11 FAQs I Field All the Time…

Sharing a few of the questions I often field via DM or email as maybe there are some enquiring minds out there in a similar boat. By the way, I LOVE emails and direct messages so keep them coming! So fun to chat with you guys.

Q: Are Hermes Orans worth it? How do they run?

A: In my opinion, yes, they are worth it (seen above and worn with aplomb). I have mine in the brown leather and they go with everything. They are made of the softest, highest quality leather and they give over time. I have worn mine for many summers (since pre-Emory back in Chicago!) and they have held up and only softened with age. I would say they run TTS, maybe even a little bit on the big size because they do stretch/have give over time in the band that covers the foot. I especially like the way they look when styled with breezy white summer dresses like the Everlane I’ve been living in or this Staud I’ve been eyeing. If you like the look but they are out of your budget, I have a few friends who love this very similar pair from French Sole for $150.

P.S. On a related note, thought several of the comments on this post about what you splurge versus save on were fascinating!

Q: What is your living room rug?

A: By far and away my most-asked question over Insta. It is Stark Studio’s “Fauna Rug” in the almond color. I love this rug so much I bought it twice. The first one we had was too small for our current living room space and our dog had destroyed it with accidents — wah! It is fantastic because the print hides a whole manner of sins (i.e., children dropping food on the ground constantly) and it has a fun print but works as a neutral.

P.S. More great rugs here, and our bedroom rug here! Note that Serena and Lily is currently running a great promotion on rugs!

P.P.S. I use these rug pads in the 1/4″ thickness underneath all of the rugs in our apartment. The pads keep rugs in place, protect the rug as well as the floor, and afford even more cushioning. If you have a rug between sizes, you can just trim the rug pad with scissors.

Q: Which Pam Munson bag do you have?

A: Another frequent question as I am nearly always wearing this bag in my summer snapshots on Insta. I have the Isla Bahia. She makes it in a petite size which may be a better fit for those of you less likely to be schlepping around toys, sunscreen, and other miscellaneous children’s gear at any given moment.

P.S. More great straw bags for summer here, and more on my Pam Munson obsession as well.

Q: Best restaurants in NYC?

A: I shared all of our favorites at the bottom of this post.

Q: What to do in NYC with children?

A: My top rec is the Central Park Zoo — it’s a tiny jewel box of a zoo, and I frankly appreciate how limited it is. You can see the entire thing in under an hour if you want, with no tired and complaining legs. Don’t miss the Tisch children’s zoo, which is separate from the main zoo and included in any ticket purchase. Your little ones can pet/feed goats and sheep there! Also: Jane’s Carousel in DUMBO, Museum of Natural History, any/all of the fantastic playgrounds in Central Park (bring a swimsuit/towels in summer as many of them have water features/splash pads), Bronx Zoo (much bigger and more impressive zoo than CP one), The Intrepid, Great Lawn or Sheep Meadow for a picnic, scooting around the plaza in front of the Metropolitan Opera (the fountain there is mesmerizing for babies, and there is often a gelato cart close by). I’m mainly focusing on outdoor adventures because that’s all we’ve had the last year and change, but we used to love story time at Books of Wonder, music class at Musibambino (the best — the lovely woman who runs this program plays so many fantastic instruments and exposes children to them, too, including violins!), pre-ballet/dance class at Juliette and Ella’s Playdate, and sparing trips to the Children’s Museum (I say sparing because it is kind of overwhelming with all the kids running amok and also…I think not very clean or well-maintained TBH).

Q: Wedding guest dresses!!!

A: This has to be most frequently asked question over the past few months — we’re all heading back to the wedding circuit after a long hiatus! I am trying to keep this part of my shop updated with options and will also be sharing a ton of specific picks on Friday, in my final installment of “What You’re Shopping For” for this month.

Q: What was the product you used after having stitches on your forehead?

A: I am astounded by how often this question comes up. You all have good memories! And I guess a lot of us have unpleasant accidents 🙁 I did trip and need ten stitches on my forehead, and then I went to see a plastic surgeon to see if she had any thoughts on how to minimize the scar appearance. Her main recommendation was wearing a lot (a lot!!) of facial sunscreen and applying this silicon-based gel for the first few months — basically until the tube runs out. She said that by the end of a year, the scar will look the way it will always look, so make sure to be religious about the sunscreen especially during that first year. I have to say, the scar has healed incredibly well — I’ve had friends say that they would never have noticed had I not reminded them it had happened.

Q: How do nap dresses fit? Are they sheer?

A: I shared some thoughts on sizing/style of nap dresses here, but I do think Hill House does a good job of explaining how the sizing works on each individual dress and would follow their suggestions. For example, if you click on the Ellie dress (I believe their most popular style), they note underneath the product that it runs big and advise to size down. I agree with this recommendation. Other dresses run truer to size. They did not always have an XXS so I bought my first many nap dresses in the XS and they fit great except for the Ellie, which I always found a bit too big in the bodice and found myself adjusting/pulling up the neckline quite a bit. The Nesli works fine for me in XS; not sure I need to size down there.

They also note when a fabric is sheer/not in the color description. I find their dresses except for the swiss dot ones to be opaque and can be worn without a slip, though you might be best off wearing nude underwear (this is my favorite pair in the “Chai” color — I own so many pairs of this exact color!). I also wear mine sans bra but the Skims scoopneck apparently works well with the Nesli and Ellie for most people. (I’ve had several Magpies write in to upvote this bra for nap dresses, but I also had one reader write to say they didn’t work for her. Just an FYI, to give the full picture. Probably worth a shot for $32 and a good nude bra is always welcome in my closet anyhow.)

Q: Where is the necklace you wear every day from?

A: Tiffany Diamond by the Yard! I shared some other stunning everyday jewelry picks here.

Q: What is THAT TOY?

A: This is a question I received a lot of the other day when I shared an Instastory of my son working with this Elmo alphabet set. He loves this little toy! It’s basically an alphabet puzzle. A few other favorite toys at the moment here.

Q: Where to buy personalized stationery?

A: This question also comes up a lot because I think many of you remember I wrote a post about it years ago but it’s not particularly easy to find on my blog. (I’m so sorry about that — I publish SO much SO frequently that things get buried quickly. Always trying to think on how I can make my posts easier to track down.). Anyway, my favorite sources for affordable stationery here, and one of my current favorite Etsy vendors for doing anything custom (invitations, moving announcements, gift enclosures, etc.)

P.S. Lovely, affordable personalized gift ideas.

P.P.S. All my favorite beauty buys and what’s been in my beauty shopping cart lately.