TRIMMINGS: SUMMER THINGS

Jelly flip-flops, leopard swimsuits, bracelets as souvenirs.

Remember Lula Magazine? (If you’re reading this newsletter, I think it’s safe to assume that you do). Remember how in each issue they’d have a little section with Polaroids of the ‘Lula Loves’ for the month? I miss that, so I’m bringing it here to TRIMMINGS! Every season or so, I’ll deliver you some Polaroids of things I love and ideas for the days ahead. (Here’s SPRING THINGS, in case you missed it).

Clockwise from the top left:

1. Ancient Greek Sandals jelly flip-flops. A missed flight earlier this month led an abundance of time in the Athens airport, where there is a small-but-excellent selection of shops that includes an outpost of Ancient Greek Sandals. My mom, sister, and I killed a lot of time debating the merits of these specific shoes before making our purchases (a tasteful caramel hue for my mom, hot pink for me). My pathological need to obsess over every item that enters my wardrobe means that I have never before bought anything (other than like, you know, gum and water) at an airport, but these have blessedly turned out to be the shoes of the summer for me. They’re the natural evolution of the now-ubiquitous trend for Havaianas, and they’re a more grown-up alternative to the burgeoning popularity of jelly shoes. They’re good on the beach and in the city. They have the special power to make casual things appear a little bit dressy and dressy things read a little bit casual, with the added bonus of looking like something that would be delicious to chew on.

2. Swimsuits from MC2 Saint Barth. I would feel like a liar if I didn’t admit to you here that my most-frequented shopping destination this summer has been the vacation-town-staple, slightly-Eurotrash store MC2 Saint Barth. It’s always good (or so bad it’s good?), but it’s especially good right now. I normally shy away from one-piece swimsuits (hate the feeling of wet fabric on my body, am somehow fine showing my midsection but less so my back), but their lurex leopard number has changed my mind completely. It’s especially flattering thanks to well-placed darts, soft to wear, and glam enough to not evoke swim team practice. The price also feels right in a world where swimsuits have gotten so damn expensive! Of course, I got a bikini too (this one, which felt kinda Miu Miu), a plethora of pouches, and you really musn’t skip the totes…

3. A Valentino belt bag. I tried on this bag at the newly opened elysewalker store (a great visit if you’re on the Upper East Side) in the spring and pined for it every single day afterwards. (I even visited it a few more times just to stare at it longingly). Through rabid online hunting, I found this particular bag on sale for more than 60% off (!) and decided to treat myself in advance of my 30th birthday. I could wax poetic about it for ages. I tend to hate bags in the summer because they make me feel weighed down, but this one is freedom objectified. It’s a little bit silly, which is why I love it, but I’ve also found it to be immensely practical—it is a belt bag, after all. It has been my mostly companion through all my travels this summer. I’m also just such a fan of Alessandro Michele, and I carry my other bag by him, which I bought for myself right before I had a baby, nearly every single day. And now I’m buying in to this new era of his work to mark entering a new era of my own. What a privilege!

4. A stack of bracelets! My sartorial brain trust (my two best friends, plus aforementioned sister and mom) and I agreed that this summer felt like the right time to bring back the mid-2010s trend for stacks of colourful bracelets (‘arm party,’ anyone?). All of them hate bracelets, however, so it’s been on me to test-drive this renaissance. I’ve been slowly amassing my summer pile of beads and charms, and I can report that it doesn’t feel particularly au courant, but it does feel joyful and GOOD! I love feeling like I ‘must’ pick up a bracelet whilst traveling or in a special little shop—scratches the same itch as finding a great sticker for your suitcase or…dare I say…a keychain for your bag. Given the current charm-ification of fashionable culture, I think we’ll see the personality bracelet stack come back in a major way by next summer. If it doesn’t, well, I’ll still happily spend my idle hours beading.