Note Pad, #6
Experiencing fall for the first time, an amazing new bag, underrated activewear, and my final thoughts before The Life of a Showgirl
I never understood fall. Not to say that I didn’t conceptually grasp that after the steam of summer a chilled release would come in the form of autumn. I’m saying I never “got” its hype. In Vancouver, fall isn’t a season. It’s a starting line for nine months of rain. And seasonal depression. Last fall, I was travelling through Boston for the Taylor Swift Style book tour and … it all clicked.
Crisp air, seasonal pastries, warming spices tickling your nose. Back home, fall is soggy. In other places, it’s an exhalation. I was finally experiencing the season as it was meant to be felt. It was like when I was a kid and my parents found me an inch from the television screen and we discovered I needed glasses. Suddenly, I could see! Of course, now I’m home in Vancouver (a place I do love so much) and it officially is our version of fall again. It’s not as damp as usual, but it doesn’t hit quite like sipping a Tatte specialty coffee while strolling through Boston Common.
I’m publishing this as a life update reprieve before release week for Showgirl puts our feeds into overdrive. I’ve found tracking Taylor’s career cycles between mind-wracking silence to drinking information straight from a firehose. There is no in between! So consider this a moment for us all to clasp hands and take a deep breath before we walk through the doors. Or, the Showgirl curtains as it were.
❤️🔥 Coming Soon: I’ve got a very fun pre-Showgirl strut down memory lane coming to your inboxes next week! Call it a final trick just before the “grand finale” as one showgirl poignantly said.
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Home Uniform: I’m still familiarizing myself with my three style words (minimalist, edgy, classic) and what those mean to me and my daily life. I think that’s one aspect of the three style word philosophy not talked about enough: The degree to which those words mean to you. One person’s edgy may be another person’s tame. With that, allow me to introduce the edgy-adjacent pants I can’t stop wearing. The gingham and cargo pocket details? That’s what passes for mild edge in my closet. I can’t get enough. So much so I got them in two colors: “Dill” and “Bell Pepper.” My favorite feature is the unexpected lustre in the silk fabric that’s best seen in person. It feels special and luxe. Imagine these pants in a flaxen, wrinkled linen instead - for instance. A totally different vibe. These have swiftly become my de facto WFH pant. I’ll wear a tee or tank depending on the weather and alternate as needed.
A Reminder About the Reminders App: I’ve babbled incessantly about spreadsheets to organize my life. But one unsung hero I’ve only started using recently? The Reminders app. Neat. Color coded. Bulleted by nature. Immensely satisfying to tap complete. Ahhh. I’ve been using Reminders to make lists for different aspects of my life (Household, TSS, Groceries). It even works for trip organizing or breaking down larger projects into manageable tasks thanks to being able to add due dates and even locations to each reminder.
You Know What-y Earrings: I’m not going to say the word but … you know the word I’m thinking. I’d mentioned last year that my goal in 2025 was to expand my bag collection (hold this in your minds for a moment) and my jewelry collection. In the latter, specifically the statement earring category. I had many a dainty stud and a classic hoop of varying everyday sizes. But what was woefully missing? Earrings to once again fill out the edgy category. Ones that are bold and sculptural. That have gravitas and oomph. That make you feel … YOU KNOW-Y! Both of these are it. The textures of are just lovely. The “Mini Knot”* feels modern while the “Tabi”* is a nod to vintage. Though I’ll admit when I look at it I see the swoop of a brioche bun. Jewelry that reminds me of bread? An immediate win.
Herb Bag, Fully Loaded: A new herbacious little number to the bag collection! Yes, my mission to make 2025 Year of the Bag has been going splendidly. I’ve been very into this sprout-like shade of green of late. I find it gives an outfit of neutrals a fresh, much-needed lift. My favorite method is tacking it onto an outfit of white / cream + brown + grey. It’s an instant zing that makes me smile. The detail that sings the most is that unique, heavy gold hardware.
Down Bad Spiraling At the Gym: When I get into mental spirals that don’t serve me (do they ever?), it can feel impossible to pull out of the nose dive. I can tell myself that my body has always been there for me. That it’s done everything I’ve ever asked of it (except when I tore my ACL in high school during a soccer match. Admission: I Monica Geller’d too close to the sun). I know I could / should filter my perceived flaws through a positive lens. But sometimes that feels too saccharine; too far from reality. Truthfully, shame is often bitter. I can pacify myself with the repeated mantra that this is the only body I’ll ever have. That the fine lines etched into my forehead and carved into the corners of my eyes are signs of laughter - a life filled with joy. That my ACL was reconstructed in surgery and that my knees and legs continue to carry me through life. That my arms can wrap around the people I love. Or at least myself, when I feel I might need it. But on days when these reminders fall short, the best I can do is put on a matching set.
I’ll admit, I’m picky about athletic gear. Fabric composition is everything and I cater it to the workout I’m doing (upper body or lower body? strength training or cardio or pilates?). I work out often (4x / week) and cannot have one more thing hook into my brain that is Wrong and Doesn’t Work. While I’ve recently unlocked the power of an athletic romper*, my new secret sauce is this top + these bottoms. Aritzia activewear where have you been all my life?! I like my tops to have as little fabric as possible. My bust doesn’t need the support and the extra material ramps up my feelings of overstimulation. Plus I appreciate the absence of fussy plastic adjusters. The leggings have just enough compression and are not ribbed (a material I don’t jive with in my gear) with a slight, cooling sheen. Oh and magic words: No front seam. Catch me doing a Butter + Life fabric combo from here on out.
When I feel I’m falling short, I decorate my outsides in smooth, coordinating compression. It’s a way to feign being okay. Like I have everything together - even when I don’t. I try to zoom out from the details and see myself for the whole. I’m not the tributaries of stretch marks in every crevice. I’m not hip dips that crest unappealingly on my sides. I’m not knees that are somehow wrong (despite not knowing what a “right” knee is supposed to look like). I’m just putting on a color matched outfit one leg and one arm at a time.
When We’re On The Phone And You Talk Real Cilantro: I go through phases in meal prep where I’ll hyper fixate on one certain meal and make it until I’m sick of it. (Though luckily that has yet to happen with overnight protein oats - my go-to breakfast.) Currently for dinner, it’s this spiced roasted eggplant with ground beef. The key part of the meal is a generous lavishing of cilantro stem sauce atop the entire thing. Sorry to those who just got a tingle of soap in their mouths at the mere mention of cilantro! If you are like me and love the herb, this is a very good meal prep.
Saving Her Best Tricks For the Grand Finale: Of course, I couldn’t not end this Note Pad without talking about Showgirl. We’re edging towards official release week and I’ll admit … I’m jittery! I must confess this might, in part, be because the album roll out has been relatively slim on details. The New Heights interview provided a strong start to launch the era, offering rare insight and charming candidness that hasn’t quite been replicated in the promotional efforts since. In its slipstream, there have been infinite countdowns culminating at a purchasable asset and the monetization of formerly free behind-the-scenes content.
But this is a reminder that two things can be true: A highly commercialized album rollout uncoupled from personal touch points can, at times, be uninspiring and those pay-to-play activations can have deep value for the right audience. No, there isn’t a minimum purchase barrier to being a fan (said as a collector who loves and has bought multiple variant covers!). Yes, The Party of a Showgirl has the real world benefit of turning theatres (who could certainly use the economic boost these days) into a globalized secret session for fans. It’s a lot of conflicting feelings to hold and to, perhaps unfairly, put on one entertainer. It’s worth remembering that we have a few confirmed talk show opportunities (Graham Norton on October 3 and Jimmy Fallon on October 6) to hear more, direct from Taylor, about this project. I also have my fingers crossed for a magazine spread!
I believe that excitement and nervousness are the same emotion through different eyes. Through one set, I look forward to hearing this chapter of her story we’re privileged to be given access to. To overlay the things she’s learned and experienced atop my own life. To parse our new favorite lyrics and metaphors. But I have to confess I’m still in knots over it all. Despite evidence to the contrary that I’ve yet to ever be disappointed by a Taylor album. Here I am. I’m just a sad girl standing in front of a glittering pop album asking it to be patient with me. And I know I’m not alone! As a sonic salve, in the lead up to release I listened to Taylor’s discography in chronological order. It was a soothing, methodical, meditative process. In doing so, I revisited the versions of me who first heard those songs and the versions of Taylor who first captured them for us to remember. In case you’re feeling on edge, I highly recommend it. Not just as a precursor to the great art we’re undoubtedly about to hear, but as a comforting reminder that the wealth of her discography is always there to fall back on whenever you need a safe place to land.
I’ve made my predictions about the style and the sound — now all that’s left is to hear it come to life.
The only other remaining decision? What to wear to my showing of The Party of a Showgirl! I’ll be heading to one of the showings on Friday afternoon and, naturally, I’m thinking about outfits! Going to Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour in theatres, I wore jeans and a sparkly bomber jacket hoping to hit the right middle ground between festive and casual. But I’m lately mulling over the importance of joy as a choice. Now, more than ever, joy feels so needed. Are we all aligned with leaning into the bit? Are we festooning ourselves with feathers and crystal bras for a jaunt to the theatre? My inspiration board is below - I’d love to know yours.
P.S. It’s possible the newest cover and its associated photos are my tip top favorites from all the variants. Which is a tall order as there’s a lot of them: eight, to be exact. This image strikes me as poignantly meta, steeped in symbolism that I’m hoping we get more insight on in the album itself. What do you think?
Your turn! A special final Showgirl edition before release:
What is your favorite album (right now) in Taylor’s discography?
What song are you “claiming” off The Life of a Showgirl?
What album cover is your favorite variant of The Life of a Showgirl?
If you’re attending a showing of The Party of a Showgirl - what are you wearing?
1. TTPD continues to be top in my rotation but since September hit I've been deep into Folklore & Evermore again
2. Eldest Daughter or Actually Romantic but I'm super curious about Opalite since it's Travis's favorite!
3. The Crowd is Your King is my absolute favorite and I'm SO bummed it doesn't come as a CD (I haven't started my Vinyl journey yet). Of those available in CD though, I'm torn between the It's Rapturous & the original Sweat & Vanilla Perfume cover.
4. It still feels like summer here in Oklahoma so probably my minty green fishnet rhinestone top with a mini skirt!
1. 1989 🩵
2. Elizabeth Taylor. Here to pick up whatever name Taylor drops.
3. The Tiny Bubble in Champagne is oh so glamorous and The Shiny Bug is oh so seductive.
4. Yes! I don’t own a spec of orange and might need to fix this by Friday. 🧡