everything was blue

INSIDE: a purple Prada purse, the perfect summer kitten heel, and the Loewe tomato

Haaaaaaappy June! I hope wherever you are, summer is well and truly summering by now. I am in the Midwest seeing friends and family this weekend (I’m an East Coast girlie myself but my whole family is in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio lol). And I have to say… absolutely nothing hits like summer in the Midwest.

I tried a new lil format on the ‘gram this week – let me know if y’all like it or hate it! I think I’m also going to do some shopping guides on vintage PJs and vintage cameras over there this upcoming week :)))

Ok onto the good stuff!

Get Thrifty

1. Réalisation Par Women's White T-shirt, Size M from Depop, $85

Ok, I was in a Réalisation Par MOOD this week. And this incredible lil graphic tee says TOPLESS on the back, literally so cute. And it’s New With Tags, this is truly an insane situation lol.

2. Polo Ralph Lauren Summer Polo Bear Tee, Size M from Teleport, $20

I’ll say it… I LOVE the Polo Ralph Lauren Bear and I think this butter yellow, summer version is so cute. And while you’re taking a peek at it, make sure you’re plugged into Teleport!! One of my fave thrifting apps these days! And btw, they’re also on Substack over at Fit Check by Teleport :)

3. Réalisation Par Handprinted Tank, Size S from Depop, $35

More Réalisation Par!!! But this tank is hand-made and literally so gorgeous. It feels like a way to bring dark/light academia vibes into the summer months!

4. Prada Cloth Purse from Vestaire, $97

PURPLE PRADA BAG FOR UNDER $100, PEOPLE – this is not a drill!!!

B.N.W.T.

1. Bias Cut Slip Midi Dress from ASOS, $40

I think I’m officially getting back into ASOS?? It’s been a solid two-year hiatus for me… but the curated pages on their site where I found this butter-yellow beauty are really, really good right now.

2. Scusa Dad Hat from Evilwater Originals, $34

Y’all know I love finding new brands on Instagram, truly such a rush lol. I think this brand is incredibly cute – and this hat is kinda an ideal present for pretty much everyone I know, friends and family??

3. Straw Single Strap Block Heel Sandals from Ann Taylor, $89

Listen, I will NEVER not examine an Ann Taylor sale! And thank god for Ann because these are maybe the perfect summer 2024 shoe, I might have to cop… and if you grab a pair, send us a pic!

4. Hot Girls Love Sharks Tee from Finatics, $35

Fun fact about me: sharks are my GREATEST fear and also somehow one of my biggest fascination. But more importantly – I think this tee is adorable on its own, and then the proceeds go towards protecting sharks + their home!

Spotlight ✨

Ok, my lil research and the shark shirt above (of which, 10% of the profits go towards saving sharks, which is actually pretty high for the industry) actually let me down a rabbit hole where I discovered an entirely new area of the sustainability and fashion world: blue beauty.

From what I can tell, blue beauty started off as a reference to make-up products that are sustainable and don’t ultimately cause damage to ocean ecosystems. The Blue Beauty site lays out their “blueprint” like this:

Weirdly, I can’t find out much about who owns the site, but the site Beauty Heroes credits the start of the blue beauty movement to Jeannie Jarnot back in 2018.

The Beauty Heroes site also lists a TON of brands that live up to the blue beauty standards, which is really cool to see. This is just alphabetically A-K ⬇️

I took a closer look at some of these listed brands, like Cheekbone Beauty (which is SUPER cool) and Fitglow Beauty, and it does seem like they check out as truly sustainable, ethical brands that work pretty hard to make that the case.

But here’s the thing… whenever I hear a super marketable, cute phrase paired with sustainability, I get worried about greenwashing (or, I guess, bluewashing). And I’m not the only one: in doing my research, I saw that Vogue Business actually *just* did a piece on how some of the blue beauty brands are not necessarily what they seem.

The truth of trying to shop sustainably is that it just can be really, really hard. And brands know how to play up messaging to make green practices sound much better than they are. And I won’t even get into the bizarre “climate-aware” fashion area where the Skims nipple bra ad lives.

I think, at the end of the day, all we can do if we want to make sure we’re buying a sustainable product is check out “About” page, do a Google, and check out the Instagram comments (always surprising what you can glean there lol). And not beat ourselves up!!! Just do the best we can, knowing some big corporate evilies are trying to make it harder for us.

And to be super clear, I think blue beauty – the actual concept and practice – is a really, really good idea. I’m just worried it’s about to become even more greenwashing fodder…

But let me know what y’all think!

Look at this Graph

As always, @databutmakeitfashion blew my mind this week (if you don’t follow on IG, I SERIOUSLY recommend). I knew the Gucci belt was coming back… but Converse too?? Welcome back, 2012, we’ve missed you.

Other Corners of the Internet

• I was gonna write a piece on why the merch hate is a lil nuts (and a lil sexist 👀) but emily north of angel cake did this literally perfect piece on it. I think I’ve read it at least 4 times and I’m gonna go read it again lol

• My brain this week has been no thoughts, just Loewe tomato.

• Re: Pride month (and happy Pride!!!), 1% for the Planet posted this important message on sustainability + the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

• The flat lay (displaying products/items from a birds-eye as they lay flat beneath) is SO back and I love it.

• F*ck me up, brown butter brownie recipe!!!

• Last week’s most clicked on links were the incredible summer set over on Depop (I’'ll try to find more!), the sea shell glasses, and the sardines tee because we are graphic tee girlies over here.

And that’s all! See you next Friday xoxo