Weekend Reads for October 10th & 11th

Weekend Reads

Ella Langley Can’t Believe Her Success. Many Listeners Can’t Either. (The Atlantic – gift link)

Why Is Menopause Marketing So Corny? (Good for Your Age via Substack)

Why does the fashion industry ignore its strongest spending demographic? (Fashion Journal)

Why Adults Are Playing with Toys. (The New Yorker)

Her Brand Was Tradwife. Now She’s Divorced. (New York Times – gift link)

I am on a loafer hunt and these look cute, are on sale, and come in wide.

Why Pay Women When Men Can Generate Them? (Citations, Please via Substack)

62 Celebrity Mothers and Daughters at the Same Age. (Elle)

I cannot justify another pair of calfhair sneakers, but these are sooo good!

Inside Larry Ellison's Wide Web of Power, Money and Politics. (Vanity Fair)

The butter boom – how the world fell back in love with the glorious golden spread. (The Guardian)

In a Letter to the President, Artist Kehinde Wiley Asks to Repurchase His Painting Removed from US Embassy. (ARTnews)

After Keri's ELM Biosciences review, I want to try this new lip serum.

The Babies Left Behind in America. (The Atlantic – gift link)

Why some of France’s most famous cheeses are in peril. (CNN)

It's time for a new doormat. I really like this one, but I live in a community where houses have letters not numbers and our house letter is different from our last name and delivery people always get confused. So do we do our letter or our initial? Maybe we should just go with this Marimekko one?

Style Inspo & Sale Alert

Style Inspo

When looking up fall trends, I saw a street style photo of a woman in an outfit of wine red and cerulean blue and loved the combo. This week I created my own version with the quarter-zip sweater and corduroy pants in the collage below, adding a leopard calfhair belt. It inspired this collage:

long-haired cashmere sweater (XS-XXL) | blouse (XS-XL) | vest (0-18) | flats | scarf | earrings | clutch | leather skirt (XS-XXXL) | beaded purse | necklace | bracelet | sheer turtleneck (XXS-XXXL) | corduroy pants (2-16) | quarter-zip sweater (XS-3X & petite/tall) | boot | slouchy tote | belt (S-XL)

Sale Alert

Banana Republic has 30% off your purchase through Monday. I have a few of my favorite picks above (including this jacket and this sweater which I own in a previous season color!)

J. Crew also has 30% off through Monday, and while it claims it's sitewide, it's not. I just bought this brooch anyway; J. Crew has never let me down with its accessories.

LOFT has a better deal with 50% off through 10/14. I like the color of this skirt and this blouse. This blouse is also beautiful and would be great under a sweater or vest, or worn with a cami as a going out top.

ELEMIS has a stellar gift with purchase right now: buy any full-size item and get this set worth $119 which includes a full nighttime skincare routine: double cleansing, exfoliation, and rich moisture. I have never tried a bad ELEMIS product but this SPF is my personal fave.

WoolX has 20% off sitewide with code FALLFUN. The Peyton Turtleneck is a winter staple and I know these undies are a Wardrobe Oxygen Community favorite.

Jet Set Candy has 20% off sitewide, 30% off $400+, and 40% off $1K+. If you or someone you love has always wanted a charm bracelet, this is the place to get them. Amazing charms, necklaces and bracelets to hold them, and just beautiful pieces for the traveler in your life.

DSW has 20% off this weekend with promo code HAYRIDE. Spoiler alert, I'm having a post coming soon on how to style a popular pair of barrel pants and think these are the perfect silhouette of boot to fit under barrel legs.

Our Place is having a “Prime” sale, but on their own website, with great deals at this link. If you have a person on your gift list who is a new homeowner, this pan is brilliant (it's actually great for all, we have and love it).

Tommy John has 30% off sitewide with code FALL30. Our whole family has become Tommy John fans. If you're looking for an alternative to SPANX AirEssentials, my husband has this Luxe Traveler set and the fabric is amazing; like a slightly lighterweight AirEssentials/bounce knit but it has held up beautifully. Tommy John has a woman's version; I haven't tried but I have to assume it's the same fabric. My daughter received these PJs as a gift and wore them consistently all summer and they still look great. I may have to get her a long version for Christmas. And I think they updated their Air Brief because they gifted me a pair in September; I've worn them a few times, just pulled them out of the dryer and they fit and look great.

See/Hear/Read

We are watching East of Eden (Netflix). Whether or not you have read Steinbeck's novel, this limited series is a must-watch. In fact, if you have read the book, you should see the series to compare the two.

This adaptation is created by Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 film adaptation of the novel that starred James Dean. But don't think this is the opportunity of a “nepo baby,” Zoe Kazan is a star in her own right who is an award-winning actress on big and little screens and Broadway, and has written and produced many projects (including a future adaptation of Lonesome Dove).

While the 1955 film focused on the fourth and final part of Steinbeck's novel, this series spans generations, and includes the early life of Cathy and what may have contributed to the person she became. That being said, the series is very true to the novel and the personalities of the characters. I am purposefully being vague because as I have discussed this series with folks, I've found many have not read the novel or read it so long ago they don't remember it. And I don't want to ruin either the book or the series for anyone because both are fantastic.

Florence Pugh is phenomenal, and perfectly cast. Hoon Lee plays Lee, and I was thrilled to see him after earlier this year finishing the series Banshee where he was a costar and one of the best parts of that show. The cast is really stellar, but if you have read the novel you may have envisioned other people in these roles. The costumes are excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous, if this was a movie it would be winning all the Oscars. I am guessing it will still win a bunch of much-deserved awards.

After all the junk that Netflix has recently released, East of Eden is a gorgeous and refreshing change and makes the subscription cost worth it for the first time in a while.

Speaking of finally using my Netflix subscription after a long while… I am watching the original A Different World to prepare to watch the reboot. It is creepy AF how it has been AI-ed to be crisp and clear and not quite the same, but it is also super nostalgic.

I grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. I attended a primarily Black high school, lived on the D.C. border, knew many who attended Howard and other HBCUs. A Different World, especially seasons 2+, felt more relatable to me than many of the other sitcoms on at that time. But even The Cosby Show felt more relatable to my family than others, and I only had one sibling, lived in the suburbs, and didn't have a lawyer mom and doctor dad. I think the focus was on the people, not the moments.

So many sitcoms were about the event: the lie, the party, the car accident, the mistaken identity, the problem at work or school. But what I remember from A Different World isn't what these characters did, but who they were. And it's why I wanted to revisit the original before diving into the 2026 series. It feels like reconnecting with an old friend.

As for audiobooks, I started Dolly All The Time but it was about being a caregiver to a parent and I just couldn't do that at this point in my life. I started The Three Lives of Cate Kay and it didn't feel like what I wanted to listen to right then. I saw a Reel where Helen Mirren was asked what actor she'd want to work with and she said the narrator of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, so I borrowed Volume 1. And I am not seriously engrossed, but entertained and it's the type of book I was looking for. And yes, the narrator Genevieve Gaunt is excellent!