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Vol.13 - The One Where I Attempt To Podcast 🎤

Updated: Jan 21, 2024


Happy Sunday! I can’t believe it’s the end of January already. This week, I found a tupperware filled with olives in my fridge from our New Year’s Eve party, so that was the wake-up call I needed to realise how quickly this month has flown by. When this newsletter goes out, we will be getting ready for Dim Sum with my family after a somewhat disappointing LNY lunch where they nearly poisoned my sister (further explanation here). This week has been chaotic and busy and pretty transformative from a personal perspective, but more on that later. As this newsletter is for paid subscribers, I want you all to know that A) Henry and I have been working behind the scenes on getting Rhubarb Society merch made (I see all your comments and DMs about it, and it’s finally happening!!!), and B) that you guys will be the first to know and you will have early access to the first drop (whenever that may be). I didn’t realise how much work needed to go into it, so please be patient with us! It would be really easy to choose a random dropshipper in China and have Rhubarb’s images printed onto some shitty polyester items, but of course, that would never be an option. We’re working with our fabulous illustrator Felicity Hamilton to have colour versions of her sketches made, as well as different rendered versions that can be used for the embroidered patches that will go onto the items (samples pending, we want them to look perfect!). We’ve also been chatting with different suppliers to find the best-quality pieces, made and sourced ethically, that will allow the product to be affordable and at a fair price point for the quality of clothing we’re providing.On top of that, there’s packaging, branding for the packaging, labels, tags, shipping logistics, and a website…but I know we’ll get there eventually! Anyway, excuse me for putting you through yet another long intro…so, on that note let’s begin!



FASHION

back to basics

A recurring comment that I tend to ignore on TikTok usually involves asking me about my wardrobe, a whole wardrobe haul (there is not enough time on the planet for that), or my wardrobe basics/staples. The reason I ignore it is because I know I’ll have to steam multiple items of clothing to wear on camera and film just for them to get crumpled (and for me to steam again at a later date). Admittedly this is pure laziness on my behalf, and I will eventually film a video about it, but I have zero qualms with writing about it. The fewer irons, steamers and dry-cleaning trips involved, the better. Before I developed my own style and understood what I was comfortable in, I was a bit of a trend fiend who would buy new items of clothing from various fast fashion brands because I couldn’t think for myself and just wanted to fit in. I find myself returning to the same items in different fonts, and I know that I can mix and match or layer these to make different outfits with minimal stress. Of course, my style isn’t going to work for everybody reading this. I lean towards menswear (blazers, trousers, shirts etc.) and a more preppy look. I also love an outfit to look effortless and thrown together because anything too matchy-matchy really upsets me. Even if my style isn’t for you, it can still be helpful to list the core items in your wardrobe that you love and feel comfortable in and think about which ones could do with being replaced by better quality pieces. I think the most sensible way to do this is to list my wardrobe staples and then offer pieces at different price points (with all recommended items or brands being ones I have either worn or owned, of course).



  • Plain White T-shirts (short & long sleeved) - This sounds so simple and basic, but I have churned through many in my quest to find the perfect white T-shirt. If I’m layering it under something oversized, I want it soft and loose. If I’m tucking it into trousers or jeans, I want it form-fitting and thick. My all-time favourites are from Petit Bateau. They hug the body, stay bright white, look and feel expensive and are made from organic cotton. The fitted short sleeve ones are £24, and the long sleeves are £27. Another favourite is a thinner, lighter option from Brandi Melville for £15. The more I wear it and wash it, the softer it gets.

  • A Crisp White Button Down - I wear white shirts all year round, and personally, I think they just look effortlessly cool. It’s my go-to whenever I’m stuck on what to wear. I can chuck it on with jeans and trainers, trousers and heels, shorts and flip-flops, skirts and strappy shoes, literally annnythiingggg. Unsurprisingly my favourite ones are from Djerf Avenue (£99), followed closely by With Nothing Underneath (£95). I also like the H&M Oxford Shirts (£17.99) as they have texture and wash nicely, whereas the cotton ones feel a little school/work-esque. I also like their plain linen ones, but they don’t seem to have the exact ones I’ve bought previously on their website.

  • Boyfriend Jeans (Light Wash Blue & White) - It was truly a shock to my system as a previous skinny jean devotee when I realised I liked a looser fit jean. Weirdly, I think they look best with flip-flops (slim, neutral coloured havianas, of course) and a white t-shirt, a la vintage Nicole Richie/Olsen twin style. You’ll see a reoccurring theme in this list where I link to Djerf Avenue, but honestly, they are the best for these pared-back basics. I have both the relaxed jeans (£109), and the straight jeans (£109) and they really are the best. I’m 5’3 and didn’t need the relaxed jeans taken up, but I did with the straight jeans. I’m also a fan of GAP jeans (the girlfriend and boyfriend fits which are £35-£45), and they always have really good sales. You also can’t go wrong with a pair of classic 501s from Levi’s.

  • Wool/Cashmere Crew Necks - These are essential for elevating an outfit. Whether it’s layered with a shirt and a blazer, worn alone, or slung over your shoulders, you want a cream/white, a navy, and a black option. If you’re new here, I am a Uniqlo fan girl, ride or die, here ‘til the bitter end. Their lambswool crew necks are so soft and well-priced at £29.90. Their cashmere jumpers are also fantastic and often in the sale (like right now, where they’re £79.90 down from £109).

  • Black Tailored Trousers (straight leg) - These have saved me multiple times because I can dress them down with converse and a jumper or dress them up with big heels and a waistcoat/blazer combo. In my opinion, the best and most flattering ones are from Theory. Their Demitria wool ones (£200, but 15% off first purchase) are perfection, and whilst they are on the long side, Theory offers free tailoring, so I don’t mind. I also love my Djerf Avenue ‘Favourite Pants’ (£119, these are more on the relaxed/boyfriend side), so they look great with a big heel and a more fitted top half. I also have a staple pair from Zara (£29.99), which are basically the perfect dupe for the Djerf ones that have lasted me years.

  • Blazers (Plain & Textured) - 70% of my wardrobe is made up of blazers. They are my love language. They are a warm embrace after a long day. They are my reason to live, laugh, love. I source them from all over. I have vintage ones from eBay, basically one in every colour from Djerf Avenue and a velvet one for dressier occasions from Zadig & Voltaire (their blazers are on the pricier side, but they are gorgeous). For Summer, I have linen ones from Mango in white and lilac.

  • Basic & Versatile Trainers - I’m a dog mum who lives in London, so I have to be practical. I walk pretty much everywhere, and as much as I’d like to wear my Birkenstocks all year round, the weather doesn’t allow for it. My Converse are probably my favourite. I have black and white high tops and white canvas all stars. I also love my Reebok Classic Club C Vintage trainers. The more worn in they get, the better they look. Bonus points if you can pair them with a pair of fun socks like these dog ones, cat ones or orange ones. Again, these can work with all outfits and all seasons, and they’re not trend-driven. I remember seeing Nicole Richie (she really seemed to impact my 13-year-old brain) in a pair of converse high tops, with cut-off denim shorts and a white t-shirt, and it changed my brain chemistry.



THE PHONE BOOTH

I finally learned how to use my microphone, and of course, I used it to talk about drumroll…the Oscars

Forgive how messy this first ever ‘podcast’ is because I had no clue that you couldn’t pause or edit when recording on Substack, so this week, you are going to hear a 13-minute stream of consciousness from yours truly. Podcast seems like the wrong term for this, so I’ve gone for ‘the phone booth’. Why? Well, you know in films when the phone rings in a random booth, and there’s no one around except for the central character, and they pick it up and listen to an unexpected voice on the other end? Yeah, that’s what we’re going with here. Going forward, I think there are two options for this; The first is that I ramble for 10-15 minutes on a subject of my choice, much like Anything Goes, or you submit questions and topics for me to talk about for 10-15 minutes. I’ll leave the fate to this neat poll.



The Phone Booth

Anything Goes Style

78%

Reader Submitted Topics & Questions

22%

58 VOTES · POLL CLOSED



Anyway, onto today’s phone booth, where I give an unfiltered overview of some of the Oscar Nominations announced earlier this week. You’ll never get these 13 minutes of your life back, but at least you’ll know where I stand on multiple films.



Also, as promised, these are the images from the amazing tweet that compiles a list of where to watch every Oscar-nominated film (not putting all images below as they are rather large, but here’s one for reference!).




THE INTERN


This week’s ‘The Club Corner’ is being replaced by our guest editor segment who still has a job due to your positive feedback

London is a city filled with endless sights and sounds, but for our beloved Princess Rhubarb, it's all about the “walkies"! While she may have a strict route during the week for her morning and evening ablutions, Tamsin and I spice things up on the weekends to give those little legs a stretch and keep her nose and pallet peaked.

If you’re in need of some inspiration for where to take your furry companion for a stroll (canine or human), here are 2 of Rhubarb’s favourite London weekend routes.


ROUTE ONE

Regents Park / St John’s Wood / Primrose Hill

  1. Starting on Marylebone High Street, get a coffee from the dog-friendly Hagen (Editor’s Note; ask for a squeeze of honey in your oat latte, they’re really good here), head north, and cross over Marylebone Road into Regent’s Park.

  2.  Take the first right into Regent Park’s Marylebone Green Fields (as turning left would put you and your furry friend in danger of the unpredictable wildlife) and choose the path on the left heading up into the middle of the Park. 

  3. Crossing over the road shortly brings about Rhubarb’s favourite pit stop, The Broad Walk Cafe - as this is run by Benugo, you can obtain a selection of her favourite sausages for £1.


There are two options from here:

A. Carry on behind the cafe and cross diagonally over the Playing Fields to the St John’s Wood Exit. Now it’s a simple walk to the top of the high street and left into Panzers Greengrocers: Tamsin has a large list of recommendations from this haven but the intern highly recommends going to the back counter and obtaining a smoked salmon cream cheese bagel or indeed the salt beef sandwich - all made to order. (Note: dogs are allowed in if carried). Editor’s Note: I like to stock up on Oritz tinned goods, the homemade cream cheese from behind the counter, and their self serve everything bagels. Their sushi is also fantastic.



B. Carry on north and find your way to the Primrose Hill Exit. Crossing over the road and into Primrose Hill park (Editor’s Note: If you want both a good workout and a beautiful view, walk directly to the top of the hill and then race your dog down), it’s a short walk up to the high street where you can grab a bite from either Ripe, OKA or pick up some fresh produce from Bens.

B. Carry on north and find your way to the Primrose Hill Exit. Crossing over the road and into Primrose Hill park (Editor’s Note: If you want both a good workout and a beautiful view, walk directly to the top of the hill and then race your dog down), it’s a short walk up to the high street where you can grab a bite from either Ripe, OKA or pick up some fresh produce from Bens.




ROUTE TWO

Hyde Park / Mayfair / Green Park / St James

  1. Starting in Connaught Village, grab your coffee from Abasto and head down Albion Street into Hyde Park. Winter Wonderland-permitting, choose the path diagonally left of you, which leads perfectly towards the Hyde Park Corner Exit.

There are two options from here:

  1. Either pair off quickly at the BMW Park Lane Exit because you’ve realised that by going for a walk at 12:00 on a Sunday without having breakfast that you’re hangry, and you don’t care who knows it. Take the underpass and continue on Aldford Street until you shortly reach Mount Street. Depending on what you’re in the mood for, either go to Hideaway, a boujie cafe run by the accredited Hide Restaurant, or for something sweet, go to The Connaught Patisserie (both of which are dog-friendly). If choosing the latter, we recommend taking your sweet treat into Mount Street Gardens for an alfresco experience.

  1. Stave the hunger and continue, taking the Hyde Park Corner Exit. Head through Wellington Arch and into Green Park, finding the route that heads diagonally left into the middle of the park. You’re aiming for the Exit next to Lancaster House, which will take you onto Cleveland Row. From here, it’s a simple left up St James Street and right onto Ryder Street to your end stop at the infamous Maison Francois. For what to eat here, see our previous post.


So there you have it, two of Princess Rhubarb's favourite London weekend routes. From Regents Park and Primrose Hill to Hyde Park and Mayfair, these walks are sure to provide you and your furry companion with plenty of sights, smells, and delicious treats. Next time you're in need of some inspiration for your dog walkies, give these routes a try and let us know what you think.




A NOTE FROM ME


So, I mentioned in the intro that it had been a chaotic and transformative week from a personal perspective. I like that I can be more transparent in this newsletter than I can on the other forms of social media I use, and I also like being able to share my experiences in the hope that it might help some of you reading or that it might resonate in some way. This week, I decided to leave my management after over a year and a half together. I appreciate that for those not in the industry, this probably doesn’t mean much, but, in brief, it was the ‘thing’ that enabled me to leave my full-time job. Having management that negotiates deals, handles contracts, and that actually understands the industry is what makes social media an actual viable career (imo). Naturally, you build a very strong and personal relationship with your manager and the other people involved, from the team to those under the same management. At times, it becomes tough to separate the personal from the professional due to the nature of the industry, more so than in any job I’ve had previously. Whilst this section is about my above choice, I didn’t want it to be the sole focus. I thought it was important to share it as, at its crux, it’s about the importance of embracing change.

Change is fucking scary. It comes with uncertainty; it comes with self-doubt; it comes with ‘what ifs’ and ‘whys’. The older you get, the easier it is to become comfortable. We seek out and crave stability, rightly so, as if anything, that should be the one thing we deserve in our later years. However, I also believe this breeds complacency and stagnation in our lives. I had been going back and forth over this decision for months, afraid that I would be making the wrong choice. I knew I could continue as I was (and had been for the better part of two years) and be comfortable, but I also knew that I couldn’t ignore the feeling in my gut that something wasn’t right. If I wanted to continue to learn and grow, I knew I had to leave my comfort zone and make a drastic change. The one piece of advice that has stuck with me since I heard it was ‘worrying doesn’t change the outcome’. I could spend my time fretting and worrying about what might happen and use it as an excuse to talk myself out of decisions I knew I needed to make. I could spend hours pouring over the alternative outcomes to my decision, knowing full well that the time and energy I spent on it would never affect the future outcome. Or, I could accept that some things are entirely out of my control and instead channel the worry, self-doubt, and fear of change into something positive. Who knows what’s next? Who knows where my decision might lead? Who knows if I made the right choice? No one does, and that’s entirely okay.



DISCOUNT CORNER

Last but not least, your reward for making it this far into the newsletter is to see a list of discounts that brands have given me to share with you! I tend to forget I have them/I never know how long they last for (don’t worry, I’ve tested these), so maybe I’ll try and keep an updated list in 2 newsletters a month.




And that’s all from the thirteenth issue of The Rhubarb Society! If you’re keen to get ahead of next week’s segment of ‘The Club Corner’, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below, via email or in my DMs. If there’s anyone you think would be an excellent fit for The Rhubarb Society, please do extend the invitation below.


Love,

Tamsin & Rhubarb





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