LE CATCH

Over the weekend, Mother Nature gave me one of the best Mother's Day presents: an opportunity to be outside with the kids, "dressed up" in all female designers: Coco Shop's (above) cotton print dress, AGL sandals and a palm-print maxi by Natalie Martin (below) along with a cute, customizable hat by Glampwear. My earrings are by Meredith Quill and shell necklace by Jenna Blake. Proud to know most of these creative women and mothers!

$90, miss selfridge

Time to slip into something even more comfortable.

1. Miss Selfridge jacquard dress, $90, missselfridge.com
2. Black Halo blazer, $435, shopbop.com
3. Tom Ford Lacquer in Carnal Red, $37, nordstrom.com
4. Eliou Trio Bracelet, $136, shopbop.com
5. TKEES flip flops, $53, shopbop.com

Post-quarantine, I will have friends subscribing to two style categories: sweats-for-life stalwarts and anti-athleisure activists. For me, there's a happy--and chic--in between, rooted in effortlessly cool blouses, relaxed jeans, pleated trousers, flowy dresses, and unfussy accessories. My simple summer staples will include these high-waist dart Mango jeans (above, and the white cropped pair in last pic), this blue poplin smock dress (similar to below), this Topshop embroidered shirt (a Zimmermann ringer at $67!), these Vince pleated trousers (on sale), this white ruffled Velvet blouse, this bell-sleeved Asos button-down, these Veronica Beard wear-with-everything sandals (on sale) and this Shein floral mini (also Zimmermann-ish).

I'm not planning on doing much for Mother's Day. With LA's lock-down still in effect, there's not much I can do and, truthfully, I'd rather not do much--at least in the cooking, cleaning, chore-delegating and problem-solving departments. We moms have been doing a lot lately--perhaps more than ever. The only thing I would really like to do, however, is celebrate my mother, who has not crossed the threshold of her front door nor has been hugged by me in two months(!); as well as my fellow moms, for rising up to the 24/7 challenges of home-schooling, home-stocking, home-sanitizing, and general homeostasis! Plus, on top of it all, bringing home the bacon!! On my Mother's Day giving list: the Hart Studio's Mama beaded bracelet, above, and daisy-chain necklace, Mark and Graham's monogrammed (vegan leather) wallet, above, pretty vintage napkins sourced on Etsy (this, this, and this), this cute $20 underwater camera (that the kids will probably claim as their own), these fun Jonathan Adler wine bottle stoppers, and some on-sale pretty dresses including the Rebecca Taylor, below (as my sis is trying to steal mine!), this floral one, this eyelet H&M cover-up, and this crazy-comfy Gap French Terry sweatshirt and short set.

Photo: Hart Studio

While there is much uncertainty about the future, I can assure you that summer will happen for sure! I'm prepping for it in the just-bought-on-sale Dodo Bar Or dress, above, and eyeing other new yet already-marked-down summer styles at Shopbop like this perfect white tank by Victoria Beckham, these Schutz lace-up sandals, this ruffle-sleeved Cinq a Sept, this Melissa Obadash lace-trimmed cover-up, this tropical-print Agua bikini, and this floral Stella McCartney maxi. View all the incredible offerings here P.S. The beach-ready assortment is particularly strong!

My goal for this past weekend was to get outside: out of the house, out of my routine, out in nature (see here), and out of my head. So, I ventured out on long walks in the hinterlands of Malibu, made pesto from home-grown basil and then slathered on everything including vanilla ice cream(!), binge-watched Normal People (so painfully beautiful, so OBSESSED!), listened to Goop's Does Everything Happen for a Reason podcast (tears shed), and imagined a fun summer spent in Sweden (where I've never been) in nothing but forever-chic button-down shirts. This transporting fantasy was inspired by stylist Jeanette Madsen's compelling Instagram feed, which consequently led me to lose myself in the world wide web's button-down shopping rabbit hole. While it's a little embarrassing how much time I spent there, I will share with you some of the goodies I discovered along the way. Keep in mind, these are all shirts that will go from beach to street to backyard and beyond, are cut slightly (and of-the-moment) oversized and come off as infallibly cool. My selects hail from Nili Lotan, Vince, H&M, Madewell, and J.Crew.

During a long (six-feet-apart) walk with two friends yesterday, I got a tutorial on humorous quarantine lingo. Here are my faves:

Coronacoaster: The ups and downs of your mood during the pandemic.

The Elephant in the Zoom: The glaring issue during a videoconferencing call that nobody feels able to mention. E.g., one participant has dramatically put on weight, suddenly sprouted facial hair, or has a worryingly messy house in the background.

Furlough Merlot: Wine consumed in an attempt to relieve frustration of not working, Also known as bored-eaux and cabernet tedium.

Covidiot (also called a lock-clown): One who ignores public health advice or behaves with reckless disregard for the safety of others.

Goutbreak: The sudden fear that you've consumed so much wine, cheese, banana bread and old Easter chocolate in lockdown that your ankles are swelling.

I also gleaned some new wear-now-and-later ideas (surprise, surprise), including the H&M looks above and below, and heard about this incredibly good sale!

These low-key days--plus these pics here--are inspiring me to sub in beads for bling. I could use the extra jolts of whimsy, playfulness and brightness--and summer screams for colorful jewelry. As for options, there are loads: the Wald Berlin necklaces, immediately below, this puka Madewell, this Roxanne Assoulin daisy chain, this Maison Monik choker, this Oiya heart bracelet, and this gold and glass bead Scosha. For a Mother's Day gift, this custom-made Bauble Bar beaded bracelet (last pic) or this DIY necklace beading kit are cute and genius, and I'd be over the moon to self-splurge on this Jenna Blake.

$140, verishop

According to the Urban Dictionary, blanche (noun) is "A sweet and caring girl who loves being around people and making them laugh in their darkest days. Consider this the dress version!

Back in January, my son was assigned an oratorical project for school. He needed to choose a speech given by a historical figure, memorize it, develop an introduction and conclusion for it, and then recite it in front of his 5th grade class. A timid, quiet boy, he was not at all psyched about this. Even so, he researched speeches and ultimately selected an excerpt from Steve Jobs' commencement address to Stanford's graduating class in 2005. Day in and day out during quarantine, my son has been practicing his speech at home, which runs exactly one minute and forty-five seconds long. While he sometimes races or mumbles through it, I am consistently moved to tears when I hear this specific quote from Jobs: "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." During this raw and vulnerable time, I feel like we are collectively changing something--for the better. Personally, I have roused up extra/renewed gratitude for life. Even though I am still doing the same old--getting up every morning, making meals for my children, paying bills, eating too many gummy bears, trying to be creative and productive, and yes, even wearing a cute dress through it all--I am also readying for the new normal ahead. Happy Hump Day.