FFT, No.9

Five Fine Things including rainwear, fast-fashion, basket systems, and vinegar.

It’s cliché to say “I can’t believe it’s already March,” but I really can’t! I feel like it’s still the new year, and also that it’s already June. For some reason time is feeling jumbled this year. We have been slugging through the final (hopefully) bits of winter here in NYC and had a few cold and rainy days this week that really were a drudge. Then, this weekend spring came through, everyone emerged from hibernation, and the vibes in the city are HIGH! Below I included my favorite way to handle what was a rainy week, because rain is season-less and can be chic!

I took a poll on my last letter asking if you prefer I use product photos or photos of my own, and the vote was a far majority for personal photos. That’s what I was hoping for and felt inclined to do anyways. We see product photo recommendations all day, and my hope is that seeing the actual product in my hands, or on me, makes it easier for you to envision it in your own life, which is what I hope these recommendations make you want to do.

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to my new favorite podcast, “Good Hang” with Amy Poehler, which is just that. I love how easily she laughs and how casual she is. I’m on the episode with Ina Garten who I just adore. I didn’t grow up watching her but randomly read her memoir and fell in love. Then, this fall, I was at a cafe for breakfast and found myself sitting next to her... she ended up insisting we join her and her friend at their table and we had the best time. Now I’m a fan for life.

If you don’t follow Fewer Finer on Instagram already, please do! We always share a roundup of happenings from the past week that is always our most loved post. Our recent roundup of hand engravings is SO good! And, yesterday we re launched for a limited time (just this next month) our Katy Charm, which is a reinterpretation of a French Love Token!

With that, Five Fine Things:

1. Marfa Stance Rain Coat and Fur Vest

   

   My outerwear uniform on this rainy week

   This is the most expensive rain coat you may have ever seen, but I really can make a great case for it! Firstly, all you need is one great raincoat to last your whole life, and unlike other jackets, I am totally happy to wear the same coat on all rain occasions for the rest of my life so the cost per wears works it self out. On top of that, the cut and fir of this is just gorgeous. It is made with such great attention to detail and looks polished yet utilitarian, which is the perfect combo for a rain jacket that can apply to all occasions. And, importantly, it’s actually water proof, not resistant. Additionally, the fur vest they make is one of my all time favorite clothing items I own (mine is all black, which I much prefer to the color linked). I wear it under almost every jacket throughout the cold months of winter, and it works especially well under the raincoat. It also looks very chic on its own as temps warm up. I love this piece so much that I also bought the cropped cream version if that helps validate my endorsement! Note: Marfa Stance does really limited runs of their pieces and so many colors/cuts sell out and aren’t brought back, so check TheRealReal which has a good collection of their stuff!

2. H&M Edition

   

   The $85 H&M Edition top that you should get too!

   I try to shop in person over online when I can. I find it saves time, returns, and lets me see things I may not have otherwise. And, I try to skip fast fashion, especially lately as I’ve found that stuff is the first to go when I edit down my closet and think about the pieces I like to wear most. But, this week, after a morning breakfast event for the launch of my friend Sarah Lederman’s new brand, I popped into H&M on my way to the train after seeing a different top in the window. Once in, I saw this top and was shocked by the $85 price tag, considering it’s H&M. But then I proceeded to remove one sleeve and put it on over my clothes (I hate having to find the dressing room) and was surprised by how much I loved it! It is from the H&M Edition line, which I learned is there nicer make, better materials line. I bought it (size XS), along with this perfect heavy weight t-shirt (size L) and these surprisingly cute braided flats. I would never have discovered these had I not dropped in. And because I did, I could quickly weed through the stuff that may have looked good online but was actually cheap and not for me. It was a win!

3. Ume Plum Vinegar

   

   Ume Plum Vinegar is an ingredient I assume most people don’t know about that I cannot live without, so I want to share the love for it here. I’ll preface with the fact that I like salt things! This ingredient is a salty, sour tasting vinegar made of the liquid from pickled (with salt) Japanese plums. It adds a unique salty flavor to everything. My favorite ways to use it: Drizzled over vegetables after roasting, to make a quick and perfect salad dressing with just the addition of olive oil and cracked black pepper, put on a half avocado eaten with a spoon, lightly dressed on toast with goat cheese, or to top fried eggs (before wrapping them into a toasted corn tortillas with sun-dried tomatoes and avocado - which is my current breakfast obsession!). Try it!

4. Front Door Basket System

   

   Baket lover!

   I love a good basket, and have countless throughout our house in different places, and for various purposes. We have toy baskets, under bed baskets, laundry baskets, snack baskets… the list goes on! But my two favorite baskets are my front door basket and my bottom stair basket. The front door basket is where I keep all of my purse things so that I can “unload” into there at the end of the day, and reload into a new purse the next day. It holds more than just what I take day-to-day - like my camera, extra lip glosses, mini salt packets - essentially anything I might want to bring with me for the day. I love that unloading into here means that I don’t have 12 chapsticks scattered in different bags and if I do want to change my bag or what’s in it, it’s right at the door for me to do on my way out.

   Then, at the base of our stairs, we have this perfect little basket that I use as a catch-all for anything that needs to go upstairs. Since we live in a townhouse, it’s two flight of stairs up to the bedrooms and I feel like I’m always taking things up and down. I love that the basket is a place to hold everything that needs to go up without it over crowding.

   Both baskets I’ve had for awhile and are no longer available, but here are some good alternatives:

   Front Basket: Lidded Basket, Rattan with Lid

   Stair Basket: Double Step Basket, Utility Basket

5. Never Resist a Generous Urge

   I heard this phrase/saying early in the new year and I can’t stop hearing it play in my head. I think it resonates for me because I’ve always thought of myself as a generous person, but I realized I don’t always act on those small impulses to practice generosity. Sometimes I think it’s too much, unnecessary, or I simply get distracted and move on to the next thing.

   Since keeping this phrase top of mind, I’ve tried to lean into those “urges” instead brushing them off. The actions themselves are simple: texting a friend to check on her after some hard stuff she mentioned a few weeks before; picking up an extra goat cheese for my nanny who loves the one we buy; being especially kind to a cashier who seems like they’re having a long day; ordering a book for a friend because it reminded me of her; bringing treats in for my team just because it felt like it would be fun.

   I share this not to sound holier-than-thou (I am far from it), but as a reminder of how many small opportunities there are to practice generosity. All those above examples were things I acted on because I had this little mantra in my head. They started as a small “urge” that I could have easily ignored if I’d simply moved on to the next thing. Since being more intentional about acting on them, I’ve genuinely felt a difference. I’d love to know if you do too.

Until next week,

Madison