Five Great Things/August 2024
MNZ x J.Crew, a review. A sandal that gloriously toes the line between 70s/80s style. Non-jean-short-jean-shorts. My new....Speedo!? And a fantastic city (rain) slicker.
Permission granted to ignore the fall shopping hysteria for another few minutes and recognize that we have at least another month of glorious weather ahead! With that said, here are five great things for right now (and later too, of course. Wise purchases only around here!)
And before we dive in, a note that this month’s “5 Great Things” is going to be live for paid subscribers on Sunday and opened up to everyone else on Monday. I’ve had so much feedback from you guys about items in these emails selling out before Pacific Standard time wakes up that I would like to give paid subscribers a bit of a head start as a thank you for making this work and research possible. With that, enjoy this month’s finds!
Disco shoes, but make them walkable!
We have reached peak butter yellow and are now charging through Brat green, which is basically a fluorescent take on Prada’s now-classic ugly green, which is a shade darker than slime green, which LMC coined earlier this year. I will take all your tones and meet you squarely in August with this linoleum yellow slingback, ready to live out all your (my) overly ambitious summer plans in the next three weeks and then usher us into a still warm, but-I’m-ready-to-get-dressed! fall.
I love this little slingback. It’s like a slow motion stroll backwards from the 80s style I’ve been gravitating toward, into the 70s chiffon layers that are sure to dominate this fall. They kind of just…go with it all?
It’s the disco party shoe I imagine I want (you know I’ve been pining for a dance party) but with a short enough heel that I will actually wear. It will look great at lunch. It will look great at cocktails. She’s just ready to GO!
Practically speaking, this heel is wide enough across to comfortably walk on grass, while remaining a proper heel. She is also a textured leather so I won’t have to worry about destroying her after one wear (read: easily wipe-off-able with a dish rag at the end of the day or night.) I’m loving her with casual daytime stuff, and I want to wear her in the evening as well. She is a late summer MVP.
A summer weight rain shell that looks good with regular clothes
For years I’ve had this very cool techy Mammut gore-tex shell. It’s been sitting in my closet literally since I worked at Lucky Magazine in 2006. I know this, because I definitely took it home off of a shoot. Sorry Mammut! But like, there has to be a statue of limitations on that, so safe to tell you right? :) Anyway, my point is, I love(d) this shell. It was the perfect shade of red, has a very cool sporty logo, with a functional, stiff brimmed hood. But you know what, it is too technical for me. Reader, I have worn it approximately once and was miserable the entire wear. The material too stiff, the sleeves too long, the body too curved at the waist (my classic irk with women’s gear), the brim, too big actually? I don’t need to fit a helmet under it! And the fit too technical. It hasn’t ended up reading “off-in-a-personal-taste-kind-of-way” but just…off. So I have been searching for a city specific rain shell that reads as sporty, but not soooo sporty. It has to look cool with my regular clothes and be light weight enough to wear during a summer city rain storm. And here she is, willed into reality. In reality reality, I ran into the impossibly stylish stylist Brie Welch on a rainy Tuesday night at yoga class and she was wearing it, or something very similar! So I hunted it down. :) Thank you Brie for the rec you didn’t even know you gave me.
She only has a single zip which is her one con (you know I prefer double) but makes up for it with with snaps so you can close only the top, should you so choose. Other features pleasantly include adjustable elastic at the waist so if you zip and scrunch, you can create a blousing effect. So much better than the traditional women’s storm shells from gorp-y brands that hug all the way from the top of my ribs to my mid hip. This feels, proportionally, so much better for non-tech, but tech if I feel like it, usage.
The Maryam Nassir Zadeh x J.Crew Collab is GOOD
I was hesitant, I’m not going to lie. Took me a few days to decide to pull the trigger. But I am so pleasantly surprised. I was even so happy with my first purchase (tee, dress, scrunchie) that I went back and ordered the swimsuit! I started with the pink linen slip dress and the black cap sleeve tank, which I bought to wear together. But have enjoyed them separately as well, as it turns out.
We will start with the dress. It’s a wrinkly linen. These photos are post steam. It is meant to look this way, which I love. Live and let live fabric! And now that I’m well versed in the world of dressing transparently (literally), I was ready to wear this out of the bag. The fabric is beautiful. A weight that falls nicely but isn’t too flimsy. I’m really happy with the cut, proportion and material. *I’m wearing a size small.
The t-shirt underneath is paper thin, and I mean this as a compliment. It has been a godsend the past few sweltering weeks. It’s cut in a way that you can just wear your regular, most comfortable bra without worrying about the straps showing, if you care about that. And the neckline is wide enough to show off a little collar bone and let your necklaces hang delicately along the seam. I have been wearing it most with my big khaki shorts and Tevas or K. Jacques. A perfect uniform to play assistant manager at my son’s lemonade stand last weekend. We were very cute. He made $18! *I’m wearing an XS.
The scrunchie, I have simply not taken off in two weeks. Nothing else to even say. Just that it’s pure fun and I accidentally even slept in it two nights ago. She will be a constant from now until Labor Day, or until I lose her, whichever comes first.
And finally, the swim. It was sold out in my size at my first go of an order. But I put myself on the waitlist and secured one when the returns started trickling in from the frenzied launch day orders, I assume. I wanted the pink but was fearful that it was too close to the color of my pinkish skin so responsibly went with blue. Guys, it’s good!! The fabric is thick! It appears flimsy but is actually a wonderfully heavy duty, kind of shiny material on the skinniest strap of all time. Heaven. It’s not “supportive” but I’ve moved passed that and accepted my post-nursing décolletage and no longer care. It’s higher cut in the thighs than I’m used to, butwas so sold on the fabric and floss-like straps that I cut off the tags, leaned in and jumped in. The best surprise of all is that it stays in place much better wet than dry. So go ahead, make a splash!
Non Jean Short Jean Shorts
A pair of chambray clam diggers (delightfully already on sale!) have been a late summer hero around here. Throw on with t-shirt and flip flops for camp drop off and look relatively cute. Or actually cute with a black tank, bohemian button down and summer sandals. I think they’re going to be great this fall with a blazer and loafers too - when it’s still 82 and sunny but I’m ready for a lapel. They are slightly giving me Chloe vibes…as we get closer to fall, I’m realizing I’m all in on Chemena Kamali. Give me blush tones, gauchos, some ruffles along an open neckline! I’m ready. For now, I’m enjoying these as a slightly more styled jean short.
Get Yourself A…Speedo!?
On my quest for family friendly, skinny strapped, full coverage but still semi-fashionable swim this summer (and lets get real, every summer) I happily stumbled on Speedo’s training suit in two new and fantastic colors: these flattering shades of neon red and blue. I decided, at $68 (plus 30% off promo) it was worth trying. They seemed to have gotten the memo that we all want sporty…but not actual sport swimsuits. This style is retro-adjacent which we have now talked about ad nauseam in the past two weeks, in an early 90s olympic kind of way.
I ordered both colors to see which I’d prefer and I think I’ll just keep the “siren red” since I’m doing the MNZ in blue. Both look great peaking out of a cotton tank, and both passed the reach and squat test, essential if you plan on chasing a child in said swim. I will recommend sizing up, though. I went off the size chart and ordered a 30, based off my measurements and am exchanging for a 32. It’s nice and high cut at the neck but very low cut at the back area, which is making me want a little extra fabric. I also just don’t like my swim all that tight. If you do like a tighter feeling suit, or are an actual Olympian, just take your size on the chart.
I promise I’ll stop talking about swim now. I just really have been on a mission this summer. Until next swim season though, I’ll probably be wearing this under the MNZ slipdress.
Until next week.
Yours TRULY,
Becky
Hi Becky - could you do a post on what to wear to kid school events? My son has actual influencer moms in his classes as well as kids whose parents own major fashion labels. I always feel like I’m dressed wrong 😑. Thank you!
Upvote speedo for actual athletic swimwear - everything else is worse in the water, ages poorly and risks a boob slip for lap swimming. Have never considered for a fashion moment!