Lifestyle of a Fashionista

Volume 4: Issue 5: May 2025

“May, queen of blossoms, and fulfilling flowers, what pretty music shall we charm the hours?” – Lord Edward Thurlow 

Notes on Fashion:

Elevate your basics:

This article in Elle, A Beginner’s Guide to the 7-Point Rule for Getting Dressed, got me thinking about grading your outfits and ways to elevate your basic pieces. As you swap out your seasonal clothing, think about the basic pieces you wear, and look in your closet to find ways to elevate those basics.

These fashion icons should score well, get inspiration from their outfits: What Does It Take to Be a Fashion Icon? Ask the 17 Greatest Trendsetters of All Time

Step one: start with the basics

Create a capsule wardrobe, or stock your closet with seasonal basics.

For women:

From who what wear: These 31 Anti-Trend Basics Are Quickly Becoming the Foundation of My 2025 Wardrobe

From purewow: 23 Stores Like Madewell for Stylish Wardrobe Essentials

From Rank & Style: The Best Online Shopping Sites for Women Over 50

For men:

From GQ: 18 clothing essentials for every man’s wardrobe

From Men’s Health: The 10 Best Men’s Clothing Brands in 2025, According to Style Editors

From GQ: The Best Clothing Brands for Men to Build a Wardrobe from Scratch

Step two: get creative

Mix and match your pieces, or add an accessory or two.

From The Skimm: Just Wear This: How to Style Classic Pieces for 2025

From INDYX: 8 Practical Tips To Elevate Any Outfit

For Men:

From The Essential Man (2023): A Beginner’s Guide: 16 Essential Style Tips For Guys Who Want to Dress Better

Once you’ve figured out the outfit formulas that work for you, getting dressed will be stress free.

Read Who What Wear: Forget Outfit Anxiety—This Hack Is Making Styling Stress Entirely Obsolete

Shop the trends

From Harper’s Bazaar: The Best Spring 2025 Fashion Trends to Shop Now

From Marie Claire: Every Stylish Parisian Is Wearing These 6 Shoe Trends This Spring

From GQ: The Biggest Men’s Fashion Trends 2025 Has In Store, According to GQ Staffers

Notes on Watching

Netflix is introducing a new way to use subtitles. I’ve been using subtitles for a few years now, and they are not just for people who are hard of hearing. It helps to catch all parts of a conversation. Read from the Verge: Netflix rolls out dialogue-only subtitles. The new dialogue-only subtitle option is only available on new Netflix original titles for now, starting with season 5 of You. From Netflix: You Read That Right: We’re Introducing a New Way to Experience Subtitles

Here is a list of weekly series that will end in May or have just wrapped up. It includes limited and regular series.

• Matlock (season finale on Paramount+)
• Good American Family (on Hulu). Watch the documentary: The Curious Case of Natalia Grace on Hulu.
• Dope Thief (season 1 on Apple TV+)
• Dark Winds (season 3 finale on AMC+, season 1 and 2 on Netflix)
• Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (season 1 and 2 on PBS), Read how to watch for streaming options.
• Good American Family (limited series on Hulu)
• St. Denis Medical (season 1 finale NBC/Peacock)
• Celtics City (Max)
• The Righteous Gemstones (Max) series finale on May 4th
• Elsbeth (season finale on Paramount+ on May 8)
• Watson (season finale on Paramount+ on May 11)
• The Amazing Race (season finale on Paramount+ on May 15)
• Survivor (season finale on Paramount+ on May 21)
• The Studio (season finale on Apple TV+ on May 21)
• The Handmaid’s Tale (season finale on Hulu May 27)

See more lists of new, returning, and noteworthy movies and series to watch on my new post: Notes on Watching – May

Notes on Events

May Day on May 1st

Kentucky Derby (May 3), watch on Peacock. Make a Mint Julep.

Read: Kentucky Derby 2025 betting odds, favorites, post positions and free picks

May the Fourth for Star Wars fans

Cinco de Mayo on May 5th

Met Gala on May 5th

“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” Is the Costume Institute’s Spring 2025 Exhibition

Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that the forthcoming Costume Institute exhibition would examine and celebrate the Black dandy, titled “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Read in Vogue: Family Album: Staffers and Friends of Vogue on the Black Dandies in Their Lives and To Be Seen and Not Defined: Dandyism and the Black Intellectual Imagination

From Vogue: Where to Watch the 2025 Met Gala Livestream

The Conclave begins in Rome on May 7th. Read from The Washington Post: A visual guide on how the next pope will be elected

Mother’s Day on May 11th

From Prevention: The 40 Best Mother’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Mom in 2025

From Wirecutter: All of Our Favorite Chic, Comfy, Wear-Every-Day Style Gifts for Her

From Yahoo!: The best affordable Mother’s Day gifts under $50 to give in 2025

From Hello Sunshine: Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Memorial Day on May 26th

Notes on General Topics

Things to try:

From The Washington Post: Why catchy songs get stuck in your head (and how to stop it) and Swearing is linked with increased pain tolerance and strength

Things to do:

Donate:

From Brookline Booksmith: the Prison Book Program (PBP), is a crucial service that brings books to incarcerated folks who might otherwise go without. You can place orders at any time from the PBP book wishlist on our website, but from now through 5/5 your book purchases from that list will be matched by an outside donor, doubling your impact and swelling the collections at over 1,000 prison libraries across all 50 states. Place your order, have it matched by generous donors, and give the gift of reading indiscriminately.

Project 826 turned down a federal grant. Read in the Boston Globe: ‘We couldn’t live in that uncertainty’: A Boston nonprofit rejects a $250,000 federal grant so it can protect DEI Donate: https://826boston.org/get-involved/donate-to-826-boston/

 It’s Public Media Giving Days! Make a donation today to support the NPR Network.