The May Specials

A recap of the month’s purchases, inspirations, and general musings

There are only a few spots left for my trip to Milan and Turin in September! Like, maybe only three or so, depending on when you’re reading this. It’s now or never!!! Apply here.

RECENT ACQUISITIONS

• Yuni Buffa’s Pia Ballerina flats have been on my list forever—first in Cloud, then in Bermuda, and most recently in Cherry (which is the *perfect* red). I just couldn’t decide. But to my delight, the brand just launched Rosey, a perfect dusty pink that reminds me of powdered blush and vintage bathroom tiles. And in the middle of my pink era! I’m thrilled.

• Sea generously sent me a floaty, lace-trimmed robe from their new loungewear collection and it has changed everything. As you know, I take my sleep (and everything surrounding it) very seriously, from the pajamas I wear to the gummies I take to get my two hours of REM each night, and it turns out that the missing piece to the puzzle has been a robe. Not a just-got-out-of-the-shower terry cloth robe (which I have too, but I don’t love mine, so I won’t recommend it), but a make-tea-just-before-bed robe, or a reading-by-candlelight-while-my-face-mask-sets robe. It’s so pretty, and it makes me feel spectacularly fancy.

• The joy of asking for a gift membership to Cabana Magazine every Christmas is that twice a year, a fresh bible of interior inspiration surprises me on my doorstep. The newest issue showed up last week, and I’m saving it for this weekend when I finally have a second to lay in bed and enjoy it. (Ooh, in my robe! I can’t wait.)

• Off of a tip from Olivia Knott, I ordered a straw Ysé bag that I can’t wait to sling over my shoulder all summer. I love a woven bag (year round, actually) but hate how they slip off my shoulder, so the single strap sold me.

• I’m on my annual hunt for easy dresses that meet the following criteria: 1) I can wear a normal bra with it; 2) It hits at or below a very specific spot on my ankle; and 3) It barely touches my body. This is my hot weather uniform, and it’s surprisingly difficult to find something I like that hits all the marks. I just ordered one of Laneway the Label’s long “vintage” (not vintage) gowns in white in hopes that it passes the test—I’ll add it to my Rec League closet if so.

WHAT’S ON MY WISH LIST

• I really want the famous TWP hat, but I don’t want to pay for it, so I think I might try hacking the less considered but wayyyy cheaper Uniqlo version and seeing if I can replace the string it comes with with some sort of a fun cord? I’m going to Michigan in a few weeks and am trying to lock into my inner lake girl.

• Just this morning, Madeline Sensibile-Yazzetta DMed me these Selima sunglasses that look like they might just be the perfect Jackie-Onassis-meets-Joan-Didion pair of our shared dreams. The blue lenses?! So cool.

• This one’s a long shot, but I was digging through the list of items for auction from Diane Keaton’s estate, which is filled with as many black and white photographs and rustic art objects as you could imagine, and there is ONE thing I have my eye on: this painted wood “Investments” sign. I probably won’t bid on it—the auction doesn’t close for another month and I’m sure I’ll get priced out, but I just love it. Similarly, I found this “New Items” sign on Etsy last week that I think would be great hanging in a walk-in closet.

WHAT I GOT INSPIRED BY

• Dior Cruise showed in LA this week to pretty mid reviews, but I loved it. (What do I know? I’m no Cathy Horyn, just a gal who loves to dress up.) As a certified Jonathan Anderson Fan Girl I don’t know that he could have disappointed me, but I was nonetheless charmed by all the plisse, the head pieces, the ruffles, the silk boutonnieres, and the Ed Ruscha of it all. It felt appropriately Paris-meets-Los Angeles, a mix of bohemian layers and theatrical embellishments that seem a little like each model got dressed in the costume department of a playhouse.

• My friend Rose Florence shared the pencil drawings of French illustrator and designer Julie Jonquet-Caunes the other day and I’m now Julie’s biggest fan. Something about the texture itches my brain. And the colors!

• I’ve been brainstorming where I might go after I wrap up my group trip in Turin, and I’m thinking I’ll start by hopping over to Venice—the newly opened Fondazione Dries Van Noten looks absolutely incredible, and its current exhibition, The Only True Protest Is Beauty, closes the day after I’d arrive. I know people have their qualms about Venice, but I feel like I need to see Peggy Guggenheim’s Calder headboard at least once in my lifetime…

WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON OVER HERE

• Well, the big news around these parts is that I turned in the manuscript for my book last week! I felt like a free woman for about 24 hours until I remembered I have a whole ass job to get back to, but regardless, I feel such a sense of accomplishment (even though I’m not even close to being done). The best part was that I felt really supported by some of my nearest and dearest—Victoria and Amanda each took me out to dinner to celebrate, Marleigh made me a pavlova, and my sister sent me a perfectly unruly floral arrangement that made me well up with tears. I could write an essay (and maybe I will!) about how hard it can be to celebrate wins when you’re single (even by choice!), and I just felt really loved and supported as I crossed a big milestone off the list. Onto the next phase!

• We’re down to the last few pieces from my ceramics collaboration with Valsa Home, so if you’ve been holding out for some reason, now’s the time!

• I signed up for a workshop with baker extraordinaire Sasha Piligian a few weekends ago and tried my hand at decorating a cake for the very first time. One thing I know about myself is that I don’t like to try new things unless I know I’m going to be an utter genius at it (toxic trait), so I set myself up for success by going for a hard-to-mess up, high-impact piping technique involving a curly-Q pattern and obsessively-placed flower petals.

• That week was a big week for workshops, because just days later, Chels and I headed to Danny D’s Mud Shop for a cup-carving class. I didn’t have a plan going in, but I’ve been watching old Audrey Hepburn movies from the ‘50s and ‘60s lately, so I attempted to freehand something inspired by an end card from an old film. I haven’t picked my creation up yet so I’m not sure how it turned out post-firing, but regardless, it was a fun time. Highly recommend popping into Daniel Dooreck’s shop if you’re in LA!

WHAT I SAVED

• Diana Vreeland at the Met’s ‘American Women of Style’ preview (which is wearing a dress I’d like to own myself), shot by Nick Machalaba in 1975.

• I really lingered on the neutral palette and ‘80s sensibility of this section of Chemena Kamali’s Chloé Summer ‘26 collection. Just when you think I’m out of my neutral phase…

• I absolutely love Clio Peppiatt’s whimsical bridal campaign shot and art directed by Szilveszter Makó, the artist behind the portraits of Rama Duwaji we all loved. Each image blends fine art, theater, and fashion in a way that, I think, is truly fresh. I told you I was into paper doll-y things!

• Balay in Milan, a wine bar I’m putting on my list for September.

• A lockup for what I assume was an apartment building—I looked it up and couldn’t find anything, but it sounds like it’d be a building along the Wilshire Corridor. Source unknown.

• Salone turned into a version of Coachella this year thanks to a-million-and-one well-documented brand activations, but I had fun seeing how the fashion houses were collaborating their way into Milan’s Design Week from afar. A favorite was Marni’s takeover of Pasticceria Cucchi, which reimagined the iconic patisserie into a 1960s mod wonderland. I’d love to design a brand activation like this—I love all the detail work that goes into it. Hire me, brands!

• This stunning shot by photographer Ina Levy, captioned “Caren and Nevaeh”.

• Two platters by Portland, Oregon-based ceramicist Carma Ferrier.

• Another image whose source is unknown (reverse Google Image search has completely fallen off the rails), but I saved it because it’s pretty close to what my own living room looks like, but kicked up a notch. I’m giving myself permission to collect without fear of things looking cluttered.

COME TO ITALY!!! I promise, it’ll be worth it. Life changing, even!

x

Ali

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