5 Things You Should Read, Shop, Watch, Buy, and Try Right Now. (April 2023)

Oddly long intro, but decisively short, truly good list if you want to skip ahead.

Hello there, friends. How is your spring treating you thus far? Before we start, just wanted to say thank you to everyone who wrote in with Palm Springs suggestions for a quick family getaway. We ended up at the Parker Palm Springs for a bit, and had a delightful, wonderful experience. 

I’ve stayed at the Parker a slew of times over the last twenty years (gasp, I can’t believe I’m writing that), but my husband and kids had not, and honestly I hadn’t been a guest in probably close to a decade. Happy to report that we had an amazing experience and that it’s perfect for people who want a place that’s family-accommodating but not family-centric, if you get what I’m saying? Yes, there are killer pancakes, a kids’ pool, and secret chicken fingers on the menu—the trifecta for our kiddos—but it still feels totally elevated and lovely for grownups. They even had a very charming dog bed and bowls for the Hound set up in our room, which was very thoughtful. Service was excellent, the grounds remain stunning, and we were as happy as you can be whilst traveling with two (occasionally ornery) kids. 

(Also: There’s something fundamentally optimistic about the way eleven-year old girls will become “pool friends” while on vacation. This was my experience traveling as a kid, and it was nice to see that pre-teen strangers will still immediately bond whilst doing silly dives and playing pool games.)

Oh! One last thing! According to the amazing Gen-Z members of @whowhatwear’s social team, kids today are not only big fans of the sterling silver Tiffany & Co jewelry that was wildly popular in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s—a fact we’ve known for a couple of years—they’re calling it vintage, which nearly made me fall off my chair. (Frankly this feels rude, as vintage technically means at least 40 years old, and my pieces are only 24 years old, so that math isn’t mathing, but still.)

All this Tiffany talk inspired me to riffle through my jewelry collection to find two prized pieces from 1999: A deeply beloved Return To Tiffany Oval Necklace and Heart Tag Charm Bracelet. Both were dull and a little sad looking, so I found a YouTube video showing how to clean them with aluminum foil, baking soda, and hot water, and while it’s no professional job (apparently Tiffany will clean them for you, but I was impatient/too lazy to go to the store), they look pretty great.  

But that’s neither here nor there! You came here for some April suggestions, and here I am, just yammering about all sorts of nonsense. Well, if you haven’t skipped this bizarrely long intro, fret not, I’m done. Please read on for my best-of-the-best recommendations this month, starting with a book that just knocked me out, from the brilliant Aurora James.

---

Read: Wildflower by Aurora James

If you buy one book this spring, it needs to be this one. First-time author Aurora James—who you probably know as the founder of Brother Vellies and the phenomenal non-profit, the Fifteen Percent Pledge, which works with major retailers to dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands—is an absolute knockout from start to finish. 

Her memoir is honestly one of the best I have ever read, and I urge you to pre-order it now, so you can be one of the first to read it when it hits shelves in early May. I read the entire thing in one sitting, and went through the full cornucopia of human emotions whilst doing so. Truly: I laughed and cried, felt immense anger and also hope and joy, it made me think about huge concepts and the smallest human moments, and I couldn’t put it down. 

Over the last five years, I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with Aurora a few times for work. She was one of my early guests on Second Life, back in August 2018, when she came to talk about her pivot from multiple industries into sustainable fashion with her brand Brother Vellies. Then we sat down again in November 2020 to talk about her pivot into the nonprofit world with the Fifteen Percent Pledge. (We also have an upcoming episode of the Who What Wear Pod, in which we talk about Wildflower, so stay tuned for that.)

I was impressed by her candor and heart in those two podcasts, but I know now they barely scratched the surface of her life. Wildflower filled in so many of the details—both heart wrenching and hopeful—in the most phenomenal way. It honestly feels like an honor to read it; she didn’t have to write this book, but I am so glad she did.

I realize I haven’t given you many details, and that’s in part because I don’t want to spoil a single paragraph for you. Please trust me on this one.

Shop: Cuyana Tech Carryall Bag ($198)

Patio furniture. Workout shoes. Computer bags. All things that I absolutely hate shopping for because they always seem deeply overpriced, poorly designed, and generally just suck. Truly, my three circles of shopping hell. 

Until now. Well, for one category, at least.

See, the brilliant team at Cuyana has designed a tech carryall bag—their fancy name for a souped-up leather laptop bag/clutch—that is legit luxurious on every level. Like all Cuyana products, it’s thoughtfully made; in this case, from LWG-certified Italian leather and produced in a woman-owned factory in Turkey. In addition to the laptop sleeve, the bag also has two large inner pockets for your charger, mouse, notepads, whatever. It has two large, sturdy magnetic closures that are invisible from the outside, but also keep everything truly safe and contained on the inside. And did I mention you can have it monogrammed? Because that’s a thing too.

The bag comes in two sizes and four color options—I have Cappuccino—plus it also has side snaps, so you can secure it inside the brand’s beloved System Tote (watch the video on the page; it’s quite genius) if you want, but it also works beautifully in the brand’s Small Easy Zipper Tote, Classic Easy Zipper Tote, or Classic Structured Tote, which I think looks so chic in the black outside/blush inside colorway. It also plays nicely with the Mini Zipper Pouch, which I adore in both the seasonal dark coral and sage, as well as the trad colors. If that’s too small, the Small Zipper Pouch comes in all the same colors, is a little bigger, and also can double as a clutch.

While these pieces aren’t inexpensive, they are incredibly high quality, made responsibly and sustainably, and honestly I was shocked by the leather’s sumptuousness. The Tech Carryall Bag gets an 11/10 rating from me; that’s how much I love it.

Now, if only I can get Cuyana to start making patio furniture… 

Watch: The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV)

Two years ago, I wrote about My 10 Must-Buy Books of 2021. On that list—which is full of bangers, upon recent review—is Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me, which I found so captivating I “lost time in my life” because I was so focused on reading it. (And I’m not the only one; it spend nearly a year on The New York Times Best Seller List, so there.) 

Well now it’s a show on Apple TV, starring Jennifer Garner and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon, who also made the book one of her book club picks. Knowing how gripping the novel is, the fact that the author also adapted it for TV, and that it has Witherspoon’s approval and involvement? Honestly that’s all I needed. But I’ve also heard good word of mouth about it, and the NYT gave it some critical love this week, which sealed the deal. If you’re watching it too—or anything good, really—will you please let me know in the comments below? I’m always on the hunt for a new show/want to talk about the ones I’m watching with someone.

Buy: Aloha Collection Splash-Proof Travel Pouches ($46)

This is random as hell, but I’m weirdly, deeply, passionately obsessed with these wet/dry bags that have become relatively essential in my life, and I felt like I should share. One of my high school and college besties gave me one of these bags for Christmas, and to be honest, I thought it was cool, but didn’t have any hot plans for it. Folks, that was a me problem; these pouches are major, on so many levels.

If you have kids who take swim lessons or you ever go anywhere with a bathing suit and know that you will have to change at some point, you need one of these bags. Most of the time I just use mine as a way to store bathing suits and keep them organized, but they make swimming at a friend’s house or the beach so much better. As the name implies, you can put your damp suit into the pouch, zip it up, and then throw it in your beach or travel bag, and nothing else will get wet. You can also use it for your liquid-y beauty products when you travel, as it will truly keep everything contained. (Also: If you don’t want a big one, it also comes in a smaller size, which will run you about $36.)

Now, could you use a Ziploc bag instead? Sure. But I’m trying to not use that stuff as much as possible. Plus, Aloha has a good backstory: It was founded by two Native Hawaiian women who raised a very modest amount of money on Kickstarter, and are still self funded a decade later. Plus they donate 5% of profits to Hawaii-based conservation organizations, so frankly I’d rather give them my money than a conglomerate like SC Johnson (the makers of Ziploc, if you were wondering). 

Try: Monika Blunder Kissen Lipstick Crayon ($32) in Charlotte/Coral Red

I’m a longtime fan of makeup artist-turned-beauty entrepreneur Monika Blunder’s products, and have been singing their praises for years. (Her immaculate Blunder Cover All in One Foundation is on sale for a limited time at Nordstrom and is BRILLIANT, and I really like her brushes, especially the Synthetic Angled Buffing Brush.) So when three new shades of her wonderfully easy to use Kissen Lipstick Crayon arrived at my house recently, I was thrilled.

Of the new shades, my number one is Charlotte, the perfect coral red color for spring and summer, though honestly it’s my go-to shade year round. More red than coral, it looks striking when applied in full force, but also blots down to a stain-like effect that’s equally beautiful. 

---

Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated.