Gang, one of our close friends passed away on Tuesday. Sam was my age, and had been diagnosed with ALS a couple of years ago. He was such a freaking light and we’re all – our whole little crew, community – completely devastated. I’m a mess. Mike is a mess. The kids are a mess. Our friends are a mess. Nobody is quite sure what this new, world-without-Sam looks like and everything feels completely surreal.
Sam would want me to say, however, that if you know anyone who is dealing with ALS, it’s important to remember that the person suffering from that awful disease is still in there. ALS is a disease that makes movement and communication difficult, but does not impact anyone’s ability to think (in Sam’s case, it also did not impact his ability to come up with jokes, one-liners, and/or sarcastic comments – we will forever be grateful to that ‘eye gaze’ system). I know Sam worked hard to bring awareness to what ALS actually is, and that he probably would also want me to add: Fuck ALS.
If you are able, there’s a couple of foundations that are hoping to make a difference in this fight: Target ALS, a medical research foundation committed to the search for effective treatments for ALS; the Jay S. Fishman ALS Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.
I do have a few links I had pulled together earlier in the week, and Laura & Scotti were kind enough to jump in here, too. My mom took that gorgeous photo while she was out walking on Thursday.
If you have a moment, send some love out into the Universe for Sam’s family. His wife is one of the best people I know, and his kids are the exact same age as my kids. We feel lucky to live in this seriously amazing community (who are of course rising up to support), but some extra love vibes are always good (he would roll his eyes at this, but shut up Sammy this is for T and the kids).
Gahhh we miss him so much.
I get it now. Know those Free City sweatpants? Finally ordered a pair and they’re kind of…sexy? They’re the ‘this old thing?’ of sweats but in a wildly effortless but soooo coooool kind of way. I have this exact pair (fit is TTS, I have the small).
Moisture bomb. Annmarie Borland just sent over several products to try and this eye and lip cream stunned me. Somewhere in the pamphlet it said something like, “if I can’t eat it I don’t want it on my skin” and this product is a genius example of why. Not only does this product instantly – and visibly!! – refresh my under eye area, but you can rub it into your lips, including that edge space that’s prone to wrinkling. It’s alllllmost sticky, but works incredibly well. There’s an immediate brightening effect, and it works all night, too. (I still think Ursa Major’s eye cream *might be* more moisturizing, but you can’t rub that one on your lips, and it’s so thick it can be a little hard to apply.)
Cashmere. I’ve started working on this year’s cashmere guide and was surprised by how good this cashmere sweater is. It’s under $200 yet can hang with sweaters that cost double.
And if you’re wondering about the thickest cashmere sweater….this year, the award for the softest, thickest cashmere sweater goes to COS’ Chunky Pure Cashmere Crew. It’s so thick and luxe I was completely blown away.
F&F. Social Threads is having a friends & family 20% off sale this weekend with no exclusions. In addition to my date night jeans, I can personally recommend this FP fleece sweatshirt (super thick – can replace a jacket, but size down) and this bright, FP fair isle sweater (the lines and drape are really good on).
Laura’s picks…
Dang. A low top version of the raddest sneakers I own, for over 55% off.
A new kind of leather jacket. Just got this in ivory and it’s so chic, but what do we think about…silver? Too much? (It’s on sale for $100 down from $168, too)
Black or blue? Do we think this would be as good as “the” Good American jumpsuit? It sure looks like it and at $54 it’s definitely worth a try.
Recordable books. Em shared these books on facebook and I think they’re great. She wrote: “…my girls love recordable books (they have one from my MIL they listen to all the time), so this would be such a sweet gift for the holidays. On sale for a stellar price point, or I’m linking up a similar one that’s also super affordable at Target, as well.”
Scotti’s picks…
Ho, ho, ho. These bottle openers are ridiculously over the top and I want them all.
omg gorg. This skirt (on sale) & top set.
Screw sneakers. These Weitzman heels in cabernet…on sale.
Donate a coat. If you donate a gently worn coat to J. Crew stores, they’ll give you $25 off a future purchase of $125. Which is great because my longtime favorite is on sale! (Oooo…they just released it, new this year, in a long version, too. Love.)
Cheers, dahling. These glasses are gorgeous and perfect for the holidays.
Just call me Scotti Starlight. The Thrillist has a fun read about people making up glamorous alter-egos while on vacation.
