Everything I wore and more

Hiya!

I’m back in the swing of things after taking some time off… I was so touched by how my last letter resonated with many of you! Taking a moment to zoom out and live in the moment was a nice reset… especially during summer! Sweet, fleeting summer! Today I’m sharing a recap of our trip - everything I wore, the best things I ate, did, etc! This is a long one, so be sure to read in the app or your browser if it gets cut off. Let’s dive right in!

IYKYK how good Minnesota is. Truly an underrated gem. We have a little family reunion of sorts here every summer at my late grandmother’s lake house and it was sooo special to bring Lucia along this year. We swam in the lake, played tennis, ate outside, played cards, and spent real quality time together.

I wore my white jeans a ton (duh). In fact, they were the only jeans I brought! Wore them on the plane which is risky with a baby, but I like to live dangerously! It ended up being a little chilly, so I borrowed my mom’s Buck Mason sweats which are so nice, I now need for myself! As for swimwear, my Eterne one pieces are on heavy rotation! Just so good and under $200?! Say less. Also loved wearing my Rashi x Alex Eagle suit. Speaking of swim, Pech is such a cool new brand that I’m really excited about. Things are very casual by the lake, so lots of shorts. Forever a hero in my life/suitcase is a denim button down. A perfect summer layer.

We made some amazing meals at home with my family and even had a little marriage ceremony for my uncle! Nothing chicer than a family wedding by the lake with pizza for lunch and white bunting in the trees. Take notes people! Some culinary highlights were the ribs and cornbread, BLT’s for lunch, honeyberry milkshakes and burgers at Gordy’s Hi-Hat, oh and my brother’s girlfriend casually made homemade cavatelli on the dock and served it up with Marcella Hazan’s iconic tomato butter sauce. Can you say dream girl?!

My heart was soooo full after a week in Minnesota with my sweet baby, husband, and family, I couldn’t believe we had more fun ahead! We hopped on a plane to NYC and the second half of our trip began. We based ourselves in my old neighborhood at the beautiful Nine Orchard. We’ve stayed there several times before, but this was extra lovely. They were so welcoming and accommodating with Lucia and provided a crib in our room for her. We had so much fun ordering room service and playing with her on the crisp hotel sheets. It’s definitely the perfect location for us with everything we love in arms reach plus the Swan Room and Corner Bar downstairs for breakfast meetings and afternoon spritzes, respectfully. Special thanks to the amazing doormen that hyped us up every time we saw them.

We had a jam packed couple days in the city where we spent time with family, agents, went to a friend’s 40th bday party, and managed to snag dinner at Lei, one of my new favorite restaurants. Put it at the top of your NY list. We also did a fair bit of shopping! I had to do some updated digitals at my agency and realized I didn’t have the right outfit (the sporty shorts from Minnesota weren’t gonna cut it), Reformation to the rescue! Popped into their LES shop and made a beeline for the Cynthia jean and a perfect little white T. We also went to Makie to pick up a baby gift - sooooo good. And the forecast was a bit wet, so we found a raincoat for Ned at Brut Archive and some really cool Sperry x Colbo shoes. Also, FYI, there is a cute little photobooth located on Allen just above Canal if you’re into that kind of thing and I have a hunch that you are. It was just a dream to cruise around with Miss Baby, show her the old hood, and where her mom and dad first started dating. Memories!!!

Best NY bites:

• Elbow Bread turkey sandwich and cherry shrub. So freaking good wow.

• Beef tartare at Lei Wine. OMFG! Even if you’re scared of beef tartare, you won’t be afterwards.

• Primo spritz, fries and shrimp cocktail at Corner Bar

• Louise from Oat Bakery tipped me off to the breakfast sandwich at Nine Orchard and wow… it is a beast! Very good if you are hungover hehe.

Next, we picked up our rental car at JFK and headed out to the Hamptons. Shoutout Sixt - the best rental car experience ever and no this is not an ad, though I wish it was! Miss Baby was a total dream for nearly the entire trip, but this car ride was….. Not her favorite. I also begged Ned to drive us to the North Fork so we could pick up a pie. The pie in question was the raspberry cream pie from Briermere Farms and spoiler alert, it was absolutely worth the detour. I’ve been dreaming of this pie for over a year so, I’m thrilled it lived up to the hype. A feast for the eyes and the mouth!

Once we arrived in Amagansett, we quickly settled into the chill out east beach life.

My favorite things we saw/did/ate:

• Grilled mahi mahi bowl from Doubles

• The aforementioned raspberry cream pie

• These loafers at The Row

• Everything at Galerie Sardine including my new favorite T shirt bought from the kids section

• Tart Blackberry jam from Jamagansett

• Homemade Durban Curry paired with a chilled Grenache from Swartland, South Africa

• The wallpaper at my sister-in-law’s house

• A walk through the back gardens at Amber Waves and pushing Lucia on the swings

What I wore!

I am a Matteau girl through and through. The silky polka dot top and the white broderie dress were big winners. Also, the tomato crinkle bikini is so perfect. I’m really obsessed with my little Jenni Kayne bucket bag. It’s the perfect size and I am reaching for it daily! These are the best cutoff shorts, I’ve worn them probably 20 times in the past 2 months. In a happy accident, I grabbed two different Dorsey earrings and love wearing one Odette and one pear cut! I think it looks cool and fun. Speaking of jewelry, I’ve been wearing my turquoise beads from Parisian brand Ivarene. My Lack of Colour hat was in heavy rotation as well. I think I need another color! Truthfully, I didn’t care too much about what I was wearing this trip and that just felt normal and nice to just ‘be’.

There once was a time when I was the undisputed Carry-On Queen. Now that we have a baby, times have changed. We packed all of Lucia’s stuff (and some of my overflow hah) into a large Away suitcase. This included diapers, her little towel, bathtime accoutrement, all of her clothes, sound machine, bottles, etc. We also packed this cool blanket we used on the beach and on the lawn so she could roam around. It folded up pretty small for how big it is and I was glad we had it! I also got us all new packing cubes. Cutie colors for Lucia and compression for me and Ned! This hanging organizer was gifted to us by a very seasoned travel mom and it was really helpful keeping all these tiny clothes together! Ned and I used our usual carryons but I feel like since we are going to be checking bags now, I might opt for a bit more room myself in the future. The Alex Mill tote is SUCH a good personal item which we stuffed with all of Lucia’s favorite things. I used my beloved Cecilia tote which now comes in Bordeaux and Saddle! Also, if you have a small baby, the Doona stroller is so great for travel as it converts right into a carseat! Genius.

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Well, that was a lot to unpack, literally, and if you made it all the way here, you’re a star! Hope you have an amazing weekend just a reminder that we have plenty of summer left, so live it up!! We’re going to a baseball game tonight which will be super fun! Also, has anyone seen The Invite? It’s incredible. If you enjoy Amuse Bouche, give us a heart! Big hugs and thanks as always for being here.

xo

Michèle

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