Loose Threads: My first official Substack Send!
By Rachelle Hruska MacPherson 5.19.25
“Your newsletter has become a 'must-read"! Many (most?) newsletters I receive are dry as a bone. Not yours! Reading it is like sitting at the (very) cool kids' table and getting all the best, most fun, positive, interesting scoop!” -Phyllis, Subscriber
WELCOME friends!
Today marks our official first day on Substack together. What does that even mean? Honestly, not much, but maybe a lot! We shall see. For most of you, things will stay the same. If you’re already subscribed to LF emails, this will still land in your inbox like always alongside all of our other emails.
So what’s the difference and why the move? Well, I’ve personally become a full-blown Substack addict. I love the way it fosters real conversation, something that’s always been core to Lingua Franca. In LF’s early days, we made amazing connections (and met many of you!) hosting conversations at our first-ever store on Bleecker Street, and I like to think of this space in a similar way—a sort of secret clubhouse for the OG LF crew, both old and new. The best part, for those of you that want to go deeper and get more personal, this is a much friendlier place to do so than regular emails. We can host chats, videos, and even meet ups. I’m seriously so excited to connect! Should we make buttons or something? Come up with some kind of secret handshake?? Well, however you got here, you’re here and I can’t wait to grow this with you. And, if it’s not your vibe, that’s fine too! Feel free to unsubscribe. You’ll still get our regular LF emails—but you won’t have to endure my personal ramblings.
One of the main reasons I wanted to bring my more personal LF notes over to Substack is the community aspect. This platform is designed for it. But also? I’m 42 now, and I’m on a mission to reduce negativity in my life. As you can imagine, sending out personal emails to thousands of strangers has occasionally resulted in a few... less-than-kind replies. And, I’m over it.
This new Substack, Loose Threads, will (hopefully) come out every week or two and weed out anyone with bad juju. Expect a mashup of what’s happening in my life—online, offline, in my head. I read a lot. I binge-watch like it’s my job. I sleep a ton, just at unconventional hours. Basically: I’m all in, all the time. Here we go.
It definitely wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card to see the President pick fights with both the Boss and Taylor Swift in the same week… or Ben from Ben & Jerry’s get arrested for speaking out… or a shipping boat collide with the Brooklyn Bridge… or the Knicks clinch the Eastern Conference title for the first time in 25 years. And yet, here we are.
The news cycle is giving unhinged, so I’ll dive into what’s been happening in my world (and on my feed) below.
But first, let’s take a moment to appreciate this gem from Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me Substack: (which should be one of your first Substack follows):
Truly.
Moving on….It was another eventful week in NYC—and if you're a basketball fan, one for the memory books.
“We get used to things too easily as human beings, it’s nice to have these very special weekends every now and then.” -Jason Sudeikis who was spotted court side at both the Knicks game Friday night, then again on-screen at the Liberty game Saturday when they secured their huge win.
The whole neighborhood basically shut down after the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Celtics. My boys were there—and I have no doubt it’ll go down as a core memory for them. The post-game footage flooding the internet? Totally wild.
I found myself happily tucked into a private listening session at the LF townhouse, where the wildly talented Caleb Moore (son of Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich) was debuting his latest music video. It was intimate, soulful, and proof that nepo babies can be talented as hell and kind human beings too. Just saying.
From there, I headed downtown to The Odeon for a late-night Friday dinner with old and new friends. That place never loses its magic.
At the table: the freakishly chic Maria McManus (her pieces are on every stylish woman I know’s wish list), the insanely charming art advisor Sarah Levine (who is currently pregnant with what will undoubtedly be the most gifted child in Manhattan), and Mariah Nielson—who, my husband reminded me, is the steward of his most beloved house in Northern California. Her father, sculptor JB Blunk, was a brilliant artist, and she now oversees his estate. His work is truly otherworldly.
Earlier this week, I had what will definitely go down as a core memory: I got to hang out with THE Bette Midler at a friend’s birthday dinner. And I’m thrilled to report that she is every bit as cool, kind, hysterical, sharp, and just downright fun as you’d hope. I’m still over the moon from being in her orbit.
I grew up in the era of VHS tapes—when you had to wait for your favorite movie to air on TV so you could record it. My sister and I had a stash of maybe 20 blank tapes and would obsessively check to catch when Beaches would air so we could tape it and watch it again (and again, and again). Safe to say: meeting Bette was a full-circle moment of the highest order. I’m still floating—I mean, look at my face (below)!
Also in attendance? The one and only Griffin Dunne, whose Zelig-like memoir was passed around our circle like gospel last summer. I still think it might be my favorite memoir of them all.
Also, earlier in the week, I got to catch up with some of my favorite Brits at the We Are Ona experiential dinner at the WSA Building. It was my first time in the much-hyped space down in the Financial District, and reconnecting with Alex de Betak was a treat. He brings such care and intention to everything he produces—and this night was no exception. I mean, they gave us all gloves to chow down on the deliciously messy chicken legs (see photo above).
Seated next to us were some incredibly cool women I only discovered at the very end of the night were responsible for opening Printemps in NYC. What?! We’re all connected now, and I’m already looking forward to hanging again. Nights like this remind me why I love this city so much. NYC is magic if you’re open to it.
Which brings me to the unofficial theme of my week: being open. Open to new people, unexpected conversations, spontaneous plans. Anyone else feel like that’s getting harder to do in our increasingly digital world?
I’ve been thinking a lot about what AI is going to mean for how we connect—not just in the computers are taking over sense, but in the subtler ways it chips away at our attention and presence. Here’s where I’ve landed (for now):
IRL engagement. Real conversations, new experiences, sitting across from someone and actually listening…It’s going to become exponentially harder. It takes more energy than scrolling, which is about to get even more immersive, even more addictive.
Because of that, we’re going to crave IRL moments even more. The good ones hit different. They nourish in a way nothing digital ever really can.
Keeping your IRL muscle strong takes work. I think it’s as essential as any physical workout. (Speaking of: I’m currently obsessed with P.volve.)
Anyway, here’s to staying open. And maybe even getting a little uncomfortable. It’s where the good stuff is.
On that. I found this pretty amusing: How to make friends as an adult:
Another muscle I’ve been trying to strengthen? My reading one.
Lately, it’s getting harder and harder to focus on long-form content, and honestly, I think we should all be more concerned, especially when it comes to our kids. If I, a 42-year-old woman who grew up loving books, struggle to sit still long enough to finish a few chapters, what’s it going to feel like for them when they’re my age? It’s kind of heartbreaking.
(If you’re interested in going deeper on this, Ezra Klein recently did a fantastic episode on what we’re getting wrong about education right now. Highly recommend.)
Also, side note. I recently ran into the legendary Tonne Goodman and, in a moment of true humility, totally mispronounced her name. (It’s Ton-ne, not Tone.) The moment reminded me of one of my favorite quotes: “Never make fun of someone for mispronouncing a word. It means they learned it by reading.” I apologized to her and explained that I’m just a clueless reader still trying to make my way in the real world. She was, of course, incredibly gracious.
Back to books. Another thing I am crazy about? Galleys. My husband joked that I didn’t even know what a Galley was until I moved to NYC 20 years ago, and it’s true. These pre-publication, slightly less polished drafts of forthcoming books captivated my attention when I first heard they existed, and to this day they remain my most coveted items. SEND ME YOUR GALLEYS PEOPLE! I feel sufficiently sophisticated and special when I read one. I delight at finding grammatical errors and just feel “in” on it. What can I say? I’ll take a galley over a Birken bag every day of the week. A true snob.
At the moment, I’ve got four stacked on my nightstand and I’m nearly through two. Current reads:
– Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum (I finished in two sittings and had fun doing so. I loved the LF shout outs!)
– Make It Ours by Robin Givhan
– How to Be Well by Amy Larocca (I have the Galley but lucky for you all this book is now out to buy!)
– Night People by Mark Ronson
Like I said. Send me your galleys, people. I’m serious. I live for them.
WHAT I WORE THIS WEEK:
Our silk Hudson tie top (on sale now!) and cashmere skirt with our blazer from Fall ‘25 collection; our new Patmos patchwork top (on repeat); our new Skala top; our “worth overdoing” cashmere crewneck (on sale now!) and silk pants (coming in fall); our silk print shirt and skirt (coming in fall!).
QUICK HITS
– A cool Sunday surprise: our Kampos crochet top was featured in Becky Malinsky’s 5 Great Things Substack!
“Crochet for the people: Kind of random, but I really just love this halter top! I always want to wear crochet, but when I put it on I feel…ehhh? This top gives me crochet life without the bulk on my boobs and hips. :) A workaround if you will! I also think she will be cute over a strapless swimsuit and a sarong as a coverup this summer for….you know…that one week of vacation I have blocked off and the 10,000 outfits I’m dreaming of.”
If you’re not already following her, remedy that immediately. Becky’s one of my favorite fashion follows on here. She’s sharp, chic, and always ahead of the curve.
– Speaking of crochet… our whole new series has me dreaming of long summer lunches and warm nights out. They're coming, sooner than we think.
– Everyone’s buzzing about John Proctor is the Villain on Broadway. I’m booking tickets ASAP. Let me know if you’ve seen it!
– Attersee is up on 260 Sample Sale and worth checking out.
-So are our newly re-released Birkenstock sandals. They’re going fast fast fast!
– I can’t stop thinking about Elsa Peretti’s retreat in the village of Sant Martí Vell, Catalonia.
-I’m cooking with my son Dash again - well trying to at least. In an effort to recreate our covid days. We made this cucumber salad and these chicken kebabs. And, both were yum! Apparently we were on trend. Sheet kebabs are taking off on tik tok. I’m excited to try!
-Now that I’m back to the kitchen, I’m dreaming of this refrigerator!
-It was so much fun meeting some of you in person at our garage sale this weekend. We must do again - stay tuned. In the meantime, shop our private sale here.
– And finally: we’re opening the Crow’s Nest in Montauk this Thursday! LF will be manning the shop again this summer, and I honestly can’t wait.
That’s it for now. Just a reminder that there are still kind, talented, interesting people out there doing cool things. Go find them—and dig it the most.
xo, Rachelle
I loved this! You are a busy girl and I love reading about your fave NY places, I also loved seeing what you wore. Well done!
When you're next in DC: http://www.secondstorybooks.com/ sells galleys.