put it on as a kid. Kids just love to wear wings, and we never really outgrow that. (Side note: I’m learning from this interview how much of my designs are really based on nostalgia?) Anyway, so I designed this, and it’s been one of the most popular pieces. I saw two people wearing it at a New Year’s Eve party I went to.”
The Nipple Sweater
View this post on Instagram
A beautiful photo of a beautiful family
A post shared by Fashion Brand Co. Inc. LLC Tm (@fashionbrandcompany) on Nov 8, 2019 at 5:44pm PST
“This was actually one of the first pieces I designed. I used to have a cat that would suck on our sweaters when I was a kid. And then my mom would laugh, because it just looked like we have like little nipples all over the sweater. We just had these like soggy little nipples. And I thought about how sweaters with pom-poms are really just missing areolas. That was that!”
So where does Fashion Brand Company go from here? A brand so original in an era of sartorial fatigue feels like something that can’t stay small(ish) for long. It’s already being worn by the likes of Brie Larson and Trixie Mattel. But she’s mixed on whether she’s looking to build the business further. “I do need to expand,” she says, “but I hate the idea of managing other people or being a boss. I just want to be able to enjoy making clothes. The size it is right now is kind of perfect, because it’s just manageable enough. I love that I have a niche audience and don’t necessarily want the ‘big’… I guess I’m dreaming small.”
The last thing I ask her before we wrap our conversation is about a pair of three-legged pants she posted on Instagram the other day. Gazin laughs. She knows no one is going to buy them, but she wanted to make them so people on Reddit could say, “Oh my god, fashion’s become so stupid!” (I urge her to make them, just because.)
“It’s not always the case or the intention,” she says of her pieces, “but sometimes I am just trying to fully make ugly clothes.”
Photo by Lucy McDonald via Fashion Brand Company.
The post Nipple Sweaters and Lizard Clothes: Why “Fashion Brand Company” Is Poised for Greatness appeared first on Man Repeller.
Leandra Medine's Blog
- Leandra Medine's profile
- 75 followers
