You Deserve a Fancy Little Treat

Plus, a first look at Phoebe Philo at Bergdorf's.

Hi! The weather’s been gorgeous in New York, which always pushes me out of the house. If you're in the mood for a little treat, I want to tell you about a few great things I came across this week.

just a girl, sitting in front of a laptop, screen-shotting her own instagram

• On Tuesday, I had a hair appointment at David Mallett for a gloss and blow-out. (If you’ve been reading a minute, you know I am very devoted to this place and my stylist, Ryan.) David himself was in the salon that day. He thrust these incredibly chic hairpins in front of me and told me I had to have one.

  He showed me how to use it to quickly twist my hair up in a bun — just as simple as using a hair claw, with loads more polish. I have long-ish, fine hair and opted for the small pin. It’s not too heavy and stays in really well. If you’re in NYC, the salon is on the 5th floor of The Webster, or you can find one on their website.

• Then, I had a quick glass of wine and oysters with a side of diamonds at La Mercerie. I met up with the very stunning Talia Levy from Erede, who makes hefty, solid gold fine jewelry with lab-grown gemstones (thanks to my favorite jewelry matchmaker, Victoria from

  SubStax
  .) I fell in love with a 2.5-carat signet; you really have to see it. She shares a showroom with Fforme (one of my favorite shows last season — swim caps and lucite and poplin, oh my!) so I’m going to trot over there next week and treat myself. Side note: does anyone know the GM’s name at La Mercerie? He is heaven and such a pro; I mean to ask him for his name every time and tell him how locked down that dining room is, but always forget! Snaps in the snap jar to this man.

  

• I walked over to Accent PRojects, where they had a generous spread of Edie Parker and St. John to peruse. This sweater is now mine. Look again at St. John; they have some rad stuff if you don’t style it too literally.

• On my way down Broadway, I stopped at Sephora because, duh, sale o’clock. I re-stocked on my standby Westman Atelier Complexion Drops. Everyone tells me what nice skin I have when I wear this stuff.

• I felt like a cute little spring chicken the whole afternoon because my new High Sport shorts arrived just in time to wear, and they are a DELIGHT! They fit just like the pants—pull-on, a little stretch—and they’ve barely left my body since they arrived. So far, I’ve styled them with a navy crewneck sweater and green flats, an oversized field jacket and white mules, and a white denim jacket. Despite the fever-pitched online discourse, I always get so much mileage out of my High Sport pieces.

  

• Other treats that delighted me this week: this post from

  Harriet
  , this summery treat of a shirt from Studio Nicholson, this recipe from
  Colu Henry
  , this really great hair stuff from Roz (a brand that never seems to miss), this double-breasted tomato-hued number from Sezanne, and this gift guide from
  Kate Wolfson
  . I would also like just one day inside the mind of
  Noora Raj Brown
  after reading this letter and for this Attersee mini caftan to appear on my doorstep in time for Charleston next month.

• The biggest news of all is that my treasured buddy,

  Joyce Lee
  , has finally joined us on Substack!! You must subscribe to
  TIME LESS
  immediately!

• 09:48 PM: I'm adding an update here that Joyce and I went to Bergdorf Goodman today for some cultural excavation. Phoebe Philo’s shop opened in-store, and we wanted to scope it out. I think this Vogue piece describes the interior vibe for you (red and black, sparse, chrome). The true treat was seeing and feeling the clothes in person.

(I’m pretty sure this was us she is referring to in Vogue). We were looking at the zipper jeans.

The immediate draw was the hand-combed trousers, which are more tactile in person. Online, they feel distant, like something you’d only see in a magazine. But IRL they actually felt pretty wearable — the back is a chill viscose trouser and fits like a pajama. The Basket Cabas is somehow even more enormous in person and hearkens to the XXL Old Céline “Big Bag.”

The most interesting bit to see (for me) was what the salespeople were wearing. Phoebe’s girls (I clocked three) were all dressed in the brand head-to-toe, and the looks were more inspirational than anything merchandised on a rack.

On one, the utility dropped-waist jacket with what looked like the liquid cargo trousers, hair swept back, and finished with (I shit you not here) a green Tasman rubber clog. She got on the elevator with us, and Joyce and I immediately exchanged a silent “follow that girl” look.

On another, an oversized putty-colored button-down, which I can only find an image of here, paired with what I’m guessing were the eased black trousers, which took a re-see in-person to clock have an elastic waist. She was in a black ballet flat, notably not the cleavage-baring soft flat from the last drop, which wasn’t in-store at all. I made a mental note to replicate the look with my black Gala trousers from The Row and my white upright collar shirt from Philo, which now I can only find online in a burgundy stripe.

The last girl I saw wore the brand’s zipper jeans with a pair of past-season boots from The Row. She layered a black button-down over a white T-shirt and finished the look with a petite Gig Pouch.

That’s it! Tomorrow’s post is a major Designer Dossier; I’ve been working on it for months. Can you guess who?