March Repeats

it's spring! this is what i've been reading, wearing, and waking up to

Apr 09, 2025

There are two things I know for certain about this time of year in New York City:

1. Daffodils start rearing their yellow heads, popping up seemingly overnight in sidewalk flower beds and through freshly thawed park grounds. They are the true harbinger of spring — humbly and selflessly setting the stage for tulips to arrive soon and take all the credit.

2. If we’re blessed, before the season has even changed on the calendar, we’ll experience our first warm Saturday of the year: an official city-wide holiday that elicits our best and worst behavior. You can practically feel a fresh promiscuity in the air as New Yorkers start shedding layers and texting with abandon after one too many midday beers.

Luckily for us, March was fruitful in both of these departments.

This is what was on repeat for the month of March — wearables, snoozables, latherables, and more.

Vintage Levi’s Button Down

A piece that can take you from day to night as easily as it can take you from frigid snow days to eating soft serve on the street. I reached for button downs so often this month, and this one in particular was my MVP.

tiramisu soft serve from orchard grocer mhmm

On the first summery day of the year — a freak 80 degree Saturday — I threw on the button down for a layer that could easily be peeled off if I couldn’t snag a spot in the shade. And on the chillier, pre-spring nights, a thermal underneath and some boots makes for the easiest outfit formula.

Vintage Letterman Jacket

Speaking of a button down and some boots on a brisk March evening… shout out to whichever Tom ditched this jacket! I picked this up years ago at a 2nd Street for $16, and at this point, it might one of the lowest cost-per-wear items in my closet.

Its quilted interior and relatively weather-resistant exterior makes it an ideal jacket for volatile in-between-season temps. A curly font red stitched name on the chest is the real cherry on top (and completes the little primary color scheme I had going on here).

Nike Air Rifts

I threw these on for long walks in the sun this month, soaking up the first days of the season where I could forgo thick socks and more protective shoes. These are a vintage pair from eBay (without the Tabi toe often featured in this style) and can be found in abundance secondhand.

Behind me as I snapped this photo, the patchy lawns of Washington Square Park sank under the weight of tattered blankets, picnic spreads, and NYU students passing around shoddily rolled joints. New York is so back.

And on the subject of freaky little shoes, you better believe I’ve been tuning in to

Mandy Lee @oldloserinbrooklyn

’s series on shoes for freaks. She has the coolest collection and the best recommendations for those of us in dire need of a freaky little shoe for a freaky little spring.

Hatch Restore (sponsored)

Apparently there’s a less jarring way to wake up than to a screeching iPhone alarm that triggers my fight or flight response. Who knew?

I’ve immensely enjoyed waking up to Hatch’s gentle sunrise-esque light and the sounds of a Parisian cafe or a bird sanctuary, and I’m noticing the ripple effects throughout my morning too. It’s much easier to get into a good routine when I’m not panicking reaching for my phone first thing in the morning.

the girls and luster are required reading btw

Hot Tools Blow Dryer Brush

Yes I’m talking about a blow dryer brush in the year 2025 lol. This is my lifeline in between haircuts as a bob-haver. In March, I hit the critical length of “needs to be dealt with” hair — still too short to throw into a ponytail on bad hair days, but just long enough that it stops air drying in a nice even pattern.

I don’t use a blow dryer nearly often enough to justify a pricier version (looking at you Dyson), so this ~$70 option I bought years ago in college does the trick. It’s been my bad hair day savior ever since. Bonus: it works on dry hair, too, to tame those gravity-defying pieces I seem to wake up with every morning.

RŌZ Shampoo and Conditioner (gifted)

It’s funny that I have two hair products on this month’s list because I’m really not a hair girly — I think I missed that day in girl school tbh. I don’t even know how to French braid.

But this shampoo and conditioner had my hair feeling so nice after the first use it made me go “oh, I should probably think about my hair more.” (It also smells divine.) I’m savoring every last drop.

we also love refillable and recyclable aluminum packaging around here

Happy Place by Emily Henry

It’s a simple as this: I needed to be in a happier place. By the ides of March, after months of bitterly cold 3pm sunsets, I need an escape — an escape to a summer home in Maine with Emily Henry and her cast of lovers.

The romance genre isn’t one I venture into often, but I’m such a sucker for Henry’s romantic comedies (I think I’ve read Beach Read four or five times?). You can find me at my local book store with bells on later this month when her newest release comes out.

and what if i said she actually read it aloud to me, does that still count?

In last month’s repeats letter, I wished for “a sunny start to spring, the first single-layered outfit of the year (fingers crossed), and a March that reminds us why we endure winter.” Check, check, check! How lucky are we?

Here’s to an April that blooms. Proof of life sprouting up at our feet and gentle expansive warmth in our chests. Cherry blossoms and cheap beers on the roof. And at least one chips + guac + margarita combo enjoyed on an outdoor patio. Please.