The Crush Letter No 191: New Travel Ensemble, New F*ck Song, Rewatching Crazy Heart
The Crush Letter brings love to your inbox weekly on Saturdays. To make you, your weekend — and sometimes even your love life — more compelling. Hell yes, sign me up.
Hello Crush,
I’m writing from New Zealand this week, where I am on what has become an annual golf trip. Everything is going well here for us — beautiful weather, friendly kiwi’s, great golf, etc. But I miss the snuggles of my pup Koko.
While I’m away she’s staying at Cavalier Camp (where they only care for King Charles Cavaliers, and an occasional Cavapoo). Koko seems to be doing fine, making friends and cuddling up with this guy name Finn.
They send me regular snaps. She looks like she misses me, right?
In This Letter. +Three Things I'm Crushing On By Dish Stanley What I Wore On My 17 Hour Fight to New Zealand +PrimeCrush & Chill: Grown Up Love Stories Worth A Re-Watch: Crazy Heart By Christian Pan We rarely see this kind of vulnerability between two middle-aged adults in cinema, each with their own kinds of baggage and their own sorts of fears. +Songs That Make You Wanna F*ck. A Compendium from the Readers of The Crush Letter She flew to Miami, I’m up North. +Social Media I Loved This Week. +Our Song of the Week You know her toes were so pretty
In this series, readers like you share recommendations for the things they love the most, right at this moment.
Three Things I'm Crushing On: What I Wore On My 17 Hour Fight to New Zealand by Dish Stanley
Here were my flight essentials for the long trip over.
SPANX Air Essentials
The direct flight on Air New Zealand between JFK and Auckland is a 17 hour flight, so comfort was obviously the priority. As I have written before, my standard ”flight uniform” includes the Citizens of Humanity Emerson Mid Rise Relaxed 27” in their darkest shade, Blue Ridge. CoH has cooler, more ”now” cuts but this more tailored, classic slim/straight leg is so incredibly versatile when you arrive, because it works with heels as well as sneakers and the slightly relaxed fit and pockets are great for the plane.
But a 17 hour flight? That demands leisure wear. A stylish friend who was staying with me last year showed me her Air Essentials Wide Leg Pant and I couldn’t believe how soft, comfortable and good looking they were. The Air Essentials line is not the SPANX products that might come to mind if you’re thinking SPANX circa five+ years ago. When I was planning out my travel wardrobe for this trip I thought I’d get a pair of the wide leg pants but when I went to the website I saw that they had expanded their Air Essentials line. I ended up getting the Air Essentials Luxe Tapered Pant in black. They felt great for the long (long) flight. I also appreciate that they have a subtle straight pleat down the center leg (barely noticeable in the right side photo above) that looks very sharp. I got the Air Essentials Luxe Full-Zip Tunic. I like that it has pockets — handy for holding your cell phone, boarding pass and passport while you wait to board your flight, etc., —and the full zip offers the possibility to zip up from the bottom as well as zip down from the top.
This line is nuts; it’s so good. There are a number of pant and top offerings, an array of neutral (travel-friendly) colors and the pants come in various length options. It’s less expensive than comparable Frank & Eileen comfort wear (that line has become too expensive for what it is, IMHO) and it’s much sharper. Check it out — it’s a winner.
PS: I’m not surprising any longtime CRUSH Readers by pointing out that I wore the whisper thin long sleeve Uniqlo Heat-tech T-Shirt in black under this. I then slept in the t-shirt (with the leggings) and wore it home. (There were a few hotel sink washings, too.)
UNIQLO Pufftech Compact Jacket
I have this UNIQLO pufftech compact jacket in both the black and cream colors. I wear it more fitted than the model above. I brought the cream for this trip. When you zip the Air Essentials Luxe Full-Zip Tunic (in black) all the way up it creates a black “column look” with the Luxe pant on the bottom, and the pufftech jacket worn open. I liked the look. This jacket packs up so small. Cream and black are a classic pairing and not too wintry - the cream really lightens up the whole look. The jacket is the perfect weight for weather in the 70s in New Zealand. In the winter I often wear the black one under a cashmere coat and sometimes keep it on when the outer layer comes off. It’s super versatile. I’ve had mine for over five years and have traveled with it to London, Stockholm, Spain, Milan, New Zealand, Paris, New York. It’s gone out to dinner, hiking and to museums. Love it.
These Retro-looking New Balance Black 327’s
I wore these classic, tried and true” sneakers in black/cream with the SPANX Air Essentials ensemble.
PrimeCrush & Chill: Grown Up Love Stories Worth A Re-Watch: Crazy Heart By Christian Pan
In this spin on our periodic column we hook back up with our favorite ex’s — as in classic movies featuring stories of grown up love.
Christian Pan is a writer based in New York City. Since 2021, he has published sixteen novellas and over a hundred short stories exploring the erotic imagination. In addition to book & film reviews, he hosts the Pulse Session for the monthly podcast All the Filthy Details, and is a founding author of TheoReads.
We rarely see this kind of vulnerability between two middle-aged adults in cinema, each with their own kinds of baggage and their own sorts of fears.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall Released: December 6, 2009 (USA)
Basic Plot: While on tour through the American southwest, an aging musician falls in love with an attractive journalist, a relationship which inspires him to confront some of his old demons and turn his life around.
Summary: Country & western singer Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) has seen better days. The stops on his current tour through the American southwest seem to be primarily dive bars and bowling alleys, and places that won't let him run up a bar tab. Meanwhile, his former bandmate Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) is selling out huge stadiums, making Blake even more bitter and depressed. Blake comforts himself by drinking cheap bourbon alone in his motel room, or occasionally hooking up with a fan after one of his gigs while drunk. But when he meets attractive journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) for an interview, Blake tries to clean up his act and keep the booze under control. Sparks fly quickly, and both sense that there is the potential for something more between them. Could this be a second chance for both of them? Initially, things look to be on the up and up for Blake: playing as the opening act for Sweet gave a big boost both to his music sales as well as to his confidence, and now Tommy´s hired him to write new songs for his upcoming album. Meanwhile, as he continues touring through Oklahoma and Texas in his old pick-up Bessie, Blake visits Jean and her small son Buddy as much as possible. Sadly, though, none of this is enough to defeat Blake´s addiction to booze, and to get him completely out of the bottle. After a terrifying incident involving him and Buddy at a shopping center, he hits rock bottom, and is finally forced to confront the consequences of his actions as a chronic alcoholic. With the help of his old friend Wayne (Robert Duvall), Blake begins learning how to live sober, and takes the initial necessary steps to begin mending his tattered life.
Why Re-Watch: Before making his debut as a screenwriter and a director on Crazy Heart, Scott Cooper worked for years as an actor, honing his craft and developing his skills around character-driven storytelling. His transition to begin working behind the camera mirrors that of a number of his contemporaries, such as Todd Field (who played a supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut before directing In the Bedroom and Tar) or John Cameron Mitchell (who performed in numerous productions on and off-Broadway before directing the breakthrough musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which he also starred in).
Continue reading here
Songs That Make You Wanna F*ck. A Compendium from the Readers of The Crush Letter.
An occasional pop-up where we share the songs that make CRUSH readers want to bang. Got one? Send it to us!
Long Distance Love by Little Feat
Submitted by CRUSH Reader: Tom (and that’s my real name)
Who/What are you thinking of when you listen to this song?
I am in the throws of falling in love with a woman I met this past November up North, here in Boston. She spends her winters in Miami, but I need to live here for my business. I have been making trips to see her, but boy, it’s been tough. I miss her and it feels extra cold being up here by myself in a state of wanting her.
I have a playlist I haven’t listened to in years and on a cold, lonely Monday night I put it on while feeling sorry for myself. Boy, this song made me feel seen.
Is there a memory you think of when you hear this song?
Well the last time I was with my girlfriend in her condo she got up from the bed while I was still laying in it. We had just woken up from a long, late afternoon nap after day on the beach. The sun was just about to head south in the sky and she was naked, walking across the end of the bed in front of the window. It was beautiful to me then, and I had that image in my mind when Long Distance Love came on.
Anything else?
I have enjoyed reading the inputs from CRUSH Readers in the various columns, which is why I sent this one in. When this song came on, I thought I should send it in because I don’t believe I’ve seen a F*ck Song submission in a while and I like reading those. Keep them coming!
CRUSH Readers - got a song? Send it to us!
Social Media I Loved This Week
Song of the Week
Long Distance Love by Little Feat
This is an absolutely wonderful live version of the F*ck Song Tom sent in. It was filmed in North Hollywood in a place called “the basement” and it is so 70’s.
Some Past Related Articles You Don't Want To Miss:
Have a great week!
Dish
If you love me as much as I love you (and I really do love you!), then please help me grow by forwarding this {love} Letter to a friend! And I'd love to have you join us on instagram.
The Crush Letter
The Crush Letter is a weekly newsletter from Dish Stanley curating articles & intelligence on everything love & connection - friendship, romance, self-love, sex. If you’d like to take a look at some of our best stories go to Read Us. Want the Dish?