The DM | Issue Fifteen
Or the one where we pass judgement on your drink order at a bro, bar
I’mma make this short because my section is long and if there’s anything I’ve learned from writing TLDRs for a literal living, it’s that as soon as you start taking up too much space in someone’s inbox they start snoozing and deleting and reading later but never reading at all and that’s not the kind of relationship we’re looking for with you.
Because we’re your coffee date, half a bottle of wine, quick catch-up cool girls, and we appreciate you hanging with us between meetings, in bed, and in the bathroom on a bad Bumble date (more on that later).
Anyway, ready? Cool, cool, cool. Us too.
From Meg
The iconic crop top that I wear every single day
Sometimes I can get really wrapped around the idea of having to give y’all the LATEST and GREATEST thing I’m thinking about this week that I forget about sharing my old faithfuls. And so today I’m going to share three very different special things in my life.
The first is the thing I have in common with Mark Zuckerberg (we don’t share a lot, but we do share this). Which is, a daily uniform. For him, it’s a white tee shirt and jeans. For me, it’s the Athena crop top from Outdoor Voices. I have this baby in eight colors and counting and I wear it on such a regular basis I’m quite sure my neighbors think I’m part of my own living room crop top cult.
For 50 bucks a top, it’s not the cheapest date on the athleisure dance floor, but it will tuck you in and give you sweet, sweet compliments in floor-to-ceiling mirrors and for all the terrible college going out tops you’ve taken home over the years, this one’s a keeper. Don’t sleep on her.
The pudding that I ask for every year on my birthday
If you know me at all, you know that I eat everything out of a bowl with a spoon. Without question. Even things you shouldn’t eat out of a bowl. Like steak. Or a waffle. Some asparagus. I’ve tried it all, I’ve avoided eye contact throughout.
And anyway, because I’m such a food-to-spoon-to-bowl ratio connoisseur, (PREPARE FOR A WEIRD SEGWAY) I also have a very specific expertise around pudding. Specifically, banana pudding. Which is not all made equally and often made terribly but if there is one bakery that always has done it right and will always do it right, that is Magnolia Bakery.
Their banana pudding is the stuff of dreams with the consistency of clouds. Not too banana-y, just the right amount of cookie filling, there aren’t words in the English language that convey my deep undying devotion to this dessert delicacy. And despite the fact they are only based in NYC, LA and a smattering of other places, they ship worldwide and its one million percent worth it. Especially (but also not necessarily) on your birthday. Eat your heart out.
And a hot little tip for those of you who are as obsessed with design as much as I am
I have wanted to share this for a while because it’s one of my favorite drunken party tricks (which says a lot about the kind of person I am at a party) but was like no... this will take too much explaining and then I hemmed and hawed and finally was like you know what Meg they can just sit back and read and listen. So here we are.
You will need two things.
1. The Pinterest app. 2. An open mind, dammit. Let’s proceed.
Ok, so. Let’s say you’re in Washington DC and you see some weird figurines of cats in your hotel’s gym.
First thought, amazing. Second thought, where in the world can I get my own weird cat figurines? Enter Pinterest’s visual search feature.
Step 1. Open Pinterest and click the camera button.
Step 2. Click your cat photo. Watch pretty dots swirl around the screen.
Step 3. Observe in awe and amazement as Pinterest pulls up EXACTLY what you’re looking for both to purchase as well as for design inspiration.
You can do this for literally anything. A candle stick. A flower you don’t know the name of. A dress that a character is wearing on Gossip Girl. I haven’t done it with someone’s face but I bet it would work. ARE YOU AS AMAZED AS I AM? ARE YOU INSPIRED? Send me screenshots of your visual searches. Srsly. We can hang out at parties and stuff.
Anyway, my section has lasted far too long and I’m sorry Devon but thank you for the space. If you’re not into my crop top pudding cat combo, here are also three other weird wonders that are apparently a thing:
Fake cakes. But like, for your nightstand. IDK y’all, Gen Z is weird.
From Devon
Going down in history
Surprise! The aforementioned reference to the Bumble date led to - me! Yes, I went on a date this week with a guy named Nick who ordered a White Claw. At a bar. That would have been one thing on its own, but he then proceeded to ask me 'what's something you nerd out on?" to which I answered 'history and baking.' His response? A loud guffaw followed by "Ugh, f*ck history, that sh*t is boring. And I hate sweets."His answers when asked the same in return? “Minnesota Vikings football, my CrossFit gym, and my Jeep truck” (do with that what you will).
In case you were wondering, Nick is *definitely* The One - aka I will not be seeing him again (sorry for the tease, Mom) (jk, my mom doesn’t read this).
The silver lining is that this encounter was well-timed for what I was going to share this issue anyways, and as such - this section goes out to our homeboy Nick, as I’m letting my I-was-almost-a-history-minor-in-college nerd flag fly high as I share a few history-ish podcasts I listen to often:
American Girls Podcast: this is a brand of content that involves two millennial female historians (sitting around in their skinny jeans and side parts) waxing nostalgia about a cultural phenom of our childhood. This one is about THE OG American Girl historical fiction novels, in which they dive deep into each book/character and enlighten us with contextual historical and cultural facts that might make you think differently about Felicity, Kirsten, and Molly.
You’re Wrong About: two hosts return to big stories of the past and dig in DEEP on what we think we know all about, but spit out all of the POVs and facts that may be misunderstood. My fave was the five-part Princess Diana series, and the OJ one was pretty good, too.
Throughline: a blend of history and modern news, the two hosts show how past events led to a current headline-making moment. Loved the one about conspiracy theories x US politics, plus the Billie Holiday Strange Fruit episode.
Hats off to you
Okay, so, let’s talk about hats. An accessory that manages to remain timeless in its classic baseball/dad hat form but also emerges as *tRenDy* (I’m looking at you bucket hats), I’ve long had a love-hate relationship with them because I have a literal big head (lol) that doesn’t in fact fit “one size fits all” cute hats. That said, this summer, as a fair-skinned person who should really cover their face at all times, I’m trying to find my hat - I ordered this J. Crew one, as well this Roxy version of the lifeguard hats that I’ve always stolen from my dad, and am trying to make this Target one work. Wish me luck.
Should you be in a similar search, check out this recent roundup of baseball hats for every personality and this straw hat looks lovely.
For the guys (or gals with a guy who needs a hat) - I buy my dad a new hat every year for Father’s Day/his birthday, and this year I opted for this one from Howler Brothers, a brand I’ve always admired (and of which Matthew McConaughey approves). Dudes, also consider this super fun toucan snapback or the panhandle blue print.
It’s a gift
I’m a shameless, big-time New York Times fan, for the news, yes - but mostly for the lifestyle, human interest, and cooking content. As such, the NYT paywall for non-subscribers has long been a damper on my ‘hey, this is a really great article, you must read!’ vibe, but - praise be! The good ol’ NYT folks now allows subscribers to ‘gift’ articles to those who have yet to opt-in on their own. Like anything great on the Internet, there’s a bit of fine print attached, but just get ready for a resurgence of free-for-all article sharing on my end, starting with this how-to-be-happy read and a list of potluck recipes NYT staffers swear by - and keep reading below for a few more.
Let the games begin (but look good doing it)
The Olympics are coming, the Olympics are coming! I’m pretty excited for the return of this athletic prowess showdown, and suggest you do a brushup on all 33 sports you can expect to find in the summer games (don’t sleep on the modern pentathlon, something I personally didn’t know about until my friends Kerry and Josh enlightened me). And in the spirit of fitness and victory, why not get yourself your own gold medal to sport during workout classes this summer - aka sweatproof jewelry from OXB. A local Denver company ran by two good friends, I recently got myself this necklace (which I legit have not taken off in a week) and these rings, and plan to add a personalized option to the mix soon.
All.the.bevvies
It wouldn't be a DM without me talking about drinks in some form, and I’m stoked that my favorite food website just launched their beverage-focused spinoff - Drinks52! Here you’ll find everything from the best canned wines to all the summer drinks you need to know, plus a ‘magical guide to all your dream drink date.’
And before you go, a few things I’m currently:
Watching with heart eyes: Kristen Bell x Jimmy Fallon singing about dogs
Listening to: Doja Cat’s new album drop
Baking: strawberry shortcake cobbler
Finally trying: Glossier boy brow
Trying to channel: this vintage Kirsten Dunst lewk all summer