This is the Friday post at Downtime, a feel-good weekly roundup of recommendations and delightful distractions. Today’s issue is a guest edition. If the email cuts off, you can view it on the web.

Hi!

You know when you come across a brand that just sparks joy? That’s Loeffler Randall for me. I first discovered the brand years ago, and its unapologetically feminine shoes (give me alllll the bows!) and carefully crafted pieces immediately spoke to me. So much so that I picked a pair of LR heels to wear for our wedding reception in 2021. In a fashion landscape that can often feel repetitive, Loeffler Randall’s designs still manage to feel fresh, distinct, and joyful.

That kind of originality, of course, comes from someone with a strong creative vision. Enter Jessie Randall—a designer whose work I’ve admired for years. Today, I’m so excited to share her 3 Good Things, plus an honest conversation about creativity, self-care, and motherhood. (Yes, I’m fangirling a little.)

Enjoy!
—Alisha

Jessie’s 3 Good Things

Jessie Randall, the founder and creative director of Loeffler Randall (and writer of the Substack newsletter, Jessie Loves!), shares three of her favorite things right now…

1. Makie Clothier onesie. This is my go-to baby gift. I love the luxurious terry texture and the sweet silhouette. It’s got a great price point and no one on earth has better, more elegant or thoughtful gift wrapping than Makie (seam-binding bow with little feathers).

2. Loeffler Randall Leonie ballet flats. I used to take ballet lessons as a kid just to get a pair of ballet shoes each semester. I love ballet flats so much! I wanted our flat to look and feel exactly like the ballet shoes I wore as little girl but with an outsole so you can wear them around all day and everywhere. They are so soft. The elastic is so comfortable. I love the delicate shape of the toe and top line. They are virtually unlined so they have that super soft feel. They are the best and so chic! We sell them like hot cakes.

3. The app “Foodie.” This is the photo filter app I use. I have told so many people about it. It was an app that was designed for people who take photos of their food in dark restaurants — ha! But I use it for all my photos because it adds so much light and makes things look 10,000 times better. [Ed. note: I can’t wait to check this out; I typically use VSCO!]

A Downtime Chat With Jessie Randall

On her approach to self-care, motherhood, career, creativity, and a pretty amazing sounding crafting club…

What big or little thing are you doing to take care of yourself this year?

I’m heartbroken right now. I cannot even wrap my head around the cruelty in our country. I’m taking advice from RuPaul: “There’s a lot of darkness in this world. You can look at it, but don’t stare.” I’m trying to limit my exposure to the things in the news that upset me for the moment. I’m trying to focus on things that bring me a lot of joy — spending an afternoon knitting with a friend, moving my body a lot, long phone chats with my brother, being creative. I’m about to go on a trip with my friends I’ve known since kindergarten. I can’t wait!

(I believe) your kids are now teenaged, but I always like to ask about motherhood and career. What words of wisdom can you share for working moms (especially for the ones with really little kids / babies)?

Yes, my twins are seniors and headed to college next year. And my baby is 14. Time flies!!! I guess the piece of advice I would offer is: try not to be so hard on yourself. I always felt terrible that I was a working mom. I assumed it was a bad thing for my kids (and I could imagine them in therapy the rest of their lives because of it), but it was necessary in order to provide for them. One day, I got exasperated and said, “that’s it, I’m going to quit.” My daughter actually burst into tears. She said “but Mommy, we are so proud of you. We don’t want you to quit.” It was a really pivotal moment in my life, hearing that feedback. It never occurred to me that there were positive parts to me working for my children.

Another piece of advice a therapist once told me: “If you can improve something even 10% it will feel like 60%.” I’ve found this to be true. Making small improvements to a situation that is stressing you out can make an outsized impact.

Finally, I really wish I had made more time for my own wellbeing when my kids were little. I think it ended up not being great for me or my kids or my marriage that I never took time for myself; didn’t find a sport I loved or take long walks to clear my head. If I could go back I would have hired a bit of childcare for times I wasn’t working. I only had help during the hours I was at the office. And it wasn’t sustainable.

Since I first followed Loeffler Randall many years ago, you’ve since expanded your catalog of products from shoes into ready-to-wear clothes. What’s that expansion been like? Any surprises or learnings?

For me it’s been a lot of fun to add clothing to our collection because I love clothes. I find that designing ready-to-wear makes my shoe designs better. More thinking about different things leads to even more creativity. I never wanted to have stores until we had a clothing collection, because I think shoe-only stores can be quite serious and intimidating. It’s so nice to walk into our stores and see the whole breadth of the line from head to toe.

jessie_loeffler_randall

A post shared by @jessie_loeffler_randall

One thing that’s been surprising is that our casual clothing is some of our best-selling. We have a pointelle top that sold out in minutes and our denim was the same. Our footwear collection can be quite dressy so it was a bit of a surprise. But when I think about it, it makes sense. I dress pretty casually on a daily basis and love a mix of dressy and casual.

In your ins/outs list for 2025, you listed “craft club, less drinks.” Please tell us more!

Two years ago, my friend Erin Pollard of Underwater Weaving and I decided to start a craft club with some friends. Every time we get together, everyone remarks on how happy and calm it makes them to sit around and learn a new creative skill. I’m really into social plans that don’t revolve around alcohol these days — things like craft club and tennis. I highly recommend starting one!

[Editor’s note: Jessie just wrote a post all about her monthly craft club in her newsletter, if you’d like to learn more about how to start your own.]

You’re really big into gardening, crafting, and interior design—a lot of analog, offline things, which I admire so much. What do you think is the secret to living a rich offline life?

I love making things with my hands. I love tactile things like writing a proper note on beautiful stationery, working on a floral arrangement in my kitchen with flowers I cut from my garden and sewing little projects for my house. As the world becomes more digital, my time offline is even more precious. Now, I’m also a Reddit addict, so I am definitely not immune, and I do get a lot out of some of my online communities like Substack or the people I’ve become friends with through Instagram. But it’s the things I do offline that bring me the most joy.

Do you have a go-to WFH outfit where you still feel pulled together?

If I work from home I am definitely not pulled together. I’m usually in bed in my heat tech answering emails or writing for work. We are a primarily in-the-office company. So I am working from work (WFW!) most of the time. In order to feel pulled-together I love putting on our Indy boot. It’s so chic and comfortable to wear, too. Other things that help: a really nice coat, lipstick, and if it’s sunny, a big pair of sunglasses.

What’s your favorite trick for making an outfit feel more “pulled together” or exciting?

I think a little twist in the styling of an outfit is helpful to make it exciting. I like to put on bright red tights under a plain black dress to give it some pizazz. Or tuck in a sweater or sweatshirt just so. Shoes are probably the biggest way I make an outfit pulled together. I love how you can wear a fairly simple outfit and put on a “wow” pair of shoes and the outfit becomes totally transformed. Our Margot heels are a great example of this. Or our signature Goldy boots.

Jessie’s Favorite Etsy Stores

Since Jessie is an expert Etsy shopper, I asked for some of her favorite stores. Here are three…

• For vintage stationery, cards and decorations: 32NorthSupplies.

• For cute dachshund bookmarks: DianaCrochetToys.

• For baby sweater patterns: crochetforbabystore.

Thank you so much for sharing, Jessie! You can follow Jessie on Instagram @jessie_loeffler_randall and browse her beautiful designs at Loeffler Randall. You can also subscribe to her newsletter, Jessie Loves.

Alisha’s Bonus Rec of the Week

A book to read now: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley, which Coco Mellors describes as “a romp into the indie sleaze era of the early aughts.” The novel follows Percy, a music critic, and Joe, a songwriter and aspiring musician, who meet as students at UC Berkeley, kick off a collaboration, and tumble into a relationship. Say no more, I’m all in on this book and can’t wait to grab my copy. It’s also been recently announced that it’s being adapted into a movie starring Saorisie Ronan and Austin Butler. !! (Shoutout to Becca Freeman and Leslie Stephens who first put this book on my radar!)

“All Creatures Great and Small on PBS is the ultimate cozy comfort watch for me!”

— reader Elizabeth, in response to last week’s roundup of positive-escapist reader recs

That’s all for today. Have a lovely weekend! ❤️ — Alisha

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