I read my favorite blog a few times a week, a blog that shall remain nameless here because it’s so good, so polished and so popular that I am jealous and don’t want to give the few readers I have to HER. I hate to be like that, but one day, when I attend a blogging conference for only the most famous bloggers in the world, I will apologize to her personally. Unless I’m more famous than her by then, which in that case I won’t talk to her because she will be beneath me.
Moving on.
On her blog, she is currently selling the “reading sweater.” The concept is that when you wake up, you don’t have to think, you just throw on your slouchy reading sweater and you’re ready for the morning. It has big pockets that hold your books and other assorted thingies and comes in a variety of bright or neutral colors, depending on your taste.
I like the concept. But if I was wearing it and suddenly decided I didn’t feel like reading, would I feel compelled to change? If I buy it primarily to read, I feel like I should follow the rules. I don’t think it would be ethical to wear it while walking the dog, or doing laundry. Also, the fact that it is a sweater assumes that reading is only done in sweater weather. Some of us read in the hot weather, so what do I do then? Will she sell a reading tank top? A reading sundress?
I think I’m owed some guidance on this discrepancy.
Regardless, I am considering the investment. I like the idea of having one beautiful thing that you utilize for one beautiful (or even dreaded) task. A thing you put on or use without having to think, because that is the thing you use for the task you are doing. I am going to share just a few of my favorite things on my post today. Please read to the end, or tomorrow’s post will confuse you. I fly home tomorrow, and I won’t have time for your nonsense.
- Pilot Precise Ultra-Fine pens. I stock these in my purse, my travel bags, in my home office, my workout bag. The only pen I use.
- Moleskin journals. If you journal or write or take notes, you probably already know about these buttery-paged notebooks that come in a variety of sizes and colors.
- Birkenstocks. I have fluffy Birks, green suede Birks, navy blue Birks. I use them on cold mornings, I use them to transport my tired feet from climb to climb to give my piggies a break from hiking boots, and I use them even with dressy outfits. A good pair of Birkenstocks can look amazing with a sharp linen dress in the summer. Insanely comfortable and well-worth the expense.
- Tumi luggage. It’s expensive. But if you travel a lot, getting a sharp set of luggage is a good investment. I get compliments on my light gray leather bags with black piping every time I travel. It makes me happy just to touch the buttery leather.
- LL Bean Daypack. This thing has seen me everywhere, to so many countries and mountains and beaches and deserts that I’ve lost count. I never unpack it, I just leave it in my closet packed with my hiking boots and my Hydroflask, so when it’s time to go, it’s less I have to think of. It has pockets for my Burts Bees lip balm, my phone and my neck buff, and plenty of interior room for my travel journal, layers, snacks, hats, you name it. Unrivaled.
- Burts Bees lip balm. Yep. Again. I buy them in bulk. A tube of Burts Bees is never more than a few inches away from me at any time. There is one on my nightstand right now. I buy a big variety pack of Burts Bees tinted balm for myself every Christmas and put it in my stocking. I live in fear of running out of it.
- Frye boots. Love mountain towns and want to look like a local? Frye boots. Not to sound repetitive, I KNOW they’re expensive, but They. Will. Last. Forever. Hey, I buy shoes from Target too, but a good pair of Frye boots has no equal.
- Ray Bans. Mine are prescription. I have Clubmasters, Aviators, and Wayfarers, and they all have a different purpose- to cut down on glare on the water, to stay close on my head during heavy activity, or just to be comfortable and sophisticated when I’m driving.
- Boll and Branch flannel sheets. There’s no way to expound on the wonderfulness of these soft sheets that get softer with every wash. Always have a spare ready.
- Lonely Planet travel books. I have more than I care to admit. It’s an obsession. No better source of information to really get into a place you visit.
So those are just a few of my favorite things. But what I would really like is one perfect travel dress. I dress to travel, and that is a post for another time. I am currently in talks with a close friend who is a talented kick-ass sewer, and we are designing a few travel pieces for the sophisticated traveler. Well into the future, but I’ll let you know.