Hi there,

If you’re new here after our January guests or our Vanity Fair Feature…welcome! Perfectly Imperfect is a twice-weekly newsletter featuring real recommendations from real people, and once a month we like to drop some PI editor recs. Check out the archive for more and, as always, join the Perfectly Imperfect Discord to keep the conversation going.

Without further ado

Tyler Bainbridge (instagram, twitter, website)

👉 Pick Something and Just Stick to It

This newsletter started off small- just friends sharing recs for friends. And 15 months later we’re in Vanity Fair. It’s easy to chase every idea and tangent, but the most important thing you can do is pick a thing, work really fucking hard at it, and stick to it. You’ll grow and find your angle and voice. People will eventually take you seriously, and good things will happen. /rant

📸 Digital Point and Shoots from the mid-2000s

Check out these pictures my GF and I took on an old Canon P&S- without the flash it’s got some kinda shitty but cool blur & Digital Grain, and with the flash on it looks like it belongs in a 2008 Facebook Album titled “thx for the memories <3” in the best way possible. I’m not throwing away my Contax t2 any time soon, but this sure is easier and way cheaper. And more importantly, fun.

🕶️ Oakley Silver Eye Jacket Redux Sunglasses

I feel like a Cowboy. And these sunglasses are the toughest horse around. They’ll buck you right off if you’re not strong enough, but I finally broke them in and have been rocking em ever since. They make you feel extremely fast and Powerful. Big Spy Kids Energy. Pairs quite well with our upcoming merch…

👕 Dumb Graphic Tees

I just got this Vaccinated And Ready to Commit Tax Fraud T-Shirt (IRS if you’re reading this- Tyler Bainbridge is a Character and Social Experiment). And I honestly actually like the look of the low contrast Adam Curtis-y red&black and I think it’s a fun bit of high-low to rock with a casual suit (see fit pic). But really I just like gimmicky shirts.

🎵 Unwound - New Plastic Ideas (1994)

This album (and band) fucking rocks. Extremely goated noise and post-hardcore album from 1994. So good. Been on repeat the last few weeks.

🍝 Homemade Pasta and Sauce

I don’t have a Kitchen Aid or even a rolling pin so I’m making this pasta Italian G-Ma style: entirely from scratch, right on a countertop, and rolled out with a rogue wine bottle. It hurts my back because I’m out of shape, and it’s hard to get it “thin enough” to satisfy Pasta Purests, but I’ve been making it every Sunday for my Girlfriend and I, and we love it.

📽️ Vincent Gallo - The Brown Bunny (2003)

I know this is a pretty divisive one, but I loved it. Especially how slow, quiet, and steady it is. And the ending hits so hard. Blah blah blah Gallo is self indulgent or whatever.. ya, and?? That’s why he rules. Dumb insult because that’s what makes his stuff so interesting and unique.

🎥 🖼️ Movie Posters

Been mega dragging my feet on copping some nice movie posters for my apartment, but I finally snagged a handful last week. One was an original 1973 “Long Goodbye” Poster, a favorite of mine. And the other was this kinda quirked up & cool repro of an old Don’t Look Back Poster. Check out Posteritati for some rare and international posters, but eBay is great too.

⌚ Two-Tone Cartier Santos

How do you recommend an expensive watch without sounding like an asshole…I’m not sure. But I’ve had a good few years in my career, and with this newsletter, so on some Old School shit I bought myself a nice watch. I never saw myself as a “Watch Guy”, but something shifted after seeing this picture of Lou Reed drinking a milkshake and rocking a Cartier Santos. The two tone is gaudy and a bit tacky, but I love that about it, it’s very uh… Perfectly Imperfect.

Alex Cushing (instagram, twitter, goodreads, moodboard)

😎 Putting script lenses into cheap sunglasses

Maybe this isn’t news to everyone like it was for me - there’s companies that will take any glasses frame you send to them and slap in some perscription lenses. While I haven’t sent a pair in just yet, it’s not from a lack of wanting it… I’m busy aggregating all the sunnies I own, and buying a few cheap pairs I’ve heard good things about (shoutout the x kds & the Oakley Eyejacket Tyler specials) to get my perfect pair.

🎵 Tindersticks - Waiting for the Moon

They say authors have to nail the first sentence in their book, you only get one chance to hook your reader. I think Tindersticks had this in mind when writing this album, which opens with the words “My hands round your throat, If I kill you now, well, they will never know.”, such contrast to how the album feels. Like the intro “Until The Morning Comes“, The longest song, “My Oblivion”, is a classic in their discog, but it’s one of a cast of standouts from this album.

🌐 Get into History

Like so many people, I never cared for history. It was always just a bunch of dates, cause-and-effect relationships, and names I had to memorize last minute before an exam. Now that I’m so many years separated from all that, I’ve finally found that I’m entering the pro-history phase of my life. I mean, it’s just so interesting. There’s such finite details available about everything, and sooo many different little niches with tons of resources equally as available as the obvious stuff. oh and it’s true, which is both terrifying and cool.

📚🦖 Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park… the film is of course a classic, but for whatever reason I never felt drawn to the book. That is until I found myself in a hole. Too many choices, so (as is to be expected) I ended up going for a book that wasn’t on my (really long) “to be read” list, nope I ignored all my to-reads and went straight for this because why not! Right from the start, I caught stuff that was left out from the movie, included in later films in place of the original, or just so perfectly adapted I could picture the scene. I know people often recommend to read the book before the movie, but I loved having the additional worldfeel before diving in. The book of course covers a lot more ground than the movie, but the extra science and story does nothing but ramp up the fun. You may even find yourself on a YouTube hole afterwards, researching paleontologist field-work.

📚🗝️ @vintagelorebooks

Love a nice vintage book? This might sounds interesting to you - an IG page that posts affordable and beautifully aged vintage books, just comment “sold” and it’s yours! So fun.

🐻 bear sits next to guy & other videos

Ok I have a good amount of YouTube Videos saved from the past month but lets start with this. Bear sits next to guy: so much to unpack, the demeanor of the bear, how calm the cameraman is, and oh just the 50+ other bears just in-frame at the end of the video. This is another crazy bear video, if you want to be reminded of their more vicious side. Moving on from bears, we have the mooing roars a stag makes.

Here’s Albert Einstein walking around his classroom, and some OG dash cam footage of Sunset Strip in ‘63.

This guys career is to scare birds from a pond, this guy shoots a shotgun, this dog defeats a tornado, and this guy camps in public places, like behind welcome signs and Home Depot.

Ok - that’s all I have for now, enjoy ‘em!

📣 Shoutouts

In a search for table cloths/runners and what not I came across these beautiful textiles by Œuvres Sensibles.

Andy Weir’s book Project Hail Mary

feel free to check me out guesting in my wife’s pod talkin bout some books

Serey Morm (instagram, twitter, vsco)

🦙 Alpacas

What is the hype behind wool? Alpaca fiber is where it’s at!!! I’ve never been a big fan of wool because of how uncomfortably itchy it is on skin contact. Alpaca fiber doesn’t make you itchy, it’s a lot warmer, softer, and arguably the greenest (and cutest) animal on the planet!! I’m not here to convince you to drop your wool garments, but give alpaca fiber a shot, starting with a pair of socks 😊

🔍 Antique Shops

Antique shops have a special place in my heart because it reminds me of my childhood road trips. When I was little, I always thought antique shops were just useless junk. As I grew older, I’ve learned to appreciate the “junk” a bit more. Browsing through the aisles, they kind of feel like a time machine. My top things to look out for are vintage cameras, dutch ovens, and vintage porcelain.

📖 The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

I’m still on a big Kenji Lopez-Alt binge, but for the last few weeks I’ve spent every few minutes I’ve had reading The Food Lab. It has changed the way I think about cooking. It feels really good to understand the science behind cooking, but more importantly why I’ve f**ked up a so many dishes I’ve cooked in the past. This isn’t a traditional recipe book, it dives deep into the science behind temperature, heat, acid, and even the materials that make the best pots and pans and I am hooked.

📹 Kids Video Camera

Vintage stills and film cameras are cool, but this kids video camcorder has unironically found its way into my collection of cameras. I’m serious, I actually use this. It’s so fun, the quality has this weird 2000s vibe and feels like one of those millennial home movies.

🥛 Yakult

I think I have an obsession with Yakult right now. I’ve had at least one or two of these sweet, fruity milk drinks a day. They’re actually filled with probiotics and are really good for your body. I also love mixing them with soju and strawberries to make strawberry cocktails as well. They’re small servings and are great to have in the fridge for one of those days your body needs a boost!

Follow Tyler, Alex, & Serey on Instagram

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