Fashion and Book | A Relaxed Drift Through Pages and Patterns

Welcome to this special bite-sized episode of The Insomnia Project, where Marco and Amanda offer a compact yet gently meandering conversation designed to help you unwind. Even in a shorter format, the tone remains soft and unhurried — perfect for quiet evenings when you need a calming podcast to ease anxiety or settle racing thoughts.
The discussion drifts through the ever-evolving world of fashion, reflecting on trends across decades and how personal style shifts over time. From there, Marco shares thoughts on the book Breathe: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, describing the quiet insights he found within its pages. Rather than a deep analysis, the conversation stays light and companionable — just enough substance to keep you listening without keeping you awake.
As always, this relaxing conversation unfolds at an easy pace, making it ideal for background listening as you fall asleep or during a middle-of-the-night wake-up. Cozy up, let the gentle zigzags of fashion and literature carry you along, and drift steadily toward rest.

​Marco:  Tonight's meal Tilapia Surprise with boiled cabbage. Begin cooking steps 1 through 50 now.

Fashion and Book
(Original airdate: October 18, 2023)

Marco:  Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Sit back, relax and listen as we have a calm conversation about the mundane and hopefully it'll help you drift your way to sleep. Thank you for joining us. I'm your host, Marco Timpano.

Amanda:  And I'm Amanda Barker.

Marco:  Amanda, how you doing today?

Amanda:  I'm um, kind of calm, really. In fact, yeah, I've had a pretty chill day. I, um, as we've talked about in the past, one of my. One of my jobs is, uh, directing for a casting house. And this, the thing that we were working on today. And everybody had to be very chill. So we were telling everyone to be very relaxed and just, uh, relaxed deliveries, relaxed blocking, everything was chill, relaxed. So, um, I think that I needed that today and that kind of, you know, I've absorbed some of that energy, so I pass that on to you.

Marco:  So you've been in a chill state of mind for the entire day?

Amanda:  Practically almost, I would say. Yeah, I've been, uh, this morning it was like a practice, and then it just sort of became my work today. Not every day is like that, but I'll take.

Marco:  If you were to pick the chillest moment in your day, what would that look like today? What was the chill?

Amanda:  This particular day?

Marco:  Yeah, this particular day. On this. On this day in October.

Amanda:  Oh. Um, I think the chillest moment was, um, I had a director that I was working with who really just wanted to have calm conversations with people. And so I kind of just melted into the wall. Like I wasn't there to allow the flow of that conversation. So I think that's actually the chillest part of my day. Or this part. This might be the chillest part of my day.

Marco:  Well, I hope it's the chillest part of our listeners day. Um, the chillest part of my day was I brought all my work and everything outside today. It was a beautiful day. It's a nice fall day. I had to actually clear some leaves and I had to wipe down the table outside. But once I was out there, it was just so serene. It was so lovely. Had my computer on. I was listening to an audiobook and I really just dug what I was doing.

Amanda:  What audiobook are you listening to right now?

Marco:  So I'm listening to this really cool book. It's called Breathe the New Science of a Lost, uh, Art by James Nestor. And I know you're the big, um, reader, but this book here, I discovered, um, by accident by listening to a podcast that was recommended to me. And the. And the guest was this author, and he was talking about how we no longer breathe the way we used to breathe 300 years ago, and how the breathing has impacted our lives and how we can get back to that more natural breath. So I'm really, I'm. As humans. Yes. Uh, as, as readers, as humans, as people who can, uh.

Amanda:  Well, you said we I thought you meant, I don't know. And then 300 years ago I was like, okay, so we're talking about like humankind.

Marco:  Yeah. And I really am finding a fascinating. And I'm, um, I'm not one to read a science book that's not my genre, as you know. But this one here I'm digging. So I will give a synopsis of it when we do the Patreon episodes, when we talk about books. But that's one of the things that I want to. Want to mention.

Amanda:  I also podcast too. Yeah, that you got it from. You said you got it from a podcast.

Marco:  Yeah, I, this person, James Nestor, was a guest on a podcast called Diary of CEO. Uh, and that's how I discovered them. So speaking of discovering things, one of our listeners sent us a, uh, Instagram message, uh, mentioning that they really enjoyed our, our episode and some suggestions for topics we could talk about. So I just want to give a shout out to T, who is our listener on Instagram. And I of course encourage our listeners to send, to send us any messages that they might have with regards to what they want to hear. But I wanted to, I wanted to ask you this, Amanda. Mhm. What does 70, 80, 90 fashion mean? That's one of the one things that, that T had mentioned.

Amanda:  I mean, I'm assuming it's the decades. Fashion from the 70s and from the 80s, that would be my guess.

Marco:  Oh, I guess so. I thought it was 70, 80, 90 fashion meaning.

Amanda:  Oh, 90, yeah, that's got to be the decade.

Marco:  I thought it was like 70% of your clothes should be this, 80% of your clothes should be that. I guess that doesn't add up.

Amanda:  Yeah, like a capsule wardrobe that adds up to that. I don't know, 170.

Marco:  That all makes sense now. 70, 80, 90. Like the years that you want to

Amanda:  talk about is fashion through the decades.

Marco:  Oh, just tell me which of those decades, um, does the fashion resonate with you more? I guess is the question I would have.

Amanda:  Well, it's funny, I was looking at, I was reading an article today of somebody who had watched the Gilmore Girls for the first time. Now she's 22 and that is a show, uh, I believe that was in the 90s. I'd have to look it up, but I think it was sort of late 90s, early aughts. And um, so she was reflecting on the fashion of that show and how everything that they're wearing was actually things she either owns or wants to own. And so it was a real, um, you know, a Real sort of, uh, highlight. Yeah. Just a realization that we say that we repeat ourselves every 20 years, but it's obviously very, very true because that show's now 20 years old. Uh, maybe even more than that, depending on the episode. But we're wearing a lot of those. The cropped tops.

Marco:  Yep.

Amanda:  The wide legged pants, the choker necklaces, etc. A lot of denim as well.

Marco:  Who was the star of that show? Was it Marcia Gay Harden?

Amanda:  Definitely not, um, a Marsha Gay Harden wannabe. I, I'm gonna be very honest with you. I never watched it because they all talked too fast for me. I could never connect to it because they all talked like whiplash dialogue, which is not normally my jam. And it certainly. I'd like to give it a try because I know, you know who loves the Gilmore Girls is our sister in law, Carrie.

Marco:  Oh, really?

Amanda:  Is an avid listener. She loves the Gilmore Girls.

Marco:  Yeah, I, I mean, a lot of people, A lot of people, you know, talk about it or like it. Like it seems very popular or it seems like it was popular. And it seems like in reruns it's popular too. So anyways, I don't know why.

Amanda:  Yeah, I think it's just been, um, released. I'm just gonna look up, uh, who those, who those stars were, because I only know them by the names, uh, Lorelei. Um, yeah, but that's, that's the. It's like a mother and daughter. Right. Lauren Graham, uh, was one lead and

Marco:  then the daughter is Laura Graham, the one that reminds me.

Amanda:  Lauren Graham. Okay, clearly I don't know Lauren Graham. And then her daughter was Rory Gilmore, who was played by Alexis Bledel, who you may know from, um, uh, a movie that I love called the Travel the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  That was her big one of her big movies. She was the Greek one.

Marco:  Okay, I've never watched that movie. I know you enjoyed it. So which one looked.

Amanda:  I enjoy. I enjoy clothes and I enjoy talking about clothes.

Marco:  So which one of those two looks more like Marsha Gay Harden?

Amanda:  Lauren. Uh, Graham.

Marco:  Okay. Okay.

Amanda:  But it's not Marsha Gay Harden, who I love. I, I know, but she was not in it. Maybe she was a guest star. I don't know. She. Marcia Gay Hardin works a lot and shows up in a lot of places, so. But, but she's not the mom. If you're thinking that she was the mom.

Marco:  She was not cool of the 70s, 80s, or 90s fashion. Tell me, which of those decades does your current closet reflect more?

Amanda:  Oh, my goodness. Um, I Don't know what this says about me, but I'm gonna say the 80s.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  And in my reasoning, M for this, it's because of the, the way my, the way my body decided to show up in the world. It's most suited to 80s fashion. 80s had really big blousy shirts with like, remember stirrup pants? Okay. But leggings? Anyway.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  Stir pants were just m pants that had a stirrup on the bottom, which I remember.

Marco:  Palazzo pants in the 80s.

Amanda:  Yeah. So that's the other sort of. Those are really wide legged pants. Right. Of which I also owned a pair. Although I think for me that was more 90s.

Marco:  But, um, I used to go to a club called Palazzo and I remember being in this club, Palazzo, with friends who were wearing palazzo pants. That's the only reason I know.

Amanda:  Um, I would argue Palazzo was probably more early because you know what I think of when I think of palazzo pants? I think of like Madonna in Vogue.

Marco:  Okay. Okay.

Amanda:  She's wearing like a bouchet with palazzo pants.

Marco:  Right, Right.

Amanda:  But not really. But anyway, I, I like a really big blousy top with like leggings. And that is a look that kind of really happened in the 80s and then, you know, has come back in different ways.

Marco:  Fair enough. Well, listen, whatever clothes you choose to wear, I hope your closet really resonates with them is what I have to say.

Amanda:  I don't know what that means. Are you talking to me or our listeners?

Marco:  Our listeners. I know what your closet, whatever you

Amanda:  choose to wear, I hope your closet resonates with them.

Marco:  Well, I hope you resonate with the clothes you have in your closet is

Amanda:  what I'm trying to do. I hope so. Yeah. And if you don't, that's what thrift, Thrift shopping is for, right?

Marco:  You're a huge thrift shopper. That's why I know I am.

Amanda:  Um, can we talk about Buy the Pound or do we need to wrap this up?

Marco:  You know what, let's end with by the Pound. Tell our listeners about by the Pound.

Amanda:  Buy the Pound is an amazing store. I know we have listeners all over the world, so. But I hope that you listen, you could start a franchise in your city or hometown. By the Pound is a, ah, store in Toronto. It's for those who live in Toronto. It's on Orphice Road and I know you know where that is. Um, up by Yorkdale Mall. Anyway, it's a store where you go in and it's all just big tubs, big boxes of secondhand clothes. You know, some with tags still on that stores have gotten rid of. Others have had some wear. So it's a sort of mixture m of everything, and you go through it. You can take all the time you want, and you weigh your clothes. You can try them on if you want, but you weigh the clothes that you're going to buy. You have to buy £5 worth. £5 is $25. So the last time I was there, I got nine tops, and I just concentrated on tops because there's so many things there. So I kind of made it my mission. Okay, I want a couple cute new tops. I got nine tops for $25 by the pound.

Marco:  Are they new or are they used?

Amanda:  They were all secondhand, but two of the garments still had tags on them from the Bay, which is a store here in Canada. So department, uh, store. So, um, I think, like I said, I think they. I mean, they were secondhand, but no one had. They had tags on them, so no one's worn them.

Marco:  So you spent less than $3 on nine tops. $3 each.

Amanda:  Yeah. And now one of the tops had a rip in it. I didn't realize that until I got it home, but I'll be honest, it was a big, big. Like I said, I like blousy tops. So it's a really big, blousy top. So I would. The rip was such that I could kind of tuck it into my pants and you couldn't see it. That's the top. Remember, I got rid of that top in, um, St. Pierre Michelo? Yeah, yeah, that was that top. But anyway.

Marco:  Yeah, well, that's. That's a great tip. Thanks, Amanda.

Amanda:  And some of my tops don't weigh very much. That's why I got nine of them. Rayon.

Marco:  If the top was heavier, it would cost more. You would have less tops in your.

Amanda:  Yeah, like five pounds. Could be one thick jacket, or it could be nine rayon tops. So it just depends.

Marco:  I gotcha. All right, well, thanks for sharing that. All right, folks, thank you for listening to today's episode. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly learned a lot, at least about fashion.

Amanda:  Yeah, well, you didn't know what 70, 80, 90 fashion was. You thought it was a some sort of fraction that didn't happen to anything.

Marco:  Yeah, some sort of code that. That represents a type of fashion. I. I think I have to go buy the pound and just learn more about fashion, is what I would say. All right, well, until next time, I hope you were able to listen to our podcast and chill and relax and sleep.

Amanda:  Thank you so much for listening.