three small bites ⁕🖼️🌴
dELiA*s, a humorous perspective shift, and the new show I'm escaping into (+ lots of book events)
1. ⁕ dELiA*s catalogs
Like many people my age, I poured over dELiA*s catalogs as a kid. There’s something (still) so compelling about the clothing and jewelry and shoes, but also the way the pages are simply styled like a collage. They’re telling a story, selling a lifestyle. They make it really easy to find the items the models are wearing. The girls look cool and real (and apparently, they were often scouted on the street). The clothes are effortless, evergreen, and honestly? Comfortable. And those pajamas? They have more personality than the day-to-day outfits I wear now.
It’s giving Gilmore Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You—these characters’ clothing could be ripped right out of the pages—and the nostalgia of it all fills my chest with longing. Give me a *true* dELiA*s for adults, and I’m there.
After falling down this rabbit hole back to the late nineties/early aughts, I naturally had questions. Is dELiA*s still around? What happened to it? Well, it was acquired in 2003 by Alloy Inc. for $50 million. While dELiA*s itself no longer exists in the way I’m sure many of us hoped it would be (it became a different brand), I did learn some interesting things about the company and its influence.
dELiA*s launched before we became accustomed to ordering clothes online. It developed a following through mail-order catalogs gaining popularity for its unique design (yep!) and focus on individuality, sisterhood, and girl power. The company’s success was due to its editorialized approach and “magalog” (magazine and catalog) business model, according to Fast Company.
There are more interesting tidbits in the article, but I found this note about the visual language particularly intriguing: according to Jim Trzaska, a photo producer who assisted with buying and merchandising at dELiA*s, “So much thought went into the lowercase font and the little sayings, every issue would have a theme of what the captions would say.”
And this: Charlene Benson, the creative director of photography, used a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters inspired by a typeface style she’d seen at Sassy magazine, and the letterforms purposely don’t stop at the end of the page as a way to encourage shoppers to keep flipping through the catalog. sO iNtEResTinG!~*!
Simple, yet purposeful. Calculated, but still cool.
2. 🖼️ A humorous perspective shift
This article was shared with me this week, and it was such a nice reminder that when less than ideal things happen, we can find humor in the situation and turn it into something nice. When a 6-year-old drew on the wall, his parents didn’t scold him or try to scrub the scribbles away. Instead, they hung a frame around the drawing and added an artwork label, titling the piece, Interrupted House. The label includes the details: “Marker on latex paint” (the artist’s preferred medium) “Gifted to his parents, by surprise. Nov. 13th.” Gifted! Such a simple word to shift the outlook.
In the grand scheme of things, these are the little things that we can reframe in a humorous way. A typically annoying/frustrating/aggravating wall drawing can be turned into a special memory preserved behind glass and accompanied by a museum label. It’s so easy to punish others—punish ourselves—for things that go wrong, for inconveniences, for mistakes. And while we can’t always hang a physical frame around them and add a cutsey label, maybe metaphorically we can.
Forgot to run the dishwasher and have no more bowls? Break out the mixing bowls (or the fancy stuff). Made cookies that turned into shapeless blobs? Give them candy eyes and draw on funny faces with icing.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you wall scribbles, frame them.
3. 🌴 Palm Royale
The show I’ve been eager to hit Play every Wednesday is Palm Royale, a ten-part period comedy-drama miniseries streaming on Apple TV+.
In it, Kristen Wiig plays Maxine, an ambitious woman who wants to gain membership to an exclusive and luxurious Palm Beach Club in 1969, who’s members are wealthy and powerful. To round it all out, the cast is filled to the brim with stars like Laura Dern, Josh Lucas, Carol Burnett, Kaia Gerber, and Ricky Martin.
I love Kristen Wiig in offbeat comedies, and she’s perfect in this one. She does physical comedy incredibly well (hi, Gilly), which is subtle, but noticeable, in Maxine. Wiig also brings vulnerability, warmth, and a sweetness to the character. You can’t help but root for her!
I think I’ve been able to so easily escape into this show because it’s so visually glamorous. Everything (and everyone) is sherbert colored, glowy, and poreless. Also, the setting and fashion alone are worth watching for.
If you wanted to wait and binge this one, all episodes will be out by May. And if you wanted to read the book first, it’s based on Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel.
📚 Extra bites: Book updates
My next couple of months are booked! Here’s what’s coming up:
📘 More of an editing update, but I turned in final edits on my THIRD novel! Next up are copyedits, where I learn that I actually don't know what commas are. 🙃🫠 I'll be doing a deep dive into my copyediting process (and share a glimpse behind-the-scenes for all three books) in a future newsletter for paid subscribers! 📚 Can't wait to share this book with you! 🌼🎶💐
🎈 Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 27, and I’m so excited to be celebrating and signing books here in Nashville at Parnassus Books! Come see me and my friends Sarah Adams and
from 5-7 PM on the 27th. It’s going to be so fun.📚 I’ll be in conversation with Alexandria Bellefleur at Parnassus Books on May 4. Can’t wait to chat about Alexandria’s latest, Truly, Madly, Deeply.
📚 I also get to be in conversation with Amy Tan at Parnassus Books on May 10! I can hardly believe it. It’s sold out, but The Backyard Bird Chronicles is out now.
🗓️ I'll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 18 and on a panel with Kennedy Ryan. It’s free and open to the public and we’ll be signing books afterwards!
🗓️ I’m so excited to be attending the Columbus Book Festival on July 13-14! More info to come on the scheduling and such, so stay tuned.
Hope to see you at one (or more!) of the above! Until then, what are you feeling nostalgic about? What annoyances are you reframing? What shows are you escaping into?
From me to you, in the present,
Lauren
In case you missed it:
romanticizing writing with...Lily Chu
romanticizing writing with… is a monthly interview series that offers a sneak peek into the dream scenario and the reality of an author’s writing life. In this column, we’re indulging, challenging, and shedding light on the ways we look at writing through a romantic lens.
three small bites 🌱✍🏻 👑
1. 🌱 My favorite springtime tart Yesterday was the first day of spring, and already I’m in a more sunshine-y mindset with the longer, brighter days, and the anticipation of outdoor activities and upcoming travel. And the food! I’m ready for some new produce to be in season, and to incorporate more tarts into my life.
my spring bucket and reading lists 🌷
My tendency with lists is to overdo things. I add and add, watching with both excitement and dread as the list grows longer. That’s how this spring bucket list started. And then I challenged myself to boil down the list until it was less overwhelming and more curated. I want to be excited for everything without feeling like I have to power through each one.
About me: I’m Lauren Kung Jessen, author of Lunar Love and Red String Theory. Connect with me on Instagram for more on books and food.
I hope to make it to Parnassus for IBD!
I loved this newsletter so much. The nostalgia of the Delia's catalog! The frame around the wall drawing! A show that honestly sounds perfect for me right now!