Hi People!!!!!
How’s it going? I for one am feeling prettyyyyyyy good, half vaccinated and high on anticipation for summer which I’ve decided officially begins once I move to New York. With that of course comes the planning of outfits for the absolute best season, and I’ve been slowly but surely getting more organized about this in the past few years. In this week’s newsletter, I’m going to share the process of how I attempt to plan out my desired aesthetic for each season in an effort to boost my creativity and avoid a bunch of impulse purchases that you end up wearing one time and cringing when you see the photos the next year. The first step in this journey is naturally a mood board…
My completely unhinged summer style mood board
Given that most of last year’s summer was spent in my parent’s backyard or at my apartment complex pool (which is probably fairly exciting compared to many people’s COVID summers, I know), I am even more excited for summer than usual this year. I know I already recommended Haley Nahman’s newsletter on anticipation in my last post, but it just perfectly captures how I’m feeling right now. With the thrill of the surprisingly successful vaccine rollout and my excitement for my move, I have some very chaotic energy pent up that I am dying to release, ideally somewhere sunny wearing a bikini and body glitter.
As you can see from this masterpiece of a mood board, my usual “vintage camp counselor chic” summer aesthetic is getting a glam spin this season. And I firmly believe this is how your style should evolve from season to season and year to year. The vintage tennis photos, Wes Anderson stills, and sportier styles of Princess Diana and Emili Sindlev hold the common thread that has woven years of my summer style together, probably all stemming from my ten months spent at summer camp over the years. This year, however, the hopeful energy and joyful anticipation is bubbling up inside me and guiding me toward the glamour of Slim Aarons photographs, ‘90s supermodels, and Diana Ross. Along with some of the more chaotic looks from my usual style icons, Carrie Bradshaw and Leandra Medine, I think these influences paint a pretty solid picture of how I feel in this season of my life.
In my opinion, the best mood boards bring together elements that don’t make sense together at first glance, but taken as a whole and with respect to the creator of said mood board, it all just works. A board that focuses only on drawing inspiration from disco divas or preppy hamptonites might be visually appealing on the surface, but it is more useful for replication than true inspiration, which requires something new and original to be created by pulling influences from all over the map. Similarly, I’m not just looking to the more glamorous photos for my going-out attire and the sportier shots for my casual looks, my goal is to blend these various ideas into each outfit, with elements from different decades, icons, and artists all coming together along with my own personality and sensibilities to form something truly unique.
Once I have my moodboard and an idea of my various influences in mind, I start creating lots of lists. First, a list of what I already have in my closet that will work well for the outfits I have in mind, so I don’t wind up with duplicates of items that essentially serve the first purpose. Some examples…
Kule terry cloth set which gives very vintage sportswear vibes
A straw cowboy hat I bought solely because of that picture of Carrie Bradshaw on the mood board
Round Tom ford sunglasses to bring glam ‘70s fabulousness
Pink velvet platforms / gold heels / Prada platforms for similar disco diva vibes
My usual summer basics like jean shorts, striped t-shirts, and flat chill sandals
Pink sequin shirt to channel Dua Lipa
Hawaiian print shirts and shorts to bring some wacky energy into everything
Snakeskin boots for a little western pizazz
Then I start making a list of items that could enhance the ones above and make the vision of my mood board even stronger. I continually add to this list as I start to notice certain pieces that jump out at me repeatedly. Sometimes it’s a very specific item from a brand, other times it’s a general category I want to be on the look out for, but either way it forces me to take a breath before purchasing something because I try not to let myself click check out until it’s been on the list at least for a week or two. Sometimes when I look back, I still feel like “oh my god yes I absolutely need to have that,” and other times I think I was smoking crack when I added it to the list in the first place, hence why waiting periods are very helpful (heard they also work for guns but that’s a rant for another time). So far my list includes...
Colorful silk scarves - i have a few, but I feel like I need some in larger sizes to get more wear out of them
These Hereu flats I have definitely featured in a newsletter before.
A beachy tote of some kind, maybe this net one by Longchamp
Lots of colorful beaded jewelry that looks like it was made by a 10 year old
Some sort of psychedelic print mini skirt but preferably in a stiffer, non-stretch material to avoid looking like a TikTok teen
Various brightly colored slip dresses and skirts
The perfect pair of bike shorts (that I have been sort of half-assedly seeking for years now) that aren’t an awkward length and don’t make my thighs look like they are on the verge of suffocation
Then the fun really begins when I start pulling all of these various elements together into actual outfits. At first, I was going to put this segment together by pulling images from my online shopping expeditions, but I’m actually so glad I played around in my own closet instead.
First is an outfit I would probably wear out to dinner or some other fun occasion. I paired my pink sequin birthday shirt with this blazer/shorts set to bring together the disco queen and retiree energies. Then I added a sprinkle of camp counselor with this Don’t Let Disco necklace which I basically haven’t taken off since I purchased it, but I balanced it with more modern gold necklaces, my favorite Dries Van Noten shoes, and the neutral but not boring Fendi bag my mom got me for my birthday. The proportions don’t photograph quite the way I want them to, but I think this outfit is weird and wonderful and I will definitely be wearing it as soon as possible.
For a more casual daytime activity or errands, I plan to wear some variety of this ensemble. The jean shorts, striped tee, and sneakers are classic summer time staples for me, but the Repeller glasses and bag make this sort of preppy outfit a little more funky. The cowboy hat is, of course, a complete wild card that I never would’ve thought to wear if it wasn’t for that Carrie Bradshaw outfit, but I’m obsessed with it right now, no matter how insane it makes me look.
God willing I will spend at least one day on a beach this summer, and this will absolutely be the outfit. I have no idea if I tied this bikini correctly, but it has the coolest ‘70s psychedelic vibes that I don’t even care. I chilled out the bikini with a very classic striped shirt/shorts set to make this more beach appropriate and less like I stepped off a stage somewhere in Vegas. I finally learned how to tie a scarf on my head in a way that looks halfway normal, so I will be doing that as often as possible this summer. Obviously I chose tie dye here to honor my camp counselor heritage.
Overall, the lessons here should be: 1. I am absolutely going to be dressing like a batshit crazy person all summer and I suggest you do the same, 2. Make at least some sort of loose plan for your seasonal wardrobe, so that you don’t buy a bunch of random shit off TikTok, and 3. Don’t be afraid to get in there and play around with your own wardrobe (at a time when you don’t actually need to get ready to go somewhere), you will probably be surprised by the combinations you come up with.
I hope this little peek into my planning process is helpful to you, and, as always, my email, DMs, comments, etc. are open to help you figure out your own summer style!
Question of the week
I've been listening to discourse regarding de-gendering fashion and want to get your thoughts. It's been reminding me of when I was growing up, my mom would ask me if a piece of clothing she bought for my dad was men's or women's. My answer would be the deciding factor on whether she would give it to him or not. I remember even as a kid, I would think ... if you can't tell if it's "men's or women's" why does it even matter? I do think deeming inanimate objects as men's/women's is pushing the social construct of gender. However, I've been so conditioned that when I online shop, I always start my search with "men's" or "women's" (depending on if I'm shopping for myself or someone else). I think everyone should wear the clothes that truly allow them to express themselves. I also think the straight tiktok boys who are now wearing skirts and painting their nails just for clout can f off because members of the LGBTQ community have been murdered for doing the same thing. No specific question, just wanted to know your thoughts on the subject now that this has been a more prevalent conversation!
First of all, thank you for this thoughtful question. I think it’s so cool that you had that experience as a child, recognizing the arbitrariness of gendered clothing instead of being told that pink was for girls and blue was for boys or any of those other garbage rules. I personally believe people should wear whatever clothes they feel most like themselves in, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation. I also tend to sort by “women’s” or “men’s” categories as I online shop, but not because I wouldn’t shop in the men’s section, just because in today’s society it’s easier. I’m mostly looking for convenience when online shopping, so skipping straight to the women’s section where I find most of my clothes is more efficient. When I’m shopping in person, however, I will often browse the men’s section and have purchased items intended for men a few times. I would probably do so more often if it weren’t for sizing—another big part of the convenience of having men’s and women’s sections. Theoretically speaking, a world where all sizing and fit is unisex is possible, but many fashion brands won’t even create a full spectrum of women’s sizes so I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
As far as the straight TikTok boys go, I really don’t know enough about that scene to say whether or not they’re just performing fluidity for attention or if it’s what they genuinely like to wear, but I think it is very important to recognize the trans women who, like you said, have faced severe consequences for doing the same things. I saw a similar critique of Harry Styles’s Vogue cover, expressing frustration at those deeming it revolutionary when there have been many men who donned dresses before him. While I’m less annoyed at Harry for this because his style choices seem thoughtful and genuine, it does irk me that straight white men have to co-opt the progressive ideals others have been living by forever in order for them to become more socially acceptable (of course, we’re still not there yet, as Harry’s cover also received backlash for not being manly enough). In an ideal world, these men would be true allies, giving credit to the rule-breakers that inspired them, and in the less ideal world in which we currently reside, hopefully it will at least make it safer and more accepted for gender-non conforming individuals to express themselves as they truly are.
My question for you
If you had to describe your summer aesthetic in one weird sentence, what would it be? Mine is “Carrie Bradshaw (but as a camp counselor from the ‘70s) goes to a disco on the beach in Capri.”
Recs of the week
Please consider donating to the mother of Daunte Wright’s child, who was left without a father after he was tragically killed during a traffic stop.
This nail polish color. I didn’t even look at the name, but I am surprisingly obsessed with the pukey green color. All I know is that it’s OPI, and they have it at Aura Nail Bar in Dallas.
If it is physically impossible for you to keep your eyes open before the sun is up like myself, get one of those alarm clocks that slowly lights up like the sun filling your room. I bought one on Amazon several years ago and promptly forgot about it, but I pulled it out last week and dare I say it’s actually working??
If you live near a Facehaus, I highly recommend the microdermabrasion. I just feel cleaner???
Thank you so much for reading this week’s newsletter! I hope it brought you some joy and hopefully some excitement for the warmer, sparklier months ahead. As always, I love to hear from you, so please feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, replying to this email, or DMing me on Instagram. Whether it’s style advice or feedback on the newsletter or you just want to get to know each other better, I’m all ears. Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers,
Maddy
I’m intrigued by your interest in big silk scarves. I inherited a number of them from my mother in law Whole made all her fabulous clothes from Vogue patterns. Will you share some ideas of things you would do with big, gorgeous scarves?
I love the sample outfits! Amazing how mood board inspirstion can lead to such a different look (less grandpaw!) than your recent months outfits! Glam it up and enjoy! The music that goes with your moodboard is maybe the theme song from Magnam PI. You will definitely have to check out the show now! 😂😂