8.26.24
This will be too long for email. (Sorry not sorry.)
Happy Monday Friends.
I hope you had a restful weekend and I hope you’ve been well. This week we have some catching up to do. I’ve been… let’s just say “away”. I’ve had a few needed weeks of working on some projects at home (which I hope to share more about soon), as well as time to work on some longer writing that I’d been wanting to put out for a while. It’s been nice to focus on some more intentional projects, but I have also missed the balance of more lighthearted chats, and I’ve desperately missed sharing what I’m into right now.
This week, I want to chirp about a few different things:
A series of French films I recently watched.
Some clothes I love.
And as always, some music.
So with that being said, let’s chirp.
A series of films by François Truffaut
With a career than spanned over 25 years from the 1950s to the 1980s, French director François Truffaut became an iconic filmmaker of his time. He got his start in film at the age of sixteen, when he founded his own film club after spending his younger years obsessed with cinema and literature. Shortly after, he began to work with French film critic André Bazin, who helped him become the youngest film editor for the French film magazine, Cahiers du Cinéma (which still exists today). Truffaut made several well known films, but none of his work is more well known (or more highly regarded) than his first feature film, The 400 Blows (1959).
The film follows a young Parisian boy, Antoine Doinel (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud), who has a troubled childhood fraught with parental disputes, overly critical teachers, and the expected consequences of his repetitive delinquency. The character closely resembles a young Truffaut who himself grew up in Paris as an undesired child, living with his grandmother until she passed away when he was eight years old. After her passing he lived with his parents, but bounced around from place to place and was repeatedly expelled from school after school until finally seeking solace in film.
Between 1959 and 1979, amongst his other work, Truffaut made a series of five films following Doinel’s character. Throughout the series’ entirety, Doinel was played by the same actor. And this is the case for most of the series’ characters who reappear in each film over two decades. Although the idea of actors reappearing for several films in a series isn’t a completely unique thing to us now (see the 10-year run of Harry Potter films or the endless cash-cow Marvel movies), the series itself has a completely different feel to it. Knowing that the character is loosely based on Truffaut himself, it feels much more autobiographical and it invites viewers to examine themselves to see how we might also change (or not) with time. There are moments that as the viewer, you’re begging for Doinel to not repeat his mistake, but upon reflection, we realize we are just as guilty in our own lives. The films are beautifully shot, with timely and appropriately-trimmed dialogue. They are romantic, whimsical, and quietly witty. They offer nuanced situations that see Doinel repeatedly face his gluttonous need for love through a carousel of lovers as well as his struggle with completing his life’s work as a writer and a father.
The last film in the series, Love on the Run (1979), offers several comical, and comically direct, recaps of what has occurred over the past several years of Doinel’s life. Allowing the viewer, and seemingly Doinel himself, to reflect on all that has led him to this moment. It’s an opportunity that all of us ought to take advantage of. To learn from our past. To look at who we are, and who we’ve become, and own it with the good and the bad. If you have a way to watch these films (best through either Criterion or possible through Mubi) I can’t recommend doing so enough.
Some clothes worth shopping for
Although I live in Florida, and that means we hardly get a true fall or for that matter a true winter, I have still been slowly easing into preparing for fall fashion. The average high here this week was around 91F, so to say I have been dreaming of nights where layering is an option is an understatement. And after recently reading a piece by Mya Gelber, titled Summer Is For Buying Sweaters Not Swimsuits, I have been steadily perusing the internet for some better fall staples for my closet.
Things I think will be gravitating towards for F/W 2024: Monochrome outfits, navy blue, white (and off-white) jeans, denim-on-denim (aka more monochrome), and lots of textures.
As someone who has spent less and less time paying attention to fashion while learning about interior design over the past two years, seeing creative people like Molly Blutstein and Carla Nicieza blend the two together in INCREDIBLE ways has been seriously inspiring. And in addition to being inspired, I am also reminded that it’s just as useful to take some of the lessons I learn about interiors and apply them to clothing. Now, keep in mind, what I am showing below is more of a guide of what I’m after rather than a strict shopping list. I will always prefer to thrift as many pieces as possible, but it’s great to have inspiration, and every now and then, spending some money is required.
I really love this jacket by Paris-based BRUT. Also looks fantastic in brown. As shown, this denim-on-denim look is perfect with a basic thermal, but I can also easily see it working well for a more dressed up look with a shirt and scarf or bandana around the neck. Also, imagine the versatility of shoe options with this. I especially love the prospect of a colorful sneaker like these red Alohas (See: interior design’s unexpected red theory) or these dusky yellow Sambas (which my fashionista friend is deeming “the shoe of the fall”). But this look would also pair super well with a boot or a loafer.
For a really basic (but super high quality) thermal (which adds some great texture and layering ability) look no further than this one from Imogene + Willie. They make fantastic basics (yes at a price) that I can personally attest to as my favorite two t-shirts are both from the brand. Everything is great quality and just gets better with time.
White jeans are incredibly versatile and I think everyone needs a pair. No one I know does it better than my internet friend Natalia Quintero Ochoa, whose Substack how to wear it, you should absolutely run to for vintage finds, books, and looks. White jeans go with just about everything, and although they’re not the typical go-to for winter, I think they can be a workhorse in late summer and fall. These Madewell Jeans fit the bill (also see the wider fit here). If you’re willing to spend a little more these from AYR also look fantastic.
Monochrome is always a safe bet. It works. It’s consistent. It’s like your favorite coffee shop. You know what you’re getting, and you know you’ll be happy. I think putting time and effort into dressing well can be exhausting sometimes, but the easier we can make it, the better.
What I’ve been listening to lately
Jazz can be a difficult thing to listen do during Summer without entering into a premature Fall depression, but there are always exceptions (see: Pharaoh Sanders and Sun Ra). This 1957 album, The Poll Winners, by the trio of Barney Kessel (guitar), Shelly Mane (drums), and Ray Brown (bass) is a perfect Summer jazz album. My personal favorite tracks from the record are “Jordu” and their rendition of “On Green Dolphin Street”.
Every now and then I dip back into a hip hop/rap phase, and for the past month I have been repeatedly listening to Atlanta native Kenny Mason’s recently released second studio album, 9. Mason has become a mainstay on the rap scene the past few years and is unique for his seamless mixing of hip hop and rock. My favorite tracks are “SLIP”, “US”, “MONEY SIGNS”, and “EASY DUB”.
Self proclaimed “jazz-house” artist berlioz (yes, slickly named after the 19th century French composer Hector Berlioz) has blown up since releasing his first single in 2022. His debut album, open this wall, was recently released in July, and since then I have had it on repeat. While I want to be clear that berlioz himself is not a true jazz artist, he has quite a knack for making an intoxicating concoction of “jazz-house” that just about anyone will love.
If you happened to make it this far then all I can say is thank you! It’s so much fun growing this little community and hopefully in the following weeks I can carve out a little more time for this work that I love so much. I hope you all have a fantastic week.
Talk soon,
xo,
-Zach
HONORED!!!! ♥️♥️♥️ and adding all these movies to my must-watch list ♥️♥️