Issue #127: A Week of Cozy, Polished WFH Outfits and My "Coffee Shop" Rule

No jeans or blouses here.

Morning Person is a weekly newsletter packed with obsessively-curated recommendations and ideas—let’s get to it!

😂 “Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees” on Netflix: As soon as Novak reaches the microphone to begin her buzzy one-woman show, she’s jogging back to reenact her entrance. The journey, she points out, is not unlike the one “from someone’s face… down their torso… their pelvis, to give them a blowjob.” Both—Novak’s blowjob metaphors and back-and-forth pacing—continue for the next ninety minutes, yet her comedy is somehow less crass than it is philosophical. Novak, who holds authenticity above all, is earnest and hilarious in her poetic, insightful musings on genitals (you read that right), orgasms, and her teenage fears of a “toothy blowjob.” Just trust me, okay? (Enjoyed this feature and this one, too.)

📚 Good Material by Dolly Alderton: Andy, a 35-year-old man is spinning out from from a breakup with his ex-girlfriend, Jen, who “ruined his life” when she dumped him. Though it can feel excruciating, at times, to spend so much time in his head, Alderton’s observations on heterosexual relationships are pitch-perfect, especially when we get Jen’s perspective on the break at the very end… it also speaks volumes to its readability that I began this Sunday and finished it late last night.

📺 “Masters of the Air” on Apple TV+: As someone who missed every Tom Cruise airplane movie and felt zero FOMO about it, I didn’t expect be so immediately captivated by this show, which pivots quickly from a bar to a battle. This nine-part series produced by Thomas Hanks and Steven Spielberg, stars Elvis Austin Butler, Steven Spielberg’s son Sawyer Spielberg, and ‘Saltburn’’s Barry Keoghan as members of a unit of the U.S. Air Force known for their hyper-dangerous missions. The first three episodes are out now. A few other shows on my radar… “Expats” on Amazon Prime, directed by Lulu Wang of ‘The Farewell’ and starring Nicole Kidman, and “Monsieur Spade” on AMC, a spy drama starring Clive Owen.

P.S. I’m hosting my first live Morning Person event of the year this Sunday, February 4th at 9 a.m., p.t.! Join writer

Jane Ratcliffe

and me over Zoom in a brief, casual conversation about our relationships with rest, why it can be so difficult to prioritize, and a few of the things that have helped us.

When I initially made the switch from working in an office to working from home, I made a commitment to “getting dressed” everyday. I was inconsistent, at best, usually staying in sweats until I had to change for evening plans or a workout (oh, but I tried, I really tried). The problem, I’ve realized, is that I was putting on the same things I do outside the house: jeans, structured blouses, midi skirts. At home, I am often sitting at my desk for hours, breaking to take my dog on walks, before flying out the door for my favorite yoga class. Jeans pinched into my waist as I typed and it felt like a waste of a dry clean-only blouse. At the same time, staying in sweats felt like the sartorial equivalent of not making my bed first thing in the morning; okay on the occasional lazy Sunday, but not something I want to make a daily habit. (It’s something many of you struggle with too—this was a top-requested topic from the reader survey, earlier this year!) I recently landed on a formula for WFH outfits that feels polished, but is still functional and, most importantly, comfortable.

Each morning, as I get dressed to work from home (before breakfast, or it never happens), I use a simple barometer: Would I wear this to work from a coffee shop? The question helps strike a balance between cozy and pulled-together. I’m not dressed up, by any means, but like to be video-meeting-ready in clothes that make me feel cute and comfortable, even if no one sees me all morning. Below is my loose formula, a week of WFH outfits (including the pants I wore three times), plus why and how I rarely buy clothes directly from retailers: