Welcome to the first Weekly Spill! This is where I plan to share all of the things floating around in my brain every week. Expect personal stories, reading lists, must-see movies, articles, shopping lists, recommendations, inspirations, and more. So without further ado, here are the things I can’t stop thinking about this week:
The Sandy Liang x Baggu collaboration: This collab has taken over my TikTok and my brain. I was flooded with content about the collection from tips on how to snag one of the pieces before they sell out to arguments on why you shouldn’t purchase. I wanted this bag, but it sold out too fast. I guess the only thing to do is pray for a restock.
This article about the HGTV-ification of homes: I found this Washington Post article a few weeks ago through a fantastic substack post from Trash Panic, and have been thinking about both of them ever since. Once you notice that everyone’s homes are starting to look the same, you can’t unsee it.
I was reminded of the article while watching the first episode of season 14 of RHONY. In the episode, Erin critiques Jenna’s apartment (watch the Vouge tour of it) on the basis that it would be hard to sell to any client other than Jenna Lyons. This seemed like a really weird dig to me, since she isn’t putting the loft on the market. Wouldn’t the idea that your home is “so you” be a compliment, especially if you are someone with good taste?
If everyone’s homes have to be market ready to be considered “tasteful”, where does that leave Barbra Streisand’s basement shopping mall?
Heartburn by Nora Ephron: I’ve been reading a lot of Nora Ephron this year, and Heartburn, her only novel, is my most recent. Reading this feels like your very funny best friend is recounting a wild story to you over drinks. Maybe that is because this is a very thinly veiled account of the end of her actual marriage to famed journalist Carl Bernstein. I haven’t seen the movie adaptation yet, mostly because I’ve heard that it is bad, but I will probably cave and give it a watch soon. Also I would like to note that the original cover art is amazing and I hate the new ones, so if you care about that sort of thing I recommend purchasing on eBay like I did.
Do celebrity Barbies live in Barbieland?: We are living in the AB times, After Barbie (2023). From the right-wing critics to the groups of girls dressed in pink greeting each other with “Hi, Barbie!”, we are all a little Barbie-obsessed. As I got to reflecting on my own childhood experience with Barbie, I realized that a large number of my Barbie dolls weren’t actually Barbie. They were celebrity or character dolls.
Mattel has done tons of these limited-edition celebrity dolls. So…. do the celebrity Barbies live in Barbieland? Do they live in a separate, but similar land of their own? Hollywood? I have no idea, but it didn’t stop me from going down the celebrity Barbie wormhole and I am sort of obsessed with some of these. Someone get these celebrities on board to make Barbie 2: Celebrity Bugaloo immediately.
Are Overalls Trending?: We are all aware that once you buy something, you start to see it everywhere. This is called the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, something I know because I just googled it. I currently feel this way about overalls. Are they trending right now or is it just that I keep noticing them because I am wearing mine everywhere?
I traveled back to Arkansas to visit my family over memorial day weekend and left with my mother’s overalls from the late 90s. They have quickly become the go-to item in my closet this summer.
Since acquiring a pair, I’ve noticed that I see overalls all the time. This week while running errands in mine, I spotted 6 different people wearing overalls. Later that night, during my most recent Sex and the City rewatch, Miranda was wearing them. So are they actually everywhere or is this all the result of frequency illusion? Either way, enjoy some is some overall inspiration.
Savana Ogburn’s substack on scrapbooking: I found this through the TikTok she made showing off her scrapbooks. They look more like cool collaged magazine spreads or coffee table books than traditional scrapbooks. As someone who hordes anything that could be considered a souvenir, I love the idea of these. Rather than fill giant memory boxes, I could take all of those things and create cool books to flip through whenever I’m feeling nostalgic. Obviously, scrapbooking has been around forever, but I am so inspired by the way Savana does these specifically. I think I might try to make one as a fun project and a way to clean out some of the clutter in my apartment.
The Tam-Tam Stool from the MoMa Store: I’ve been debating buying one of these for my apartment. It would be nice to have an extra place to sit if needed, and I could stack books on it otherwise. I think I might get the red one. I’m just not sure where I would put it.
This Eve Babitz Hat: Cue the eye-rolls from everyone who interacts with me on a regular basis. I am very obsessed with Eve Babitz and not particularly quiet about it. There is rarely Eve Babitz merch, even when there are things for similar writers, (like this Didion shirt that I also want!) she is left out. This is my chance, the only thing keeping it sitting in my cart is that I am not sure I look good in hats. The shop has other authors if you are a reader of some similarly iconic, but rarely merchandised writers.
Cher’s upcoming Christmas album: I’m just excited about it, that’s all.
This video of Liza that can be used for anything: