The Case for Being a Little Over-The-Top
Behind November’s Mood Board
Welcome back to Notes Of, my monthly mood board column where I do a little exercise in thematic thinking. This month’s mood board is inspired by indulgence… the good kind.
Almost everyone I’ve come into contact with over the last few weeks has commented on how holiday-focused I’ve been since November 1st. You must really love the holidays! they say. It’s your time of year!
And yes, I do love the holidays for all the obvious reasons, but if I were to really boil it down, I think the reason why I’m so enthusiastic about this time of year is that it’s an excuse to add on that extra little *something* to practically any situation. A fun bag to your outfit. A red lip to your face. A celebratory dinner to your calendar. Another round of drinks to your table. An extra strand of lights to your tree.
I don’t really consider indulgence a sin—to indulge is simply to derive pleasure from something, to let yourself feel joy and lean into it. So often, we’re made to feel guilty for eating butter, awkward for being overdressed, and embarrassed for being “extra” for any reason, but this time of year encourages it all. “Just indulge me!” I say when I am hosting friends for dinner and tie ribbons around their forks, or when I grab a reservation for a fancy restaurant on a Wednesday, or when I wear taffeta to a house party.
Maybe “indulgence” has too negative a connotation for us to embrace fully, but I want to make the case for adding those special little somethings, the extras that make this time of year so fun. Wear the thing in your closet you’ve been too nervous to wear, add some whipped cream to your morning coffee, and top all your gifts with silk moire ribbon. ‘Tis the season to be a little over-the-top.
Some notes on the subject:
My dear friend Sarah has been making these ribbons for all of our friends for months (I have a custom black one, naturally), and she’s finally made a batch in a perfect shade of red to sell in collaboration with Philadelphia-based accessories brand Roomshop. I’ve worn mine pinned to sweatshirts and clipped to tote bags, and I think they’re the perfect thing to wear to a holiday party if investing in an entire holiday wardrobe isn’t your style. At under $50, they’d make a great gift, too.
I like to dabble in slightly dramatic vintage outerwear at this time of year, wearing things like silk opera coats and fur collars with a pair of Levi’s (or even sweatpants). I found some really, really good examples on Etsy, like this 1960s John Hogan evening coat for $80, this insane 1950s red coat with an oversized collar for $72, and this 1950s butter yellow cashmere swing coat for $150. Search for things like “opera coat”, “swing coat”, “silk coat”, or “evening coat” with either “vintage”, “1950s”, or “1960s” in front of it to yield results.
This is the level of over-the-topness that I like to see: Paris-based stylist Rita Zebdi published the first issue of Series Mag, her arts and culture magazine, and she started selling copies in these beautiful archival boxes with vintage ribbons sewn to the lid. I found out about them via Little House, a store here in LA, and I considered buying one just so I could frame it. I know bows have gotten a bad rap lately, but these flattened, graphic versions are very cool.
Ostrich feather wrist cuffs? Sign me up.
I discovered the lettering that’s in the bottom row of the mood board via my go-to source for typography inspiration, Letterform Archive. This type specimen comes from Bellezas de la Calagrafia, published by Ramon Stirling in 1844. I included it because the script is represented in two styles: a simple (but not simple at all) version, and a fancier version that includes the swirls and patterns you see in the mood board. Something extra!
I was in Bode earlier this week (again) and was stopped in my tracks by a bowl of perfectly-wrapped dark chocolate-filled mints, each labeled with a handwritten “Marianne”. And reader, they are SO GOOD. Apparently they’re a Finnish candy, and if you’re curious, you can order a bag here.
Hanukkah is around the corner, and I continue on my search for non-boring, non-kitschy Hanukkah décor to little avail. Big Hanukkah needs a new creative director, I think—the team behind Christmas has got the look dialed in, but Hanukkah deserves the opportunity to feel fancy and over-the-top, too. Personally, I think Hanukkah needs to invite tinsel into its aesthetic—just keep it away from the menorah, because it’s pretty flammable.
Speaking of over-the-top, one of my favorite gift categories is “fancy versions of boring things”. I don’t subscribe to the idea that expensive equals quality, and I definitely am skeptical about things like the Mason Pearson hairbrush, which costs a ridiculous amount of money for what seems like your average hair tool. But my best friend bought the pocket-sized version, and when she likes something it counts as a ringing endorsement in my book, so I bought one too. I’m sorry to report that the Mason Pearson brush is, in fact, superior.
For one, it feels really nice, both in the hand and on the scalp. It’s soft, not scratchy, and doesn’t pull my fine hair like other brushes do. But most importantly, it magically makes my hair look 100 times better, and it even allows me to stretch out time between hair washes by an extra day or two. I don’t know why—it must be the branding. (Just kidding.) More than anything, I just like that it’s something I’ll have for a long time—people keep theirs for decades and even pass them down to their kids. Kind of sweet!
Anyway, for the person in your life who also appreciates *the finer things*, I think it would make a lovely gift. It’s priced at $140 most places, but at Harrods it’s $100 + $30 shipping, so you could combine it with a couple of other things and get your shipping money’s worth.
A lot of the vintage items have sold, so I’ve replaced them with new ones (like this Italian ashtray in Gifts for Men) and have beefed up each gift guide a little bit in preparation for this crazy weekend.
I added a ton of stuff from Big Night to the Gifts for Pasta Girlfriends and Gifts for Party Hosts gift guides—everything I include from Big Night keeps selling out, so move quickly!
The Emma Rothkopf sweater of my dreams is now in Gifts for People Who Like the Same Stuff I Do.
I’ve tried to go through and update the prices of everything, so take a peek through some of the items that have been in there from the start—there are some major deals!
x
Ali
Sources: 1960s silk shantung opera coat via Persephone Vintage; holiday lights installation over Picadilly, London, c. 1950; invite for Paloma Wool spring/summer 2023 show in Paris; glass ornaments for sale at John Derian; French rosette from Vintage Passementerie; pistachio olive oil sponge cake with spiced sumac rhubarb jam, toffee chocolate caramel, and pistachio whipped cream by @ardsydney_ on Instagram; bow storefront via Gohar; Gucci Spring 2024 RTW shoe detail; vintage tassel tie-backs via Rebecca Goddard; pandoro cake from Pasticceria Marchesi; gloves of Olivier Cromwell, c. 1900; French silk ribbons and trims book, E. Lemancel, 1886; detail from portrait of Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham, Robert Peake the Elder, 1597; type specimen by Ramon Stirling, engraved by Girault, Barcelona, 1844 via Letterform Archive; wartime Christmas decorations from the December 14, 1942 issue of LIFE Magazine, Nina Leen; Jean Pendant in Garnet from Huey
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We’re in that sweet spot of the holiday shopping season where there’s still time to order from independent shops that sell things you haven’t already seen in a million gift guides.
A Slightly Impractical, Over-The-Top Thanksgiving
I love how my family approaches Thanksgiving: casually, comfortably, and carb-heavily. It’s leisurely and familiar, usually with a “sweatpants welcome” dress code and a lot of time spent around the kitchen island, jazz playing through the speakers, and the sounds of whatever football game is on TV in the distance. I wouldn’t change a thing.
My grandmother said ‘if it’s not a little in bad taste, it’s not really Christmas’ !!
Such a lovely list! Your image choices are always so dreamy. I grew up eating Mariannes (my grandmother was Finnish). I love that I can still pick them up here in Stockholm whenever I need a little hit of nostalgia.