Leandra Medine's Blog, page 637
May 29, 2015
MR Writers Club: Let’s Talk Food
Or more specifically than talking food, let’s talk THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE EVER HAD.
We can all, I think, recall either a specific moment in time when we felt profoundly satisfied by the nourishment traveling down our throats and into our digestive systems, or at least, the meal that accompanied the best experience ever. Because in 2015 that’s what it boils down to, right? Experience! Food isn’t just food anymore. It’s a language! Our language! The biodegradable tool that we use to connect with one another, to share our love and to tell our stories where words just kind of fail.
I can distinctly remember sitting down to a giant-head-sized bowl of angel hair pasta one summer afternoon in Juan-Les-Pins near Cannes. I was 16 and leaving the beach with my grandparents and very far from my mom, who, looking out for my best interest no doubt and with the recommendation of one evil oligarch of a doctor who’d recommended I not consume any white flour whatsoever, had become my version of culinary hell. But see, with my grandparents, I was still just a kid with cravings and not just cravings but cravings that deserved — nay — were obliged to be met.
So, we went for pasta. My big-ass bowl came al dente and with fresh tomato sauce plus black olives garnishing the dish. There were bits of mozzarella cheese melting into the heat of the skinny noodles and I swear to blog within minutes, the dish was done.
It made me realize, you know, that “eating to live” isn’t for me. That living to eat, however, makes spectacular sense for a self-proclaimed bon vivant. Because here I was, sitting just meters from the beach and far from any real sense of pressure (SATs, of course) and social discourse, with people — adults — who I loved and who loved me too, plowing away at the plate in front of me and thinking the only question that frankly measures the true success of an experience: if this isn’t nice, what is?
So, in ~500 words, here’s your obligation: share the best meal — experience — you’ve ever had. Get dramatic, tell a white lie, tell us you’re telling a white lie and please for the love of parmesan make our mouths water so much that we are left with no choice but to, for ourselves, experience. You know da drill. Your deadline is next Thursday (June 4th) at 12 p.m. EST. All submissions should be deposited to write@manrepeller.com.
[Insert fork and knife emoji here.]
Check out last week’s Writers Club entry here about the 10 things you need to know post-graduation. If this post made you hungry, you should check out celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart’s fridge — even her wine is pretty. And speaking of wine! Have you seen our handy dandy summer wine guide?
May 28, 2015
I Have a Lot of Stuff in My Shopping Cart
I have a theory involving dreams and online shopping carts, and it goes something like this:
Shopping carts are where dreams go to die.
But first, they’re where dreams are born. The items in your Net-a-Porter cart may reflect your childhood wish to become an astronaut or a crochet-loving hippie. Your imagination runs wild, and in that moment, you are infinite.
Eventually though, you’re confronted with unfortunate realities. For example: being a crochet-loving hippie is way more expensive than you had anticipated.
But a girl can dream, right? Currently, I have four tabs open in my browser. Like Yorkies in a Petco window, the items in my shopping cart are begging for a new home.
I need your help.
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Help me, help yourself, and tell us: what should I get, and what’s currently in your shopping cart?
If you’ve been contemplating clogs, now is the time to pull the trigger. If ballet flats are your thing, that’s cool too and if Birkenstocks are the only shoe that doesn’t cause you screaming pain, consider The Madrid. Like we said, trends are a funny.
5 Ways to Avoid a Sample Sale Fail
The rarely-reached depths of your wardrobe are a graveyard of sample sale shame: that white leather backpack missing a strap. A pair of over-the-knee boots that resemble thigh-high fishing gaiters on your average-length legs. There are so many, in fact, that you swore you’d never again grace the delirium-inducing door of a sample sale.
But then you started receiving the torrent-like stream of emails that make your inbox convulse: Sample Sale! One Day Only! Up to 80% off RRP. Despite your avowals that you’re saving for a holiday/mortgage/dog, you find yourself in a queue that is fifty frantic women deep, all desperately attempting to load Style.com SS11 runway images to confirm that the lone dress hanging is the dress — the mythical one that “wasn’t produced.” And then the madness begins.
Stop hyperventilating. There are basic precautions you can take to prevent your bargain bin wasteland getting any more gargantuan…
Always pay in cash
A credit card can lead to a) impulsive decisions incentivized by the belief that you bank at Gringotts, b) the inability to pay for rent/food/basic sanitation. Instead, be a grown up and budget. If you find a buy-it-or-die piece that you haven’t got the exact $$$ for (but you DO have in the bank), leave the item with a trusted companion, and nip out quickly for more currency.
Wear an appropriate outfit
The inevitability of ending up half naked while clutching a sheer bra to your rib cage in front of a multitude of strangers is high; changing rooms are not abundant at these showdowns. Never wear a dress (how will you publicly try on that corseted strapless number with underwire cups if you are already wearing one?) and opt for separates that comprise the fundamentals of your wardrobe. Only if you can imagine the coveted piece assimilating into your existing wardrobe should you make the purchase.
Avoid the cheapest bargain bins
Ignore that tantalizing footer at the bottom of the sample sale email: “Prices start at $30.” The bargain bin binge is a downward spiral amass with overstretched jersey, marker-stained macramé, broken straps and broken hearts. If you hear yourself considering items you can “wear in bed,” “wear to a costume party,” or “make into pillowcases,” step away from the deluge of discounts and proceed to the higher priced (but still reasonable) rails.
Never bring a reluctant friend
This is not an event for catching up with a long lost college buddy who works in the environmental sector. You need a hardened companion, dedicated to the cash-saving cause, who is prepared to bestow you with a hearty slap should your hysteria become unmanageable. Turn to a compadre who will tirelessly watch you try on the same pair of silk Bermuda shorts six times and act as your only mirror, because reflective surfaces will be as rare as your favorite Rodarte runway being priced under $100.
Consider your alteration options
Damaged or wrongly-sized garments must be assessed with caution. Don’t be lured by a pair of flared pants that are 8 inches too long for your limbs — once you’ve had them altered, they will be skinnies. Zippers can be replaced, heels can be resoled, buttons can be re-sewn and oversized tees can be belted. Avoid single shoes, shredded silk and pieces that will never fit no matter how many toes you amputate, girdles you purchase or butt-enhancing pads you buy.
And with that, I bid you good luck.
Now that you’re armed, go on and shop those sales. Remember to bring along the essentials and remember, spandex doesn’t always end in heartbreak.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH: 5 Things Every Woman Should Own
This is not your run-of-the-mill list of white shirts and leather jackets and high waist jean shorts. Make no mistake, though, those items are all veritably important for the future of your closet. They’re the crux of that which will swim in a sea of imminent sinkers. But before a woman can even begin to conceptualize what she’ll put on her person, she should make sure that her person is maintained. And when I say maintained what I mean is funtained. So here is list of five things that I, for one, believe every woman should really have.
1. A portable razor. Because when the going gets rough, the rough gets shaven. If you, like me, like to shave but only on your own terms, it is likely that what will set you apart from the plebeian hair remover is a specific dress or skirt or blouse that calls not for a leg mane or underarm braids. (Some do! Don’t get me wrong!) As a result of this, shaving does not come second nature to you. Keep a portable razor in check because if you don’t, you will learn the hard way that the only thing worse than an unwanted lack of hair (holler at my bikini line!) is an unwanted surplus of it.
Keep it in a straw basket because that’s what chic people do.
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2. An arsenal of plastic sporks. Because we are women! And women are fickle! Not fickle like hormonally-challenged, but want what we want when we want it! This could sometimes mean a fork for spaghetti or a spoon for ice cream. The actual item is irrelevant; what’s important is that you’ll be prepared for whatever nourishment life throws at you.
3. A brooch. Now I know this might sound dated — who in the good name of millennia still wears brooches in the Age of Smoothies, right? But be flexible in your mind, people! Treat your brain like it is a very difficult yoga pose. Challenge it to make like Gumby and stretch. A brooch is only as useful as you make it; use it as an alteration pin. Fasten your shirt, hem your pants, hike up your skirt, heck, give yourself a bolo tie and call it a high school formal.
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4. Heavy shoes. Why? Because if lint is a shell’s best friend, clogs are a woman’s, and you never know when you might need to throw something of substantial weight at a prospective predator.
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5. Mini scissors. Everyone talks about Cara Delevingne’s eyebrows, but what no one talks about is the 90% chance that a makeup artist routinely holds up a mini pair of stabby mcgees within centimeters of Cara’s eyeballs to trim the hairs that do fly. It’s the secret to full-but-not-bushy. (Here’s what you do: take a dry toothbrush, brush your eyebrows straight up, and carefully trim the long ones so that all soldiers are the same height.) However! These scissors do other things too, like cut stray threads and pants that are too long. They puncture hard to open seals (Capri Sun pouches, Midol packets), clip nails, and if you forgo the aforementioned disposable razor, these will, at the very least, trim the long ankle hairs that blades always seem to miss.
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See also: Man Repeller’s 15 Things Every Woman Should Have, Inès de La Fressange’s episode of the Chatroom and a list of 5 Things to Check Off Your List of Am I French Yet’s.
Image by Kate Worum. (Follow her on Instagram, too!)
The Boys of Summer
Historically, the end of Memorial Day marks the beginning of Uncuffing Season. On May 26th, a calendar alert pops up regardless of whether or not you’ve disabled notifications. “End whatever relationship you’re in,” it says. “Being in a couple will prohibit your tan.”
But I am a champion of summer love. Staunch as I am in my belief that proud independence is the key to happiness so long as the Parental Vacation Laundry clause remains in effect, two can be better than one in a variety of hot-weather situations.
Like when you need to borrow an air-conditioned room.
The harsh reality, of course, is that when male weekend warriors discard their cuff links in exchange for the Jenna Lyons roll, it doesn’t mean they’re looking; it means they’re single. Big difference. Which means that if you want a summer boyfriend, you’d better renounce your fay-sexuality and find yourself a celebrity.
Jake Lacy
Stats: 30 years old. 6’2″. Actor. You’ve seen him on The Office, Obvious Child, and GIRLS.
MR Creds: Peripheral mentions via “Love Stories” and GIRLS recaps. 2 degrees of Kevin Bacon via Jenny Slate’s Chatroom Appearance.
Why: He’ll warm your butter with his hand and looks great in khakis, if you’re into that kind of thing. Most importantly, he’s under the radar. Girls haven’t realized he’s hot yet.
Perfect for the girl who: is actually looking for something serious.
ASAP Rocky
Stats: 26 years old. 5’10”. Rapper. Pretty Mother Fucker.
MR Creds: Style Icon-recognition, thus joining the ranks of Ralph Lauren, Elisa Sednaoui and Marcia Brady.
Why: He has an excellent friend group. Also, you can borrow his clothes.
Perfect for the girl who: is not the jealous type, loves concerts.
Miles Teller
Stats: 28 years old. His dating-app height is 6’0″. Actor/drummer.
MR Creds: Mentioned once in October (“Three Indie Movies to See,”), plus received a dedicated post titled, “A Thursday Crush on Miles Teller.”
Why: Great tempo.
Perfect for the girl who: wants the stay-at-home-and-chill-guy sometimes, not always; she’s still up for the party likes a man who can dance. She’ll need to handle competition well, however. People know Teller’s name and face now — he has a Fuck Yeah Tumblr page.
Zayn Malik
Stats: 22. 5’7″. Reformed boy-bander. Solo artist.
MR Creds: Mentioned once in April.
Why: He’s a young John Stamos who isn’t afraid of an aesthetic risk. (But with hair like his, the odds are ever in his favor. Yes. Even that time his bangs looked like Kate McCallister’s.)
Perfect for the girl who: is sick of the scene and just “wants to take it easy” this summer.
Justin Bieber
Stats: 21 years old. 5’9″. Singer. (Not rapper, despite previous attempts.)
MR Creds: Multiple, including a plea for the world to love him despite our own refusal to call him a Brat Pack member. We did, however, once have a theory about how Bieber is actually Miley Cyrus.
Why: Because everyone deserves redemption, and if this video doesn’t qualify him for forgiveness then I don’t know what does:
Perfect for the girl who: doesn’t mind repeating to her friends, “You just have to get to know him.”
Eddie Redmayne
Stats: 33 years old. 5’11” but looks 6’1″. Actor with the voice of an angel.
MR Creds: Surprisingly, zero. (Although I’ve seen him mentioned in the comments before.)
Why: Don’t ask stupid questions.
Perfect for the girl: who needs a last minute wedding date who looks amazing in pictures and even better in a tux. This is strictly platonic; she’s been in love with the best man for years.
Not all celebrity boyfriends are created equal, of course, and like I said, it’s uncuffing season; there will be casualties. To avoid drama, I suggest you end things as quickly as possible if you’re dating any of the following: Jared Leto (he’s hot, but too all over the place; Ryan Gosling (he has a kid), and Netflix. What are you still doing dating that thing, anyway? The weather’s finally nice. Go outside.
(…After you tell us your summer celeboyfriend lineup in the comments below, that is.)
May 27, 2015
To Try: These 5 Trends, Now on $ale
They swoop in like carrier pigeons and suddenly everyone’s legs are wrapped in tin foil and nobody can quite explain why. Literally. Your bank representative is like, “Esther, that $75 purchase of googly eye turbans was fraudulent,” and you’re like, “No Jared, that was me. I spent $75 on googly eyes.”
And henna lipstick.
Yup, those Crocs were me too.
We’re partially to blame. We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver said trends to you before, say, Zara does. (Although we’re fans of the DIY method too.) I’m aware of the struggle to keep up, to consistently reinvent yourself. I didn’t feel like I fully belonged in SoHo until I got myself an overpriced pair of Birkenstocks. But had I waited two months, that fancy footwear would have gone on sale and I would have been $80 richer.
Which is why I feel it’s my duty to present to you the trends presented by us, now on sale:
1. Looking Non-Basic in Ballet “Flats“
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2. Not Your Mother’s Chain Belt
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5. It’s That 70s Show and the Cropped Flare is the Star
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Now run, Forrest. Maybe get yourself some sneakers too.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
No words, just watch.
(Wanna be twins?)
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Now click here for more It’s Kind of a Funny Story(ies). If you want to watch a video about Leandra’s legal husband, click here. A big thank you to Stone Fox Bride for letting us film in their office. Confused about how to act at a wedding? Stone Fox Bride’s Molly Guy has all the answers.
An Interview With the Man Behind the Book Swag Hashtag
Yahdon Israel was sitting on a Manhattan-bound A Train when he noticed a kid board the subway. Said kid wore Reebok Kamikaze IIs, camouflage pants and a flannel shirt tied around his waist. In his hand: a frayed copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Like all good subway riders who know to say something when they see something, Yahdon took out his phone, snapped a picture of the unassuming passenger, posted it to Instagram and captioned the photo “#literaryswag.” Since then, Yahdon’s account has grown into a platform showcasing the synthesis of his two favorite things: reading and style.
We caught up with Yahdon to ask him a few questions about the merging of literature, personality and style while taking full photographic advantage of his own head-to-toe swag.
What compelled you to launch #LiterarySwag beyond that initial photo?
The intimacy between style and literature, reader and writer is underrepresented. I wanted to show that readers and writers are not only alive, well, and real people, but that they also have style. They look like you and I. The more we see readers with whom we can identify, the more society (hopefully) will identify with reading.
When I meet writers, I ask them to give me their three favorite writers and their three favorite designers. I call this “myliteraryswag.” It’s fascinating that Claudia Rankine — winner for the NBCC Award for Poetry — is as much a fan of Jil Sander, Marni and Dries Van Noten as she is of Toni Morrison, Rita Dove, and James Garcia.
Why do you think Instagram has proven to be an effective platform for this movement?
Instagram is the medium that best represents the symbiotic relationship between pictures and text. On Instagram, uploading a picture is only half the battle; the other half is how we interpret the pictures as indivudals. A million people can interpret the same picture one million different ways.
It’s also a great negotiator for #literaryswag because Instagram is as instant as it is everlasting. These fleeting moments — whether it be a snapshot of a stranger on the subway or a 15 second video — live forever.
Why do you think “serious” writers don’t typically outwardly indulge in fashion?
I think they want to be taken seriously. Being a “serious writer” requires the absence of anything which reads as shallow or superficial. For a lot of people, fashion is shallow and superficial because it stresses the physical: the appearance of things. Writers concern themselves with penetrating that surface so, to me, an immediate paradox arises.
Do you ever feel that tension when speaking with writers?
A lot of writers are hesitant to give their three favorite designers because they feel like they’re compromising their integrity as writers, as though admitting to liking Dries Van Noten will call their literary credibility into question. I understand that. I think we all do.
Even fashion designers fight against superficiality, to have people see what they create as more than fashion and fabric — as something in deep conversation with the human condition. What I try to do with #literaryswag is show how both the literary world and the fashion world are using the surface, the superficial and the shallow as terrain to express something else.
Best #LiterarySwag moment to date?
Had to be Junot Diaz.
A video posted by YahdonIsrael (@yahdon) on Apr 16, 2015 at 6:48pm PDT
Where do you draw sartorial inspiration from?
From people I see on the street. It’s always interesting to see how people throw their outfits together. There have been times when there are things in my closet that I have forgotten about or am not sure where they fit in my wardrobe, and I’ll go outside and see someone utilize the piece in a way that reinvigorates what I have in my closet.
Most of all, my inspiration is pulled from women. Women are more sartorially savvy because so many things are made for women. There’s pressure for women to constantly reinvent themselves or else they’ll be forgotten. Women are always refashioning old pieces anew. Just like “necessity is the mother of invention,” I think women are hands down the mothers and inventors of style.
I know I’ve put together a successful outfit when a woman compliments it.
Drop us your Literary Swag
Literary Swag: James Baldwin, Hilton Als, Maya Angelou
Swag Swag: Maison Margiela, Ralph Lauren, Scotch & Soda.
For more #literaryswag, follow Yahdon on Instagram here and in 140 characters here. For three books to read while you’re in a food coma, clicky clicky, and if you’re feeling ambitious, write your own beach read. Of course, there’s always MR Round Tables to keep you occupied.
What to Wear This Week With Maryam Nassir Zadeh
It seems to me that fashion is at an interesting inflection point. Where the popular opinion used to hold that if everyone had it, you wanted it too, it seems more and more that consumers are looking for their diamonds-in-the-rough — the quiet, unassuming jewels that amble among us while speaking softly but powerfully as if to say, “You don’t know, but you will.” And no one understands this quite like Maryam Nassir Zadeh, ineffable owner of the eponymous, Lower East Side boutique.
The entrepreneur-cum-shop keeper-cum-designer (she builds a seasonal collection that sells out faster than you can contemplate the $350 knit shell tanks she is wont to make) promotes the sort of experience that makes you feel like you’re on an expedition of discovery.
You meet such greats as Cristaseya and Telfar, and see old friends, like K. Jacques or Castañer, in shiny new light. You learn about color — real color — and force yourself to challenge precisely that which constitutes an accessory-proper. And the greatest thing of it is, you don’t need to know her to feel like you know her clothes, to connect and experience and feel like you’re inventing, but it can’t help to meet her, right? Allow us to facilitate with a slideshow replete with five days of outfits care of the devil herself.
Are you on an expedition of discovery? Have you found anything worth sharing? WHAT’RE YOU WAITING FOR? SHARE IT! You know where (I’m pointing downward)
Shot by Krista Anna Lewis. Of this hair. Speaking of hair, who else wants to dye theirs orange because of SZA? Want more outfit ideas after seeing Maryam’s? Check out this jewelry designer.
May 26, 2015
The Death of Denim?
Next time you’re in a public place, count the number of people wearing jeans.
Wherever you are in the world, around half the population will be rocking the true blues at any time. Now fast forward fifty years. Will half of us still have our legs encased in denim?
Maybe not. Because jeans might be over.
It seems hard to believe, but evidence is mounting that the unifying power of denim is dying. Jeans started as the garment of America’s West; the practical trousers of cowboys and miners; the daring statement of holidaying east coasters down on the ranch.
Then they became cool. James Dean wore jeans as a slap across the face to the sartorial establishment. Students adopted them in the 60s, groovy disco-goers wore them flared in the 70s.
By the 90s, however, they were wallpaper. So ubiquitous that they became part of life’s scenery. Like a can of Coca-Cola, they were a unifying symbol: whoever you were, you wore the same thing (except, of course, if you were in Calvins — that was elite gold Coca-Cola).
But society has a stifling effect on subcultures. One particularly damning way of numbing the threat of alternate lifestyles is by subsuming them, making their otherness common. Where Levi’s were once overtly casual, calling to mind manual work and dusty landscapes, jeans are now so thoroughly sanitized that we can wear them to work — drawing the line, really, only at weddings and funerals. Like leather jackets and bandanas, the frisson of danger jeans once provided has now faded.
Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers. For the first time sales of jeans in the U.S. (the land of the free and the denim-clad) have fallen. And what has risen? Sales of yoga pants, by almost the same amount.
This tells us two interesting things about fashion and society. One, we constantly push the boundaries of what is acceptable to wear in public: jeans were workwear, yoga pants were designed for the gym. Two, what constitutes cool has undergone a radical change over the past decade.
Where we once idolized badness, considered smoking, drinking and erring along criminal lines cool, we now worship the smoothie, the six pack and the self-righteous selfie. Mark Zuckerberg had to go to a meeting in pajamas because turning up in jeans wouldn’t have meant anything.
I have faith, however, that jeans won’t die. Like the Goonies, great trends never do. They’re cyclical, and the more enduring they are, the harder they hold on. Jeans are the fabric of our lives. They weather stains and crotch rips and disastrous love affairs with more aplomb than Lululemons ever will. They certainly project more style.
But if, in fact, leggings become the norm — the new uniform of moms and dads and babies alike, and jeans die out among the masses, then won’t it be that much cooler to put on a pair of vintage 501s? The answer is yes. Fellow denim devotees: there’s no need to be worried.
Speaking of denim devotees, let’s take a trip down memory lane to the closets of Rajni Jacques, Felicity Sargent and Leon Bridges. Want to know what your jeans say about you? Only good things, I promise. Oh, and can we all collectively agree: jeggings don’t count.
Image shot by Tommy Ton for Style.com
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