Carly is back with the latest installment of Carly’s Cut. I can’t believe we’ve been doing this column for over a year now. You can read her last one here. If you are new here, Carly is The Stripe’s Creative Projects Manager. She has such great taste that I wanted to give her a monthly column. Think of her as our younger buddy, telling us what we should know about.
I truly come to life in October. I don’t know if it’s my Scorpio showing or if I have a bit of nostalgia for fall back in Connecticut, but there’s no other time of year I love more. Temperatures begin to drop, days get shorter, and things start to slow down.
October (sigh, I’m a broken record) was full of weeks that felt like one big go-go-go. I’m ready to spend the last two months of the year hibernating, cooking my way through a list of soup recipes, and watching every holiday movie imaginable.
Carly’s Cut, Vol. 15
Shopped//
I have to admit, I had quite the laugh when I saw the discourse surrounding the “skirts are so back” headlines across every major fashion publication. The girls on Substack were peeved, and I can completely understand why. When fashion month rolls around, the masses are quick to claim that everything is “in,” myself included. But in the rush to make those declarations, we often overlook the fact that certain things were never really “out” to begin with.
I’ve always been a skirt girl, midis specifically. I love the way they add a touch of femininity to my more masculine looks. This past summer, my go-to combination was an oversized button-down with a pointelle skirt. It felt like the perfect balance of effortless and considered. In winter, I reach for more structured silhouettes, especially pencil skirts that pair well with a chunkier knit. I’m especially drawn to patterned or embellished styles, letting the skirt carry the look while I prioritize comfort without sacrificing a little style.
I’ve rounded up a few skirts I’ve been eyeing (including some I’m very tempted to add to cart). I’m curious to hear how you style yours and which ones you’ve recently splurged on!
- Zara Printed Midi Skirt
- Zara Floral Pareo
- Shushu/Tong Floral-Appliqué Pencil Skirt
- Essentiel Antwerp Embellished Plaid Midi Skirt
- Tory Burch Embellished Mirror Skirt
- Alémais Printed Midi Skirt
- Hades Iron Burn Skirt
- Eckhaus Latta x J.Crew Paneled Skirt
- Tissimum Organza Skirt
- Zara Embroidered Midi Skirt
Watched//
For someone whose favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice, the release of the latest adaptation of Sense and Sensibility felt like my Super Bowl. There was so much anticipation surrounding this release, along with plenty of questions about why anyone would dare revisit the story after Emma Thompson’s near-perfect 1995 adaptation. Let me tell you… it was even better than I imagined.
I went in with high hopes, knowing it was being produced by the same folks behind the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, which, in my humble opinion, is a cinematic masterpiece. Period pieces can be exceptionally tricky to get right. There’s always the chorus of naysayers questioning the accuracy of the costumes, the abundance of “iPhone face,” and every other detail that could potentially pull you out of the experience. But this adaptation got it right. The casting was just as it should have been, and Daisy Edgar-Jones was born to play Elinor Dashwood.
Despite knowing the entire plot, I gasped alongside the rest of the audience, I laughed, I wept, and I held my breath hoping to make it through the will-they-won’t-they moments between Elinor and Edward. If you’re looking for the perfect evening with your gaggle of girlfriends, I implore you to get your butt into a seat at your local theater.
Read//
October, as a shock to absolutely no one, brought about another reading dry spell. I found myself inundated with work for most of the month, spending my mornings catching up on emails over a cup of coffee and my evenings glued to a screen, trying to lighten my load for the next day. I did, however, make time to flip through the pages of my latest subscription, The Cloud Report.
The Cloud Report is a monthly printed newsletter (or zine) by Christine Tyler Hill, an artist, naturalist, and neighborhood crossing guard in Burlington, Vermont. Each month, Christine turns her observations from her shifts as a crossing guard into an eight-page risograph zine that absolutely delights my mailbox with every delivery. I sat on the waitlist alongside hundreds of others for months, deeply curious about the goings-on in Christine’s neighborhood: what dogs she may have met, what cloud formations she may have noticed, and what conversations she may have had with those passing through her crosswalk.
There’s so much beauty in the art of risograph printing, something I’ve learned more about through my friend Jude, who recently got a risograph printer of his own. Without sounding like a salesperson for The Cloud Report, I highly recommend everyone subscribe. And if you do, please let me know so we can discuss the monthly news!
Saved//
Every day, I go back and forth questioning whether I’m the kind of person who gravitates toward a visually quiet, understated room or one filled with vibrant walls, patterned textiles, and an abundance of art. After scrolling past this photo, I felt myself crawling back toward what I’ve always known: a tonal room with just a few pieces carrying the overall design. Everything about this space is exquisite to me: the tone of the wood and shape of the bed frame, the muted colors of the bedding, the absence of a rug to soften the floors, and the architectural shape of the lamp.
While I recognize that this particular shot feels more like an art exhibit than a lived-in space, I think there’s a balance to be found when designing a room in this direction. I’ve never been much of a decorative-pillow-on-the-bed person, but I recently found myself going down a deep dive into bolster pillows, thinking about how to introduce more intentional layers into what I already have. And while I typically gravitate toward symmetry in a bedroom, I’m quite drawn to the single sconce above the bed, which offers just enough ambient light to complement the lamp on the nightstand.
Ate//
While scrolling through my camera roll for the month of October, I came to the unbelievable realization that I’d taken zero photos of the meals I’d enjoyed. While that came as quite a shock, I felt comforted by the idea that my phone had been tucked away as I enjoyed the first bites of lunches out and dinners cooked at home. Maybe there’s something to be said for being a little less inclined to document every meal.
I borrowed this photo from a friend who perfectly captured our last-minute Tutti Pizza takeout after an evening on the town. This particular order consisted of a sesame seed crust square pie topped with sausage, Calabrian chili, and shaved garlic. I’ve enjoyed many slices from Tutti and must say that this pairing may have been the way to go. We (obviously) paired our pie with a few sides of their ranch, along with a crisp bottle of chilled red.
The evening was perfect. The pie was devoured over conversation with our dear friends (who, very fortunately, are also our neighbors), and I stumbled home with a stomach so content that I dreamt of more slices.
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