Happy March! Where did the time go? I was with my sister on Sunday and she remarked that one of the only good parts of getting older is that time seems to pass so much more quickly than it did when we were younger (the good part being that this winter has gone by pretty quickly, all things considered.) I am looking forward to the month ahead. I am going to Charleston (#happyplace) for a week in the middle of the month but am otherwise here, in a happy + comfy little routine. As much as I love traveling, I love the comforts of home: homemade coffee, working in my PJs, consistent workouts, reading the newspaper on my couch… and so on and so forth.
I love love love this jacket. I bought it the second I spotted it on J.Crew’s website. I love Liberty’s prints but I feel a little silly wearing them (unless they’re pajamas). Trimming a classic navy jacket with the fabric is the perfect solution – it’s elegant and age-appropriate but still a little bit whimsical. I’m wearing it with jeans today but I know I’ll get a lot of wear out of it once things warm up a bit. It would be so cute with a little white dress or even cut-offs! And if you are looking for a pair of heels that are stylish but comfortable and well-priced, look no further than these wedges. They are the best. I wear them so often.
Outfit Details: J.Crew x Liberty Jacket // Tibi Silk Racerback Camisole // Sanctuary Jeans (my FAV and under $100!) // J.Crew Factory Wedges // Vintage Chanel Earrings (can’t find exact but love these, these, these, and these!)
Look for Less: Jacket // Camisole // Jeans // Bag // Earrings
After my post a couple weeks ago about staying informed, I thought I would talk a little bit about my favorite ways to get the news (ways that are not twitter). So many of you suggested The Skimm, and while I like it (and their mission to help keep us all a bit more informed in a way that is easy to digest + understand), I do think that there are better options. I don’t have cable TV so watching the actual news is hard… here are my three favorite ways to stay informed. I’d love to hear your favorite ways in the comments… spill!
ONE // I am old-fashioned but I personally love reading the paper newspaper. It’s become my favorite morning ritual and I swear I get up earlier as I look forward to making my cup of coffee and then curling up on the couch for a good half hour reading it before I start my day. I had some annoying issues where someone in my building was stealing my paper (!!!), but I’ve since resolved that and (fingers crossed) have received it every morning for the past two weeks. Progress!
TWO // I love, love, love The Washington Posts’ 5 Minute Fix. They only email you three times a week, and it’s always with the good stuff (broken down in a really accessible way that is easy to understand). I personally prefer this to The Skimm.
THREE // Quartz has a fun app, which makes me think of texting a well informed friend. It tells you something, then you “text” it to say whether you want to learn more. It’s become one of my favorite apps… I’m always on it, and I always learn something new (not just about politics – it’s also how I found out that Netflix had started allowing downloads this past December!!)
While I have you, I highly encourage you to consider a paid subscription to your favorite newspaper (no matter what your political preferences are, it’s important to support our journalists). I subscribe to the New York Times (print + digital) and the Washington Post (digital). It is easy to forget to do this as so much of the news we consume is available at the ready (and for free) but it’s an easy way to support the journalists who break stories daily. Most newspapers these days are covering more news with fewer journalists. Other things you can do are to pay for an NPR subscription or donate to journalism organizations.
photography by Lydia Hudgens.
I know Facebook is outdated, but I get most of my news from my homepage. Social media is what still keeps me in the loop.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
Hey, whatever works! I got a bit disparaged by Facebook this election season (had to take a break) but it’s still a good place to find great news + articles. Just beware of the fake news sites… ha ha… my parents’ friends kept sharing fake news this Fall which drove me crazy!
Perfect little detail! I love it, Grace.
I personally love TheSkimm, but I want to look into that 5 minute fix! I also subscribe to WWD, which I LOVE so much.
Pink Champagne Problems
I bet you will love it!!! And of course love WWD too 🙂 🙂 xx
I subscribe to the NYTimes, and then I occasionally use CNN and Huffpost, and Flipboard, but really I am still mourning the loss of Zite, and have not found anything that comes close. Actually…it was Zite that brought me to your blog for the first time about 5 years ago!
I have never heard of Zite, but I am so glad it brought you to my site!!!!
Loving these Parisian vibes! Definitely going to check out the 5 Minute Fix!
Thanks Jenn! xoxo
Hi Grace! Have you heard about NYT’s Morning Briefing? Similar to the Skimm, it’s a daily email that goes out every morning. I find it to be much better written than the Skimm, and it actually links to all the NYT articles that are referenced if you want to click for more info. You can subscribe here (and you don’t even need a NYT subscription to get the briefing, FYI!): http://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/morning-briefing. I read it every day on my subway ride to work.
I love your post today – it’s so important to stay informed with real news and to support our journalists!
Yes!!! I got that too, when I subscribed. Agree that it’s a good one 🙂 x
As a journalist, I really love this post! It’s easy to get infuriated concerning the discussions going on about the media right now, but it’s so nice/comforting/inspiring to know that people want to support good journalism. (Plus, I love this look!) x
Aw. good! Thanks Diana! xx
I’ve also begun relying more on true newspapers, though I stick with digital subscriptions. I will definitely be checking out the 5-minute fix – thanks for the recommendation! The one physical news source I keep is the Economist. Their coverage is so good, and less hysterical than US sources can be (even the well established ones).
A newer digital list I’ve found interesting is Polar News. It emails your a two column-newsletter covering the same topics but with right and left sources on each side. It’s fascinating to see the difference, and helps me connect more with people in my circle whose take on current events is different from mine.
Oh my gosh The Polar News sounds so great!! Literally exactly what I’ve been looking for. Signing up now, thanks for the suggestion.
Wait – do you happen to have a URL for it? Can’t seem to find!
Hello all, Davis from PolarNews here – saw a few folks track down our URL and mention this blog when signing up so wanted to share for the rest. Website is http://www.getpolarnews.com. We’re inspired by the purpose and hope you subscribe and join!
Hi Davis! Thank you so much for coming over and commenting – I subscribed this week. Also put a link in this week’s weekend reading post… hopefully lots of folks sign up, I love what you are doing!
I couldn’t agree more with the need for people to pay for their news! I subscribe to the Washington Post. It’s an affordable, reputable option. Carolyn Hax’s column is also my guilty pleasure so that’s an added bonus.
I love that jacket and the wedges! I didn’t know J.Crew was doing a collab with Liberty.
Thank you! I am a little obsessed with it. And must check out Carolyn Hax’s column! xx
Great suggestions! I recently subscribed to Next Draft which is a daily newsletter. I read The Skimm for years but I felt that their presentation just wasn’t serious enough for the subject matter (truthfully it felt a little dumbed down). Next Draft is a similar format, broken up in paragraphs, and is 10 stories every day. I also like that it comes in the afternoon so you aren’t just reading about what happened yesterday, it is stuff that has even happened throughout the day.
ooh! Signing up for Next Draft right now – it sounds right up my alley. Thank you!
I’m going to bookmark this as I like your second idea! I subscribe to The Skimm and LOVE their concept, but sometimes it’s a bit much for me 😉 Also, CNN’s Top 5 is sort of like The Skimm without the embellishments 🙂
THANK YOU GRACE!!!!!!!!
Lisa
Thank you!!! I will check out CNN’s top 5! x
I subscribe to the NYTimes and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE The Skimm
I should say that I also subscribe to the Skimm Ahead, which is the pay service and gives you calendar reminders for big events
ooh that sounds like something I would benefit from – thanks for the tip!!!
Great post! I am also lately obsessed with the “Pod Save America” and “Pod Save the World” podcasts. I am usually NOT a podcast person, but it is a hugely entertaining and interesting way to get opinions on the latest political goings-on from people who are much more well-informed than I am. Highly, highly recommend!
Also – thanks for encouraging people to subscribe to the NYT and WaPo. Quality journalism isn’t an endless free resource!
I’m so glad you agree. 🙂 x
And I must check out those podcasts – they sound like a great idea!!!!
I love listening to podcasts! The New York Times comes out with one every day, and other places like NPR come out with weekly news podcasts too!
http://azanah.wordpress.com
I didn’t know that! I love listening to podcasts when I’m editing photos… going to check theirs out!
in love with your jacket 🙂
Thank you Aparna!
Since the election, we started a monthly donation to NPR and bought a digital subscription to the New York Times. It is important to support journalists, especially right now. They are doing some of the most important work.
I love that… especially the idea of donating to NPR – what a great idea. I get the paper NY Times and digital Washington Post… it’s so so important!
Love the tweed jacket, Grace!
and the 5 minute fix is one of my favs as well.
-Neha
LovePlayingDressup
Thanks Neha! x
Cute jacket! Very Chanel-esque! I’m going to download the Quartz app, thank for the info. I like your idea of subscribing to the news sights. I’ve stopped getting my news from FB, that’s where many of the problems started ladies. You don’t know what is real or fake. If I see a story on FB, I will cross check it with a reliable news source like, NY times or the post. I have a good friend who works for FB and although they may try, there is no way for them to check all these sources. It’s the nature of that internet beast. “
I would tend to agree with you there (regarding Facebook). You have to cross-check everything!!!! Hope you like the Quartz app – I’m addicted! 🙂
The NYT app is my JAM! I also watch VICE News Tonight almost every weeknight. http://www.hbo.com/vice/about/article/about-vice-news-tonight.html If you have HBO Now, you can stream it, but they also put a lot of the segments on their YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews I really enjoy the reporting. It’s different from the long format VICE show that airs Fridays, in that it’s a half hour and focused on daily/weekly news happenings. The show starts with short news updates from around the world, then there’s probably 1 or 2 major segments, and it always ends with a culture segment. I’m also obsessed with the graphics they create for each show (watch and you’ll probably see what I mean!). Their creative/art direction team has come up with some super creative ways to “show” news. Good stuff!
A reader told me about Polar News a few weeks ago and I’ve been subscribed since! I saw someone mention it below. Here’s the link: http://www.getpolarnews.com/
Thank you so much for the suggestions, friend!!!! xx
I just learned that the NY Times has a podcast called The Daily — it’s a 20 to 30 minute podcast every morning that is a quick recap of the news. It’s really informative and is perfect to listen to on my morning walk! I recommend it!
Happy Saturday,
Sarah
THANK YOU for sharing! I have to check it out, it sounds like the perfect thing for me as I work from home and listen to a lot of podcasts! x