There is always one question women ask when they meet my wife for the first time. That question is never “where did you grow up?” or “what do you do for a living?” Rather it’s “where did you get that/those _______?”
The blank above can be filled in with any of the following words: shoes, dress, shirt, pants, purse, clutch, bracelet, necklace, eye shadow, bottled water, toenail polish, blah blah blah! This conversation usually leads to my wife pulling out her 0.01 artist pen and writing down where all these items can be found.
I can’t really say that Carrie spends a lot of time looking for or researching these amazing items, instead these items seem to find her. Who knows, this week’s Roundup list might have just found you, too… Enjoy!
-Matt
- Mom’s picture frame. My mom and dad always had this picture frame in their bedroom when I was little. It contained a candid of my mom and our collie dog, Bo. Something happened to the picture, so I took the empty frame out of Mom and Dad’s attic 7 years ago. It now sits by my bedside, with a picture of me and Matt on our wedding day. Mom’s not in the picture frame, but I have it by my bed so I think of her first thing when I wake up.
- Wes Lang art. I fell head over heels for his art just 2 weeks ago. Matt and I have collected art separately (and then together after we got married), so I sent him the link to check out. He replied, “Shut up. I’ve been looking at this guy’s stuff for the past month and love it!” Maybe that means we’ll find a place for a piece of his work in our home someday. Love, love, love it. (Vintage collector-legend Bob Melet has an exhibit of Lang’s work up at his Melet’s Mercantile pop-up shop in Montauk this summer. Look at it now.)
- Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We have hundreds of books on the shelves, but honestly, I have not read even one book in 3 years. I think I might try to start a book tonight. I am compelled to go pull out Tender Is The Night because I never finished when I started it 15 years ago. A friend of mine has been reading it and underlining good passages.
- By Terry Lip Balm. I wear a dab of cream blush on my cheeks, sometimes mascara, but always Aquaphor on my lips, topped with By Terry lip balm with SPF 15. My friends/i+w teammates Rhett and Jessica gave me my first pot of By Terry for my birthday last year. It is hands down the best lip balm I have tried. And my sisters would tell you that I have tried them all. I’m still using the same pot – good thing, because it is pricey! Totally worth it as a simple, long lasting and very hydrating treat.
- Imogene Slim. Good ole Imogene was the first fit that we designed for women. In my opinion, it was the best and most versatile fit in the early days and will run the race and win best fit in the end. I still wear the original proto that we made 4 years ago. Imogene Slim is really just Imogene, but from the knee down to the hem… more slim. It’s a dream come true to watch the reactions of women – of all different sizes, shapes and needs – when they slide it on for the first time.
- Pamela Love talon cuff. Emily Holt, fashion news editor of Vogue, connected me with Pamela Love recently. Just last week, I had the real pleasure of hanging with Pamela in her NYC studio. Pamela was honored by Vogue CFDA as runner-up in 2011, and is undoubtedly one of the world’s most talented jewelry designers today. More so than that, she is an honest, humble, uber creative (albeit simple) woman. We are so honored to be carrying her collection in our shop starting next week, including this talon cuff from her Classic Collection. What I love about her design philosophy: she never retires a piece from her past collections. She will make you anything from the past in the present.
- Anthro wallpaper. Matt and I bought a new house in early spring. Our past dwellings, as well as our workspace at i+w, have been full of a crap ton of stuff… and a lot of color. This go around, we challenged ourselves to purge, keeping everything white and mostly clutter-free. I might be getting ready to break that handshake I made with Matt. I’ve always wanted black wallpaper with a pattern for a small bathroom.
- Mexican candles. We burn a lot of candles at home and at the shop. There’s one very specific smell that I like, and actually, we are in the process of developing our own candle for i+w. Until we get it just right, I prefer to light one Apothia “Soul” candle (available at the shop) and a dozen or more Mexican candles every night – the unscented ones in the tall glass pillars. I get them at the grocery store for $1 or so each.
- Vintage denim western shirt. My brother found this for me at a flea market on the west coast 15 years ago. My friends make fun of me because I wear it, at minimum, 4-5 times a week. It is the perfect fit and patina. It’s like my blanky! Nestor and Gloria, our husband and wife pattern-making and sewing duo, have patched and mended the elbows and shoulders over and over and over again.
- Sea salt soap. Honestly, we ordered this soap to sell in the store because I loved the simple packaging and the cheap price of $7. Little did I know that it would become my favorite part of my shower or bath ritual. It’s a real scrub down, as good as a trip to the Turkish Hammam. The soap has a bunch of sea salt chunks in it. Call our shop to order a few – we’ll ship it to you if you aren’t in Nashville.
- Turkish cologne. First of all, big note: this is NOT cologne. And this is for sure not mouthwash. The first time my dad went to Turkey, he stayed at the guest house of our future business partners. A bottle just like this was sitting on the bathroom counter. He assumed it was mouthwash, so he took a big swig, and you can imagine the rest of the story! Blaghhh! I laugh every time I remember this. Turkish cologne is a very traditional ritual of cleaning your hands when leaving the restroom and is passed around after meals. I lived in Istanbul for 3 or so years and have had it around ever since. I always bring back a stock of bottles when we go to visit. If you don’t find yourself in Istanbul anytime soon, order some from tulumba.com.
- Givenchy calf hair sandal. I used to buy a lot of cheap shoes. And now I only have a very few pair of nice shoes that I will save forever. We actually got this Givenchy calf hair pump to use in our Autumn 2012 photoshoot. I was the only one there to try it on, so it’s my size! A bit fancy, but when you wear the same thing everyday, a little dab will do ya.
- i+w D-Pocket leather jacket. I never have owned a leather jacket unless it was a vintage one that Matt has found along the way. I just never have found the perfect one. So… we made it. Dark dark brown, supple deer skin leather with vintage brass zippers. Fits like a glove, and the lining fabric has a bit of stretch in it so you can really move. Available in extremely limited quantities on our Anthropologie page this week, and then we will offer 5 more in our shop and online in a couple of weeks.
- Délice cheese. The proper way to eat this delicacy of cheese is on a piece of bread or a cracker, I suppose. I choose to eat it with a spoon, standing at the open fridge. I only buy it on Fridays for the weekend, and when it’s gone, I get really down. I get it at our neighborhood butcher shop, or at Whole Foods. No matter where you are, just find it.
- Frankie’s Olive Oil. We cook a quite a bit. And really just with oils, a ton of garlic and salt and pepper. I tried this olive oil at our friends’ Dan and Steph’s house. It is really the best finishing oil for salads. It’s also our friend Andrew Knowlton’s favorite – as restaurant editor at Bon Appétit, he’s tried them all.
- Vintage Gucci doctor’s bag. My work bag. It is really huge, and most likely from the 50s. I found this the first time I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasedena, California 15 years ago. The guy that sold it to me is STILL at the Rose Bowl every month. He, to this day, gives me a hard time for talking him down to such a good deal. I carry it every day, with the exception of some necessary breaks. It’s getting old, and I want to pass it down to one of my nieces, or hopefully, our little girl someday.
- Joan Crawford “C” glasses. Matt doesn’t shower me with gifts, and I am glad about that. But boy when he does, it is very special. These glasses were my wedding gift from him. There are 12 little ones like in the picture and 14 a bit bigger. They were Joan Crawford’s. My brother helped Matt find them from an estate sale dealer. I really prefer to use things rather than just putting them on a shelf because they are pretty. We use these glasses daily. Every time I pour juice for my nieces and nephews and other little buddies, or pour wine for a table of dinner guests, or milk for Matt with his dinner – I wonder on what occasions Mrs. Crawford used them in her Hollywood Hills pad. She goes down in history as one of the top 10 best actresses to date. But I just learned that she was apparently a pretty crappy, abusive mom. Ugh. There goes my romantic daydream of her sipping from the same glass.
- McCarty’s Pottery coffee cups. Again, a kind gift from two of our dear friends, Nick and Lina. Lee and Pup McCarty, another husband and wife team, started making pottery in 1950. They really did master creating artistic and functional pieces all in one, a trait that I really admire. I drink coffee out of one of our two cups every morning. Something about the raw finished clay keeps coffee (or tea) reallllly hot. And soup, too. Even more special, each piece that they have ever made has a dark and muddy black spill down the side, representing their home state’s river, the Mississippi.
- Community Supported Agriculture. We finally joined a CSA this year. I wish everyone would. Tuesday is a morning that I always look forward to, because I know the delivery is coming. Every several weeks, our box is different, depending on the crops in season. We incorporate it into our meals at home, but have done a poor job, thus far, of using it all. We end up sending stuff home with our team throughout the week. Maybe next season we will split it with another family.
- Jessie Baylin Little Spark. Rarely is there an album that I listen to in full, over and over. But Jessie Baylin’s latest is that album for me. I think I love it so much because I know how hard she labored on this album. She knew exactly what she wanted to create, and couldn’t risk anything getting in the way of that vision. So she left her label deal on the table and debuted this album independently. You might pick up on some of her inspirations here and there, but she has no need to be Dusty Springfield or Stevie Nicks. She is really good just as Jessie. If I had to pick a favorite song, it would be… “Hurry, Hurry” or “I Feel That Too” or shit! “Yuma.”
- Cutting board. When not working, I want to be cooking. I love every minute of the preparation, especially with a big ole cutting board like this to prep on (I also use it as a big serving base for cheese and charcuterie pre-meal grazing when we have guests for dinner). I found this in Austin, Texas a couple of years ago at the sweetest shop ever - Spartan. If she isn’t carrying them in her online store, just call the shop. She is lovely.
Photo of Carrie by Jeff Vallee.
