Over the Moon
Happy Wednesday, everyone! Welcome back to Worn In, Worn Out. As always, please do let me know if a certain pick has caught your eye or strikes your fancy!
Botanical Bloomers
‘THISTLE’ ORGANIC WIDE LEG COTTON PANTS - THIEF AND BANDIT
I can’t believe I haven’t talked about Thief and Bandit for this newsletter before! I discovered their Etsy shop a few years ago and have been obsessed ever since. Based out of Nova Scotia, Thief and Bandit’s wild, nature-inspired designs evoke rich, riotous landscapes, the frenzied abundance of vegetation left unchecked. They’re printed on organic textiles using nontoxic, ocean-safe inks; the fabrics are then transformed into all manner of statement pieces, from flowy pants and dresses to comfy turtlenecks and intimates. Personally, I’m always up for a good pant, and this wide-legged pair could easily pull double duty — perfectly suited to a night on the town and a night in front of the TV.
Let Them Eat Mooncake
I can always tell when the mid-autumn moon festival is approaching because my dad will bring home a multi-tiered box of mooncakes. Mooncakes are an Asian delicacy consisting of thick pastry enveloping a sweet, calorically dense filling such as lotus seed paste, red bean, or pineapple; they’re often stuffed with a salted egg yolk to symbolize the moon. These mooncake earrings from Ada Chen, a NYC-based artist and jeweler, look so similar to the real thing that I want to take a bite out of them. Their trompe l'oeil effect is uncanny — they appear to be thick and dense, like a real mooncake, when in actuality they’re flat as a stroopwafel. Chen is running a sale until Sep. 14, so make sure you order in time to receive them before the festival begins on October 1.
Of Mice and Minestrone
MOUSE FIGURINE CERAMIC STONEWARE BOWL - SCATTERED FINGERS
Kate DiCamillo is one of the best children’s books writers — Because of Winn Dixie? The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane? Iconic! As a kid, though, my favorite of her books by far was The Tale of Despereaux, which tells the story of a tiny mouse named Despereaux who loves a princess and endeavors to rescue her from the evil rats. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the relationship between mice and soup bowls figures prominently in the story; although this bowl is quite petite, more suited to carrying salt or spices rather than soup, the curious little rosy-eared mouse peeping over the rim still makes me smile and think of Despereaux, whose courage in the face of staggering adversity is, I think, something we can all draw inspiration from.
Tried one of my recs and loved it (or hated it)? Wanna get something cool on my radar? Drop me a line at kittylguo@gmail.com, or swing by my Twitter @kitguo!