What is the best possible thing I can give you now? (Were I a skilled maker I’d surely make something for you but we know that’s just not the case.) I suppose the best I can do is try for two sides of story-telling: pretending and telling the truth.
Here’s something pretend. Imaginary shopping. Do you know Ann Mashburn? An independent retailer who started up in Atlanta, Georgie. Expensive, but they’re having a 20% sale right now and besides, imagination.
One of my imaginary selves dresses like this. She wears the Tretorns because she’s spunky, the small earrings (not from Ann, also on sale) every day because they’re elegant, the shirts always wind up with neck too open and sleeves pushed up too high. Maybe she lives in Manhattan, or in the part of New Jersey my dad’s family called home. Maybe she works in publishing, maybe she married a fund manager a few years young than her and has five children. You decide.
Here’s the truth. Faced with uncountable weeks or months to be cooped up at home I bought a pair of marine blue sweatpants with a glitter stripe down the side. Probably that should be my new Internet bio., “Sweatpants, with glitter stripes.” The brand is Spiritual Gangster (OK wut?) and these pants are sold out (I’m guessing you may not be sad) but I found them at Nordstrom.
I don’t show you the whole of me because, as I used to say, this blog is only as true as I can make it. I cannot bear to reveal my messy hair, nor my face to match. Not today.
But maybe you can see the glitter.
I hope you are all safe and sound, and that somehow it still feels a little bit like the weekend.
Affiliate links for the sweatpants and earrings may generate commissions. No affiliate links for Ann.
47 Responses
Love them – so cheerful. I got new sweatpants and sweatshirt from Lou and Gray – very soft and cozy. I wear them when I manage to get out of my flannel PJs.
Ann Mashburn has amazing taste and she wrote a very incredible blog post yesterday about revealing some very sad personal stuff that she and her family (5 kids) are going through. I almost emailed it to you!
Going a bit nuts today as they’ve closed our beaches and hiking trails, so my alone excursions into nature have been shut down.
@KSL, Aaargh, so sorry the beaches and trails have been closed. I just have to go sit in my side yard, which is pretty native;). I was just thinking I should pull out one of folding cloth chairs I used to use for my son’s soccer games and put it out to sit in;). Send me the Ann Mashburn post, please, I don’t know how to find her blog!
@KSL, Hi Kathy. I’m sorry they closed your beaches and parks. My canyon parks are still open and with few people. I hope to go once a week on Wednesdays. Thank you for mentioning the Ann Mashburn blogpost. It moved me deeply. The pictures tell a thousand lies idea has been coming up for me a lot lately. I want people to be more openly who they are on social media, because without the fuller picture, I find it lonely, and think it is detrimental to the mental health of a broad spectrum of people. One of the most moving parts of Mashburn’s piece is something I notice over and over on social media when someone tells a painful truth, which is the apologizing for the sharing of a grief. I wish we would stop feeling the need to do that, and instead feel others will reach out with compassion. Lisa, here’s the link, in case Kathy hasn’t seen you asked for it: https://www.annmashburn.com/you-need-this
As I often write, everything Katherine C. James says…so eloquently. Couldn’t agree more…xoxo
I do love the glitter stripe. We all need a little whimsy these days. So far the Sonoran desert is still available to us, even if the powers that be said it was closed, it would be impossible to enforce.
@Allison, I need to find a way to whimsy that doesn’t involve shopping. Hmm. Will think. And I’m glad there are parts of this world that remain too wild for us to shut down.
Glitter for the win!!!!!!!!!!!
@claire, And couldn’t we all use a win right about now!
You are hilarious. Thanks for sharing your glitter sweatpants with us. A perfect pick me up for trying times.
Virtual hugs (the only way to do it these days).
@MaryAnne, Virtual hugs to you too! I am very happy to have picked you up:).
Ab fab!
@Theodore Bouloukos, OMG THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO BE WATCHING.
Said Edina.
The episode where they are in France makes me cry with laughter.
You made me smile this morning.
@Elaine thornton, It’s my pleasure and privilege to do so. You’ve made me smile too.
Sometimes when I smile I get teary.
Oh Glitter Girl, I’m with you no place to wear business casual. There something nice about letting go yet, with a bit of sparkle. I’m throwing some sparkles on you now. Can you see them Lisa?
Luci
@luci, I did. I absolutely did.
I love your sweatpants! Good for you.
What a good time it is to reevaluate everything. This morning while writing my morning pages I realized it’s time to revise my entire bucket list. I have no idea how it will turn out, but I’ll tell you this: FEAR will not keep anything off of it. That’s my truth.
And here’s my pretending story: Most days these last two weeks I walk into my closet and play dress-up. I’m especially fond of the Venice Corner, where I amassed a ridiculous amount of black satin for a month-long stay in The Beautiful City this May with friends. There were palazzos, canals, and terraces on the itinerary every day. Instead, we’re now gathering for cocktails in a Zoom Room.
And here’s one more story for the easily envious. Two years ago in Harry’s Bar the clinically taciturn bartender gave me his gin martini recipe and a little HB martini glass. I don’t know why he did it. I was way too chatty to be cool. I think of his kindness often these days and hope he is still alive. Wherever he is, God bless him!
@Ann in Missouri, This is one of the most striking and delicious comments I have ever read.
Seems like these three paragraphs could in fact become a novel, if you were so inclined.
Fabulous post. During the Blitz, Winston Churchill said one of the components of resilience is “buoyancy.” These marvelous pants simply scream BUOYANT!!
PS especially enchanted with selfie photo 2. Great angle. Xo
@Sarah Finnie Robinson, Well, Winston Churchill knew so much, didn’t he? Love the term buoyancy. We all need some cheer. Thanks!
@Sarah Finnie Robinson, Hey you! How fun to see you here! If Winston approves I shall feel not an ounce of shame. I hope you and your family are all well.
I just realized it was 2PM and I was still in my PJs Honestly. I think I’ve been in Pjs for days. Well, I do get dressed for walking outside. But I abide by the rules and say a street length away if I see a neighbor. But I did change out of my PJs. One must have standards. Don’t you think? Love the glitter. We all need some glitter in our lives. I know that’s going way out of your usual comfort zone. Nice to see. None of us want to be seen above the waist these days.
Stay safe and sane
@Sandra Sallin – Apart From My art,
“None of us want to be seen above the waist these days.”
That’s it. I’ll be laughing for days. Weeks, maybe.
It’s always fun to keep spirits up (when we know this could be quite a long siege) with things that are either beautiful or quirky or humorous. That doesn’t ignore the fact that life is fundamentally a serious business, interspersed with periods of levity, not the other way around.
Ann Masham’s most recent post about a rare genetic disease affecting 2 of her 5 children – a very serious matter indeed. It is accessible by Google search and the relevant (current) entry is entitled “Perspective”. A sobering post, and one that should make parents of healthy children incredibly grateful.
@M, I think it took a long time for me to figure this out, “life is fundamentally a serious business, interspersed with periods of levity, not the other way around.” And I think it’s very true.
love the 2nd shot of glitter stripe! So Happy! I have not done any of the projects I thought I would do, whilst quarantining. I need to get off of the internet.
@Elizabeth, Lest you wonder, I did not plan to make a cake at all. It was more like given the time, it was something I’d always thought of, and the impulse took hold.
xox
As lovely as the imaginary Ann Mashburn persona might be, I’d much rather go the way of glitter striped sweatpants. It just makes me smile. Thanks for sharing!
@Jane, You are so welcome. And I’m very happy to make you smile.
Tell me about your slippers? Now seems to be a good time to invest in them….
@Sara C., Glerups! I linked to them here. https://lisacarnochan.com/2019/06/9-needed-saturday-morning-1149am/
They are the best slippers I have ever owned. So good, in fact, that they are more like friends than footwear.
@Sara C., I just wanted to add that I saw those slippers in some of your earlier posts… and thank you Lisa for sharing who made them! I managed to find a shop that carried them here where I live, and decided to indulge myself in a new pair of slippers (just before the pandemic arrived). Now I hardly want to ever take them off, they are that cozy, like warm hugs for my feet
Working from home and trying to figure out how to make that okay. But enjoying a lack of commute, giving me time to walk thru my hilly neighborhood just outside Boston, as spring obligingly arrives. AND walking in the street as there’s no traffic!
I spend a lot of time on Zoom, wearing plain tops but being sure to show a pretty scarf. No one sees I’m wearing exercise tights, which would not be the thing at all at my office! Fascinating to see the homes of co workers I don’t know too well though some of them are using fake Zoom backgrounds. Cheaters.
Hoping you and all your readers stay healthy and strong, and do not have to worry about anything. I know your daughter is a doctor and I send all good hopes and wishes her way.
@Charlotte K, You made me laugh, which is a distinct social good. Cheaters! Thank you for the good wishes for my daughter. Deeply appreciated.
Oh, I love those, and had they not been sold out, I probably would have ordered a pair. We all need something sparkly and frivolous right now, some unabashed unicorn energy. Those orange loafers are tempting, but I just completed a massive shoe purge and need to hold the line for a while.
@Susan Blakey, I think they have a pair that’s cream, with a Spring colored stripe down the side…just in case you really do find yourself in need of some unabashed unicorn energy. What a great term.
When you commented on my post of a few days ago that you were looking for cute sweatpants I had no idea you would ace that project so completely! Brava! Sprezzatura FTW! ;-)
@Frances, Thank you for thinking that these evince some sprezzatura. I can only hope. xoxox.
We all need a bit of sparkle right now. Thanks for sharing these fabulous sweatpants.
@Naomi Lisa Shippen, My pleasure!!!
Love your glitter sweatpants. Love that the brand is Spiritual Gangster. Love that you wrote, “I’m guessing you may not be sad” that the pants are sold out. My version of these are years’ old men’s 100% cotton black sweatpants with pockets (I love pockets in everything). I wear the small with the straight legs folded up. They’re too big for me in a comfy way. The drawstring waist pulled tight saves me from losing my pants. No glitter though, and right now glitter is a social good. Thank you for introducing me to Ann Mashburn. I’m now going to do a little imaginary shopping, which I do enjoy in everything from clothing to books to mid-century modern furniture.(I replied to Kathy, and assume you can see it. Just in case, I’m pointing you there.)
@Katherine C. James, Your beloved sweats sound wonderful. Thanks for the link to the Ann Mashburn article.
Glitter is a social good.;). That is something to remember. xoxo.
Every possible way to make life more happier is welcome right now!
Take care,
Dottoressa
I love the glitter sweatpants. We all need a little bit of a lift right now, don’t we? Ann Mashburn’s dresses are lovely and would be particularly tempting if her sizes were more inclusive. Her XL measures out to a contemporary size 12 by my calculations.
However, I just bought a new pair of jeans and four tee-shirts on sale from Universal Standard, whose sizes run from 00 to 40. I never thought I’d wear jeans again until I discovered this brand. Since they arrived, I’ve been living in their skinny jean, and I have never purchased a skinny jean before in my life.
Your sweatpants look very comfy and not the ordinary ilk. Perfect for our new reality of social distancing and at home existence.
Shine on, Glitter Girl!
When I am bored, or feeling slightly anxious, I paint my nails in different colors – usually shades of pink to plum. Somehow this is both interesting and calming. But when I did so on Saturday morning, I realized I needed something more – so I applied a topcoat of glitter polish (Revlon’s “Sparkling”) to my multi-colored digits, and oh, the immediate uplift!
So I really laughed when I opened your Saturday post, with glitter stripes down the whole length of your neatly sweat-panted leg – hurray for the inner five year old who knows what makes her happy! (and I must confess that your stripes are much more tasteful than my own glitter-bombed paws…)
Today I decided that I have spent enough time coddling myself, whether francophile-ing or organizing, and that I should Do Something for the world. So I pulled out my ancient Kenmore sewing machine (ca 1964), on which I once made my wedding dress and many an item of clothing and kid costumery, and put it to good social use: Now my newly de-cluttered work table is full of fabric pieces and lengths of elastic, while my glittering fingers measure and stitch “breathing masks” for a local project supporting medical and care-giving personnel.
Life really does go better with glitter. Even in a pandemic.
Love your Ann Mashburn look. I love Ann Mashburn’s style, and her column (blog) is always interesting, and not necessarily just about selling stuff, well, usually it is, but this last post was beautiful. Like a previous commenter, I am sad that she felt the need to apologize that life does not live up to the image, something I struggle with myself, even as I think it is too easy to hide behind pretty pictures. I sincerely hope if we learn anything from all this, it will be to treasure ourselves, and also honest connection. That of course means being honest about hour lives, and that you never really know what is going on with someone else.
I love your striped sweatpants, and the picture of you wearing them with your glerups. I have been living in my glerups. They leave my feet only if I am doing harder work in the garden or going out, which now is so rare, and usually no place exciting.
I have a pair of bright green Addidas sweats I bought last fall, in another down time and as a bit of self-indulgence. They have adorable flower stripes down the sides and it is easy to convince myself that I am chic and cool wearing them, although the truth is probably the opposite. It doesn’t matter as they make me happy and have become my stay-at-home garment of choice. It is all a state of mind, is it not?
Comments are closed.