Have you ever made an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ kinda meal that involved using up as many ingredients in your fridge as possible? (If you haven’t, you’re better than most of us). That’s basically what ‘Thoughts on Tap’ is- a stream of consciousness, anything goes type of experience that can be inspired by a number of things. This is a hot take, but I think a person who consumes nothing but fashion content is greatly stifling their creativity. So while that is what we love, it is not all that we are.
So……let’s talk about some things!
The latest docket includes:
Long live the one-piece swimsuit
The absolute chicness of solo travel
Devil Wears Prada redux
A book that makes baby fever sound like a personal prison
High summer is here and the one-piece is as chic as ever
Thoughts:
Get thee to a pool! Maybe it’s me, but this summer feels more scorching than the last. If there is any perk to living in Atlanta (for now), it’s that it’s a given that someone, somewhere will have access to a pool. Now the question is, what to wear? I will proudly stand on my soapbox and say I have never abandoned the one-piece bathing suit. I think the last ~20 years have been dominated by the teeny weeny string bikini (thanks, Brazil!) and one-piece suits got demoted and only reserved for more matronly looks or just for straight-up competitive swimmers. In the last few years, I’ve seen the industry show more love to the one-piece and apparently Vogue and I both agree- the one-piece is back!
And in the world of indie designers such as Janel Livingstone, who recently launched her latest collection with some refreshing iterations of the one-piece (see above image), the silhouette is fresher than ever. Her latest collection, ‘Into the Bloom’ features artful cutout bathing suits in feminine and flirty prints with a distinct edge as evidenced by her signature hardware that can be found on her pieces. The one-piece is also decidedly easier to style for a poolside to curbside transition, unlike bikinis which are harder to pull off unless you plan to wear a cover-up. How does Janel recommend styling your one-piece? “ [My] one-pieces are cut high-leg, so they would look great with low-rise cotton pants for a day at the pool. They can also be dressed up with a mini skirt and styled as a bodysuit to go from the pool to dinner.”
The Devil Wears Prada is rumored to have a sequel- do we really need it?
Thoughts:
Almost 20 years after its release in 2006, fashionphiles let out a collective squeal when the news broke that the (officially) iconic film starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway was greenlit for a sequel. And while I think the original movie was executed flawlessly, I have some reluctance about a revival. Mainly, the world is so different now than it was in the early 2000s and publishing just ain’t what it used to be. In modern day, publishing titans like Conde Nast are more synonymous with paying a pittance than the lavish parties and perks depicted in the film. We also are 20 years removed from the ideologies we had back then and I don’t think most of us would let certain jokes fly today.
Emily Blunt’s special diet of stomach flus and cubed cheese would probably elicit more eyerolls than chuckles in the 2020s.
(photo courtesy of Business Insider)
Furthermore, the veil has been pulled back on the fashion industry so much that to only show bourgeois vignettes for 90 minutes on screen feels disingenuous. And despite knowing all that, I think the only thing worse would be to see the industry as it is for 90 minutes….nepo babies and poor hopefuls working side by side, struggling to get advertising dollars for every issue, putting every piece of digital content behind a paywall to recoup lost revenue….doesn’t sound too fun, huh?
Take that swimsuit and travel around the world with it- by yourself if you must
Thoughts:
One of my favorite musicians is Bobby Caldwell and in one of his most popular songs, “Open Your Eyes”, he sings- “I take my chances before they pass me by”. I think the same can be said for traveling solo. I’ve been toying with the idea of taking trips as a party of 1 for some time now. I usually travel alone in the sense that I will hop on a plane/train/jitney by myself, but I’ve never done that and not met up with the rest of my party once I’ve reached my destination. I just think there’s something SO chic about a woman traveling solo. I envision some well dressed woman of the world, sitting in a quaint little bistro with an espresso and a contented look on her face. Maybe that’s too idyllic? Possibly. But let a girl dream. And speaking of dreams, let’s play pretend and pack a weekender bag for the quick solo trip to Charleston I may or may not be taking in my future…..
These long denim shorts from Madewell are so versatile. You can wear them to the beach over your one-piece (see article point 1) with flip flops. Then head back to the hotel suite and throw on a more tailored shirt or shacket with a dressy sandal or flat and head out to dinner.
These thong sandals have a barely there platform which makes these a bit more elevated than a typical sandal but they don’t skimp out on the same comfort. Wear these in the daytime with literally anything, then at night with a more elevated trouser, skirt or dress. Personally? For night, I’d wear these with a button up blouse buttoned very low and a high-slit midi skirt.
This checkered print bag from Home of Hai is just quirky enough to jazz up any casual outfit (and I’m very casual these days). And again, this bag is perfect for a day to night situation which means more room in your weekender bag for other things.
The mortality rate of ‘baby fever’ sounds quite high
Thoughts:
On a trip to Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago, I picked up a very intriguing book called ‘Motherhood’ by Sheila Heti. The book is written in an incredibly personal way that feels like you're eavesdropping on someone’s late night pre-midlife spiral; in this case, with the nonstop wrestling between the decision to have or not have children. The main character is in her late-30s, lives in Toronto with her lawyer boyfriend (who has voiced his indifference to ever having more kids multiple times) and like many life-altering ideas, the urge came very slowly and then all at once. Her thoughts are absolutely consumed with the pros and cons of being a mother and it really illustrates how much of an impossible decision it is.
In full transparency, I’m a woman who has chosen to be childfree (pretty sure it’s for life but I don’t speak in absolutes). A good deal of these urges that our main character feels do not strike a chord in me. I respect what a monumental decision it is for anyone to answer the call of parenthood, if it happens to dial your line. That just hasn’t happened for me. I’ve been a maternal figure in other ways (a cat mom, a mentor, a trusted adult) but the very literal interpretation of being a mother has never felt right for me. That said, one should not live in an echo chamber and it’s important to see perspectives different from your own. I don’t have to see myself in a person to see the validity in their choices.
A lot of the book is spent breaking down all the forces, internal and external, that push women towards being mothers. At times, our author legitimately wonders about so many things like, “is this desire even my own or is it the result of conditioning? Is my desire to be a mother my own selfish need to resolve the relationship I had with my own mom through a child?” For every good reason to bring a child into the world, there is an equally valid reason not to. So many parts of this book sound absolutely maddening and the uncertainty of it all is perhaps just a bit too much for me. Sending a virtual hug to everyone going through this because it sounds exhausting.
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-xoxo Jenn