THE LIST: Olsen-Beloved Turtlenecks, Under-40 Facelifts, Parisian Tea Jelly, and a Perfume Called Blood Spider Orchids.
This week’s whos, whats, and wears.
My face is puffy. Yesterday, I got Botox in places no needle should ever see. It’s raining in New York, a sign that cooler weather is imminent. And I will definitely be charged for the blowout I no-showed today because the weather would have instantly undone it. Am I not deliriously lucky to have such complaints? In more good news, I have dinner plans with my iconic friend Cassandra Grey tonight, who has made quite the splash on Substack this week! You should go subscribe to her newsletter; any minute now, she’s going to tell us if 37 is too young for your first facelift. I don’t know what to think anymore: Lindsay Lohan is my age and look at her!
I guess I’ve been pretty consistently cheating on fashion with beauty this week, because I had tea with my Internet-famous derm Dr. Idriss yesterday, and she brought me her new Barrier Baste Tinted Lip Set, among other goodies that I’m sending in care packages to my bridesmaids. Think nostalgic, juicy tubes, but with skincare.
In other cherished friend news, Melanie Masarin dropped a new Ghia Blood Orange Spritz! Sobriety is chic, but even if you’re not a complete teetotaler, it’s a bright, juicy addition to your home bar. Tbh mixes great with your favorite blanco.
Let’s swan dive into the rest of this week’s whos, whats, and wears.
A fitting segue into Violet Grey: renowned master aesthetician Angela Caglia has launched an exclusive eye cream at VG. Stem Cells, exosomes, and peptides are the big buzzwords in skin care as of late, and while I haven’t had enough coffee to go into the science of it, I can tell you my needle-pricked eye area is visibly less puffy today after using it.
Also at VG, the new Victoria Beckham Foundation Drops. Wow, this stuff is voodoo. I’ve been extremely loyal to the Westman Atelier Complexion Drops, but when tariro makoni told me Ms. Beckham’s are formulated with Augustinus Bader’s TCF8 (their patented technology—a precisely engineered blend of amino acids, vitamins, and peptides that defined their blockbuster moisturizers), I wanted to give it a road test. You know that plump, dewy, wrinkle-free kind of skin some women have that looks expensive? Like she just waltzed out of Joanna Czech or Raquel or Melanie Grant’s studio? This is that, bottled. I apply it with a (dampened) Beauty Blender.
Fitzgerald wrote that “life begins all over again in the fall.” As I’ve written before, that back-to-school feeling never really goes away. I’m buying sweaters instead of school supplies, but the spirit remains. September Shoppies are a thing. The forecast promises to validate our cool-weather investments next week, finally. I can’t wait to wear my new acquisitions: a sculptural Rohe turtleneck, which reminds me of that Phoebe-era Celine number. A once-in-a-lifetime buttery brown Saint Laurent leather jacket. 90s-fit jeans from RE/Done. A slouchy oversized bag from Attersee. Black Khaite boots.
What is it about perfume and cashmere that just go? I’ve been layering and playing with some new (to me) fragrances. I’ve already told you about Perfumehead’s La La Love, which is a warmer vanilla that’s holding me over while I savor my lab sample of Maison d’Etto’s forthcoming vanilla formula. I got my hands on a bottle of Regime des Fleur’s Blood Spider Orchids (what a name), which surprised me when I first spritzed it. I was expecting something with a big, heavy bottom, but it’s actually relatively light and floral. And yesterday, Ellie, my injector at The Brightwood, close enough to get a whiff, asked me what perfume I had on. No perfume at all, I told her, but an oil: Vintner’s Daughter’s Understory Vol III. Her eyes widened as I pulled it out of my bag and unclasped its beautiful little case.
Speaking of cashmere, Sold Out NYC’s newest capsule is composed of precisely that: cashmere pieces to usher you through winter without damaging your credit line. There is, of course, the requisite grey, but also a chilly slate black and a precocious collared number.
If you live in a more temperate climate, La Ligne offers similarly priced knits. Still, I’m directing your attention especially to their striped fisherman sweater, which I can easily see on a cool evening beach walk in California.
J.Crew has been cleverly marketing its rollneck sweater in a slick social campaign. I always love their casting. And it’s a great sweater! One of those things you wear until it's nearly threadbare, then stash away in a trunk for your kids to find in 15 years. I love the classic white, but the stripe colorways (here and here) are also worth considering.
Analog as I am, the above image is incredibly validating. Unless I write it down, I don’t remember it. My agenda is also my wallet. It goes with me everywhere. Just in case this image stirred something in you, too, mine is Metier, and I’ve been delighted with it. I keep a hot pink Caran d’Ache pen in its pencil loop, a trick I picked up a billion years ago from my old friend Sid Mashburn, who has been selling them in his stores for years. (Also googly-eyed over their suede weekender.)
Friendly heads up to the Gala Pant devotees: Maria McManus’ Bias-Cut Trousers share a similar sensibility (wide leg, tiny elastic waist) but in more interesting fabrications, such as charcoal tweed, satin twill, and Japanese sateen.
St. Agni is 20% off sitewide, a rare discount on an already well-priced brand that strategically designs double-takes for The Row. Look at their cashmere tees, under $600 handbags, and smart heels. Code is TAKE20.
Ending quickly on some notes from the kitchen, which I spend more time in this time of year: I’ve been loving the fruity nose of Wonder Valley’s olive oil in salad dressings, and their eco-friendly hand soap perches happily on our sink. I’ve been very into afternoon tea service at home, a mishmash of whatever mug is clean, my Aarke kettle, and my new favorite Mariage Frères teapot — Mentha Piperita always. Why didn’t anyone tell me about tea jelly? My onion basket from Underwater Weaving is working overtime, doing its due diligence in drying, now that a friend has been bringing me her crop freshly pulled from the ground. “I gotta focus! I’m shifting into soup mode!”
I love Victoria Beckham Beauty and I’m so intrigued by the foundation drops but my question is if we’re layering it over SPF, are we actually getting any of the benefits of the TFC8? (Literally just something I thought about.)
That ROHE turtleneckkkk! Fabulous x