Lent comes every spring. I give up something related to food or social media. I spend Sundays pastry-hopping around Manhattan or soaking up a proper Instagram scroll before returning to my feed-less week. It feels good, in the way forming any habit does. But it hasn’t ever changed my life. I’m giving up shopping this year. Specifically, I’m not buying clothes or products for forty-ish days between March and April. I’m doing it because I love clothes and products. The decision-making process that once felt like an exercise in reasoning has shrunken to an instinct.
I see a vintage dress I can imagine wearing ten different ways on eBay. It’s in my closet by Friday. Slowing my roll is my spiritual practice for this season. But where does that leave this newsletter? Right here, every Thursday. The only difference is I’ll be exploring non-vintage clothing related themes. Don’t worry, this is the only borderline-spiritual dispatch in the pipeline.
If you’re not familiar with Lent, it’s part of the Liturgical Year, also known as the church calendar. Its year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, back in November. It’s an annual schedule that commemorates feasts and fasts and generally important remembrances for those who partake. Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians tend to take the whole thing more seriously. Baptists and most Evangelical congregations focus on Easter and Christmas. But at my church, on an island of green in the middle of the island of Manhattan, we adhere to the calendar with a strict reverence. It tugs us through the seasons. It moves us, even when we’re not ready.
Lent is a game of pluses and minuses. What can we give up, and what will take its place? I hope that putting a pause on consuming, at least through clothing and products, will bring a deeper appreciation for all I’ve collected. My inspiration came from an Ann Patchett essay titled “My Year of No Shopping.” As far as non-religious icons go, she’s certainly one of mine. She writes, “Once I got the hang of giving shopping up, it wasn’t much of a trick. The trickier part was living with the startling abundance that had become glaringly obvious when I stopped trying to get more.”
The forty days of Lent are a way of remembering that fasting isn’t forever. Resolutions aren’t edicts. Our plans for self improvement are really just hopes. What we have, our startling abundance, is the place to start for a changed life.
Archived Outfit
We all need spring right now—metaphorically and physically. Pink silk dresses are the embodiment of the season to me. Practical they are not. Charming, fun, irreverent in an irresistible sense they are! The high necks of these dresses in particular plus the steep heels is a classic combination. Wearing a slip in a more athletic neckline is a great way to avoid feeling too lingerie-esque. I like to wear my own pink polka dotted slip with a quilted jacket or over a black turtleneck. Last thing to note, the pink eyeshadow really seals the day. Match your friend and match your makeup to your look. Being chill is overrated.
Honorable Mentions
Non-clothing update! I’ve started a Bookshop account. The site’s my favorite for ordering books online, and now when you shop my link, I receive a 10% kickback. It’s an easy way to support Long Live without trying. Recommendations from Long Live are linked here and Instagram recs are separately categorized here. Thanks in advance. This week, I’ve been lost in the brilliance of Annie Dillard, yet again. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is her most popular work, but For The Time Being had me crying on the train to the Met. It’s meditative, and very much the book I want to press into the world’s collective hands at this very moment.
If Lent’s your vibe, I contributed to my church’s guide for the season here. It’s more reflections/meditations than a Bible Study, which I love.
Thank you so much for reading. This week, I wrote about the color brown, Louis Vuitton, and Brandice Daniel. See you next Thursday! x