Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T 7/29
I had the most precious and wholesome weekend in Austin as an early celebration for my lovely friend Theiija who I’ve known since middle, which is insane to think about. It was great to see her and other friends and spend time doing very “Austin” things that I haven’t gotten to do before! Also, randomly saw Nelly at the club? Feeling re-energized. This week, I’ll just be watching the Olympics. All day, every day. Do not call. Do not text. I am busy. Xoxo.
READING
Sprite’s connection with the black community: Talks about how Sprite became the unofficial soda of the black community through hip-hop collaborations. It’s a marketing strategy breakdown talking about intentional decisions the company made in the 90s and early 2000s which has now had a lasting impact on the connection with the community. This kind of stuff is my bread and butter! Would love to find more articles similar to this.
Food is the new luxury for Gen-Z: Thought this article was a little all over the place but I wanted to use it as a vehicle because I agree with the main sentiments. In Paris, it was very common to find just a cheese store or a special meats store but that’s the European way. I feel like there are more niche, high-end grocery stores here in the US now. In the same way I feel like fashion is getting stretched to the extremes, (either you’re thrifting everything or it’s a designer purchase or from an expensive, small brand) food too is heading that direction. Either you want the cheapest groceries possible or you’re going to splurge on high end cheese and crackers from the specialty grocery store for a “special occasion”. It’s why sweet treats such as specialty ice cream, weekend coffee shop visits etc. seem like such a staple for our generation. They’re small luxuries we can indulge in.
Basketball stars & David Yurman: In my 3 in 1 deal post, I talked a bit about athletes and fashion and the growing relationship between the two. David Yurman is collaborated with NBA stars for one of its recent campaigns. There are interview quotes from the docuseries made for the campaign with D’Angelo Russell, Kyle Kuzma and Jalen Green.
Fashion industry’s creative director musical chairs: Musical chairs is really a great way to describe this. What’s most annoying is that it’s the same big names rotating throughout the big houses. I’d love to see some fresher faces, either apprentices of big designers or new creatives all together, to be given the opportunity to direct for these houses because with the exception of a few major brands, a lot of it is starting to blend together. Case and point, Alessandro Michele’s 2025 resort collection for Valentino.
EATING
Nectarines, peaches and plums: I’ve been so focused on cherries and mangoes that I forgot it was also nectarines, peaches and plums season! When nectarines are in season, they’re a top three fruit for sure. I saw this recipe on Tiktok for a peach jam that you can use in an arugula, prosciutto, mozzarella sandwich that I’m really tempted to make.
Fried cheese curds: Went to Banger’s in Austin to try their man-mosas which is an entire bottle of champagne and a dash of orange juice. You’re only allowed to order one and you have to order it with food, so we ordered a lovely assortment of bites including these fried cheese curds. Music to my stomach!
PLAYING
Smallville: Now that I’ve finished SATC, I’ve gotten back into Smallville as my morning breakfast show. Young Tom Welling- chef’s kiss. Candidly, I don’t know if I’ll ever finish this show because I usually only make it to about halfway with long superhero sagas (The Flash & Green Arrow, I’m looking at you) but for now, it’s a lovely morning show.
Paris Q and A: I’ve mentioned Damon’s channel many a time. This was interesting to hear his perspective on the city’s transformation for the Olympics. Always love hearing people’s recommendations for Paris if they’ve been there for a while and learning about local hotspots. The comments were also interesting because Parisians were giving their opinions on Paris’s transformation, their hate and/or appreciation for certain measures.
Billie performing for Amazon Music Songline: If you can’t tell, HMHAS is my album of the year and probably top 10 favorite albums ever. She sounds and looks beautiful and one way or another, I will see this album live. Also, I just learned Billie is 5’3”? What???
OBSESSING
Sue Wong beaded dresses: Grateful that Poshmark recommended this brand to me through an Instagram ad because not knowing brands makes browsing on there impossible. Still on the hunt for a birthday dress but I might have found a few contenders.
RECOMMENDING
Article on why next-gen materials are so hard to scale: Recommend for anyone interested in sustainable fashion production and next-gen fabrics. I’ve done so much research on ethical fabrics and production, but the industry is constantly changing, and somehow, simultaneously at a standstill. Really interesting article delving into plant-based or textile recycle fabrics. From what I know about sustainable fabric production, there needs to be more government involvement to help lower the cost of producing these new, green textiles to make them more accessible. However, the government doesn’t see the value in them (lack of urgency, success of fashion retailers on the economy using cotton, polyester fabrics etc) so there has been no movement legislation wise. This article also includes a great discussion of how the collaboration with designer brands can lead to greater creativity in imagining what these fabrics can do.
TREATING
BCBG Skirt from Austin Pets Alive: Went thrifting in Austin for the second time over the weekend and while I didn’t get too lucky, I found this fantastic skirt from BCBG. It was actually a set, and the top was so cute with the skirt, but the armpits were terribly suffocating. The print and fabric give me Jacquemus vibes which I love and I just tried the skirt as a strapless dress and it looks so good!
Bracelet from Heights Antiques: $5 little bangle! Green and cute. Easy purchase.
