Remember last week when I said that I have a one-track mind? Well, consider my point proven, because this month’s Side Order is a continuation of last month’s garden-themed mood board.
A lot of you are new here (thanks to
recommending my newsletter in last weekend’s !) so here’s the deal: a Side Order is a themed shopping post where I source items that are new, vintage, high, and low across a bunch of different categories. It’s a fun way for me to justify my window shopping addiction and to share the brands I like that you might, too. I try to keep it balanced: you’ll always find things for under $50, but I might also throw in a very expensive sterling silver ketchup bottle holder here and there. I can’t help myself!Earlier this week I was flipping through a book my friend Jordy gifted me called Summer Places by Brendan Gill and Dudley Witney (above), a 1978 collection of images of rich people’s summer homes across North America. Its pages are full of wrought-iron gates and wicker dining sets, things I’ve been fixated on since I decided to try and zhuzh up my beige-walled patio. I love to look at vintage inspiration, but I always have to remind myself that what I really love is when a space or an outfit or anything else nods to the past and utilizes things that have history but not in an overly theme-y, all-in way. Too much of a good thing, especially of the garden variety, and you’re on a fast track towards the cottagecore-to-trad wife pipeline.
I do love a good floral print, or a rattan moment, or a garden rose…all things that can taste a little too sweet if not handled with care. There’s a reason why Kaia Gerber can wear a dress that looks like it’s for an adult-sized toddler and still look chic, or why Jane Birkin could pull off using a basket as a purse…there’s a hint of irony to it that keeps it from feeling like Little House On The Prairie cosplay. I think the same is true for interiors; the spaces that best pull off mix-and-match florals and things like ruffles are the ones that are self-aware enough to embrace the novelty without turning it into a full-on theme.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. I’ve been spending so much time in my imaginary garden this week that I decided to continue digging into it here for a little longer. I *promise* that I’ll move on from this topic next week. But until then, 27 hand-picked items that I think have the potential to feel interesting and cool without crossing the line into “grandma’s sunroom” territory:
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