Retail Diary: This Will Be Quick 2.27.24 - With friends! Meet Platonic Love
Fun links from everywhere - lots to read, listen to, watch and shop for. All my favorites and sharing great picks from my friends at Platonic Love.
Images via all the sources linked below.
This Will Be Quick is going to look a little different today. I’m going to sprinkle in a few updates from me (Sarah) and I’m going to introduce you to some new friends of mine and they are providing some awesome recommendations. I love this because it introduces us to other cool Substacks.
💛 Today I’m excited to bring you recommendations from my friends over at
. Platonic Love is a newsletter for women in the messy middle: navigating the transformation from “twenty-something” to “Adult with a capital A.” It’s been featured in Cup of Jo’s newsletter , , and The Washington Post. (Y’all, it’s really great!!)Currently Platonic Love is highlighting such a wonderful topic - friendships! Their Friendship Training Program is an approachable discussion-based series they just launched with weekly prompts designed to help you build new friendships and strengthen existing ones. The first post has over 150 comments and they are so lovely to read. I highly recommend.
This week I was featured in their Substack too. So check out “Links We Sent Our Friends #38” for more fun suggestions from all three of us.
What I’m listening to…🎧
From
:A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica - this week with guest from Her Substack is possibly the first one I read most mornings. Feels almost like the intellectual gossip page of a business magazine. This interview is wonderful to get to know Emily and an audio version of her newsletter.From
- : I’m devouring the back catalog of Sentimental Garbage, hosted by writer . (Aliza and I both love her latest book, The Rachel Incident!) My sister introduced me to this podcast, in which Caroline and guests dissect cultural artifacts like Gilmore Girls and Titanic with the gravity and insights of PhD scholars — and now I’m absolutely obsessed. I started with the Sex and The City episodes (currently watching for the first time; I know, I know) and branched out from there. (P.S. Sarah here - I also really enjoyed The Rachel Incident - great read and now I have a new podcast to check out!)
- : I’ve been listening to Jon Batiste’s latest album World Music Radio in anticipation of seeing him perform next month. My favorite track is Drink Water, but there are so many good ones. I’d also recommend the incredibly moving documentary American Symphony. The film delves into Batiste’s journey composing a symphony as his wife, Suleika Jaouad, is undergoing cancer treatment. I can’t recommend this one enough — but have tissues ready!
What I’m reading…📚
From
- : Last week we saw Leslie Jamison on her tour for her latest, Splinters: “the riveting story of rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage.” She was magnetic — the room was spell-bound — and after listening to her read an excerpt and discuss her inspiration and process, I wanted to cancel all my plans, curl up in a cozy place, and read. Meanwhile, Aliza was texting all her friends in D.C. and New York to go see Leslie talk.
- : Second this! I went down a Leslie Jamison rabbit hole after the event Aja mentioned — which I’m happy to report led me to Leslie’s own book recommendations.
What I’m watching…📺
From
: For a quick SAG Awards fashion recap, one of my favorite Instagram follows, Tariro Makoni shared this recap reel. I agree with her - such a good red carpet!From
- : I just finished the final episode of the latest season of True Detective — and holy, surprise ending! I’ll admit, this is the complete opposite of a warm and fuzzy evening watch — not just for the drama, but also because it’s set in a fictional town in Alaska about as far from the equator as you can go. My husband and I kept saying, “Oof, that looks cold” (and we live in New England). If you’re down for a suspenseful thriller, it’s absolutely worth the watch, especially with Kali Reis’ moving performance.
Shopping Note…🛍️
From
Julianne Moore via Bazaar, Alexa Chung via Le Catch/Alexa Chung instagram, Khaite on figure via Purse Blog and all bag stills via designers.
I did a highlight over the weekend of Sling Bags, but honestly there are so many fantastic bag styles. Here is a mini round-up of what is catching my eye. This clutch from Bottega Veneta that is both vintage and very now. Julianne Moore carried it in Milan and looks amazing (bonus points, use the chain strap too. or not. Also, enough room to hold the essentials without having to edit. Sure, bring 3 lipsticks and your phone.) On
Le Catch I spotted Alexa Chung’s Loewe with a chain and oh my, this is the perfect bag for me. A little classic, a little edgy. Plenty of personality but doesn’t scream. Plus it looks like I can fit my kindle or notebook in there. The Khaite Maeve is also a great box style bag - similar vibe to The Row Margaux or India. In the deep green the Maeve is in the color of the moment (more on that in Thursday’s Deep Dive.) All these bags seem to be “ladylike plus personality.” Not looking for a new bag, I love the idea of adding on a chain to your existing Loewe Flamenco or any other bag.From
- : The vintage selection on Etsy has gotten so good. Case in point: this beautiful chocolate brown suede jacket, Victorian ruffle blouse (from a theater company that closed in the 90s!), Thierry Mugler leather jacket with slit sleeves, and jaw-dropping silk Chanel dress coat. Etsy’s search functionality is as bad as the wares are good, so be patient (isn’t it more fun that way?!) and consider looking for stores you like — the four I’ve linked from here are good starts — versus specific products.
- : Etsy is my favorite place to shop for vintage Ts and overalls for my 1.5 year old! Although I have to stop myself before I buy out entire shops like Bambini Vintage Denim and MiniMe Vintage Goods.
Taking a note from Platonic Love, question for you:
📣 What are you shopping for? Sound off in the comments. With either specific items or requests for help searching - and feel free to respond and help others.
What’s Next 🗓️
Thursday we will Deep Dive into PFW (Paris Fashion Week) and I have saved lots of collabs, acquisitions and more (Monica Lewinsky x Reformation!!) If there are any questions you have about what is going on in fashion or retail this week add to the comments and I will reply. Great questions from last week’s Retail 101: Math & Financials. I’ll work on planning Part Deux and some additional Retail 101 insights. I’m also working on some fun Fashion 🌀 Spirals for March - Spring Fever!
FYI: I use affiliate links where applicable which means I may get a small commission from things you buy (at no cost to you.) Thank you for supporting my work and trusting me. Love that we can enjoy Fashion & Retail together in this space.
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You can email me at sarahshapiro@substack.com with any requests or thoughts too - I’d love to hear.
It’s been so much fun to collaborate with you - thanks for having us, Sarah! 💛
Sentimental Garbage is the greatest podcast - the sentimental in the city episodes are like listening to my two nest friends. I re-listen to them once every 6ish months, and the one on season four of SATC makes me cry every time!!