7 june favorites 🛥️
summer hosting, bikini tops under sheer tunics, a barely-there bolero & more.
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Happy Friday!
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This newsletter contains partial sponsored mentions from Sezane and Tuckernuck.
1). Taking the ferry into the city.
The ferry is such an underrated way to get from the East Bay to the city. It’s like the business class equivalent of crossing the bay—comfy seats, laptop desk space, even a minibar. I’ll concede that it is less convenient for a commuter maximizing for time efficiency (getting to the Richmond or Alameda terminals is kind of annoying, and it does not run as often as BART).
But it’s so damn comfortable. Instead of trying to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible, I actually savor the ride. For one, the views are gorgeous. I love the gentle wobble as we go anchors up, the feeling of ripping through the water, the crisp Pacific breeze out on the deck. It’s giving seaside cure commute.
In June, I took the ferry into the city twice to plan out a perfect SF summer day itinerary (newsletter coming soon). Once with Maggi in tow too, because they allow dogs in carriers. I plan to do more ferry day trips this summer—including the transfer route to Sausalito AKA we have the Amalfi Coast at home.
2). Printed bikini tops under a sheer tunic.
You guys helped me convince me to buy this vintage pool blue YSL silk tunic blouse in Florence!! So thank you. I’ve played with sheer dressing for quite a while, with mixed results…and my conclusion is that you really just have to play with combinations of prints, colors, and levels of opacity to get it right.
I was thrilled with this combination: a brown zebra print Sezane x Yse bikini top under medium-sheer blue silk. It’s see-through enough to look intentional, but not so much that it feels totally out of place in the city. I’ve had good experiences with the Sezane x Yse swim collab pieces; Yse is a swimwear brand so the construction delivers. Here’s a cute gingham one-piece and another with leopard print and a plunging low back. I find that the compression level is on par with the Left on Friday suits.
Here’s a trick I only learned this year: if you don’t like the sensation of a halter string bikini (it gives me neck pain after 30 minutes), you can tie the strings so it’s like a DIY spaghetti strap! The lines don’t look quite as “clean” from the back, but I don’t care. The point of a string bikini is idgaf, live laugh beach energy.
And here’s my longer swimsuit roundup from earlier this year, inspired by what people were wearing at Good Hot bayside sauna.
3). The beautiful cycle that is hosting and being hosted.
Katie Hintz-Zambrano is one of the Bay Area’s great connectors. We ran into each other at GAP HQ the other week and she was like, hey I’m co-hosting this dinner next week with a bunch of cool creative women, you should come! A few days later, I got more info about the event—it was in collaboration with a salsa macha brand called Showoff, founded by Oakland-based Margarita Florez Vasconcelos.
It didn’t feel like a typical “brand event” (positive). It felt way more intimate and personal. Margarita welcomed us into her beautiful home tucked in the Oakland Hills, and as we helped ferry plates of glimmering aguachile and airy Tartine sourdough from the kitchen to the long table under the towering redwoods, the contagion of hosting bit me. There is something about experiencing hospitality that makes you want to pass it on.
So, the following week, I had friends over for a dinner party. Our chicken and salad spread was modest, but K baked a fresh loaf of homemade bread and I made a whipped ricotta with cherries dish inspired by Margarita’s menu <3
5). Dyed silk everything.
I wore this outfit to Pickwick Vintage. The orange silk dress is vintage, from eBay, and the silk corsage is from sssilk666 (Olivia Rodrigo wore the exact same one on stage with Robert Smith!).
The rich colors are everything. I think this outfit would read so different if it were cream/light pink/baby blue/the standard colors that vintage silk slips tend to come in. The bright orange makes it feel more contemporary and less lingerie-esque.
6). Southeast Asian food.
Summer makes me crave Southeast Asian food. The spices and lime and fish sauce flavors hit soooo hard with a cold drink.
Two places that I thoroughly enjoyed:
Lunette: a Cambodian spot in the Ferry Building I’ve been meaning to try for a long time but it’s always crowded during peak lunch/dinner. My friend and I went after Pickwick and were gleefully chomping away on the salt and pepper fried chicken. Everything was bright and savory—I can’t wait to go back and try more.
Praaw Thai: a West Berkeley restaurant that opened last winter I think? Really cute interior with movie posters and a DJ vinyl booth. Danni and I shared a pumpkin curry and crab fried rice, agreed we had to come back with a bigger group to try more things. I asked for a refill of the green chili sauce bc it was that good!! I would add this place to my East Bay restaurant rotation.
7). A barely-there bolero as a warmup layer.
Ordered this $36 LA Apparel “Cheesecloth Bolero” (awful name, imo) on sale last week. Thoughts: it’s stretchier than expected and I wish it had a bit more structure, but it’s a very practical cotton warmup layer for dance/workouts! I like how it looks with a simple strappy tank.
Molehill Miscellany
Summer is not-so-secretly a great time to buy cashmere knits with off-season pricing. But if you live in the Bay Area, you’re wearing a sweater anyways because of the June fog. Here are a few I like on sale: molehill green cashmere cardigan with covered buttons, jade green cashmere crewneck, pool blue cashmere cardigan.
I tried getting the Korean lash lift at Mosaic with Amanda, and am VERY HAPPY with the results. When she held the mirror up at the end, I was like, I feel like a camel :) Amanda was meticulous and understands how to work with Asian eyelids. If you go and tell them I referred you, I think it gets you $20 off your first service.
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.
Oakland pole and dance studio! I used to go there, I miss pole dancing so much
looove lunette! their kuy teav (KTPP) is amazingg (both the dry and soup version)!