5 things I'm thinking about this week

The Harmony Project Concert at Columbus Commons

I got to witness something pretty remarkable last week.

The Harmony Project, the Columbus non-profit, returned to the Columbus Commons for a free concert for the community, and it was pure joy.

The choir sounded amazing, the weather was phenomenal, and the stories were tear-inducing, in the very best way. But the most remarkable thing about the concert was the audience.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve been in an audience that collectively wanted to do and feel good. It felt like a real community, a community that uplifts, a community that supports, and most importantly, a community that celebrates the uniqueness of everyone, without judgement or bias.

It. Was. Glorious.

If you haven’t checked out the Harmony Project, I highly encourage you to do so. In the meantime, here are five things I’m thinking about this week.

1. Dillon’s is coming to the US!: My favourite Canadian Distillery is going to start selling their Gin Cocktails in the US! The Canadians do canned summer cocktails SO much better than Americans, and Dillon’s are the best IMO. I never need a reason to make a foodie stop in Michigan, and this gives me one more reason head north.

2. Adidas Blue Version Dress: I love when sportswear companies do dresses, from Lacoste’s polo dresses, to Essentials t-shirt ones, they are some of my favourite fits to wear all summer long. This Adidas Blue Version Dress has quickly skyrocketed to the top of my wishlist, I love the neckline and length, but mostly I love the fabric and how the swing of the dress enhances it. Here’s hoping Adidas sends me a birthday coupon….

3. Appointed 23-24 Studio Wall Calendar: I know it’s weird to be talking about calendars in May, but this 17-month wall calendar is deserving of a conversation. Everything Appointed creates is minimalist and classic in the best ways, and this wall calendar is no different. No frills and great design have me smitten, I might just have to pick one up this summer.

4. APC Black Meryl Shoulder Bag: I’ve largely been trying to avoid the SSENSE sale this spring, to avoid the temptation. But this drawstring bag from APC keeps luring me back in, I can’t keep my eye off of it. I love APC bags, they age really well, and this one is such an unexpected shape and texture from them, it almost reminds me of the Chanel 22. Must resist.

5. Bun & Pillow Clayhead sculptures: I first heard of this shop via Eva Chen’s instagram stories, and I’m so smitten. These Clayhead sculptures would like so cute as a set of three on a shelf, see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil vibes.

5 things I'm thinking about this week

I love a good home cooked meal. Especially one that brings back memories to reminisce about, about times that were celebrated, whether every day, or for special occasions.

Almost as good as a home cooked meal is a meal at a restaurant that’s a regular part of life. You know the place I’m talking about. It’s usually locally owned, not too far away, and small enough to feel like home away from home.

For Mother’s Day we treated Mom to one of those places for our family, Figlio. It was delicious as usual, but a little bittersweet, we confirmed their closing date is approaching this August.

While they do have another location that we can visit, losing our OG spot is a bit melancholy. I guess we’ll just have to visit a few more times before the doors close for good.

Anyways, here are five things I’m thinking about this week.

1. Our Place Midi Bowls: maybe it’s because I’ve got italian on the brain (and in my stomach), or maybe its because I got duped by another Instagram ad, but these bowls from Our Place caught my eye this week. They look like the perfect size for my rice bowls, or a nice bowl of pasta, and I love the charcoal colour as a break from my normal white dinnerware. I’ll have to keep watch for their epic Black Friday sale later this year.

2. Dyson Air Strait: speaking of Instagram ads, Dyson flew all the influencers to New York this week to unveil their hair straightener without plates. This is the first Dyson hair product I’ve legitimately been interested in, I’m curious how hair holds up long term being dried this way. But if it can straighten and dry my head of thick hair in under 10 minutes, it might be something that I need to try. (I still love my ghd one though).

3. Annika Inez Glassy Foldover Earrings: I write about jewelry a lot in this space, but I love how a different pair or earrings can change the vibe of any neutral outfit. Silver, gold and pearls make up the majority of my collection, so when something minimal that isn’t one of those mediums catches my eye, I get super pumped. These glass hoops did exactly that, I love their small and conservative shape, done in an unexpected medium that makes them oh, so cool. Love.

4. Birkenstock Boston Clogs Eva in White: this might be the most impractical, practical item I’ve ever laid eyes on. I love my taupe boston clogs. If I could wear them to the office, I would. But I might be willing to move on from them for this pair in crisp, perfect white. Oh. Em. Gee. They are gorgeous. And I would get them dirty in 0.5 seconds. But they are this minimalists dream (along with the black) and I just need to have them.

5. Amtrak Cascades Train: lately I’ve been dreaming about beautiful changes of scenery, places to go, near or far, to escape every day city life. Train travel is something that’s always intrigued me, not the subways that I know and love, but long haul routes full of cascading views. This Amtrak route from Portland to Vancouver sounds phenomenal, the views in the Pacific Northwest can’t be beat.

5 things I'm thinking about this week

We have a winner!

I’ve been sharing for the last few weeks some dupes for The Frankie Shop Cala Shirtdress that I’ve been stalking, and I’m happy to say the Express dress I mentioned last week is officially a winner. Its nice and long (5’9” probs) and has a perfect oversized fit without the sash. Of course it’s going to be almost 80 degrees all week, but I’m still making plans to wear it to the office.

Speaking of warm weather, I ventured to the mall this weekend. It really did feel like 2019, I forgot what it’s like to navigate around groups of people leisurely strolling around. But it was really nice to see things I shop for online in person, but in the future I might stick to my lunch break pop-ins.

Anyways, here are 5 things I’m thinking about this week.

1. Steve Madden Violette Silver Mary Janes: speaking of dupes, I picked these silver mary janes up in the Nordstrom sale this weekend, I’m hoping they’ll be a decent dupe for these Aeyde mary janes. Their toe isn’t as square as the Aeyde ones, but their price is also a quarter of them too. Fingers crossed!

2. Nordstrom Shoes on Sale: speaking of the Nordstrom sale, they have a great selection of shoes on markdown right now. I love the heel on these - they’d be great for a summer wedding. These slingback flats are perfect paired with shorts for a city stroll, and these sandals are in the colour of the moment, silver, with a great wearable heel for all summer long.

3. Warby Parker Lupita Sunglasses in Oak Barrel: a perk of actually being at the mall is stopping into Warby Parker to try on all of their new frames. While not many of the opticals caught my eye, these tortoiseshell sunglasses immediately did. I love the aviator shape without the extra nose bar, and the lenses are large enough to balance out my large melon. These immediately are at the top of my wishlist.

4. Gentle Monster ChaCha M01 square-frame glasses: speaking of opticals, these glasses from Gentle Monster are at the top of my list for my yearly frame allowance. I tend to waver back and forth between a large chunky frame and a more delicate one, and this year I’m really feeling a minimal wire frame, but in an unexpected colour. Definitely keeping my eye on these.

5. The Rich Don’t Dress Like You Think They Do: what a huge get Rachel Tashjian was for The Washington Post. In her latest article she talks about how the super-rich really shop for clothes, and how brands like Loro Piana are now too mainstream (!!!) for the billionaires club. The one piece of the article that really got me was around streetwear, “In fact, streetwear fanatics often treat their new Supreme merchandise the same way, “putting it on ice” until the hype has mellowed.” If you have any interest in this new era of quiet luxury fashion, this is a great read.

5 things I'm thinking about this week

Stress.

Working in healthcare can be stressful (full stop). And even more so during especially peak times. This week our team had the chance to spend some time with the team at the hospital who’s mission is to check in on the mental health of staff.

We talked a lot about coping mechanisms for stress (mine is getting outside for a walk) but I wanted to share one tool that was shared with us that might be helpful if you’re looking for additional ways to manage it.

Gratitude journals are often mentioned as great tools to manage stress, but if you’re like me, after awhile my answers started to get repetitive. Our team suggested instead of writing down things you’re grateful for, instead write down 3 things that worked out. By making the task smaller and narrower, its easier to find things to celebrate to help deal with stress.

I’m hoping this is helpful for you and me, and if not, here are the 5 things I’m thinking about this week.

1. Express Boyfriend Poplin Portofino Maxi Shirt Dress: i might have finally found my dupe for the Frankie Shop cala dress I’ve been stalking! I randomly typed in “white maxi shirt dress” in google on Saturday and was so surprised to see this gem pop up from Express. And at 40% off! At first glance this doesn’t look like a style I’d go for, but I’m thinking without the belt and styled with a chunky dad sandal, this could be the perfect dress to transition into summer. I’ve got two sizes on their way to me to try - will report back!

2. Everlane Daytripper Shirtdress: speaking of summer dresses, this shirtdress from Everlane has been stalking me via Instagram ads and I can’t help but think it would be perfect for my upcoming vacation. I love the black version, of course, but I think I might love the navy stripe even more. The cuff on the sleeve in the opposite stripe is chef’s kiss.

3. Adidas X Farm Rio: if you’re looking for a corner of the internet that is plain fun, look no further than the new collab between Adidas and Farm Rio. It is a colourful explosion full of patterns of happiness, and it is so, freaking fun. Some of my faves include the tracksuits and the swimwear, but this tank is at the top of my list.

4. Celine Triomphe Ceramic to be Perfumed: file this under ridiculously expensive things I don’t need but would totally buy. The New York Times T Style magazine put out their Mother’s Day gift guide this week and included in it was a feature on aromatic ceramics. The reporter shared that aromatic ceramics have more scent staying power than candles, so naturally I was intrigued to learn more. Here’s where the ridiculously comes through, they recommended this logo-shaped ceramic from Celine, that isn’t even perfumed yet! To be fair, it is gorgeous and the fashion house has been killing it on the runway and the streets with their clothes and handbags. But I guess I just was expecting a little bit more when I clicked on the link.

5. Pearl Octopuss.y Paris Pearl & Crystal Necklace: I really need to delete the Matches Fashion app off my phone. They’re running a 25% off select items sale right now, a sale that includes one of my new favorite jewelry brands, Pearl Octopuss.y. Based out of Oslo, I love how this brand is in-your-face glam but also sculptural at the same time. I’m sucker for anything jewelry piece with a pearl (it’s my birthstone), and this necklace is the perfect balance between prim and rock. Swoon.

5 things I'm thinking about this week

How is it almost the end of April?

Last week was honestly a complete blur. Work is at full speed getting ready for campaigns next month, and prioritizing mental health moments proved to be trickier than I anticipated.

A highlight of last week? Ain’t Too Proud The Musical. I knew little to nothing going into the show, except that The Temptations have a phenomenal music catalog. But what I didn’t know was how much drama the group members have been through. The show itself was a lot of fun, the hits literally kept on coming.

Speaking of catalogs, here’s are five things I’m thinking about this week.

@avawillyums With a good imagination, everything is symmetrical. Let a girl day dream! #wesanderson ♬ Obituary - Alexandre Desplat

1. Wes Anderson TikTok Trend: sometimes the internet can be just delightful. For all the bad press it’s getting, TikTok is by far the social media platform I’m enjoying most these days and nothing is more delightful that the Wes Anderson trend permeating the app. These vignettes are creative, their a little twee, but most of all they’re a lot of fun.

2. Fear of God Fashion Show: speaking of swooning, the Fear of God fashion show in LA last week served up so much inspiration for my fall/winter wardrobe. I love FOG’s mix of luxury and athleisure all wrapped in my favourite hues, neutrals. Some of my faves were look1, look 3, look 9, and look 39.

3. Ganni Silver Metallic Crinkle Shoulder Bag: I’m still on my spending freeze but couldn’t help peruse Net-A-Porter’s 20% sale. In good news, only a few things even caught my eye, but this Ganni handbag stopped me in my tracks. It’s the perfect summer bag. Silver, not too small yet not too large, and even the best part? It’s sustainable. I’m obsessed.

4. Jeni’s @ Columbus Commons: one of the milestones for summer starting for me is the opening of Jeni’s at the Columbus Commons every summer. Some people walk to coffee shops when they need a break from the office, but I love to walk to an ice-cream shop for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Now that Jeni’s is open for the summer, I’m anticipating lots of outdoor walks from the office when I’m working downtown.

5. Aeyde Moa Silver Nappa Flats: i have been searching high and low for a modern looking pair of silver ballet flats. My requirements are simple, really. No bow, no rounded toe, and something preferable pointed or square. Oh, and something built to last (aka, no Zara). I think I might have found a contender. These Aeyde flats hit most of my requirements, and I love that the v of the toe covers all of the toe. Now to see if they ever go on sale….