ISSUE FIVE: PICKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OUR BEST PICKS INSPIRED BY OUR CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP
READ: Holiday Magazine
First founded in 1946 and published until 1977, Holiday magazine was relaunched in 2014 and has since been setting our imaginations alight and had us dreaming of far off lands to explore. With each issue themed around a new place - think Bhutan, New Zealand and Japan, California, Jerusalem and South Korea - it boasts thoughtful pieces.
Both long form and short, written by the likes of Joan Didion and Truman Capote and accompanied by photography that will make you want to drop it all and hit the road. Holiday Magazine is a huge inspiration to us, and we think that you may just love it too.
LISTEN: In Good Company with Otegha Uwagba
Released only monthly, In Good Company with Otegha Uwagba is always a special treat to look forward to. It’s a listen that never fails to leave you feeling inspired, featuring interviews with amazing female founders, creatives, and writers on how they have made it to where they are, the struggles they have encountered along the way, and a deep dive into money management.
At the end of each episode, Otegha takes the time to answer listener career questions and offer her guidance on how to deal with anything from how to ask for a raise, when to move jobs, and how to manage with workplace worries.
BREATHE: Happy Not Perfect
Happy Not Perfect is the mindfulness app we’ve been holding out for. Founded by Poppy Jamie (one of our tastemakers for Issue 5) after a bad case of burn-out, it provides a “daily ritual for a calmer mind”, helping you to keep stress in check and giving you daily doses of inspiration and guidance for leading a more thoughtful life. With specialist guides on hand to help with lapses in confidence, bouts of insomnia, and boosting creativity it’s an app that constantly encourages a positive outlook and a healthy relationship with our bodies and minds.
STAY: The Surfrider Malibu
Perched on the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the ocean, The Surfrider Malibu is the perfect pit-stop for a night or three on a long drive up the Cali coastline. Founded by longtime Malibu local, Matt Goodwin, and Emma Crowther from the sunny shores of Queensland, the hotel is filled with details inspired by the areas iconic surf culture, along with a clean sense of Aussie style.
The roof-top restaurant and bar boast a menu of seasonal, sustainable and locally sourced ingredients, along with a wine list that’ll make you want to stay for a few too many... Best of all though is that you can wake up in the morning and head straight down for a swim and a surf.
VISIT: Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium
Nestled at the heart of Palm Springs can be found Moorten Botanical Garden. Run by the original founders’ only son, Clark Moorten, a life-time cactophile with a wealth of knowledge and unwavering passion, it holds some of the rarest specimens of desert plant life in large scale green-houses and winding paths.
Open all year round, the garden and its keeper are sources of inspiration and information for the growing groups of people travelling to visit the centre each year, and if you happen to be passing through it would be well worth a drop-in.
SHOP: The Lost Explorer
More than simply a wellness and apparel brand making it’s products sustainably, The Lost Explorer invests 100% of its profits back into protecting nature, and aims to shift the relationship between commerce and conservation to prevent further damage to the environment. It’s a brand that encourages you to live curiously, to enjoy not destroy, and to never say no to adventure.
By putting nature and adventure at the forefront of their business, they encourage their customers to think seriously about their consumption and surroundings and pave the way for other brands to do the same. Pretty inspiring, if you ask us...
LOOK: William Eggleston
Our love from William Eggleston started with “Glass in Airplane”. That iconic shot of an airplane window, sunlight streaming in and casting the shadow of what looks like a cold Negroni onto the fold-out tray. Eggleston had an eye for beauty in everyday things, and whether it was sunshine through a glass, the tyres of a car, a storefront or a street sign, he always managed to capture it with considered composition and saturated colour.
It’s no wonder he was still known as the man who swayed the public to recognise colour photography as a real art form… It’s truly a feast for the eyes.
DRINK: Bluestone Lane
Bluestone Lane is the coffee and lifestyle brand bringing Aussie café culture stateside. Turning your morning caffeine fix to an experience to be relished, they serve delicious, high-quality coffee and an irresistible spread of healthy eats in their beautifully designed cafés across the country.
Whether looking for a moment alone or a place to meet with friends, Bluestone Lane is the perfect place to stop for a while and soak up the good vibes and great coffee.
READ: Slow Days Fast Company by Eve Babitz
When it comes to Slow Days Fast Company, none say it better than Samantha Hillman…
“The plot of Slow Days Fast Company is by no means remarkable. It’s a languid read (though too good to be called a beach one); a handful of gossipy vignettes from Eve Babitz’ own heyday as she swirled and shimmered amid the bright young things of 1970s Hollywood.
It’s flighty and gossipy and seemingly disjointed, essentially an ode - a love letter - to Los Angeles, with all its lavender sunsets and vapid parties and benders at the Chateau Marmont. For all the champagne and scandal, what makes this novel compelling are Babitz notes on beauty. It’s a book that will make you relish being a woman - curves, folds, dimples and all.”
WATCH: Free Solo by Jimmy Chin
Free Solo documents the journey of Alex Honnold as he prepares to climb Yosemite’s most treacherous cliff face, El Capitan, without the assistance of ropes.
The youngest generation in a long line of iconic climbers, he is the first to attempt the ascent without equipment, and as he prepares over many months for the climb of a lifetime, his friends prepare to film him. As they capture the breathtaking landscape of Yosemite National Park (an inspiration for our latest pyjama collection - The Pendeltones) and the sheer scale of El Capitan, they must also come to terms with the fact that one tiny misstep could mean a 900 metre fall for Alex.
It is a story of passion, determination, and relentlessness, as Alex pushes the boundaries of what the human body is capable of, but also one of unwavering friendship and admiration from those around him as they support him on his journey. It’s a nail-biting (and cliff-hanging) watch and one that makes you grateful to have two feet firmly on the ground.