Sometimes I see an outfit so utterly impeccable that it reminds me of what it feels like to love fashion.

It starts with an imperceptible gasp under my breath. Then my body freezes, my eyes glaze over to appreciate the totality of the look, then they focus into precise laser beams as I zoom in, taking in the details.

This week I was bewitched by Greta Lee in a crisply cut microbang and a red fringed halter dress with little white stars all over. Oh and a shooting star placed on the hip, like a cheeky tattoo.

Her Toy Story 5 press tour looks, styled by Danielle Goldberg and makeup by Nina Park, have been TOO GOOD. I wrote about Greta Lee’s style back in 2023, and she remains one of my favorite actresses on and off screen because she takes fun fashion risks.

But also, I suppose it’s impossible not to look like the coolest, most stunning fashion girl when you have both Danielle Goldberg and Nina Park working for you, right??? A dream team if there ever was one…

This red halter dress is High Sport, a brand I’ll forever associate in my head with the “$800 pants” discourse from a few years ago. Not available online, maybe later this year? I’m not enough of a retail insider to keep track of these things. It’s not a dress I feel like I need to own to wear. I just love admiring it.

Anyways, it must be so fun to treat Toy Story as an outfit prompt—and this outfit lands the thematic connection without being too literal. The red is a hypersaturated primary color, and the stars and fringe evoke a Western cowboy vibe a la Woody and Jessie.

The next look is something I’d totally wear:

When I saw this post, I rushed to click on the tagged designer, “yvonnne_.” Who could this yvonne underscore be??

Once I saw that her name was just “yeji” in lowercase letters and she had Central Saint Martins tagged in her bio and no website, I was like lol ok, this is some ultra-niche shit that only star stylists like Danielle Goldberg have access to!!

This set is called the Music Note Top and Skirt, “inspired by musical notes from sheet music,” according to yeji’s IG. How freaking whimsical.

Similarly, this print works as a nod to the Toy Story theme because the circle shapes look like Mr. Potato’s eyes. Maybe this was intentional too, but her pose here feels like a figurine. A bit stiff and plasticky, in a satisfying way because she looks like a toy on a shelf.

This BTS look was posted on Danielle Goldberg’s IG stories:

Another fun riff on the Toy Story primary colors. I don’t remember the Barbie press tour fashion in much detail, but I do know I felt visually hungover from seeing the magenta pink everywhereeeeee bc the marketing was inescapable. In contrast, I feel refreshed and intruiged by the primary color play for this press tour.

And now for the latest look we’ve been blessed with this week…

She’s wearing a red and white Dior puffed-top dress that matches the Toy Story color palette. The exaggerated proportions feel dramatic enough for a red carpet look but it’s also playful and funky in the same vein. It’s kinda giving Buzz Lightyear’s puffed-chest silhouette.

The makeup and hair was to die for…I’m in awe of the gap of space between the strong eyebrow and the wispy microbang. Do you know how hard it is to get that exact distance right?!!! If I ever get my makeup and hair professionally done, I’ll just show them this photo.

As the press tour continues, I’ll be seated for more of Greta’s looks! Which one is your favorite so far?

Molehill Miscellany

• My first guest piece for launched yesterday—a heels-on-the-ground Euro Summer style report, aka what people are wearing in Rome and Florence! Take a look, it’s a fun photo-heavy piece to scroll through on Friday. It’s always a pleasure to work with as an editor. I learn a lot from the way she thinks.

• The star wand lip gloss I mentioned in my makeup to buy from japan newsletter is on sale rn for $5. It’s the cutest thing to keep in your purse. Try whipping it out at a group dinner or happy hour, everyone will be like oooo what IS that?!

• If you were emotionally devastated by the Gemma episode in Severance, I really think you would enjoy reading “My Dear You” by Rachel Khong. It’s a collection of short stories that I would describe as Black Mirror written by and starring an Asian American woman. Like, the story about the factory worker training an AI sex doll story made me cry. There are also some Bay Area cameos in the stories, which made it all the more juicy to read in a San Francisco wine bar last night.

• I’m inspired by all of your summer bucket list items in the comments. I’m working on my realistic bay area summer bucket list (fall version here).

• Anyone else going to Pickwick this weekend? I plan to hit up Sensitive Vintage.

• RIP buffalo milk soft serve </3 It has come to my attention that a few months ago, the milk supplier for the soft serve at Palace Market (and several other Bay Area spots) changed. If you’ve had Palace Market soft serve you know that it was the creme de la creme of soft serve…truly nothing else in the world compared. The milk is now jersey cow, and not buffalo. For some, this news is food snob minutiae and they claim there is no difference in taste. I posted about this on on IG Stories and a few people responded saying they had Palace Market soft serve recently and it doesn’t taste as creamy or rich anymore (I believe them). Now I am very invested in the politics of Central Valley buffalo herd sales.

• I’m a major skincare and haircare loyalist in that it takes a LOT for a product to make it into my routine, or replace something in my routine. But two things have broken through the noise: (1) the ROZ leave-in conditioner, which I surprised myself with how much I love—my hair has been extra crispy and dry lately bc it’s outdoor swim season, but this conditioner smells like a five star hotel and leaves my hair much smoother after a wash. (2) the Sophie Pavitt Mandelic Clearing Serum *gifted—I’ve used a mandelic serum in my routine for the past 9 years, ranging from a mild 8% to a stronger 11% when I have breakouts. The Sophie Pavitt one is 8% and I used it every day when I was traveling in Italy. I think it helped keep breakouts and sun exposure pigmentation at bay, because I was doing a lotttt of skin-stressing things lol.

• Last month, my profile of Tory Burch for LA Times Image magazine came out. We talked about her instinct for wearable clothing, freaky footwear, and how a long career in fashion is its own kind of sport.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs and latest finds are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn commission on purchases made through affiliate links.

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Last week, I covered my top vintage recs in Rome, including a cheat sheet of Italian designers to search secondhand online.

Today’s city guide newsletter covers everything else:

• outfit diary of what I wore

• where I stayed, ate, and retail shopped (bonus for paid readers)

This post is very long and bloated with photos, so it might cut off in email.

OUTFITS

For daytime exploring, I rewore this outfit several times (our apartment had a washer and dryer). A cotton Cou Cou tank, a pale yellow silk skirt from Belle Anna, old Martiniano glove flats, and a suede Madewell tote bag. I tried to always incorporate some kind of accessory, which usually ended up being a Mondo Mondo star necklace and a silver ear cuff.

There’s a lot of RED around Rome—tomato sauce, Vespas, Catholic clergy outfits— that definitely influenced how I reached for pops of color.

For a brisk morning with light walking, I opted to layer a green &Daughter lambswool sweater (50% off rn) over my cotton tank. It actually was quite chilly at 8am and I was grateful for the extra layer. It was also time to debut my vintage purple mesh Vivienne Tam Buddha skirt (I ADORE THIS PIECE SO MUCH), and take advantage of a low step count outing with lace trim thong heels. They look good with skirts but are not the best on cobblestone…

For a retail blitz afternoon, I wanted to wear something a polished that would still allow me to move easily/change in and out of clothes at stores. This ice blue silk dress from Argent (gifted) falls soooo beautifully, but does not feel restrictive. I wore my silver Elsa Peretti bean locket to play up the cool tones.

It was a little windy out, so I’m glad I packed my beloved vintage trench.

For a brief pastry run near the apartment: my heatwave essential Cou Cou cotton dress, Casa Allyon leather clutch bag, Madewell bandana and star necklace.

For a dressy dinner out: a breathable Erica Tanov cotton sweater as a nighttime layer, this extremely joyful red Issey Miyake Ole! Skirt (gifted), star necklace, old Martiniano glove flats, Madewell suede tote.

The red theme continues. On this day, we woke up early for breakfast at Forno Conti and it was chilly out, so I wore a cotton long sleeve red tee over the Cou Cou cotton slip dress. Green socks and my trustiest Keen Jaspers for a day of marathon walking. Accessorized with my star necklace and bandana.

When I started accumulating vintage pieces on my trip, I couldn’t wait to wear them, so the in unit laundry came in soooo handy. Here I am in a vintage MaxMara silk wrap top, the Vivienne Tam Buddha skirt, and lace trim thong sandals.

More recs below the fold: where I stayed, ate, and retail shopped.

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My corner of the internet is abuzz over the Baggu x Sandy Liang 2.0 collab coming out today (9am online, 10am in stores—good luck, godspeed). The Terminator bunny is my favorite print because it’s a cheeky nod to the knockoff Gucci/LV bags sold on Canal Street.

As a paid reader perk, I’m raffling away 3 of the blue market plaid pieces from the PR package I received but realistically won’t use: the large market bag, the large pouch, and the standard Baggu.

To enter, just leave a comment below sharing one thing on your summer 2026 bucket list. I will select 3 winners by next Wednesday by responding in the comments; each winner will receive one of the 3 items.

Over the next month, I’ll be sharing several travel/city guide newsletters recapping my time in Italy. We’re kicking it off today with the Molehill vintage lover’s guide to Rome.

Dare I say Rome is my all-time favorite city for vintage shopping?

It exceeded my expectations, both in terms of the selection/curation and how many things I ended up actually purchasing. I think it boils down to two main reasons:

• Vintage clothes and jewelry in Rome tend to be aligned with my personal style—colorful, expressive, and funky! Lots of prints and drama. Comparisons to shopping in Tokyo kept coming to mind…while I enjoy vintage shopping in Japan and have found some gems, the overall selection at a standard secondhand store leans Americana and workwear, which I’m less drawn to.

• The sense of antiquity in Rome permeates the air. You are surrounded by ancient ruins and monuments; you can’t help but marvel at how old things have endured through time. It puts you in the mood to sift through 15 trays of costume jewelry and appreciate the past lives of objects. Vintage shopping in the Eternal City…how romantic!

This guide covers my top vintage recs in Rome, including what the selection is like at each shop, and what I actually spent $ on.

I also want this guide to feel engaging and useful even if you are not visiting Rome!

So, I’ve included an “Italian vintage brand cheat sheet” at the end of the newsletter with brand names and keywords to search online. If the vintage piece I bought had a tag with a brand name on it, it’s included on the list. Also, some of the stores I mention offer online/IG Story shopping.

1. Cavalli e Nastri

140 Via del Boschetto (also locations in Milan and Madrid)

I stumbled upon this shop in the most memorable way. After a breakfast of pizza bianca and green tea, I was wandering around the ivy-covered streets of Monti taking pictures.

Then I saw a blue pleated blur on a store window mannequin and thought…wait a minute…is that an Issey Miyake set???

I waited for a roaring Vespa to pass before bounding across the street. Lo and behold—yes it was!

Unfortunately, the shop had not opened yet, so I stared longingly at the Pleats Please set, locked behind blue metal bars. From what I could see on the racks, the store appeared to be curated with vintage designer labels. I had an awkward 35 minutes to kill, so I walked back to the vacation rental apartment to charge my phone before coming back right at opening time.

You can expect to find lots of designer labels here. Strong selection of Prada, Rick Owens, Dries, and Cavalli. There’s also a focus on Italian designer costume jewelry from the 70s-90s.

I ended up buying a crimson red silk Alberta Ferretti top and a 1970s fuzzy green purse from a Florence-based designer called Scheilan. The top actually came as a set with a skirt, but the skirt was too big and the design wasn’t quite conducive to tailoring, so I asked the shop lady if she would sell it separately with an adjusted price and she said yes :)

Beyond the paywall, five more stores—

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Interesting, I REALLY miss being caught up on media. I have FOMO over not having seen I Love Boosters yet. And I need to watch the Hacks finale. So that’s the plan when I get back. Go to all my favorite East Bay food spots and watch movies and TV. And coo over all my Italian vintage finds!!! There’s a lot of laundry, ironing, and styling to do. It’ll keep me busy.

Here are 5 things on my summer wishlist—

• Cou Cou’s “French Blossom” print is a natural continuation what the brand does best…sweet, simple, wearable cotton basics for daily life. I have decided that I will order the Iris slip dress because the black colorway is already one of my most worn pieces of 2026. It’s one of the only things I feel somewhat stylish in on a seriously HOT day, and the black color can read dressier with heels or more casual with flats.

• Oddobody puts their own spin on the most famous cami in cinema…the one Nicole Kidman wears in “Eyes Wide Shut.” The neckline in particular is what speaks to me—the depth and scoop is somewhere between a U and a V shape. Their cotton just feels so gentle and nice on the skin, I’m a fan of most things they make for that reason.

• Has anyone else noticed that Larroude has been doing more collaborations with small designers this year? I loved how their Tanner Fletcher collection turned out (the black lace trim thong heels are the most versatile, imo) and their recent Ciao Lucia sequin wedge mule had to be inspired by 1999 Prada sequin mules. Fun inspo for summer shoes, also a good lead for searching secondhand in these styles.

• The Alex Mill totes now come in a piggy bank pink (a % of sales goes to breast cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering). Personally, I think the color looks best in the mini size as a pop of color for punchy summer outfits, with a red V monogram. I would wear it without the canvas strap, which is practical—but to me, feels a tad bulky. Instead, I’d tie one of my vintage black and white polka dot silk scarves around the handles.

Coming this week for paid readers: the Molehill vintage lover’s guide to Rome!

Everywhere I shopped, what each store’s selection was like, and what I actually spent $ on.

Upgrade today if you don’t want to miss out.

Ciao ciao!!!! Talk soon.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs and latest finds are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;)

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For context—I have had the best carbonara and tiramisu of my life thus far in Rome. Like, beyond scrumptious!!! Loved it. (Also, the tap water here is so crisp and fresh, I get a lil dopamine hit every time I pass by a drinking fountain).

However, my palette simply isn’t used to eating Roman food back to back to back to back. So here I am now, on Day 4, googling “best pho rome.”

I think it’s also true that Californians miss California cuisine when they’re traveling. Your tastebuds just get so spoiled by the fresh ingredients and bright flavors back home!!! I find myself wishing I could carry a lemon in my purse to douse on everything. And maybe a handful of herbs.

All to say, these circumstances have put me in the perfect headspace to share my favorite East Bay restaurants I eat at regularly. Absence makes the stomach grow fonder.

These are the 8 places that taste and feel like home to me. I am always in the mood for something on this list. Save this for the next time you’re in the Oakland/Berkeley area.

1.) Joodooboo

There are only two restaurants in the world where I’ve eaten and seriously thought, “I think could be vegetarian if this is what I could eat every day.” One of them is (or, was—it closed during the pandemic) Ashirwad the Blessings, a Gujarati restaurant in an Inland Empire strip mall off Route 66.

The other one is Joodooboo. It will make you fall in love with tofu, even if you don’t think you love tofu. They make it in house and everything is so seasonal and fresh and FLAVORFUL. I always feel nourished and cared for after a meal there, like I’m going to magically wake up the next day with clear skin and a thriving gut biome.

Mole menu tip: Go with another person and split the Acorn Noodle Bowl and the Fried Tofu Set. Get the daily fruit juice seltzer before it sells out. I dream of the kiwi guava…

This is probably the first thing I’ll want to eat after the long flight home.

2.) Rose Pizzeria

The pizza I’ve tried in Rome has been just okay to good. I recognize that the style of pizza here and the toppings are regionally specific. While it’s tasty, I am not mind blown. I find it lacking in flavor intensity for my personal taste. Everyone has a style of pizza they consider the benchmark for good pizza, and mine is from Rose in Berkeley. Thin crispy crust and briny savory toppings.

Mole menu tip: Start with the spicy caesar salad. For pizzas, try the She Wolf if you like briny pickled flavors, otherwise you can’t go wrong with the Classic Pep. Definitely get a glass of the L’ambrusco. All the desserts are good.

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A few weeks ago, I asked the chat what TV shows you guys were loving, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles was the most mentioned by far. So, I hope you enjoy today’s letter and I’d love to hear what you thought of the finale!! And thank you to the brilliant for editing this piece.

SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON BELOW.

Here’s a question for you: picture an OnlyFans star. What is she wearing?

As Gen Z “bops” such as Sophie Rain, Ari Kytsya, and Levi Coralynn have gone mainstream as social media influencers in recent years, a uniform for contemporary adult content creators has taken shape. There is a certain look we associate with OF style: perhaps it’s tiny crop tops with strategically placed peekaboo cutouts, or stretchy spandex booty shorts that miiiight just get flagged for “violating Community Guidelines” on TikTok. As the line between social media influencing and sex work gets increasingly blurred, we’re seeing more media that explores the topic (ex: Euphoria Season 3).

The most compelling social commentary on sex work through costume design right now is in Margo's Got Money Troubles, Apple TV+'s dramedy based on Rufi Thorpe's novel.

Margo Millet (Elle Fanning) is a 20-year-old aspiring writer whose life is upended when she gets knocked up by her married college lit professor. When baby Bodhi arrives, Margo finds herself without a steady income or childcare—meaning, our girl needs a remote job that pays the bills, stat.

This is how our headstrong protagonist ends up opening an OF account under the stage name HungryGhost. When Margo first joins OF, she looks to other creators on the platform for outfit/profile inspo. After all, we all need some guidance for what to wear for the first day of a new job…

She scrolls through examples like “Jen Rides an ATV,” who poses suggestively in a camo-print crop top and matching booty shorts, or “Bethany Bakes,” who leans into tradwife cosplay in a pearl necklace, a cleavage-baring pink tank top, and an apron.

Inspired, Margo’s initial attempts land her somewhere in TikTok baddie territory, wearing a black crop top that’s more metal rings and cutouts than actual fabric, bright heavy eyeliner, and two space buns. But when she meets WangMangler and SucculentRose—two more experienced OF creators she hopes to collab with, all bleached brows and mullet cuts—they deem her vibe a bit basic.

Margo gets humbled, but it also pushes her to find her own voice as an OF creator. Which just so happens to be…a blue-skinned alien hot girl with retro space age-inspired hair and makeup. I was immediately obsessed—the vision! The drama!

Costume designer Mirren Gordon-Crozier brings the look to life with precision and playfulness. Every detail is dialed in: from her silver metallic minidress, to her matching gloves and platform boots, even her lace tights and pair of antennae.

Compared to the mainstream uniform of “mattress actresses”—tiny stretchy clothes that land somewhere between lingerie and athleisure—this is a lot weirder. It’s funky, off-kilter, and borrows from alternative cosplay subcultures.

And it’s also so Margo, because it captures her desire to be seen and understood in her entirety. In her day-to-day life, which is consumed by breastfeeding and the joys that come with it, like swollen nipples and milk stains, Margo wears loose graphic shirts. Namely, a black tee with a cartoon alien on it. She also loves power clashing with animal prints (clearly influenced by her leopard-print loving mom), the occasional Hawaiian shirt, and retro accessories like bubble-gum-pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

These sartorial choices continue to bleed into her OF life.

There’s a scene in the show where Margo wears a bikini, but she styles it in an unexpected way with glow-in-the-dark body doodles of dollar signs, hearts, and flowers. (To me, personally, this look is all about her googly-eye sticker headband.) You can imagine that one of Margo’s OF subscribers is watching this video of her dancing in a bikini, but his gaze is reflected back at him by dozens of googly eyes. In this sense, she’s flipping the male gaze back on the viewer.

What begins as a desperate last resort to make money evolves into an outlet for self-expression and creative agency. A place where Margo can create full-blown narrative arcs with storylines, multiple characters, elaborate costumes, and DIY sets. In other words, she’s finally found an outlet for her original dream of becoming a writer—just not the way she thought she would.

Ultimately, a large reason why I think the show’s costume design succeeds is because Margo’s character is fully fleshed out. We get context for why she dresses the way she does in each scenario, whether it’s breastfeeding at home or going to court over a custody battle. What’s refreshing is the way Margo tries to make every outfit her own, regardless of the performance she’s putting on.

P.S. If you’re feeling inspired to dress like a hot weird alien girl, here are some brands to check out.

• Start with basics like these metallic lamé crop tops and bodysuits from LA Apparel.

• If you want something a little more flashy, consider these paillette micro-shorts from Guizio.

• I could also totally see Margo wearing fun prints from Tyler McGillivary. Like this Saturn planet print top that matches the sci-fi theme, or this halter top that would have been perfect for her Las Vegas trip.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs and latest finds are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;)

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Concerts are fashion shows.

As the date for the Hayley Williams Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party show at the Fox approached, I started brainstorming my concert outfit. It’s a fun exercise because you get to treat the artist/album as a creative prompt and interpret it for yourself and your style. Should I go full-on FRUiTS girl mode, as a subtle homage to “Dream Girl in Shibuya”? Or maybe I should wear a sheer purple skirt to match Hayley’s mesh/see-through tour looks? I changed five times before landing on this:

It’s a little bit of everything, but I knew I wanted to make a statement with the tights—and it worked! I got so many compliments on them. The shoes with the silver grommets just felt very punk, and complemented the sea of Doc Martens and Converse nicely.

Here’s what 20 Molehill readers wore—mostly from Oakland, but other cities represented as well!

There were more submissions than I was able to include, but I appreciate everyone who took the time to submit an outfit. I will start a chat thread later today for anyone else who wants to share their HW/concert outfits more generally. Thank you <3

Denise, Oakland

“Being a mom of a toddler means wearing an outfit that can take you from the Oakland Zoo in the morning to a Hayley Williams concert at night at the Fox on Mother’s Day. I wore my vintage racing jacket (doubles as a purse because it has 3 inside pockets), secondhand Dickies jorts from my younger brother, Noble jumpsuit, silver accessories, and my glasses to distract from the fact I didn’t have time to do my makeup!”

Estefania, Oakland

“I wore the half black/half white virgin mini dress from Fashion Brand Company along with the matching blazer from FBC as well. Decided to wear this because of Hayley tour promo in it she’s wearing the long version white virgin mini dress.”

Lisa, NYC

“I flew in solo from another city that afternoon and thrifted the green vintage slip hours later (I think it was destiny??), which I paired with a sheer newsprint shirt, a Loren Stewart safety pin necklace (that Hayley also has), and trusty Chelsea Docs platforms. I really wanted to emphasize the transparent vibes and bright pops of color I'd seen Hayley wear throughout the tour.”

Thea, Oakland

“I hand drew my outfit with lyrics from Ego Death but with a throwback to brand new eyes with the glasses. Thrifted dress.”

Mya, Los Angeles

“This outfit is a ‘heart on my sleeve’ moment; All you need to know about me is encased in each selective piece. It’s comfortable, chic and has a punk attitude about it; it’s black girl magic entering the cathartic Ego Death At a Bachelorette Party Tour.”

Juliet, Oakland

“My friend and I drove up from Pasadena to see Hayley at the Fox on Sunday (resale was way cheaper than in LA). One of the crazier things I’ve done, and yet all was worth it to see and hear Hayley lay her heart bare, raw.

I thought more about this outfit than I usually do for a concert - her fits on this tour have been unbelievable. I splurged on my first Doen purchase, a sheer brown slip, and wore purple underneath (not really visible but both top and bottom were the color of jacaranda trees, the bottoms were a Molehill-influenced Oddobody purchase), and then of course a yellow clip in my hair and yellow purse from Ross, for our girl. I liked how my tattoos peeked through the sheer skirt. My dear friend wore a lil bridal veil, for our girl- this one is hard to explain to people who don’t know the album haha.”

Maggie, Minneapolis

“The details are inspired by the album’s early-2000s girly nostalgia, DIY (for one of my favorite songs, Glum), and Hayley’s insane eye for layering! I was so excited to pore over the thrift searching for things that were all new to me: light neutral tones, casual asymmetry, and clashing textures.”

Rowan, Oakland

“I thrifted this AllSaints dress the same day of the show and am obsessed with the color and print—paired it with leather boots+ chunky silver accents and felt like I achieved the femme rock vibe I was feeling for Hayley. Also, sometimes tattoos are the best accessories ;)”

Annabel, Oakland

“I did not end up shaving my whole body just in case Hayley noticed me but I would say my cute lil fit made up for it. Top from Princess Polly, denim jacket from Zara, skirt from Walmart, and boots from Zara! For accessories I attached one of my broken bracelets to my skirt with some earring hoops. I also put HW inspired pins on that my friends made to give out during the show!!”

Keelie, Chicago

Sese, Oakland

“I was inspired by all the sheer and lace material Hayley has been wearing and this makeup took me about two hours.”

Meag, Austin

“Upcycled petals for armor shirt that I made into a drapes dress using sheer chiffon, and hand dyed lace. My prize ribbons were also made by me featuring some of my fav lyrics from the new album :)”

Violet, Phoenix

”I first originally got inspired by the whole “bachelorette party” vibe, and then after seeing what she was wearing to her shows I got inspired with the sheer layers and pops of color. I saw beautystudio say “Hayley’s version of bridal-core but slightly spiraling.” Which I LOVE! I decided on the pops of yellow as a homage to the album colors and thrifted a sheer top to show off the yellow bra and a bridal-esque mini skirt. I found some sheer white stocking socks and yellow ballet flats and had to finish it off with the yellow garter and the bridal veil to pull everything together. I loved my outfit and it’s now my most viewed fit check on tiktok!

Guppy, Oakland

“I made my top and shorts and rhinestoned them by hand myself! The colors I used were shades from the album cover, and the patterns I rhinestoned were callbacks to art from the singles she initially released!”

Mhy, Phoenix

“I went with what I already had in my closet. knowing phx weather, a tank top and skort were a must to stay cool and some boots to protect my toes while dancing!”

Sofia, Austin

“I went to Hayley’s Austin show and wore the miss paramore baby tee that I got from the merch sale earlier in the day along with some high waisted dark denim jeans and black ankle boots I bought from goodwill the day before!! Middle school me always wanted to dress like the Haim sisters in the “Want You Back” music video so I was happy to live out that dream to see Hayley.”

Sarah, Oakland

“I got too shy to take a photo at the venue, but I was inspired by the jorts of the “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” music video as well as all of the transparent/sheer pieces Hayley has been wearing for the shows. I liked how the aqua mesh top looked with the mauve triangle bra peeking through which is sort of a shout out to the song “Zissou” and another look Hayley did in the rollout.”

Sara, Chicago

“I thrifted this silk beaded dress for $9 and wore it with some Doc Martens and a thrifted belt. I was kind of nervous to wear it, but thought if I don’t wear this dress to see Hayley Williams when will I ever wear it? So I did! And got lots of compliments.”

Rogan, Oakland

“This outfit is a take on a bachelorette gone punk! She's hard, she's got combat boots on, but she still wants to look pretty. It's a black prom dress I covered in your standard scene kid Spencer's chic.”

Adrian, Nashville

“Miss Hayley Williams has been pulling my true-self out of me for a couple years now (Trust me — I WISH I had found her sooner!). The dress stopped me in my tracks (well, my scrolling), and I wanted to wear it in a place I knew I would be accepted for whatever I wore — and, that is a Hayley Williams concert. I channeled my inner-Brian for the makeup with yellow eyes/black liner, and I was stoked to see her makeup was the same combo that night Nashville N3!”

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs and latest finds are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn commission on purchases made through affiliate links.

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In other news, the Hayley Williams concert in Oakland was such a fabulous time. I’m putting together a newsletter of reader-submitted looks from her EDAABP tour shows. Email vivthmole@gmail.com with (1) your name, (2) 1-2 sentences about your outfit, and (3) a photo of your outfit for inclusion. Will cap submissions end of next week, or once I get ~15 submissions!

In 2019, if you were shopping for a wedding guest dress, you basically had two options in the retail landscape.

You could go the Reformation/Realisation Par route and pick out a dress somewhere in the flirty-to-sexy spectrum. These dresses had ditsy florals and polka dots, with subtle ruching and smocked bodices that would lay the groundwork for the milkmaid frocks of the early 2020s. I remember reading that Jia Tolentino New Yorker essay about “Virtue and Vanity at Reformation” published in 2019 and thinking, this style and brand of dress has really ascended into a cultural object, hasn’t it??

And then there was the Ganni route—edgier, funkier, more rebellious. Specifically, that green and black checkered dress was everywhere. Publications deemed it the “dress of the summer” in 2019. I distinctly remember microbang muse/novelist Abigail Bergstrom wearing it to officiate Lydia Pang’s goth wedding, which altered my 20-something brain chemistry.

I was never a bona fide Ganni girl, but a lot of my friends were. We were early career working girls in the 2010s when Scandi soft power was in full swing. No one was completely immune to the zeitgeist, which was all hygge and smiley face stickers and pastel-colored outfits. We read Refinery29 articles about why Copenhagen Fashion Week was “actually” the coolest fashion week, and spent our money on things like secondhand pink cocoon coats and lug sole boots.

At that time, Ganni was the brand on the lips of every plugged-in fashion girl on the internet. But slowly, it lost its cultural clout.

At some point, I remember deleting “Ganni” from my TRR saved searches. The brand stopped coming up in conversations. Honestly, I had not thought about Ganni in a very long time, until last month, when I saw Barbie Ferreira wearing this green spot dress from Damson Madder, a UK-based brand. I’d been aware of the brand for about two years—the swimsuits in particular caught my attention.

As I scrolled through the check print dresses on the website and the “Avo Choc” one-piece I subsequently ordered, I was struck by how much it reminded me of Ganni’s aesthetic.

While Damson Madder has been popular in the UK for a while, 2026 seems to be the year they’ve achieved that sweet spot in the American market—not totally niche, but not yet mass. They just opened an LA store last month, and the clothes translate well for a casual Californian wardrobe.

These observations culminated into a realization: Damson Madder has successfully wooed the ex-Ganni girl demographic.

I posted this throwaway thought on Notes and was surprised by how many people chimed in. Some replies:

I was just one of many fashion girls who were noticing this shift, and clearly, people wanted to discuss it. So I made a survey with these four questions:

• What did you love about Ganni in the 2010s?

• What was THE piece of clothing that was a dead giveaway that someone was a Ganni girl?

• Why did you stop shopping and wearing Ganni?

• What do you think Damson Madder is getting right as a brand?

A total of 45 self-identified ex-Ganni girls replied (if you were one of them, pls email me for a comped month sub!).

Below the fold, I share the top data findings, themes, and kicker quotes.

1) What did you love about Ganni in the 2010s?

Here were four few words that came up repeatedly:

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I met my partner in college. You could say that we had a quintessential campus romance, one that started with me lending a pencil during Econ class. This was during the mid-2010s, so while dating apps existed, they were still relatively new. In hindsight, it feels like we were among the last wave of couples who met before the widespread adoption of apps.

As a result, I have no firsthand experience with what it’s like to use them. So I’m fascinated when my friends tell me about their Hinge stories. Like when they describe how they navigate the online dating “relationship escalator”—the points at which people move their conversation off the app, how the talking stage unfolds over text, the progression to a first date, etc. They often express how exhausting it is to go through the motions of noncommittal interest that fizzles out on a never-ending cycle, and going on "cleanses” where they delete the app until they’re ready to re-download.

Maybe it’s because I’m an eldest sister, but I take my role as a friend very seriously when it comes to being there for my friends who are using dating apps. But instead of doling out advice based on my personal experiences, I just try to listen without judgement, and simply sit with them through the feelings of uncertainty and confusion. I’ll also check that they got home after a date safely, or offer to debrief together over Facetime or brunch. I’m also a strong believer that platonic love is just as important as romantic love, and the depth of the friendships you nurture can teach you what you want in a romantic relationship.

In contrast to an online dating profile, my first encounter with my partner was in-person. We saw each other in real life before we saw photos of each other. I don’t think it was a “better” or “superior” way to date—and I lack the personal experience to even compare the two—it was just different. Sometimes I wonder, if we lived in a parallel universe where we met on an app, would the trajectory of our relationship have unfolded in the same way? How would he have perceived my hypothetical profile, and vice versa? I truly have no idea, but it’s a compelling thought experiment that crosses my brain every now and then.

Earlier in April, at a dinner party hosted by psychotherapist Esther Perel, I had the chance to reflect on the role I play for my friends who are currently on dating apps. Nine guests, including myself, were ushered into the glass-paneled Eames House Studio tucked in the winding roads of Pacific Palisades. We sat around a table, nibbling on asparagus risotto and whitefish as Esther facilitated a conversation about the biggest issues Gen Z faces when it comes to modern dating. At first, I felt a twinge of imposter syndrome because (1) I was the oldest person there aside from Esther and (2) I don’t have firsthand experience with dating apps. What could I contribute to the conversation?

But my anxieties quickly melted as I realized it was okay—more than okay, actually—to be there as an active and supportive listener, in the same way that I try to show up for my close friends.

As my fellow dinner party guests started talking about their dating frustrations and philosophies, I was struck by the universality of the relational dynamics that came up. One person shared that they recently broke up with their girlfriend and are starting to casually date again, but knew they needed some time before the next serious relationship. As others responded with similar anecdotes, I shared that I felt the same way after a friend breakup. Two people talked about the feeling of “delayed timelines” and being “late bloomers” in their queer dating journeys, their sentiment best summed up with the quote “why was everyone sooooo afraid to be gay in high school!?!?” That made us all laugh.

There were several moments where I’d make eye contact with someone else over the glowing wax candles, and we’d exchange a smile that simply said, “I’m present, I see you, I hear you.” The fact that no one was on their phone definitely helped create that intimate environment. I felt like everyone was really open and vulnerable with their stories, and whatever they chose to share deserved to land on empathetic ears.

The contemporary forces of social media and dating apps have created a unique set of challenges in which people are trying to find love. The word “performative” was used countless times. But humans have always been humans. Terms like “ghosting” and “situationships” and “divine feminine” may be new to the mainstream cultural lexicon, but the underlying dynamics have always existed. I may have never known dating apps—but I know what it’s like to feel insecure, to fear rejection, to yearn for connection.

I told Esther and everyone at the table that when people ask me about dating or relationship advice, I’m hesitant to give it. Not because I don’t want to help! But because I think people are far too inundated with pop psychology “advice” and other peoples’ opinions online. What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. In fact, it probably won’t, because we are completely different people.

There’s value in sharing dating/relationship experiences because it makes us feel less alone, but I would never give you prescriptive advice like what to text your crush or whether doing long-distance is right for you. One thing our group agreed on over a post-dinner tea circle was that Gen Z could benefit from consuming less dating advice on the internet. It’s honestly such a gift to debrief dates with my friends and laugh and cry and scream and just be a witness to the full range of human emotion in the pursuit of love. We all need more human presence, not more advice from strangers.

At the end of the night, Esther said something quite simple but true that stuck with me: “I may have a lot of opinions, but I’m not always right.” In a world where dating discourse is louder than ever, we’d all be wise to remember that.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs and latest finds are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;)

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For a long time, there was one bralette I loved to wear under all my silk slip dresses.

I’ve tried everything from strapless bras to nipple covers and I don’t like how they feel. Unless I’m the center of attention at an event and all eyes are on me, I much prefer wearing a light bralette underneath. I don’t mind a visible bra strap, as long as it’s cute.

Anyways, this magical bralette was 100% silk, lime green, with frilled edges. It didn’t scream BRA, and I liked how the frilled edges peeking out from the dress neckline made it look like part of the outfit rather than a fluke. And because I wear a lot of color anyways, I liked the bright green straps—it complemented my style.

It was from a one-woman brand called Soft & Wet, which sadly shut down earlier this year. And that bralette is now about four years ago, the elastic has stretched out, and it just doesn’t give me the same support or lift that it used to. I still have it, but it doesn’t serve its purpose well anymore.

So about a month ago, I embarked on what felt like an impossible hunt for a cute bralette to wear under my silk slip dresses.

My criteria:

• 90% or more natural fiber composition (cotton or silk)

• cut should be pretty inconspicuous, something that won’t show under a low cut neckline

• no underwire or cup inserts

• thin straps, ideally in a fun color, that doesn’t scream “BRA”

• under $100

I am pleased to say that I finally found one that fits the bill! It’s a light beige-pink color with grass green straps, honestly a perfect color combo :)

As with all clothing recommendations, everyone has unique preferences for what they find comfortable and stylish—so I’m not gonna say that this is a wardrobe solution that works for every person. Maybe you don’t like visible straps, or maybe you prefer the support of an underwire. The sizing on this specific bralette runs from XS-4X.

It works really well for the kind of the dresses I wear. Below, I try it on under some of my most-worn silk slip silhouettes to demonstrate.

The Comme Si silk slip is probably my lowest/widest cut slip in terms of neckline. The green straps show, but again, it does not bother me because I like how it looks with the dress colors.

Here it is under a standard deep V neckline, on the Silk Laundry 90s slip dress.

Testing it under a loose silk dress (very old style from Heavy Manners) with deep arm holes that sometimes exposes side boobage. To me, this is as inconspicuous as it gets unless you’re going the nipple cover route. Like, I just want to feel supported and secure if I am wearing this out to a nice dinner, ya know? Suitable for normal life activities where your outfit isn’t being dissected or perceived by a lot of people.

The bralette is from

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It’s been a satisfying week of outfits—one where I genuinely enjoyed getting dressed and playing with old and new things in my closet. Here are the top hits!

1). Laundry by Shelli Segal

A very recent eBay score—I was browsing vintage silk skirts and came across this incredibly well-priced mod print skirt. It looks a lot like my 1996 Prada tile print mini skirt. Anyways, Shelli Segal is a great keyword to search if you’re into this style.

And this is how I styled it: Larroude Ricky boots (a Molehill staple), TOAST cashmere/wool cardigan (green finally back in stocks after months!!), old Liffner sprout tote. Knee high boots are my favorite thing to pair with a delicate miniskirt made of a thin fabric like silk. It creates a “grounding” element and heavier proportion on the bottom.

2). Hades Wool

I’ve been a Hades Wool fan for a years now, the first piece I got from them was one of their alphabet sweaters off eBay. They’re an indie British knitwear label, and their designs have such wit, humor and intelligence. The clothes are full of musical and literary references (ex: their new Tilda Swinton collection). Also, their lambswool is the only wool I can wear without issues as someone prone to inner elbow eczema. It feels like wearing a mid-weight cashmere.

The Handbag Cardigan was at the top of my obsessions from the moment I saw it, and I must say that it lives up to my expectations IRL. The chartreuse color is zingy and bright in person, and I get endless joy from the random purse junk pictures on it. Especially the bag of Taki’s (I used to put my stomach lining through the wringer in college with the amount of Taki’s and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos I’d eat).

Styled with a Madewell pintucked cotton skirt (looks like the Doen Sebastiane, but the waistband has a stretchy part in the back so it was comfier for period bloating), old secondhand Martiniano glove shoes, Sandy Liang windows tote, Laura Lombardi choker I got during the sample sale last week.

P.S. Lena Dunham has this exact cardigan. Writers love it, what can I say! I finished Famesick last week and thoroughly enjoyed Lena’s storytelling skills and the vivid mentions of clothing that defined the 2010s brand of offbeat millennial femininity, i.e. Rachel Antonoff veggie print shift dresses.

3). sssilk666 by Alice Stephenson

An indie London-based designer (bit of a British theme in today’s letter) who makes clothes that I can only describe as “fit for a Caroline Polachek music video.” Alice works primarily in silk, in all kinds of fiber weaves, and I love her medieval-folklore-grunge aesthetic.

If you like brands similar to Chopova Lowena, Cawley Studio, and Chelsea Mak, you would love sssilk666. Alice came across my newsletter last year and generously sent me this sugar plum witch silk top and skirt:

File this under wedding guest outfit ideas that aren’t cowl neck dresses. I styled it with my vintage 1999 Miu Miu bubble sole heels. The brown/plum color combo feels cohesive throughout.

4). Mondo Mondo

An LA-based jewelry brand I’ve collected a few pieces from over the years. Their spring collection just came out, and they kindly gifted a ring I picked out. Something Mondo Mondo does well is universe-building. Whether it’s their fragrances or jewelry, I find myself drawn to the colors, the graphic design, the fonts, the photography. It’s maximalist and luxurious in a high-low way.

Like, look at this hot pink wrapping paper. And the little leopard print green star card.

This is the Butterfly Ring I picked out—huge wings that look hand-sculpted, and like it just landed on your fingers. The gem flecks add dimension and sparkle. I will wear this to any event involving wine or cocktails, where there is attention drawn to my hands.

5). Ruth Kent

Do you love A Bad Case of the Stripes? Me too. I’ve always wanted a pair of tights like Camilla Cream’s rainbow limbs. The Tsumori Chisato tights from 2011 are perfect but I’ve never been able to find them online.

But then I came across another (!!!) London-based designer, Ruth Kent, who makes tights. I have never spent this much on a pair of tights. But I couldn’t get the specific colors and stripe size of these Blaze tights out of my head—they would be the statement piece to wear with a monochrome minidress, or a funky flash of leg color peeking out of a long trench coat.

Scream. They are SO PLAYFUL AND ME!!!!! The fabric feels very smooth—as far as tights go, they do not itch or overstimulate me as much as the cheaper pairs I own. I tried them on with every single pair of green shoes I owned and these were the winner, apple green Martiniano party heels.

Molehill Miscellany

• I’m into in these Ciao Buttercup Kicky Pants because they are organic cotton lounge pants with a short inseam (music to my ears). The plum and olive colorways remind me of the Miu Miu FW99 color palette.

• My most-worn underwear brand, Oddobody, just came out with 100% organic cotton lounge pants as well. But, I’m not sure what the inseam length is on these.

• Someone who wears size 9 shoes should snap upr these jade butterfly Vivienne Tam heels. I wish I fit them.

• My mom is in an era where she prefers relaxing experiences/travel gift cards for birthdays and Mother’s Day, so that’s what I’m getting her this year. But, some loose end gift ideas—a flower frog that can turn any random bowl into a vase, this Chan Luu fish necklace with a peridot eye, a bag of “sticky rice” pu-erh tea, and a Fellow kettle as a practical everyday life upgrade.

Coming next for paid readers: I surveyed 50+ former self-identifying “Ganni girls” on why the brand’s heyday is over, and why Damson Madder is winning them over instead.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. My latest wardrobe finds and wishlist pieces are updated here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) You can find me on IG and TT. I may earn commission on purchases made through affiliate links.

Happy Devil Wears Prada 2 release weekend!

No matter what movie I see Anne Hathaway in, she will always be Mia Thermopolis to me. Princess of Genovia—yes—but also just a normal girl from the Excelsior.

Princess Diaries is special to me because San Francisco doesn’t get a lot of cinematic representation. What SATC did for 90s New York, Princess Diaries did for 2000s San Francisco. The movie has all the romanticized trappings of the city’s artsy, pre-tech cultural reputation. The artist yoga mom! The band boyfriend! The scooter commute from the Excelsior to the Marina! (Also, RIP Lilly Moscovitz you would have hated AI).

And of course, there’s the iconic Thermopolis household: a refurbished firehouse, complete with a pole running from Mia’s bedroom straight down into the kitchen.

Last June, I got to visit the house and chat with the residents.

It’s not open to the public (people actually live there), but I sent the owner an email explaining my interest in writing about the house and its life 20+ years post-Princess Diaries fame. To my surprise, she replied and invited me for a tour.

On the day of the visit, I hopped in my Honda and clenched my steering wheel as we chugged up the hills of pastel-colored homes, holding my breathing as I felt the incline steepen. When I pulled up to 724 Brazil Ave. and saw the firehouse (you really can’t miss it) with Princess Diaries art in the window, I smiled. This place was actually real!

Carolin, the owner, came and greeted me outside. She looked like an art teacher, with her funky oversize sunglasses, chunky collar necklace, and lime green clogs. I felt at ease. When we stepped inside, I marveled at what I saw.

It was one of the most unusual home interiors I’d ever seen. Inside this refurbished firehouse, the working artist dream of pre-tech San Francisco is still very much alive.

In the movie, the downstairs is an open space and mostly functions as Mia’s mom’s art studio.

In real life, the space is also a live-in artist studio. I didn’t take photos of the art, which were still in progress, out of courtesy for the artists’ privacy. But here’s a little corner where you can see the fire pole and high ceilings:

Carolin led me to the kitchen area and offered me tea in a moss-green glossy glaze ceramic mug. My eye didn’t know where to land; every corner was like a page out of an “I Spy” book. Maps of San Francisco, decorative skateboards, string lantern lights, a Ruth Bader Ginsberg print, a 2000s floral print pillow.

Just like the movie, the home has a sweet little cat, who likes to perch above the piano.

We sat down on a red sectional—the “living room.” Peep the rack of surfboards and hanging textile art. Between sips of tea, I asked Carolin how she came to live here.

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You can read LA outfit diary Part 1 here. Those were my fancier looks, these were my more casual/lounge-y ones.

For a matcha run at Maru—

The platonic ideal of a relaxed coffee outfit! Cou cou scoop tank and lounge pants, old Madewell x Alexa chung Lou shirt, peridot ring, vintage LV papillon. And is it just me, or does Maru matcha not taste as good as it used to? I dunno, it tasted more gritty than I remember. But maybe I got spoiled by the hand-whisked lattes at Yume Mori and Forest Tea Bar at home.

Detail shot with jewelry:

Gothic letter “v” octagonal pendant and vintage fish charm on a gold box chain.

For a drizzly morning—

There was rain in the forecast, so I packed this Loeffler Randall zebra stripe raincoat but barely needed it because the “rain” ended up being the lightest of sprinkles. There is always such a huge gap in the market for stylish raincoats and I feel like this year brands started designing weatherproof pieces that still retain a playful spirit. Full review of green flats here.

For a romantic solo dinner—

When I’m traveling for work and have a nontraditional schedule, I often end up on solo dinner dates and I love the time to myself! There are some restaurants that are hard to get into with a bigger party, so I try to take advantage of bar seat availability that comes up. I loved how simple but elegant this outfit made me feel: the cou cou iris slip dress in black (not see through!), vintage trench, vintage velvet prada platforms.

My dinner makeup—

Favorites of the trip were the eadem lip gloss in bissap glaze (I tried to foist a tube on my sister) and the trusty canmake cheek cream in terracotta.

Trying on that Dakota Johnson blue silk dress—

Not something I owned or packed, but worth mentioning this Hai Florence dress in pale blue I tried on at Mohawk General Store. The color is gorgeous! The fabric was nice too but I didn’t like the width of the shoulder straps.

A week later, Dakota Johnson was papped wearing it, and it sold out everywhere. The black version from Hai is available here. It sent me down a brief search for similar silk pale blue styles that might be useful as wedding guest dress season is underway:

• STAUD off-the-shoulder dress, similar to the Rachel Comey dress silhouette I wore in this letter (also part of online sample sale rn)

• Eileen Fisher “Clearwater” colorway

• secondhand Lunya

• Simone Rocha

• secondhand Reformation

• Argent (this one looks pretty much the exact same as the Hai one)

• Mango (not pale blue but a dark periwinkle that looks great with the orange lace trim! Part of 30% sitewide sale rn, this link is filtered for silk pieces).

For lunch at Courage Bagels—

Was feeling tomboy that day so I wore a vintage anna sui baby tee and Levi’s low loose jeans. The orange flame stitch is a custom detail because I got these at a event, by the way.

Two more bonus looks below the fold, ft. my favorite vintage brand for silk going out tops.

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The heavy door slammed behind us.

My shoulders instinctively relaxed, sending my swollen tote bag thudding onto the aggressively millennial terrazzo linoleum floor. My nostrils flared as I caught a whiff of cleaning product. There was a damp spot on the floor that was still drying from housekeeping service. The window was left cracked open, filling the room with the sound of cars whooshing down Sunset.

I bent down and met Maggi’s shiny black eyes through the mesh of her carrier. Once unzipped, she burst out, trotted around the room—careful to avoid the damp spot—did a full body shake, huffed, and stood expectantly by my feet. I plucked her off the ground, gave her a quick paw wipe, and plopped down on the bed. The mattress immediately sank from my weight. Hotel beds are always too soft for my liking (except for the ones in Asia); I’ve never understood why Americans described “sleeping on a cloud” as the pinnacle of comfort. Clouds don’t look like they give you any back support.

Maggi was resting in Sphinx pose with her arms crossed. I stared at her, and she shot back a whale eye. I hugged her tiny form with both my arms and said, “this is our home for the next week. I hope you like it.”

Maggi is my 8 year old rescue toy poodle.

The shelter named her Maggie. We didn’t want her to go through the confusion of learning a new name, given that she’d already had such a hard life and all. So we kept it, but dropped the e, so it’s spelled like the seasoning.

She has the personality of a very prim and dignified old lady. The week we brought her home, my partner and I excitedly bought a giant bag of toys and treats for her to try. Every salmon chip and broth biscuit was rejected. She would stare at a squeaky toy, then glance up at me as if to ask, “what do you expect me to do with that?” So everything was returned or donated to the shelter.

The first (and only) time we hired a poodle trainer, a silvery-haired woman named Maurene, she told us “poodles are usually very goofy, but Maggi is like a little old lady.” Once in a blue moon, Maggi will grace us with a singular act of cartoonish doggie mischief—as if momentarily possessed by the spirit of a golden retriever with no traumatic history—and never do it again.

One year, it was stealing a crisp $100 bill from a drawer (mind you, there were smaller denominations of currency available) and bringing it to her bed as nesting material. She nearly got away with it too. The moment we locked eyes and saw what was happening, she opened her mouth, dropped the $100 bill, and scuttled away from the scene of the crime.

I’ve always wanted to bring her on a trip to LA with me, but it never felt like the “right time.” She is a creature of habit and a picky eater, so it’s easier to keep her in her home routine.

But she’s also a velcro dog who would live inside my skin if she could, and every time I’d go on a trip to LA, I would miss her soooo much when I saw girls with their purse dogs at cafes and restaurant patios. Her #1 hobby is sleeping in the sun, so I figured she would take a liking to the toasty climate.

She is also turning nine this fall, and has gone through a slew of health issues that have made me very aware of her mortality, and how there really is never a “right time” for anything logistically complex. You just have to decide you are going to do it.

So when the opportunity presented itself this month, I decided she was coming to LA with me for a week. It would be her first flight, her first hotel stay, her first time away from the Bay Area, really.

I researched and ordered the most ergonomic carrier tote in anticipation of hauling her everywhere with me, because at 8 lbs, she’s not quite small enough to be a purse dog. I booked our flights on a dog-friendly airline, made a reservation at a dog-friendly hotel, and laid out two suitcases—the big gray one for me, the little cobalt one for her. Initially, we were going to share the one big gray suitcase to keep things less cumbersome.

But between the 3” Prada platform shoes I had to bring and the mega ziploc of prescription kibble, it was already looking like a tight fit. The sooner I accepted that we were going to be two high maintenance ladies traveling together, the sooner I could just do what was needed to finish packing.

So she got her own little cobalt suitcase.

It was astounding how much stuff she needed. Or rather, the stuff I felt I needed for peace of mind: backup kibble, backup pumpkin puree, an emergency doggie first aid kit, a raincoat for the one day of rain in the forecast, her donut bed—because she is the kind of dog that would rather sleep on the hard cold ground than in a weird-smelling hotel-issued dog bed. And her purple wool beret, because it basically weighs nothing and brings joy to the entire world.

In the days leading up to the trip, I felt extremely anxious. Traveling with her was an unknown.

What if she got scared during takeoff and puked and I’d have to hold her ears back and the person next to us was not a dog person and shot us dagger eyes at us? What if she hated being away from home and I had to live with the guilt of seeing her sad, bored eyes? What if the LA bacteria upset her fragile gut biome and she got sick and I had to bring her to urgent care? I wrote down all my anxiety thoughts in a journal, drew a line down the middle of the page, and wrote a new column: “everything that could go right.”

The trip was both easier and harder than I had expected.

The flight was a breeze. Everything went on without a hitch. Mostly because what you are actually paying for with JSX is the convenience—no crowds, no lines, just a quiet low-stimulus environment for you and your dog. We arrived 30 minutes before takeoff. Once boarded, we sat across from a fluffy spotted dog named Olive, who sat quietly on her mom’s lap. I hoped Maggi could smell Olive’s canine presence and understand that being inside a sealed tin tube 30,000 feet in the sky was a perfectly safe and normal place for a dog.

She slept the entire flight, and barely shifted during takeoff or landing. I was relieved. The window seat next to me was empty, so I, trying to bond over a cute memory, plucked her out of her carrier and tried to show her that we were above the clouds. She had zero interest. So back in the carrier she went.

Which brings us to arriving at the hotel room.

Forming a routine away from home was the hardest part. Nothing went “wrong” during the trip. In fact, from a bird’s eye view, it went as smoothly as it could have gone. I know this sounds so obvious, but traveling with a dog is a lot of responsibility.

I prepared a mental checklist: remember to bring my keycard when I take her out to pee, remember to call a Lyft Pet and not a regular Lyft, remember to plan my outings around her feeding schedule, remember to double check whether a restaurant has dog-friendly seating.

But to actually live it was something else. Planned coffee meetings and social plans with friends quickly went out the window because I underestimated how much time and energy dog-rearing on the road would require. My shoulder got really sore and stiff from carrying her around stores, so I scaled back my ambitious vintage shopping plans.

My daily schedule started and ended with Maggi’s walks and feeding. I exhaled with relief every time her stools came out firm. Another day marked SAFE from anxiety diarrhea!!!! This probably sounds crazy to non-pet people, but when I ran out of her chicken topper, I would go to Erewhon next door, buy a pack of chicken breast tenders, cut it up into tiny pieces and boil it at my sister’s apartment while we watched two episodes of XO Kitty, and then pack it in an insulated L.L. Bean lunchbox until we could store it in the hotel refrigerator.

And then there were the tender moments I wish we could have stayed in forever.

Like the first day, when I brought Maggi to the hotel pool area, and she took an immediate liking to the sun-drenched lounge chairs. The outline of her fuzzy brown body popped against the yellow stripes. She got to do her favorite thing—sleep in the sun—only getting up to drink cold water from her portable bowl. I was thrilled by the mere fact that we were in Los Angeles together. We were really doing it.

There was also that day my sister and I got matcha lattes and went to Barnsdall Park. It was a random weekday, so parking was easy and we snagged a perfect spot to lay our picnic blanket. We laid down and Maggi sat between us, gazing down at the city. The first time I ever went to Barnsdall was in 2017, when a few of my friends and I decided to picnic on the Fourth of July and stay late to watch fireworks. One of my friends made baguette sandwiches with tarragon butter, and I got lost around the Hollyhock House looking for the bathroom. Nearly a decade later, here I am with my dog. I was acting like one of those parents whose kid gets into their alma mater for college, and when they visit campus for freshman move-in week, the parent can’t stop going on and on about “this was where I did XYZ.”

At Barnsdall, we laid under the blooming purple jacaranda trees and patted Maggi’s tummy as she lay on her side contentedly. She even met a friend there—a tiny brown toy poodle named Chocolate who was half her size and twice her age. Chocolate’s mom was also Asian woman so there was an instant familiarity between us. We ran into Chocolate again outside our hotel the next day.

After a week, Maggi seemed to get into the rhythm of life in LA. She befriended the valet guy, a smiley man named Carlos who would ask her que pasa! every morning as she sniffed and marked the sidewalk succulents. Her trots were starting to look more confident, the way they did at home, and she knew how to lead me back into the hotel entrance. I told her “this is your Eloise at the Plaza era.”

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandma, who passed away last year. There was a conversation I had with my mom about her a long, long time ago. I don’t remember if it was before or after my grandma’s cancer diagnosis, but my mom said that she really wanted to bring her on a cruise, just the two of them. It was unsaid but understood that it was a bucket list trip, something to experience while she was still physically capable of it.

But my grandma’s health circumstances changed fast, and the cruise trip never happened. The window had closed. I don’t know if my mom dwells on this, but I do. It was the first time I truly saw that something had been “too late.”

Until Maggi came into my life, my dread towards mortality had always come from seeing my parents and grandparents get older. I didn’t grow up with pets, so I didn’t know how much I could love an animal. I didn’t know how sad and scared I would feel the first time the vet said she had to get bad teeth extracted, or when they “found something” on her ultrasound, or the day we waited for a call from the surgeon to tell us know the gallbladder removal went.

She is eight now, and I feel a sinking pit in my stomach every time I think about the fact that her time on this earth is significantly shorter than mine. For a long time, I refused to accept her signs of aging because it made me too sad. The redness in her fur hasn’t faded, it’s just the lighting today…I don’t think that’s a new sunspot, she’s probably always had it…

The decision to bring her on this trip with me was, in a way, an act of acceptance. That we don’t have all the time in world, that her fur has faded and sunspots multiplied, that she is getting older. The truth I didn’t want to face was that there probably wasn’t going to be a better or easier time to take this trip together.

Because of the kind of dog she is, I wouldn’t say that she had an absolute blast or anything like that. I think she thought it was interesting, curious. A new place with different smells. I do know that she felt loved and cared for the whole time.

On the flight home to Oakland, we sat behind Kristen Bell, who saw Maggi and cooed, “so cute, so cute” in her unmistakable cartoonish Anna voice from Frozen. If Maggi were a human girl, this would have been akin to meeting a real life Disney Princess or Santa Claus.

But she is a dog, so she does not give a fuck about celebrities. She just stared at Ms. Bell with the white crescent of her whale eye.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn a small commission from purchases made through affiliate links.

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Some dog-friendly travel tips that made things easier:

*None of this is sponsored, and I paid for the trip myself.

• Flying on JSX gave me the biggest peace of mind. The plane itself is small and not particularly fancy, but their process makes door-to-door travel extremely efficient and low-stress. You don’t have to follow the TSA liquid rules, you don’t have to worry about lost luggage, you can have your well-behaved pet sit on your lap during cruising altitude. I have a general referral code that gets you $100 off your first flight: 2R1V0B

• The Cleverpup Transit Tote ($130) was a lifesaver. We used the size M. Maggi loves the teddy bed insert, it’s firm and supportive unlike most carriers. The straps are pretty ergonomic and I love the thoughtfulness in the zipper design—it’s hard to explain, but it “expands” towards the front so that you minimize the risk of zipping the fur on their head! Definitely designed by a pet lover.

• Dog-friendly hotels I had bookmarked: Sunset Tower, Cara Hotel and Silverlake Pool and Inn. I ended up going with Silverlake Inn because Sunset Tower was too far from the places I’d be spending most of my time, and I read too many online reviews mentioning that Cara’s courtyard hosts a lot of parties and weddings and can get extremely loud at night. The staff was super accommodating to pets.

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The difference between Season 1 and Season 2 of Beef is this: while the former was contained in its regional scope, i.e. “what happens in LA stays in LA,” the latter pops the bubble, forming a red-string whiteboard of connections between the manicured golf courses of Montecito and the sleek urban fortresses of Seoul.

I loved Beef Season 1 for its spot-on characterization of Southern California Asian-American archetypes (read my S1 costume design newsletter here). Like, what other show was giving us MOMA grandmas in Pleats Please and Noguchi nepo babies in Marni cardigans??! Season 2 just landed on Netflix and I binged the whole thing—twice, for research purposes—over the weekend.

This time, our motley crew is made up of three couples, each representing a different generation and set of cultural attitudes towards money and status:

• Gen Z Ashley and Austin, employees at a country club in Montecito, AKA where Meghan Markle and Prince Harry live IRL

• Elder millennials Lindsay and Josh—she’s a freelance interior designer and he’s the general manager at the country club (sort of a hetero Armond from White Lotus)

• Billionaire boomers Chairwoman Park, who accounts for 2% of South Korean GDP, and her younger plastic surgeon husband

Costume designer Olga Mill made each character feel sharply realistic. What really stood out to me though, wasn’t the clothes, but the intentional use of jewelry.

Almost every single character wears a necklace. Set against the show’s exploration of class tension and capitalist critique, these necklaces seemed to function as amulets or talismans—signaling the characters’ inner motives and desires.

In this newsletter, I’ve catalogued and analyzed every noteworthy necklace in the entire show—all 24 of them.

In some cases, I figured out who makes it and linked the item, or found a similar vintage style. Unsurprisingly, writing this letter gave the jewelry bug and I ended up ordering two things from the Laura Lombardi sample sale which ends today: a box chain choker and a flat bar links chain.

****WARNING!!!! LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!!! FINISH WATCHING THE SHOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!****

Lindsay

Between her floral print Doen dresses and breezy Cord Studio printed sets, Lindsay reads as a California boho-riche woman. She has the kind of financial dysphoria where she’s actually very well-off, but feels poor because she’s always surrounded by people who are richer than her (and her husband spent her entire inheritance, so there’s that…). She wears Adanola sets to tennis, Isabel Marant coats for desert rat cosplay, and the Monastery red light mask for her nighttime ritual of drinking wine and micro-cheating with an ex in her DMs.

She also has the best necklaces in the show. This is how we first meet her character:

The necklace and earring set, an old design by ORA-C, features a fish-shaped pendant and floral-shaped earrings. The fish is known to symbolize prosperity and abundance in many cultures, so this necklace represents her relationship with material wealth. (In Episode 1, her husband Josh also wears a fish pendant, which I’ll get into later!). They’re both after a generational bag, the kind where you can drop $300K on a country club membership.

Lindsay’s dress also resembles the dusky Dutch and Flemish oil paintings in the show’s title cards. In totality, her outfit has fruits, flowers, and fish—all symbols of the abundance she wants to attract or obtain through a little white-collar crime.

Lindsay’s most-worn piece of jewelry is this blue evil eye pendant on a choker chain. Can’t find the exact one but this $86 one is very similar, and I also like Chan Luu’s version with the fish and pearls!

The evil eye is meant to protect its wearer from the jealousy and envy of others. In a way, it says “I’m sooooo successful/beautiful/blessed that I need to be protected from your envy.” But the kicker is that the country club women are not envious of Lindsay, it’s really the other way around!

She wears this necklace when she’s feeling status-insecure around people who are richer and more powerful. Ex: she wears it at the country club during the first meeting with Chairwoman Park.

Then, during her little teatime chat with country club queen bee Ava and her posse, Lindsay wears two evil eye pendants. Similar version of the longer gold necklace here.

This is a moment where she feels small and embarrassed, after realizing that Woosh, the young hot tennis coach, was not just sending flirty texts to her…he was working every woman at the country club in hopes of shilling Korean sunscreen (#affiliateking).

Next up, my fave Lindsay outfit—an Ozma alpaca cardigan & Nasty Gal green ribbon trim satin tank. It’s sort of Practical Magic, no?

When I saw this necklace onscreen, I knew the show was leaning into overt thematic symbolism.

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As I was packing for a hectic week in LA, I thought “what would make me feel most like myself?”

Between my itinerary of interviews, events, seeing old friends, and traveling with an 8 lb dog attached to me at all times, I needed clothes that felt tried and true. I was already stressing over logistics like…how to procure boiled chicken breast for Maggi’s meals (if you have a picky poodle you KNOW the struggle)…and how to time car rides from Silverlake to Beverley Hills to Pacific Palisades during rush hour. It was not the time nor place for outfit experimentation!!!

So I threw almost every green dress I owned into my suitcase.

It was my uniform for dressier looks (events, going out to a nice dinner, etc.) but I also wore a lot of casual lounge clothes which I will cover in another newsletter. Suffice it to say, if you saw a frazzled lady on Sunset Junction getting coffee in sunglasses, an I <3 NY souvenir t-shirt, glorified pajama pants (they’re pointelle so that makes it acceptable to wear in public), Keen flip flops and what looked like a black duffel of dirty gym clothes (actually a covert dog carrier), that was me.

Here are the four green dresses I wore in LA, plus a pair of green silk ballet flats I bought on the spot my first day there—and wore for the rest of the trip!

Green Dress #1

Let’s start with this vintage one.

I found it on Poshmark a few weeks ago—it was unbranded, which actually made me more confident that I liked it for what it was and not because it was from a “cool” y2k designer. The chiffon overlay panel down the middle of the dress was interesting to me, something that set it apart from a monochrome silk dress. The flecks of purple also reminded me of the wisteria blooms in Berkeley.

This is how I styled it to interview a subject for the LA Times. As a freelance fashion writer, there isn’t really a dress code for meetings like this, so you’re sort of left to your own judgement. And it depends on who you’re interviewing and where it’s taking place.

I was going for stylish but a bit nerdy, so I layered a cashmere cardigan with flower buttons over the dress (which had thin straps) and bright red thong heels (old Sies Marjan). All my notes, chargers, and a change of clothes were packed in my Alex Mill tote.

Green Dress #2

Wrote about this one in my newsletter on heat wave outfits last month, it’s the 90s slip from Silk Laundry. They’re also running an archive sale right now (kinda picked through but I love this pink skirt). I did that thing where you lose track of time at the pool because the air is sooooo hot and nice on your skin, so then you have 15 minutes to shower and make your dinner reservation. This dress was just super easy.

I layered my favorite vintage trench coat over it, which my little sister described as “very Nicole Kidman.” Re-wore this about 3 times on my trip.

Green Dress #3

I wish I could bottle up the feeling of sunshine, martinis, and overall glowiness in the photo above and huff it to get me through winter. This is the silk slip from Comme Si. When it was released last month, I couldn’t stop thinking about the chartreuse and olive trim color combo, and how the neckline had a sporty feel. It was a splurge for sure, but I am very happy with the quality and wearability.

Green Dress #4

Remember when I said I packed an outfit change for after my interview? This is what I changed into for an event that night—an off-the-shoulder dress and my vintage Celine fish clutch. It’s an old style from Rachel Comey called the Lyas dress. The fabric is linen which I actually do not usually like…but what can I say, Rachel did some kind of magic with the draping.

I felt like a glossy peanut inside a delicate wasabi coating.

I recommend checking out her dresses if you’re stuck on options for a wedding guest outfit that isn’t Reformation. I skimmed the website and this is my favorite—simple tank top shape, but kind of artsy and weird.

Lastly, a bonus for paid readers: a review of these green silk ballet flats I bought on the first day there, and wore for the rest of the trip…

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Hi! For my last day in LA, I decided to walk through Erewhon’s Silverlake location and tell you about what people are wearing.

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I pass by a lady power walking in black capris and 2 lb weights in each hand. We exchange a neighborly nod of acknowledgement. I continue my voice note after she’s out of earshot.

“But I loved that peridot pendant you sent on Instagram. Actually, I have a bespoke peridot cabochon ring in progress from Emilie (softgoodstudio), and I am SUPER excited about it.” Cecilia understands my jewelry taste so well and we’re both obsessed with peridot cabochons.

Last November, I emailed Emilie with a bespoke request and this reference image:

It was finally ready for pick up this weekend. I’ve come to appreciate how long it takes to make a whole ring from scratch.

Of course, Emilie nailed it. She worked with me to select the perfect shade of ugly-chic green peridot, and designed it with a sealed smooth underside (it’s a sensory thing for me) and no gap between the ring and stone.

The ring is baubly and smooth, looks like a plump boiled pea, and seamlessly blends in with my other legume-inspired jewelry pieces.

It is a luxury to commission bespoke jewelry that is perfectly tailored to your tastes and creative vision. I’m grateful to have had the ability to save up for these investments—and they really are a investment because they are solid gold and appreciate in value, as opposed to clothes.

For context, I’ve worked with Emilie twice on bespoke rings, and pricing is typically the $1000-$1500 range. But it really depends on what you’re requesting and the complexity of the design. I think it’s a great option if you want a non-traditional, unique-to-you engagement ring without the bridal industry markups—I know this is a hot topic in the chat!

Here’s how I’ve been styling it:

They’re almost the same ring, but the size and proportion difference creates visual interest when worn together. The smaller one is from Loren Stewart (they do periodic sitewide sales). I call it my big gem & little gem, or the mom & the bebe.

The jade jellybean was my first bespoke piece from Emilie! These are my most cherished and personal pieces, and I think you can tell up close that they were made by the same person. I’m also giddy over how the celadon jade color looks against the murky apple green in this lighting.

And here’s another green gem ring stack, without the big cabochon ring. Just to show how I mix and match.

The pinky ring is a vintage 10K gold piece I found on Poshmark for $80 and got resized at Aster in Oakland, the small emerald signet is Catbird (current gold pricing is WILD because I got it for a bit over $300 a few years ago).

Below the fold for paid readers: 25 secondhand jewelry pieces inspired by my green ring stacks. Lots of green gemstones, cabochon rings, and legume-inspired shapes.

• These are all pieces I would wear, and align with my existing jewelry style

• A mix of fine jewelry and costume jewelry, bc I love both!

• Most pieces are under $100

Here is a sneak peek of what you’ll find—

Enjoy!

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This is what I wore for my very casual 80 degree Saturday. I couldn’t be bothered to wear any makeup. I was just trying to be comfortable getting from point A to point B, hence the baggy Levi’s and Keen flip flops.

But this pink tank top, with one strap partially covered by a blue gingham tote (kindly gifted from Sandy Liang), singlehandedly carried the vibe of the outfit.

I had actually only bought this tank top last winter to hit an order minimum on a holiday sale on natural fiber base layers. (It’s priced at $84, but I had a 30% discount).

I remember coming across this strawberry milk colored tank on the website, and thinking, hmmm this has potential! The pink colorway drew me in but what made me add to cart was the fabrication. It’s a merino wool and silk blend, which I love, and felt justified the higher price point for a basic tank top.

With the extremely warm spring we’re having this year, this has been an easy top to wear with jeans on comfy-cute outfit days.

It feels like if Cou Cou and Smartwool had a baby, which is a great descriptor of my Bay Area style sensibility in general!

It’s from

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But now, at 31, I’ve mellowed out on sample sale FOMO. I have also simply lost my tolerance for long lines and getting shoulder-checked by fellow bargain huntresses. Sample sales are a younger woman’s game; I’m happy to watch the chaos and thrill from afar.

So, today’s newsletter is written by guest contributor Rosa Jisoo Pyo, a style, culture, and beauty writer in New York City. She has written for Vogue, Teen Vogue, Dazed, The Cut, and more. We have been long distance pen pal friends for a few years now, and met for the first time IRL when I was at NYFW this winter!

Handing it over to Rosa now :)

P.S. If you are Mika, Ellen, Bridget, or any of the gals in line who posed for a photo or gave a quote for the story, email me at [vivthemole@gmail.com] for a comped month’s subscription.

It’s trench coat season.

Both classic and cropped versions littered the line to the Sandy Liang sample sale.

When I came on Friday at 3pm, only ten-ish people were ahead of me in the line. I was gobsmacked. TikTok videos of the sale, which started two days ago, showed lines snaking through the streets of Chinatown. People waited hours before the 12pm opening. One woman even took a bus from Boston. But I was inside in less than twenty five minutes.

While I waited in line, I met Ellen and Bridget, who were experiencing their first Sandy Liang sample sale. For them, there was no budget, no hard limit. They simply had to see what was in stock.

Ellen wanted the red flower arm wristlet and a pair of the designer’s signature satin ballet flats. Bridget wanted the big bow purse in cream. I wanted a pair of silver nautical shell hoops and maybe a hair clip.

I saluted them as I went inside, and they wished me luck in finding the earrings. To enforce the no photo policy, dot stickers were placed over our phone cameras. Those with oversized bags had to place them in a designated area.

And then we were in.

An electric green sheer tulle dress greeted me.

Among it were three long rows of racks separated by garment type and, vaguely, by size. The left side of the room had jewelry, socks, and accessories. The wall in the very back had purses. A small room in the back right was filled with shoes. It felt like one of those carnival fun houses, but for coquette-ish wares.

A classic JBL black speaker was plugged into the wall and awkwardly stood on its side like a pointe shoe. The windows were covered with brown paper with its corners held down by pink tape. There were flimsy mirrors here and there, but we were not allowed to try any clothes on, just press the hangers against our bodies.

It was a bit ludicrous for the hundreds of dollars people were spending, but hey—sample sale rules.

I approached the closest rack on the right. Tempted by the Delia dress, which was marked down from $475 to $200, I snatched it up in an XS just in case—again, sample sale rules. However, the unlined nature of the white dress and drop waist caught me off guard. Five minutes went by before I recognized how much I didn’t need it, and with wise embarrassment, put it back on the rack.

Suddenly, my relationship with everyone around me changed. As soon as I walked in, a resource-guarding, scarcity mindset took over.

What happened to that measured, cool-headed girl in line?

It’s peak NYC sample sale season, and I’m bombarded with online content about them—Alaïa, Issey Miyake, KOTN, Sandy Liang. So, I coveted even when I did not necessarily need or want. And what did I want? Oh, right, the earrings. So I floated past the bright colored fleeces, tailored suit jackets, and pleated skirts.

Simply put, the jewelry section was run through. “People came in here with a game plan when it came to the jewelry,” said a woman behind the counter.

Among the leftovers were: chunky charm bracelets, prize ribbon earrings (which were only sold in gold), a Chinese character pendant for the word dragon on a thin ribbon, pink dragons printed on oversized pink-hued pearl earrings, and more. I showed a photo of my beloved seashell earrings to the lady behind the counter.

“They ran out yesterday,” she said. I texted Viv a screenshot of them and expressed my sadness. She thought they were cinnamon rolls.

Untethered by want, I wandered around. While the clothing could not be tried on, the shoes could.

There were designated “try on shoes.” Someone with extraordinarily neat handwriting wrote out a list of every shoe available, if there was a try-on pair, and what sizes they had. (I felt a wave of tenderness for them. They must love to write too).

The pearl-toed mule looked out of stock. There was an array of mesh ballet flats still up for grabs. There were a few satin ballet shoes in white left. I hoped Ellen got a pair.

Something I must say is that Sandy Liang has an affinity for beautiful buttons.

On coats, they lined up perfectly against each other like fish scales. I spent a minute or so running my finger down them in all their pearlescent coolness. After flipping through a rack, I saw a skirt that looks like satin underwear sewn over a see-through fabric. I was intrigued, but with none in my size, I passed. Another skirt appeared. A long, black, shiny skirt with two layers of what seemed to be sheer organza fabric on the backside. It emulated Prada with its modern-day bustle ruffle and structured tailoring.

I was excited until I flipped open the skirt and found out the lining and all were made from polyester. A beautiful skirt, but not worth the $250 for me.

There were two dutiful boyfriends. One followed his girlfriend like a lost dog while the other actively helped his partner pick things out. The perfect viewing of the nonchalant versus chalant boyfriend. Powering through each rack for the sake of journalism, there were pieces from their New York City Ballet x Heaven and Gap collaboration. As I left with nothing, I saw a pile of unwanted recital socks in a lucky red.

Afterwards, I went to Tompkins Square Park to meet my friend from Cleveland, Ohio. Jeff gave me a blueberry cinnamon roll and the pastry reminded me of the earrings I had wanted. We meandered to Cha-An tea house and sat down. A woman was wearing a pair of gold prize ribbon earrings, which caught the light and winked from across the table.

I hoped us Sandy girls got what we wanted.

xo viv

Thanks for being here. You can find me on IG and TT. My wardrobe recs are saved here—unless it’s vintage, of course ;) I may earn a small commission from purchases made through affiliate links above the paywall.

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