Weekend Meanderings No. 127 | Monarchs, Couture, and a Few Things Worth Watching

A caterpillar, a dance, a castle, and everything in between, with Kim and Juliet

How can one be so excited by a caterpillar? I have been asking myself that all week. As you know, the circle, as I affectionately call it, is my pollinator garden, designed to bloom from early spring through fall and to attract bees, moths, birds, butterflies, toads, salamanders, and yes, even the occasional deer. Our landscape designer added two types of milkweed, and one of them gave us quite a summer. It was so overtaken by yellow aphids that we had to treat it with neem oil, and we resigned ourselves to missing the monarchs entirely this year.

A few weeks ago one lone butterfly appeared, which felt like a small miracle, and then yesterday while I was pulling weeds I spotted a caterpillar. And then another. And another. The milkweed is covered in them now, every size from tiny to enormous. In roughly two to three weeks, if all goes well, the circle should be full of monarchs preparing for the great migration south. I cannot wait.

I have a lot to share this week, and so do Kim and Juliet, so let’s meander.

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Fashion

Dior Haute Couture, Behind the Seams — If you love fashion and couture, this one is for you. Alexa Chung was given all-access to the House of Dior, from the archives and the ateliers to the front row, tracing the creation of the Fall Winter 2026-2027 Haute Couture collection from first sketch to finished gown. Watching the artisans work is mesmerizing on its own, but what makes this special is the thread it draws between Dior’s heritage and the collection taking shape in real time. It is the kind of film that makes you look at a finished hem or a hand-sewn buttonhole completely differently. Worth every minute.

Carolina Herra : Five Women, One Kind of Elegance — At 87, Carolina Herrera looks back on five women whose style she has never forgotten: Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren, Lee Radziwill, Nancy Reagan, and Bianca Jagger. Each brought something entirely different to the idea of elegance, whether it was Bacall’s cool strength, Loren’s unapologetic glamour, or Radziwill’s quiet refinement. Herrera is a wonderful storyteller, and the photographs and clips woven through make this feel less like a fashion retrospective and more like a conversation about what it means to move through the world with real confidence.

Home Tours

Applegarth Studios, London — This former artist’s studio in London does not have a single right-angled wall, which sounds like a decorator’s nightmare and turned out to be anything but. Interior designer Nicholas Hodson-Taylor and his husband, shirtmaker James MacAuslan, walk us through how they made every awkward inch work through careful spatial planning and bespoke design. The result is a home that feels layered and considered without being precious. It is a wonderful reminder that the most interesting rooms often come from the most challenging spaces.

A House Built for Writers — Rebeka Russell, publisher of Manderley Press, opens the door to her London family home, built in 1868 by Philip Webb, the architect behind William Morris’s Red House. William Morris himself once took tea in the downstairs music room, and the house has been a gathering place for writers and artists ever since. Rebeka and her family, working with designer Ben Pentreath, have restored it with Morris wallpapers, antique furnishings, and collected pieces that honor that history without turning the house into a museum. She has also transformed the old scullery, original 19th-century floor intact, into the headquarters of Manderley Press, where she produces beautifully crafted editions of forgotten literary classics. Follow along on Instagram.

At the Cinema

A Good Death — Dancer Roz Hervey spent her life pushing limits on stage, and when she was diagnosed with motor neurone disease she approached the end of her life with the same fierce intention. This Australian documentary follows her decision to access voluntary assisted dying and her determination to choreograph, in her words, a good death. In her final hours she asked her daughter, actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey, to film a dying wish. It is not an easy watch, but it is a profound one, and Roz’s clarity and courage stay with you long after it ends.

Coming Soon

Pride and Prejudice — A few weeks ago I mentioned the new Sense and Sensibility, and now another Austen adaptation is on its way. Dolly Alderton has written a faithful new version of Pride and Prejudice, with Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet and Jack Lowden as Mr. Darcy. The casting alone has me curious, and if Alderton brings the same wit and warmth to Austen that she does to her own writing, this one should be something. It is firmly on my list.

Something to Think About

Live a Little — This award-winning short film was shot entirely on an iPhone in Rome by a student filmmaker, which tells you something about what is possible when a good eye meets a beautiful city. Inspired by the film Passengers and drawing on dialogue from the original script, with voices from Chris Pratt and Michael Sheen woven in, it is a small and quietly lovely piece of work. Rome has never looked more like a dream. Watch it when you need a reminder that life is short, the world is beautiful, and you should probably go outside.

I hope your Saturday is exactly what you need it to be. See you Monday.

Be sure to visit Kim at Northern California Style and Juliet at Make Mine a Spritzer for everything they are sharing this weekend.

You can find me on Pinterest and Instagram for more of what I am loving this week.

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