37 Comments
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Nadia Kadri's avatar

Also—digging the new format with dividing up the sections with graphics! 🫶🏽

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Viv Chen's avatar

omg thank you!! I wanted to have some fun with colors and fonts haha

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Corinne Fay's avatar

I can't even fully articulate why, but I feel SO irritated by the TRR Substack. I freakin hate the name. It feels like a complete misunderstanding of who their customers are and also just sounds vaguely transphobic right now? I hate it!!!! Not that I'm their target audience, but.

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Viv Chen's avatar

When you feel it you feel it! I think brand Substacks are a hard sell to readers to begin with, and the TheRealGirl has no reason to be anon (unless she is secretly AI, lol) because nothing she posts is like….intriguing enough to warrant a hidden identity. So it feels like a flop all around.

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Corinne Fay's avatar

Agree! You’re absolutely right.

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Zoë's avatar

Admittedly, I haven’t read the TRR Substack but I’d be way more interested in data-driven insights and turning that into narrative. Like, what are most people selling? What are most people searching for? What colors are most popular?! Or, idk, maybe interviews with people & asking why they’re buying or selling certain pieces.

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Zoë's avatar

e.g., “I’m selling this because it’s from my ex,” is way more compelling to me than advertising an 8k coat, lol

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Viv Chen's avatar

exactly, the ex angle always lands!

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Viv Chen's avatar

totally. they must have such a TROVE of data and in that, juicy stories. and so many angles to tie it into current events. like, how has Ozempic been impacting what people sell and buy?!

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Kara's avatar

Where are you getting tomatoes like that this time of year?? Omg is this what living in Cali is like??

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Viv Chen's avatar

They are heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store! I think it is a California life perk (unfortunately) that the produce is great

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Hana's avatar

Added Tanzie’s to my google maps bookmarks! Moved here less than a year ago and I appreciate your recs and I’m looking forward to future events to meet other Molehill readers!

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Viv Chen's avatar

let me know how you like it! when i went, it was fun to see a line of people outside - makes me more excited about getting my food haha. i am working on some bay area events for later this spring and summer :) slowly thawing from winter

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Laura's avatar

the vintage strawberry stamps :')

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Viv Chen's avatar

so sweet

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yes.mor's avatar

I gotta say, I really love your local bay area recs. Going to see if my library branch has The Theory of The Leisure Class!

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Viv Chen's avatar

i'm so glad! there's such a creative and intellectual scene out here, i love sharing what life in the bay looks like from a non-tech POV :) i hope your library has a copy!

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Heather's avatar

Adding monstrous beauty to my list!! Excited for this rec

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Vanessa's avatar

Those Sezane loafers make me want to wear boat shoes for the first time ever!

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Viv Chen's avatar

they feel more like a mini platform loafer, that just happens to have the boat ties!

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Nadia Suryawinata's avatar

excited for your potential chinoiserie article!! growing up in a Chinese-Indonesian household with a fashion-forward mom meant that my sweet seventeenth (we celebrate 17, not 16😆) birthday was Peranakan-themed, and I had a blush pink, embroidered cheongsam I cherish but can no longer fit 🥲🤍 I remember my mom telling me to be proud of this aspect of our heritage because its very classy and that the West envy this aspect of our culture...and I have always find that unsettling...

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Emma Ray Taila's avatar

The hidden cafe is always 🌟

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Viv Chen's avatar

it's a little slice of paradise

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Serena's avatar

Whoa Hidden Cafe mention! I live in the Seattle area, but I know a friend that works there! Maybe they’ve served you a latte before.. Small world 🌎

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Viv Chen's avatar

the staff is so sweet. it's truly a hidden gem :)

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cy's avatar

sooo here for the egg analysis. and excited to dig into the chinoiserie & techno-orientalism pieces, I’ve been watching Gilmore girls for the first time and the depictions of the Kim’s vs the Gilmores irk me deeply

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Viv Chen's avatar

yes!! I haven’t watched much of GG, but enough to know they did the Kim’s dirty

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Heather's avatar

I also agree w the TRR thing. I love TRR and buy probably 50% of my closet from there but there are more intriguing things people want to know. Styling the hidden gems, history of brands you've never heard of...

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Heather's avatar

Or even the history / runway context behind some of the $$$ pieces would be so interesting. Tell me about this $1750 JPG dress!!!! What's the deal!

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Viv Chen's avatar

what. is. the. deal!!! same here, i check TRR drops a few times a week and have been shopping there for years...but there's a disconnect when it comes to the brand's marketing/social. it's just so bland.

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Anna Newton's avatar

This was such a fun fashion soup! A little bit of everything. Loved it Viv - thanks for sharing!

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Viv Chen's avatar

Thank you Anna! Experimenting with longer lifestyle-ish posts - you do it so well! 💕

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Isha Jain's avatar

Loved the strawberry stamps. I have been confused between Mary Janes and loafers for a while. Now, I want to go with the latter. They look so comfortable.

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Viv Chen's avatar

loafers are definitely easier for slipping on! and yes old stamps are soooo charming. can’t wait until the usps releases the goodnight moon themed ones this year

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Isha Jain's avatar

Now, I will be waiting for those stamps too.

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