I live in Florida where “seasons” are merely a thing in Lifetime movies or a vague feeling that comes via the latest Starbucks offerings. A nip in the air is nonexistent unless it comes by way of the air-conditioner. Even then, it won’t be enough to cool you from the 93-degree heat we’ve seen this week. The point is this: Fall isn’t even on my radar. It feels like summer here, and so, I’ll be living in summer for the foreseeable future. Maybe forever.
With all things summer in mind, Delaney Lundquist and I decided to do a newsletter swap — writing about our summer hyperfixations on each other’s letters, and getting together to chat about them live this evening.
You’ll find all of the stuff Delaney is shopping and searching for below, and mine are in her newsletter.
Delaney is a very fun watch on Instagram and I adore her newsletter. She has a wry sense of humor that resonates with me and she recently spent a considerable amount of time in the English countryside, which I thought was only something characters in Nancy Meyers movies were allowed to do. She and I are kindred spirits, and I guarantee that her newsletter will be a new favorite.
We’re going live.
If you reallllyyyy wanna get in the nitty-gritty of our summer hyperfixations (or ask Delaney about her Costwolds stay! or me about the longest yard sale!) then join us for a live video chat this evening: Wednesday, August 19th at 5:30pm ET, right here on Substack.
Subscribers will get an email and a push notification from the Substack app (if you have them turned on) to join when we go live.
Now, from Delaney:
Knit Cotton Sweaters
I’m just a wannabe summertime coastal Maine girl trapped in the hot and sticky swamp that is Charlotte, North Carolina. As a result, I will use any excuse to work a drapey, oversized cotton knit sweater into my outfits (usually over my shoulders, around my waist, or actually ON my body when inside an aggressively air conditioned restaurant). Because of the J.Crew rollneck resurgence, I find their secondhand options to be needlessly expensive with modern remakes masquerading as vintage OGs, so I search the below brands instead — usually for men, since I like ‘em LOOSE.
Search terms:
Mens [brand] roll neck sweater
Mens cotton sweater
Mens summer knit sweater
Brands
Lands End
Polo Ralph Lauren
LL Bean
Eddie Bauer
Tommy Bahama
Banana Republic
Links:
Vintage cobalt (shown above)
Chunky Beaded Jewelry
If your middle school art teacher would have worn it, I want it. The internet’s fixation on whimsy has increased my tolerance for all of the jewelry I would have poo-pooed a few years ago and now I cannot get enough juicy, funky, candy-colored beads.
Search terms:
Millefiori necklace
Lampwork beaded necklace
Art glass bead necklace
Mixed gem necklace
Italian art glass jewelry
Mixed media necklace
Links:
Mary Frances Bags
And if beaded jewelry had a baby with evening bags, they would be Mary Frances’s creations. Like, what in the eccentric aunt are these?! Feathers, sequins, beads, ruching, appliques — no embellishment is left unutilized. Accessorize with one of these as a wedding guest and you’ve got yourself a conversation starter.
Search terms:
Mary Frances bag
Mary Frances clutch
Beaded embellished clutch
Applique evening bag
Links:
Polka Dot Renaissance
Polka dot popularity in fashion is cyclical (though of course, like stripes, they are too classic to ever go out of style), but ever since picking up an antique polka dot pitcher in England this spring, my eyes have been more attuned (and interested!) in polka dots in homewares.
Search terms:
Vintage polka dot pitcher
French polka dot ceramics
Vintage wood polka dot bowl
Links:
Wood bowl (shown above)
Gem Encrusted Anything
I know I am not the only girlie having a cabochon summer because I saw this DIY did numbers on Instagram and I too was like, “ohhhh YES.” While I have not felt compelled to execute this vision myself, I have taken the easier route and been perusing what’s out there vintage-wise that might scratch the itch. I’ve seen a few ice buckets come and go (they sell fast!) and there are a number of trinket boxes with the look, but I’m kind of sitting tight and hoping this maker on Etsy does another pair of serving utensils.
Search terms:
Gem encrusted
Cabochon trinket box
Bejeweled vase
Bejeweled ice bucket
Inset gem
Links:
Are any of these items also on your radar?
Certainly, Delaney’s list resonates with me (in our live tonight, I’ll share one of my favorite gem-encrusted finds, for instance, plus maybe some odds and ends I found on my recent multi-state yard sale adventure). See you tonight at 5:30 pm ET for our live chat!
xx,
VC
Yup, you had me at "gem-encrusted! Could not agree more re: cotton sweaters - there are so many beautiful (and cheap!) vintage cotton sweaters out there, mostly without all the moth damage that comes with vintage wool/cashmere. Loved this "swaperoo"! Thank you both!