steven alan summer sale picks

Steven Alan Veronica blouse in yellow

Steven Alan oversized stand collar shirt

Steven Alan Winona dress

Zespa slip on loafer

My picks are $150 or less, and there's free shipping in the US!

scout

Hey there, how have things been going?

I had a great trip to NYC last month. Stephanie and I had our customary lunch at Gahm Mi Oak. We went to Uniqlo and Muji, where I proceeded to buy my core summer wardrobe for $200. Skinny jeans, a linen button down, and a red oxford shirt at Uniqlo, and then a khaki skirt and cropped stripe tee at Muji. I highly recommend the Uniqlo shirts, and if you're looking for a pair of $40 no fuss, mid-rise skinny jeans at Uniqlo, I would suggest sizing down. I went with the 26s, and the waist stretches out after one wear. The Muji skirt is perfect for my cropped tees and blouses, and I feel like a proper scout these days.

We also went to Nepenthes and ogled their wild prints. It seems I'm on a skirt kick after many years of leaving them out of rotation. This one in particular has my name on it.

Anyway, things have been...complicated...these days. Aside from being busy teaching and commuting nearly 4 hours round trip once a week, I've been juggling 3 balls and 2 fire sticks for the past month. Being a contingent academic is hard. I'm lucky to be in Canada, where you can be contingent and still have social benefits like health care. But teaching 6 new courses in 12 months along with administrative duties has really taken it out on me. Not getting my dream job at a liberal arts college last year took the wind out of my sails. It would be putting it mildly to say that my past year was steeped in despair. A lot of good has come out of it, including an awesome new project, but I've also spent a lot of time angry and bitter.

Starting in September I will be single-parenting at least half the week, if not more, while Matthew begins his PhD coursework in Cambridge. It wasn't easy to decide on staying behind in Toronto, but my choices were frustratingly limited. We also decided to stay in our tiny 600 sq ft apartment for the time being. I've enlisted a friend to help me redecorate and organize the space, so hopefully I can share our progress in the next few months.

Anyway, I hope your summer has been filled with delicious and lovely things. We're going strawberry picking this weekend.