If Interested, EP 01: My 29th Year
& reminding myself that I'm in the "good old days."
Hi there!
I entered the last year of my twenties on Monday, which still doesn’t feel like it quite fits. I think the finality of the 9 birthdays sent me into a reflection period (see also: spiral) on where I am today, where I thought I would be, and where I want to be at 39, 49, 59, etc., etc.
I took myself out to a solo dinner at one of my favorite places (hint: where would a Patti Smith fanatic be found?) before my birthday party last week to write down goals and any thoughts I wanted to get out (I was seated across from Paul Mescal, talk about inspiration).
One of these goals was simply to do more of what I love, and not to let embarrassment hold me back (I wish I had come to this conclusion in 2020 with TikTok so I could be writing this from my beach house somewhere). Although I’m not a writer by any means, I have always loved it - and having a place to share my excitement for food, clothes, travel, beauty, etc. is a huge treat for me. Plus, my sharing here feels like a public diary I can look back on in the future.
I’ve titled this first iteration of my Substack “Early Adapter” because that’s a category I think of myself in. I love a good trend - but I am usually not the one responsible for starting them. I also prefer to be early rather than late (to trends, I think being appropriately late to a party is just good manners).
I had a wonderful week of birthday celebrations, which feels like a fun place to start. Please be patient with me (my zero followers) as I figure out how this platform works, what format is best, and all other growing pains. And, we’re off!
A week of birthday festivities -
To look forward to anything for me is to have an outfit (or even better, outfitS). If I have something I want to put on, I am jumping out of bed. I can hardly wait for the fake tan to dry or until after I put my makeup on (and I pay the price for my lack of patience on both accounts).
I feel very similarly about food - if I have great leftovers in the fridge for lunch or dinner plans at a new place, I go about my day with a certain pep in-my-step. My boyfriend (hi, Charlie) can also attest to my hangry-ness if it’s not going this way.
I used this birthday as an excuse for all the summer prep - I had a spray tan at Sugared and Bronzed in Borem Hill on Tuesday, and I took Thursday off to get the rest of my glam done. I got my hair colored and cut by Rocco and Antonio at Fabio Scalia salon in Brooklyn Heights and my nails done at [pH7] in Fort Greene.
I’ve been a big Nuuly girl for years now, so picking out multiple dresses for my birthday week is not only fun, but much less expensive than if I was purchasing these looks.
Thursday night I had my birthday party at Trailer Park Lounge in Chelsea which felt easy and fun, a perfect gathering place for my favorite people. I wanted to wear something tacky in theory- but not (?) so I leaned into cheetah print as a direction for both the invite, the dress, and the shoes.
As a lover of New York nostalgia, I decided to take myself to dinner at El Quijote at The Hotel Chelsea before my party. The El Quijote team was incredibly sweet, making my meal a special experience by giving me a card and bringing out a candle with ice cream for me at the end.
After dinner, I went right across the street to meet my friends and enjoy the night. My parents surprised me and showed up too, which made my day. I am so lucky to have the best friends and family. The only thing I would change is the number of frozen margaritas (Friday morning was brutal).
After my Friday AM hangover wore off, I headed to the ferry because Charlie was taking me to Governor's Island for a spa day. After a day of relaxing by the pool and overlooking the skyline at QC NY Spa, we grabbed dinner at GITANO Island (I had no idea there is essentially a club out there) and headed home for an early night.
After stopping at a birthday party outside of DC on Saturday, Sunday we drove down to Charlie’s family farm house in Onancock, VA. I have spent zero time in Virginia and a relaxing few days out of the city’s heat wave in their beautiful home was magic.
After getting there, we immediately took a boat out, getting caught in the rain (how romantic) and spent an evening chatting with his parents and their friends.
When I woke up on Monday, I was 29! With a day of tree swings and hammock time ahead, I had to don my best Little House on the Prairie look. I adored this dress and while I could have worn it all day and night…
I needed to use the opportunity to wear two looks, and changed for my birthday dinner. Staying somewhat on theme, I wore this black Free People dress and a Dior red lip to a very sweet local restaurant where the chef made me a delicious vegan option and we drank mojitos and tequila punches.
I am an incredibly lucky woman and am so thankful to my friends, family, and Charlie for making this week so much fun for me.
Very happy to be here on Substack, too, and am excited to (do my best) to make this a weekly habit.
xx Erin