Dun dun
This letter is brought to you by the Sweater Weather Margarita Bowl at Benihana.
I write to you terribly hungover. Why you may ask?
I actually feel sick looking at those photos.
I also am writing to you from the middle of a vintage Law and Order: S.V.U. rewatch in celebration of season 27. You all should known by now that I’m an SVU superfan, Olivia Benson/Mariska Hargitay is one of the only people I can think of that I would be starstruck by, and I’m obsessed with the schtick she has with Christopher Meloni (and how chill their spouses are about it).
People tell me all the time I should be an extra since they film frequently around me in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and near my office in Williamsburg. That sounds like a very long day, and perhaps, as my new favorite saying goes, would be a long walk to a small pond. I’m fine loving them from afar, except for when I see Rollins on the street (twice now) and have to act normal.
Something compelled me to start with season 10, which was an incredible choice if anyone is looking for some new viewing material. I’m not sure if it’s because they were celebrating a milestone, but so far, appearances have been:
Debi Mazar
JoJo (not Siwa, as Debi’s pregnant teen daughter)
Hillary Duff as a knockoff Casey Anthony
Mahershala Ali
Dr. McKay from The Pitt (Fiona Dourif)
Carol Burnett
Jesse McCartney
Viola Davis
Season 11—which I just realized I was two episodes deep into—is much less starstudded. 10 was filmed from 2008-2009, so some of these people weren’t the A-listers they are now, like Viola Davis, Fiona Dourif, or Mahershala Ali, so maybe these roles were the type that actors joke about now—everyone’s been on Law and Order.
It sometimes is odd to watch so casually since the subject matter is quite dark and depressing. There’s a reason they’ve hit season 27, obviously I’m not the only one who loves it, but I do get the occasional raised eyebrow when I say it’s one of my favorite comfort shows. Emphasis on the comfort on a day like today, post Margarita Bowl.
They definitely mess up a lot more cases than they do in current seasons, opting for happier endings in modern times than the frequent mistrials or accidental victim deaths that happened over fifteen years ago. Something that remains consistent is 1 P.P. (NYPD HQ for those of you who aren’t aware, “1 Police Plaza” in Manhattan) thinking that the SVU team are just giving each other manicures on the clock and harassing people all of the time. There’s always some sassy police chief or judge that rolls their eyes at Captain Benson, who is famous for being right.
I did not like the tone of the premier of season 27 on Thursday night. They’re queueing up for the retirement of some staple, pillar cast members that I’m not ready to let go of. I don’t like the person I’ve become when I Google “how many years does Ice-T have on his SVU contract”. Don’t play, NBC.
My best friends and I celebrated two of our dearests' birthdays at none other than the Benihana on 56th Street on Saturday Night. This was my first experience at Benihana, as my hometown is famous for one of the most delectable standalone hibachi restaurants of all time. The only thing I knew about it was that Devon Aoki and Steve Aoki were heirs to the Beni throne. What a fantastic institution. The drinks were strong (as you can tell), and the service was awesome. What’s better than dinner and a show? No throwing shrimp, however, so we had to take matters into our own hands. At this point in reading, I’d imagine you may be concerned for my wellbeing after my drink of choice. Have no fear, I split it with the birthday girl and offered many sips around the table. I think it was my first and last pumpkin spice margarita.
I went to the Not a Normal Market on Saturday and walked out empty handed because I wasn’t in the market for a sequined Fendi bag or mushroom chocolate. It’s always fun to walk around those things, though. We ended up at Cafe Forogt after, where I walked away with a pointelle wool cardigan from Pretties that I wore that night and smoked up with that hibachi grill scent. If you are going to hibachi, you should dress like it’s 100 degrees outside, because it’s going to feel like that. I would advise you to skip wool.
We’re working backwards because I’M NOT DOING GREAT. On Saturday morning, I got a library card! I’m very excited to not pay $30 for books anymore, and feel like a true card-carrying member of the neighborhood. I used my voter registration as proof of address, so not only do I feel more connected to the LES than ever, I also feel better than other people who haven’t registered or who don’t have a library card.
I stopped by Trader Joe’s to get some of their new items to spice up my week of meals since everything has become very repetitive for me recently. Their viral ready-to-eat protein pancakes are actually solid for being $3 and in a plastic package, and their loaded mashed potatoes made for an easy geriatric dinner side today after I made them at 3:30 with some lettuce cups. Stay tuned for next week when I will have tried their butternut squash risotto and goat cheese and caramelized onion ravioli.
On Friday night, I stopped by my friend Diego Segura’s “office hours” that he hosts for people to meet and hang out in his office where he is the boss of multiple people. I like meeting strangers and need to do it more. I also think more parties should start at 6:30 because I still got full night’s rest. Diego is really good at introducing people to each other and has saved me at multiple events when I’m obviously struggling to join any conversation. That’s a skill I fear will dwindle amongst my generation and the ones after us.
As promised, I’d like to show you all the jacket I got from The Real Real I mentioned last week. It’s perfect and amazing and was highway robbery. Vintage Dolce that’s in almost perfect condition, ideal for transitional fall wardrobing (I just went full copywriter on you all). Hopefully I will finally get to wear it after the most miserably humid week imaginable.
I also finally wore the vintage Chloé blazer I bought at James Veloria earlier this year. It fit like a glove and I felt like a girlboss at the G-FORE Ryder Cup party. My mom and I were twinning which doesn’t help the lookalike allegations (I would be so lucky). It has this super fun novelty lining that we don’t see enough of these days. The Dolce jacket has a leopard print lining, which is just fabulous.
I paired it with my Stella McCartney Falabella Mini that I got in London in 2023, in a sage green that was limited-edition, so, sorry! As well as these jeans from Joe’s Jeans, a vintage belt, and my vintage Chanel Ballet flats from Sorbara’s.
Something I almost forgot when I was wracking my brain for the purchases of this week to report back on—I succumbed to NikeSKIMS. I was looking at the site when I got the launch email and I fell victim to cute things, a tale as old as time. I got this tank top and these basketball shorts because I thought they could be cute together, but would also work separately dressed up or down. Considering how a lot of the collection is still in stock, I wonder how many units they produced. I also thought it was a big miss that they didn’t have a sneaker, but according to Kim, it’s coming.
I did make a trip to McNally Jackson before my library card and bought the Barneys Book alongside Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin, and a fake cigarette pencil because I love a gimmick. I started Scaffolding but am saving the Barneys Book for my vacation in two weeks. I’ve heard great things.
My NikeSKIMS order should arrive by next week’s letter, so I’ll have a review for you then. I have an SSENSE package that’s stuck in customs jail, so that’s really annoying. The President needs to understand that my Ganni Beret is an eminent need, and I’ve been dreaming of the perfect baggy jean for months.
I need to close my eyes before I head to pottery tonight. My screen is making me dizzy and I’m watching football again for some reason. Send help.
girl bosses be girl bossing