Note Pad, #8
What to do with 72 hours in Los Angeles, reflections on a successful no-buy, an unexpectedly great celebrity perfume, and is "Elizabeth Taylor" the third Showgirl single?
On a recent neighborhood walk, I saw them. Delicate pink buds pushing out from rain-darkened branches, their petals still lacquered with February drizzle. “You’re too early!” I actually said out loud.
And it was true. It was still late February — weeks shy of their usual late March debut around here. The calendar, dependable and orderly, insists on its sequence. Winter, then spring. Wait your turn. And yet, there they were. Soft pink cherry blossoms, unbothered by timing. Not consulting the forecast. Not checking whether the world felt “ready.” Just insistently blooming.
I stood there longer than necessary, considering the audacity of it. The boldness of appearing ahead of schedule. The refusal to shrink back simply because it isn’t technically your season. It’s a radical idea. To bloom when you’re “not supposed to.” To choose your own timeline. To not feel beholdened to optics or obligation. The blossoms didn’t ask permission. They didn’t poll the neighborhood group chat. They simply responded to the warmth they felt … and opened. Maybe that’s the lesson. That we don’t have to wait until everything is “just so” before stepping into light.
Cherry blossom season is one of my favorite times of year. It marks that a dear friend’s birthday is around the corner - someone lovely to celebrate. It cues saving daylight and a leap forward by an hour (by the way, the last one Vancouver is going to have!). But mostly because it is fleeting. Yet every year its ephemeral beauty coaxes us outside. This year, it seems, the bravest thing you can do is to just show up. On your own terms. Undeniably alive.
Kind of a lovely idea, right?
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A No-Buy Stuck In An Endless February: I successfully made it through a no-buy February. Sure, it’s the shortest month of the year. But an accomplishment is an accomplishment I say! Sometimes, a no-buy is an act of discipline: a conscious decision to close the tabs, step away from the cart, and not shop. And sometimes a no-buy isn’t restraint at all, it’s an outcome. The results from a closet that finally works, instincts that are well-trained, and a life full enough that you don’t feel the tug to buy! buy! buy! in the first place. I think it’s a good thing to train your shopping “muscles” - so to speak. I like to create as many barriers as possible ahead of buying. These are simple tricks that have saved me from dozens of impulse purchases in the past.
Some suggestions?
Build up guardrails — aka requirements — for items in your closet. Whether that’s Three Words or from a Color Analysis selection.
ICYMI: I’ve written previously on both these methods in defining my personal style.
Add items to a wishlist for a pre-determined time first before a cart
Add outfit ideas to a moodboard to make sure you can already envision multiple ways to wear that item with things you already own before it even makes its way into your closet.
Loving Clothes Was Red: Spinning the dial 180 from a “no buy” into “new buys” … hah! I recently lucked out with some new red pieces in my wardrobe. I’ve quickly slotted these into the Edgy category of my Three Words (Minimalist, Edgy, Classic). One thing I talk about often is that the Three Words to define your personal style are precisely that: yours. How you interpret them and manifest those ideals into your wardrobe are up to you to determine. I’ll basically always slide anything red, leopard, or leather under the Edgy header personally.
First, a pair of red sneakers. I’ve found Larroudé’s comfort to be hit/miss but these are definitely a hit. Every step I take I can immediately envision tromping these foam-padded soles on 20K+ step days through European cities. Divine!
Second, a chain-accented shoulder bag. This was my bag-of-choice on a recent whirlwind stint in Los Angeles (more on that below). It’s roomy, packs up well, and gives outfits a glam zing thanks to its gold chain detailing and poppy red hue.
Third, this utility-meets-cute chore jacket. I can admit to an impulse buy when I succumb to one. Woops! But my god does the Gap know how to do a sale. This came out to be 60% off total (it was already on sale with a stackable 30% off code ‘GREAT’ at checkout). A capricious purchase? Perhaps. But I’m confident it’s a keeper. You see, one area I’ve felt my closet could use help in is the liminal space that is shoulder weather. The brief snatches of time when a wool coat is too much but a knit on its own is utterly inadequate. Enter the light jacket. I look forward to layering this with denim or trousers this spring and into the fall.
In The Angels City Chasing A 72 Hour Itinerary: In February I leapt at the opportunity for a quick dip down to Los Angeles. When I tell you that an outside table under the sun in Venice, CA with a matcha latte gave me the strength to power through the rest of Vancouver’s chill? Not! An! Exaggeration! It was a fast trip with a mix of business and, for the first time, pleasure. It’s funny to think that I’ve been down to Los Angeles at least once a year the last five years or so — but always purely for work. Desksides, media events, book signings. All blessed things I’m grateful to have been able to do. But the chance to have even a few brief hours just for fun? I couldn’t turn that down. Here’s what I did — and packed — in an informal and rapid fire formatting.
DAY ONE: I took a morning flight down and spent my pre-boarding time answering emails. Maybe it’s the NEXUS card giving me a puffed-up sense of confidence, but I like to time my airport arrival to an hour from boarding. I find it’s the sweet spot for getting through security, grabbing a coffee, and posting up at my gate (I simply must LEOTG, diva!) with a comfortable enough buffer. This feels like personal growth to not have inherited my mother’s trait for arriving five hours before fly time. Yeesh! From gate to gate, a three hour gap in the air between YVR and LAX is - to me - a perfect length of time to grind out pitch responses and get some writing done.
For a comfy travel outfit, I wore these breezy pants* that are immune to wrinkling and have a very cool on-trend barrel shape, with a tee, flats, and a classic trench. I popped a sweater in my personal item to throw on to brace against the plane chill. Completely unfussed but also totally comfortable. Dare I say this is a new travel uniform? I got to my hotel in the early afternoon and somehow nailed the timing of my Goop Kitchen order to my room just as reception handed over my hotel key. SMOOTH! I shimmied upstairs for lunch and wrapped up work in the early evening before heading out to see a friend for dinner at Ronan’s on Melrose. The cocktails were delightful, the broccolini appie even better, the tiramisu somehow more so. The pizza was good, but shockingly wasn’t my best of the weekend. Spoiler ahead …
DAY TWO: A full day off to languish in L.A.! I met up with a friend in the morning to whiz up and down Runyon Canyon. It’s a Los Angeles rite of passage I’ve missed out on all these years that felt satisfying to finally check off my list. Before too long it was back to my hotel room for a quick change and an even quicker lunch. Yes, more Goop Kitchen delivered on premises and eaten on freshly turned-down hotel white bedsheets. And damnit if it wasn’t good. In the past I’ve stuck with GK’s bowls and salad rolls but this time I tried the pizza. My mind? Absolutely blown. What can I say, Gwyneth is a woman of taste.
For a stroll through the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, I churned out an easy uniform of blazer, tee, jeans, and flats. The peppy piece was my aforementioned red leather Demellier bag. The night was capped off with an early preview of “Wuthering Heights”.
ICYMI: I wrote a piece to make a case for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” and - of course - all! the! fashion. Read below!
The best part of Los Angeles traffic? Tons of time to blast Showgirl with a west coast sunset painting the world outside the windows. Fragments of my girlhood heal every time I scream a Taylor Swift bridge with friends while on the road to somewhere, together.
DAY THREE: All too soon it was already time to head home. I squeezed in a workout in the hotel gym (is it weird if one of my favorite things about travel is lurking about new exercise spots and seeing what machines they have?) and dashed off some hours of work. For a pre-flight meal I went to an L.A. favorite of mine: Great White. Their interiors are always what I associate with coastal California design. The Venice location is situated a neat 20 minutes to LAX which I promptly headed to afterwards for the flight home. I find getting dressed on the last day of a trip is easy as you only have so many clean clothes left in your luggage. Often, I’ll return to what I wore on the flight out with a fresh top. This time, I had special plans immediately upon landing so I chose to remix the blazer from the other day with a different tee and jeans. Slightly dressier! And that’s also a “YES” to jeans on planes!
Vals and Gals: I hopped off the plane at YVR and … drove straight to an early Valentine’s dinner with my sweet husband at our favorite place. It’s then I learned that there really might be something to what they say about meeting at the restaurant … the sparks! I had butterflies walking from my car. When I finally entered the space, I glanced around in the dim light and saw him tucked into a table for two at the back with my favorite cocktail (a mezcal negroni) already waiting for me. Smooooooooth. Future date nights: Take notes. By contrast, another date that was important to keep? A Galentine’s outing. Our group (minus one who sadly couldn’t make it) is always down for an activity. So we gave pottery a whirl! This is my PSA that I think it’s important to do things you are not good at. It keeps you humble. And I am terrible at basically any creative tactile activity. Painting, knitting, drawing - you name it and I am bad at it. I’m excited to see what my blobby clay lumps will look like once all fired up and glazed.
Does anyone here know the lyrics to this … Bridge-rton: Am I about the last person alive to jump on the Bridgerton train? In all likelihood yes. It was either finally give a new show a go … or watch Grey’s Anatomy for the umpteenth time. Needless to say I just finished season two and, on friendly recommendation, am skipping season three in favor of the latest eight episode drop. The shoulder pan in That Scene? Full shivers.
Leave The Perfume On the Shelf: I’m a bit of a perfume hoarder. I love a fragrance! While I have my forever favorites, I’m always open to rotating in new scents. On a whim, I gave Bella Hadid’s Orabella a go with their Discovery Set. Shockingly, the absolute runaway favorite for me was Salted Muse described as a “woody marine” scent that, indeed, smells like an oceanside forest. Nightcap is for sweet and heady gourmand lovers and I thought Window2Soul was a fresher take on a classic rose palette (a note I turn to often in the spring … groundbreaking!).
If We Survived The Great Ticket War: I truly feel like I lucked out last month when I managed to grab tickets to not only Noah Kahan but also Hilary Duff! WOOP! Now, I’ve got until January 2027(!) for the Lucky Me Tour but I feel like I simply can’t pass up the opportunity to wear something nostalgic. What are we thinking, friends? Sparkly tube tops? Chokers? Rhinestone denim? We must dish.
In The Papers, On The Screen, and In Exclusive Vinyls: In Taylor news, this week we received the announcement that a special version of “Elizabeth Taylor” on vinyl would be dropping as part of Record Store Day. RSD, as it’s shortened to, is an annual event which celebrates independent record stores through the release of limited-edition vinyls. Taylor has participated in RSD since her debut era. She’s so far released RSD-exclusive variants for Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red (2012), and 1989. More recently, Taylor has pivoted to releasing single songs for RSD participation beginning with “the lakes” in 2022 and “Fortnight” in 2025. The “Elizabeth Taylor” vinyl will release in limited quantities to participating stores on April 18 with more information on the official Record Store Day website here. Might this give us an inclination that “Elizabeth Taylor” will be The Life of a Showgirl’s third single? I can only hope! It’s one of my favorite tracks off the album. I’m already picturing the music video visuals … swoon!
I resisted the siren call of vinyl collecting for years. But last year I finally decided to dip a toe in by hunting down all the green Taylor pressings. Including acquiring the elusive opaque version of the evermore vinyl. I sourced mine from Germany! Aren’t they just dreamy all collected together like so?
Call it collecting … with boundaries. Personally, it relieves a bit of participatory stress for me and a way to join the fun on my terms without fully spiralling into the stacks.
Your turn! Would you please answer these for me?
What’s your go-to color “pop” in your outfits?
What are your favorite short trips you’ve been on?
How early do you show up for flights?
Favorite perfume?
Are you going to any concerts this year?
What do you hope will be the next few single(s) off The Life of a Showgirl?
Hello, I'd love to stay and chat but I'm now off to find all of Taylor's blue vinyl pressings because you are an inspiration in sophisticated collections and my blue is your greeeeeeen.
1. I’ve been loving a raspberry pink either as a blush & lipstick or as a beanie
2. Last weekend I was in Tromsø (north of Norway) for a trip with friends. It’s a place renowned for how easy it is to see the northern lights and well… it did not disappoint! What a magical place.
3. I typically like to be early, but it depends on many factors. My closest airport has really good food and shopping options so I don’t mind hanging there a while before my flight.
4. I’m obsessed with “missing person” by phlur. I feel like it’s the most “me” perfume I have ever smelled.
5. I’m going to see Olivia Dean in May and I’m very excited about it!
6. To be honest, I’m not as invested in this album cycle because the album is at the bottom of my ranking. 😅 Father Figure could be a good choice, but I feel like the song is so visual already that it doesn’t NEED a MV. I am more curious to see how she would translate Elizabeth Taylor into a MV.