To celebrate the five year anniversary of The Molehill, I’m doing an AMA.
Some of the questions were the same/had overlap, so I just answered the first one of its kind that was submitted. It covers:
When I saw my newsletter take off (and why)
How I write—from idea generation to maintaining quality and consistency
Two non-newsletter career aspirations I have for the next 10 years
My process for finding interesting secondhand pieces
& my theory on why people from the Bay Area are so cool
What’s the most expensive piece of clothing you own? Do you think it’s worth it? And have you made any big purchases that you regret now?
Outside of jewelry, the most expensive piece of clothing I own that I paid for myself was a $1000ish pink shearling trim Sandy Liang jacket I bought off TRR during the pandemic. I don’t wear it a ton bc I live in California, but I’m never getting rid of it bc of the sentimental memory value (wore it to an Anna Sui fashion show!).
Clothes and restaurants are the two categories I enjoy spending money on—I’m quite frugal about everything else—so I rarely feel bad about my purchase decisions there. I honestly can’t think of a BIG clothing purchase I regret.
But I often think about an exquisitely draped $1,200 Yohji dress I tried on at Aralda Vintage in LA but left behind. Even though it was financially wise to pass on it back then, I sometimes wish I pulled a Carrie Bradshaw “blow ur freelance SSENSE article monies on vintage designer clothes” move…
I love your work and your sensibility. It's lovely see a young BIPOC writer thriving here! What are your deepest most enduring sources of aesthetic inspiration?
Ugh it’s hard to narrow down but I do LOVE coming-of-age movies from the 90s and 2000s about young women who wear great outfits.
Princess Diaries is a big one, as is Uptown Girls. Certain colors in films also stick with me, like the green foods at the Genovian dinner.
Why are people from the Bay so cool? Genuine question.
Also, what’s the long range goal? Your editorial vision and taste is honed and pretty precise but it speaks to broader interests and I’m curious where you want to be in 10, 20 ,30 years.