Weekend Reads for the Long Holiday Weekend
Weekend Reads
I was watching a video about a woman sharing her tiny house, and she shared she's working on SafeParkHer, a community of women focused on helping each other find safe overnight parking. A woman who left an abusive relationship and ended up living on the streets for a bit, she has dedicated a part of her home to give women a safe place to park overnight, and build this resource to help women across the country. You can learn more at this person's TikTok account (videos can be seen on desktop without needing an account).
Iran, Explained. (Sh*t You Should Care About on Substack)
50 Years On, My Brain Remains Shaped by The Ramones. (Oldster on Substack)
Why listening parties are everywhere right now. (Dazed)
I love the shape of this low-heel boot.
A ‘Holy Grail' Sleep Apnea Pill Could Be On The Market Next Year. (Forbes)
The Wondrous World of Elle Fanning. (WhoWhatWear)
How rethinking your relationship with time could give you more of it. (NewScientist)
How Does New Music Help Us Resolve the Art vs. Artist Debate? (New Bands for Old Heads on Substack)
E.L.F., Revlon, and Bath & Body Works Suing the Current Administration Over Tariffs. (Allure)
Kids aren't learning to spell anymore. (Mashable)
Don't need this coat but gosh do I love it.
Fashion tech executive arrested for alleged $300 million fraud. (ABC)
Estrogen and Your EARS. (Menopause: The Inside Info on Substack)
If you're looking for an alternative for Dry January, Mary & Jane has provided the Wardrobe Oxygen community code ALISON20 for 20% off!
What I got at the DC Rent the Runway sample sale. (The Laundry Pile on Substack)
It's Worse Than You Think And I Need Your Help. (Yes & Yes on Substack)
OMG, size-inclusive organic cotton pajamas covered with doggies! Could it get any better? How about matching PJs for a guy in your life? And a matching eye mask?
Virality Without Velocity: The Pat McGrath Labs Lesson. (Camille Moore on Substack)
Are you being a ‘Jessica’? How the internet crowned the millennial version of the Karen. (The Independent)
Style Inspo and Sale Report
It's a holiday weekend, so that means sales!
Banana Republic Factory has 50% off everything, plus an extra 20% off your purchase AND an extra 20% off sale. This sale ends the 20th. This denim coat is so chic, and these pants are stylish and an easy alternative to jeans while being nice enough for the office.
The Margaux Archive Sale is on and this is a good sale. It’s one of the few times when Margaux opens the archive doors to feature past collaboration styles, retiring colors, and silhouettes that only have a few pairs left in—and it’s also when some of the best deals of the entire year can be found. You can shop the sale at this link; I am partial to the Petra (both colors), the Downtown Boot, and the Yves in any color.
Lands' End has 50% off sitewide. These days, this isn't unusual for Lands' End, but this includes sale and clearance which is already up to 75% off and there's free shipping on orders $50+. Personally, I recommend before perusing anything else on the site, go to Sale & Clearance and then narrow down to your size. You're going to find gems like one of my favorite Breton tops starting at less than $25, iconic canvas totes for $30, fleeces for less than $20, and packable down jackets for less than $80.
The Bose Winter Sale is now through January 19th with savings up to 70% off and new sales happening each day of the event. Some of the best deals I saw in the sale were the Ultra Open Earbuds are $70 off and the Plum QuietComfort Ultra headphones are $150 off.
The Colleen Rothschild Anniversary Sale is going on with 25% off sitewide, and 30% Off $200+. I've used this skincare for a decade, and find it high quality and I never break out with it. I think this is the best winter face cream if you find many greasy, and I just got this body cream for the first time and it's utterly decadent and my skin feels so soft and hydrated with it. And my husband swears by these pads; he doesn't do skincare but he keeps them on his nightstand and wipes his face before bed and it keeps his skin clear without drying out.
fringe top | leather vest | white top | leather shorts | faded jeans | white jeans | fringe skirt | leather jacket | wool coat | boots | flats | sandals | ring | chunky belt | narrow belt | black purse | leopard purse
The Rag & Bone End of Season Sale is live and running through Monday, January 19th with up to 75% off select styles at this link. For brands like this, I say buy super classic or go super novel. No faux leather, no barrel jeans, no raw hems, no weird lengths of denim. I made a mini capsule of my picks above; know since this is a serious sale items are selling fast so I cannot guarantee stock at the time of publishing.
Over at Spanx, there is an extra 30% off sale styles. This includes a lot of AirEssentials, which is Spanx's loungewear collection with a cult following. I recently got the barrel leg pants (yay petite) and a half-zip from the collection and I get the appeal. It's soft and not too heavy and washes up great and looks dressier than sweats. However, I am surprised that in the year of our Lord 2026 there are no pockets in the pants. Come now, Spanx, you have near perfection!
The M.M.LaFleur End-of-Season Sale is going on now with an extra 25% off all sale styles and just this week they added new pieces to the mix. If you attended my shopping event last year at the Georgetown M.M.LaFleur boutique and wish you got something, those items are in this sale. This is the jacket I was wearing at the event; it's so chic. I own and love this dress and this belted jacket and this elevated t-shirt dress and I really love this top.
Hear/See/Read
We sat down to watch TRON: Ares and I began having an internal, and then external dialogue. Why would a digital robot have long hair? I get the original TRON had frisbee weapons and motorbikes but it felt really cheesy in 2025. Gosh, Greta Lee is beautiful. Gosh, Jodie Turner-Smith is beautiful. Gosh, Jared Leto was always beautiful but now he looks like… did he get some work done? We turned it off and my husband finished it another day without me.
This week I finished the novel Heartwood by Amity Gage. My husband in passing said he wanted one day to hike the Appalachian Trail and it inspired me to read it. It's the story of a woman in midlife who gets lost while hiking the AT, but that makes it sound sad, or like a thriller, and it's neither of those. The novel centers around three strong women in the second half of life who don't know each other, but end up connected. And through the story, the three women get to better understand themselves and their relationships with others.
I found a sense of peace reading this, and it was enjoyable to read a book that was both easy and had me questioning if I knew the exact definition of each word. Gage has a way with words, and Heartwood makes me want to read more of her work.
For Your Entertainment
I am decades-long Robyn fan. It may be the Mandela effect as I can't find it online, but I recall seeing her perform at The Peach Pit After Dark on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. “Show Me Love” was my JAM in the 90s. I saw Robyn at Bonnaroo in 2012 and at Wolf Trap in 2014 and would totally see her again and again. Robyn is proof that no genre of music has a specific age limit; at 46 she is still creating sexy pop dance bangers like “Talk to Me.“
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Alison, I enjoyed Heartwood so much as well. Initially, I thought it wouldn’t be for me, but a friend who reads a lot recommended it to me & she was right. It’s a good novel. I realized I’d read Sea Wife a few years ago (another book by Gaige), which I liked, but I think Heartwood was better.
I would love to see you wearing your Spanx outfit. That fabric is indeed incredible but it irks me that most of the pants do not have pockets. I agree with you—it’s 2026– come on! I actually bought a matching set from Talbots last year, in their version of this, AirKnit Stretch. The pants are a wide-leg cropp, with pockets. I first got a cap sleeve matching top but picked up a quarter zip in the fall. My pieces are all Indigo, so it was easy to match. I love them so much—incredibly soft, comfortable, plus they wash & dry well. And pockets—did I mention pockets!?
The school education situation in the U.S. is so, so bad now. We supposedly live in one of the top-ranked school districts in the U.S. My 5th grader is in a portable classroom with 34 other kids. There’s no paraeducator. I don’t have the faintest idea of how the teacher is able to teach, let alone maintain her sanity. MY kiddo regularly relays stories of other kids in class who steal, break things, or simply don’t show up. I feel lucky they get vocabulary (with prefix related lists) each week, but so much of their education seems glued to Chromebooks. And I’m furious about the push of AI, and so grateful my kiddo is already dubious about its value and knows to add “-ai” to any search they do.
Menopause and Ears?! And you have mentioned itchy ears…oh thank you for being the one that WILL talk about all these things.
Thank you for sharing the post from Minnesota. I’m mostly off social media and had no idea it was this bad.