Artist in Residence, Joshua Charow

Charow is a documentary filmmaker and photographer who spent years knocking on doors in New York’s old Loft Law buildings—the ones from the 80s law that let artists legally live in raw industrial space. Artist in Residence is the resulting photobook: interviews and portraits of NY-based artists who’ve held the same studios for decades. It’s a follow-up to his first book, Loft Law, and the whole project is basically a time capsule of a New York that mostly doesn’t exist anymore. Available for pre-order now.

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture x Goop Kitchen

Michael Hsu (Austin-based, and their prior work is genuinely insane — go explore) designed Goop Kitchen’s first sit-down restaurant. I did a whole video on it and TikTok deleted it. Make of that what you will.

The San Diego location is beautifully—simple, considered, perfect execution on a upscale-fast-casual (say that 5x) concept. NY’s to-go location also looking perfect—slightly more NY-coded, but with a strong through-line between the two spaces.

Easy Landings: My Shameless Plug

Yet another baby of my team’s launched last week (thank you, Forbes). Easy Landings is a THC beverage concentrate—we worked with Herman Scheer years ago on the original brand identity, the project got shelved, and we finally got to dust it off this year. Small Circle handled web and merchandising/swag; pack-design and the full go-to-market creative suite was in-house with my team. If you love weed or you’re looking to swap out alcohol for something that doesn’t leave you feeling like death, this is kind of perfect.

Anastasia MacKay

Founder of Lobie Beauty, married to Andres Ross MacKay (accolades in that order, please and thank you 😉) Founder of Cadence, an electrolyte drink brand. But Anastasia’s the one I’m here for: her personal style is excellent, and she’s doing real justice to “mom style”—redefining what that even means instead of just abandoning the idea of getting dressed.

MK Sadler

LA-based artist + photographer whose work spans painting, paper collage, fine art and photography.

Lexie, @Undercoverbettycrocker

A pastry chef, on an island in Maine. I’m watching this the way other people watch TV.

Malik & Jabari Williams

Twin models who weren’t getting booked, got dropped by their agency, and instead of waiting around, started directing + starring in their own spec commercials. Built the thing they wanted someone else to hire them for. This is the internet working the way it’s supposed to.

@notblankdesigns

A graphic designer worth your follow. I have an entire folder of designers like this at this point—enough that I should certainly be putting a video series in order, for anyone who is looking to hire freelance talent.

The design pedigree

The NYC property was designed by Martin Brudnizki, whose studio is responsible for some of the most gorgeous hospitality spaces in the world: Soho Beach House, Vesper Bar at the Dorchester, Splendido Portofino, Chiki Mexico. Color, pattern, dreamy lighting, romance and modernity—Brudnizki’s got raaaange.

^{All imagery sourced from his site.}

The arrival

Fouquet’s is tucked into 456 Greenwich, on the most lovely corner in Tribeca. Walk in and you’re greeted by a room that reads like equal parts living room and library—blush furniture, sage accents, dim lighting, drapery that lets the light flood in anyway. Diptyque fragrance runs through the space and follows you into your room—I could write a whole article on the psychology on brand/design/environmental/sensory, so I’ll stay off my soapbox for now.

^{Shot on 35mm by yours truly.}

Titsou

Off the living room is the hotel’s cocktail bar, Titsou— a nod to the Barrière family name, modeled on Bar Marta at Fouquet’s Paris. It reads like a 1920s parlor and it’s stunning: mauve-drenched walls, custom upholstered seating, a marble bar, cozy booths that look straight back through to the living room.

^{Shot on 35mm by yours truly.}

The rooms

Take the elevator up and you’ll walk through the blue pinstriped hallway lined with a gorgeous art selection, and sconces that do exactly enough. If you follow any influencer on the internet, you’ve already seen these rooms—the lacquer pink wardrobes, the burgundy wallpaper motif, and head-to-toe marble bathrooms (truly a dream). What I loved was how the ground floor’s language carried upstairs (and to the roof) without being overdone—a through line, not an inundation of one specific palette or look.

^{Shot on 35mm by yours truly.}

The restaurants

Two more restaurants live on property—Brasserie Fouquet’s and Élysée’s, neither of which we ate at (we were off to The Troutbeck the next day and 24 hours in NYC means Balthazar for lunch and Waverly Inn for dinner, for me), but both are beautiful spaces. As a brand marketer, I find this facet of hospitality design fascinating: building restaurant brand identities gorgeous and distinct enough that people want to come whether or not they’re staying at the hotel, while still holding the line of the broader brand ecosystem.

One of my favorite case studies on this exercise is King & Partner’s work for The Boca Raton. More on that at a later date.

Le Vaux Rooftop

This was, arguably, my favorite environment on the property. Sage velvet couch cushions, pinstriped upholstered chairs, ivory umbrellas trimmed in lavender to tie back to the couch pillows, and my favorite piece: these darling upholstered poofs.

^{Shot on 35mm by yours truly.}

The spa

No treatment for me this trip, sadly, but it’s stunning and guests can use the amenities without booking. Bonus points for Dogpound gym.

^{Photo from Fouquet’s instagram.}

Julin Designs

Ukranian brand designer and creator Yuliia Tverdohlib has an incredible focus in the zine space—and this fictional piece she created inspired by the Chloé winter campaign stopped me in my tracks. Simply beautiful. All of her work is stunning and well worth the scroll // follow.

Sea Beans Collective

A UK-based silversmith making sterling silver jewelry from upcycled sea glass—each piece genuinely one of a kind (because guess what the ocean isn’t replicating designs). So obsessed with everything on their site.

NatButArt

Stitched newspapers—haven’t seen anything quite like these (a rarity in today’s world). The texture, the unexpected medium, the way color interacts with the newsprint. These would make for a beautiful framed piece: tone on tone matte and frame, letting a pop of color contrast against the stitches.

DMK

My favorite cooking follow as of late. Tight, aerial macro shots — dark, moody, beautiful art direction — for what is essentially an iPhone production. The recipes are killer and the visual execution is the kind of thing most people with actual studio budgets can’t pull off.

Kelly Wearstler On Substack

Icon. Legend. I’ll probably cover her from every angle on Graemere. If you’re not following her on this platform, do consider. She is genuinely throwing down. Her recent piece, “Good Taste Isn’t Enough: Three Tips For Creative Leadership,” is exactly what it sounds like: how to close the gap between having a great eye and actually building a creative team that can execute it.

Cole Poska

Creative Director at Beyond Studios in NYC—and what he does on TikTok is ideate brand collabs and then actually mocks up the full campaign. Not mood board, not concept doc. Full campaign. He recent piece on 818 X Levi’s was featured on People Brands & Things (one of my favorite accounts to stay up to date what’s happening in the brand zeitgeist). Cole’s work falls under my ‘love of the game’ qualifier—people producing beauty into the world for the sake of producing it. My favorite.

Patchi Cancado

I had just posted a note about how we are not tassel-ing to our full potential in 2026 when the algorithm gods heard me and delivered this. The work is stunning. A subtle, but high-impact way to introduce a completely different medium into your home: color meets texture meets an unexpected point of interest.

You guys already know the deal here: while the world digests the end product—the show, the performance, the social content, the vinyl—we’ll get into who’s behind it all.

The Team

Imogene Strauss — Creative Director

Imogene Strauss is creatively superhuman a multidisciplinary: creative director, show director, video director, scenic designer, and interior designer, etc.. (?!?!?!) and her most extensive body of work is her long-running collaboration with Charli across album campaigns, live shows, music videos, social, and merch.

Her credits beyond Charli are equally impressive, creative direction and scenic design for Clairo’s Immunity tour, creative producer for Solange’s “An Ode To” performance at the Guggenheim (I can and should dedicate an entire article to this), and creative direction for Caroline Polachek’s Spiraling Tour.

Strauss’s role in Charli’s ecosystem is what the best creative directors do for nay brand: ideate, direct and execute on a vision that is so complete and so consistent, that us lil’ old consumers recognize it before we even see a logo. The specific way a Charli campaign feels when it lands in your feed—that’s Strauss.

^{All images from Strauss’s portfolio or Instagram.}

Aidan Zamiri — Photographer & Director

Glasgow-born photographer, music video director, and Charli’s longtime friend and collaborator. Zamiri has been behind some of the most zeitgest-defining music videos, album covers and editorials of the past six years, beyond just Charli’s work (think Billie Eilish + Timothée Chalamet). Legendary.

In addition to directing all the music videos for the album, he also shot the notorious cover: John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese in a nondescript kitchen, each representing one medium in the album title.

Zamiri’s style is immediately identifiable—warm, filmic grain, deliberately lo-fi, razor-sharp contrast between light and shadow. A brilliant nod to 90s aesthetics that elicit that specific kind of nostalgia. Visible across every image, every album, every genre Charli moves through.

^{All images from Zamiri’s Instagram.}

Special Offer Inc. — Design & Packaging

The Manhattan-based studio behind some of the most recognizable visual work of Charli’s career. Founder, Brent David Fraeney spent five months on the Brat cover—a design so deliberately simple (Arial typeface, lime green square, that’s it) that even he had to be convinced. In a NY Times interview, he said “Charli had comped up what she wanted and was like, ‘This is what I think it should be.’ Truthfully, as a designer, I was a little bit like: OK?” The result became one of the most viral album covers in recent memory and a Grammy-winning piece of design work. (I laughed so, so hard at this quote. If I had a dollar for every time I arrived at the desks of my design team with an ultra-specific vision, only to be met with a ‘well if you’re so sure why don’t you design it?’).

^{All images from Special Offer Inc’s portfolio and Instagram.}

Chris Horan — Stylist & Creative Director

Every visual era needs a stylist who understands the assignment, and Horan is that person for Charli. LA-based, represented by The Wall Group, and the person responsible for translating Charli’s identity into what she actually wears. His client list includes Christina Aguilera, Barbie Ferreira, Hari Nef, Benito Skinner, Jordan Peele, etc.,—a roster that skews toward clients who take genuine fashion risks rather than playing it safe.

Looks from the Music, Fashion, Film music videos, press, show, etc., are innnnnnnnsane, and all over Charli’s IG for those who want a browse.

How It All Comes Together

The Cover

I’m telling you, this one will go down in history. Two versions, two cultural moments engineered from one piece of art. The original: John Cale, Marc Jacobs, Martin Scorsese (okkkk Mount Rushmore), shot by Zamiri in a nondescript kitchen, Charli nowhere in frame (released June 1). The special edition, released July 8th: Charli joins them, dressed in all black, unreadable expression.

From a marketing standpoint, this is chef’s kiss. The original generates conversation because it’s unexpected. Then the special edition drops and the conversation cycle restarts. One album. Two Covers. Two separate moments.

^{Image from Charli’s Instagram.}

The Album & Companion Film

11 tracks, produced by A.G Cook and Finn Keane, preceded by four singles ‘Rock Music’ ‘SS26’ ‘Wink Wink’ and ‘Camera’—each with accompanying music videos. The companion film includes visuals for all 11 song plus behind-the-scenes footage. Music, fashion, film isn’t a mood board, it’s the structure.

The Record Store Tour

She made a visit to Reckless Records, my all-time favorite, and I was busy being a corporate wench (tragíque!). This was a part of a broader activation series of intimate record store appearances.

^{They still had the promo up when I went in to get my vinyl.}

The Takeaway

Every interview Charli’s given since Brat put the entire world in a chokehold, someone asked the same question: how do you top that? Her answer was disarmingly simple. She wouldn’t.

Music, Fashion, Film wasn’t Charli’s answer to making something bigger than Brat, it was to make something true to where she is right now, with the same people who’ve been building her world for years.

Most brands get wrong what Charli has gotten right. She doesn’t treat her creative team like a vendor relationship—hire for campaign, complete brief, move on—Charli treats hers as infrastructure. Strauss has been inside every visual decision across multiple eras. Zamiri has been the eye behind some of the most defining images of her career. A.G Cook has been in the room for the sound of every album. These aren’t contractors, they’re co-architects of the world.

That’s the playbook worth stealing.

_{Note: the people above are the commonly credited team. Behind them is a much larger group—makeup artists, styling assistants, set designers, production crews—who rarely get the byline and absolutely deserve one.} ^🤍

Tables + Ottomans

• Wood + Linen Footrest Stool — Zara Home

• Zebra Ponyhair Coffee Table: not for everyone, absolutely for me.

• Pierce & Ward Rectangular Ottoman

• Vintage Ettore Sottsass Console — Postmodern Memphis Italian 80s: Sottsass understood that furniture could have a personality. This one has several.

• Calcotta Viola Marble Coffee Table: the base of this table is just such a showstopper.

• Soho Home Marta Footstool

Lighting

• Etsy Ceramic Olive Table Lamp: the color, the shape, the price point. Everything right.

• Handmade Marble Wall Sconce: these are so interesting.

• Handmade Silver Wall Sconce: this one’s been in my saved folder long enough that it’s earned its spot on a wall.

• Janie Portable Lamp — Soho Home

Rugs

• Speckled Blue Rug: currently eyeing for the bedroom.

• Pierce & Ward Elise Handwoven Rug: from the new collection.

• Vintage Turkish Rug — Kilim Studio: this is crazy good

• Nordic Knots: all over my TikTok, understandably.

Beds

• Pierce & Ward Sleigh Bed: covered all my favorites from the Pierce & Ward x West Elm collection on TikTok.

• The Linus Bed — Soho Home: a girl can dream.

• Greenbury Platform Bed — Lulu & Georgia

• Antique English Art Deco Burlwood Walnut Curved Cloud Bed: the most specific thing I’ve ever wanted.

Art + Decor

• Chrome Frames: the right frame changes everything. These have been on my radar for a while and I keep coming back to them.

• Gabriela Mifsud — ‘Salt Line’: I finally pulled the trigger on a commission piece from Philly-based artist Gabriela Mifsud and I cannot wait for it to land. In the meantime, this piece from her new works, Salt Line, is a current favorite.

• Sarah Vrieling: I covered Sarah’s work in this week’s Taking Back The Internet and I haven’t stopped browsing since.

• Lily of the Valley Platter: personally obsessed with the idea of this hanging on a wall rather than living on a table. The right platter in the right spot is a full art moment.

Netherlands-based artist Sarah Vrieling is making paintings and prints that realllly just do it for me. Warm, considered, the kind of work that looks like it belongs somewhere specific without being obvious about where.

Casa Hermana — ‘Gone Riding’ Plates

The most interesting thing I've seen in plateware in quite some time. Casa Hermana is a Colombia-based ceramics brand, hand-painted in-house by an all-female team of artisans. The 'Gone Riding' plates come in the cutest colorways and everything on their site is so good.

Gee’s Band x Ralph Lauren Collab

The latest under Ralph Lauren's Artist in Residence program, and personally my favorite yet. Ralph Lauren x Gee's Bend brings together fourth-generation textile artist Claudia Pettway Charley and fifth-generation textile artist Loretta Pettway Bennett, whose families have been making quilts in Gee's Bend, Alabama for over a century. The collection — apparel, quilts, home pieces — are so, so f*cking good. Highly encourage a peruse.

Maryeefi — Stunner Sofa

Hong Kong-based furniture designer @maryeefi shared this content piece of her sofa, in the owner's home, with the owner and it's the most refreshing thing I've seen in a while. No white void, no staged set, no art-directed room-full-of-furniture-nothingness. Just a real room, a real person, and the piece living exactly where it was meant to live. More of this.

Studio Lubin — Hand-Embroidery

Studio Lubin does hand embroidery—clothing, napkins, linens, and this incredible wedding tie that I cannot stop thinking about. So many gift giving ideas.

Antik Brooklyn — Italian Art Deco Cocktail Bar

Interior designer Jenna Chused's shop Antik on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn found and restored this Italian Art Deco cocktail bar in walnut. Mirrored rotating interior, recently rewired, closed it reads as a handsome cabinet, open it reveals everything. So beautiful. I need to stop being served gorgeous pieces of furniture I have no room for in my home.

The Poufe x Borne Edit — Lighter Necklace

Available now on Moda, this lighter necklace from The Poufe x Borne Edit collab is suchhhhhh a fun novelty. I smell an Edie Parker collab.

In the hosting world, I’m what they call a “middler,” someone you put in-between two groups who don’t know each other— otherwise known for introducing conversation topics, never shutting the fuck up, smoothing over awkward silences, and keeping things moving. I’d like to think it makes me a great host as well, given that hosting is rooted in a fairly simple principle: know your people, make them feel it. The tablescape, the menu, the flowers, is just how you show your work.

Where It Starts: The Moodboard

Every event I host starts with a moodboard. Broken record, but everything in my life also starts with a moodboard, a reflexive muscle from a decade in marketing. I pull inspiration from prior events, brand activations, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Substack— recipes, tablescapes, invites, paper goods, all of it.

Then I deploy my corporate wench identity on the project: how does this vision translate into tangible deliverables? What Esty or Canva template do I need for the invites, menus or placecards? What recipes am I making and the associated grocery list? Here’s what I want the flowers to look like, am I outsourcing them or doing the arrangements myself? Here’s how I’m styling the table, what do I have versus what do I need?

Hosting is a Beast with a capital B. I take the lion’s share of the work because I love it, and outsource the rest to tried and true neighborhood spots.

Styling The Table

Arguably my favorite part.

^{The hydrangeas were an unpaid actor here.}

The Bones

My style rule—simple outfit, funky accessories // funky outfit, simple accessories—applies here too. Dressed-up tabletop, simple bones. Simple tabletop, funky bones. For this brunch: simple bones, dressed-up tabletop.

• Etsy vintage linen option — for something with history

• Organic Merrow stitch option — for something more traditional

• Woven Chargers — subtle texture

The latest addition to my plateware, and the piece that got the most compliments:

• Tavi Stoneware Pasta Bowls in Mint

• Tavi Stoneware Dinner Plates in Brown

The Embellishments

Florals

Florals may be the anchor to your table, or they might not be. Every event is different. For this brunch, I wanted florals as a key component: two smaller arrangements that wouldn’t hinder cross-table conversation.

• Hero stems from Kismet in Lincoln Park, filler stems from Trader Joe’s.

• Everything I know about floral styling is trial and error, plus an amazing workshop hosted by my favorite Chicago floral designers, Nerine Studios.

• The most important thing: the vase you need is about half the size you think. You can do a sizable arrangement in a tiny vase—big vases dominate a table, so unless that’s the look, size down.

Styling + Serving

Almost everything I own is thrifted. Pros: more affordable, pieces with history that no one else has, stitched together in a way that feels authentically you. Cons: you’re constantly doing a mental home inventory while standing in a thrift shop, pieces sometimes clash, and you’re occasionally missing a key table ‘ingredient’.

Napkins — don’t spend a lot, they will wear over time:

• Simple white — my choice here, since the plates were the funk

• Sparkle option — for when you go simple on the plates

Napkin rings — I keep a few sets: seasonal, year-round, modern, traditional:

• Bamboo

• Glass Amber

• Vintage silver

Candle Anchor piece — scale matters. Our table was long, so I needed something with width. If the anchor is too small, it gets lost between arrangements:

• Similar new option

• Similar vintage option

Platters & Vessels — I love pairing a casual menu item with a fanciful serving piece:

• Similar vintage option

• Cluster bowl from The Favorites

Glassware — I need to go to glassware-anonymous. I have enough to hydrate a metropolitan city. My brown amber EQ3 glasses are unfortunately discontinued, but:

• Similar vintage option

• Similar new option

• Found the stunning blue bubble martini glasses I got at Blue Door in Santa Barbara on Etsy

Bakeware — keep it attractive, and functional. I don’t want to have to worry about transferring dishes over to something that’s table appropriate.

• Staub Braiser

• Le Creuset Fish Baker

The Menu

I love to cook, so I handle a handful of dishes and outsource the rest. If I wasn’t a full-time corporate wench, I’d do the whole shebang, but here we are.

For brunch: I’ll do the salad, main egg dishes, and dessert. Pastries and potatoes come from somewhere else. The prep is the key, everything that can be made the day before and cooked day-of, should be. I am not sweating in my kitchen the morning I’m hosting.

Easy Brunch Salad Bed of arugula, thinly sliced radish and shallot, more parm than is reasonable, dressed in olive oil / lemon / dijon / S&P / white vinegar.

Strata No. 1 — Sausage & Leek 1lb breakfast sausage, sautéed 2 cups leeks, container of spinach, S&P, 2 cups whole milk (cashew for DF), 6oz day-old cubed bread (GF works), 10 eggs, 2 cups gruyere. Prep the day before — bread should soak overnight. Bake at 350° for one hour.

Strata No. 2 — Bacon & Mushroom 1lb bacon, sautéed mushrooms, 1 cup parmesan, 1 cup sharp cheddar, 6oz day-old cubed bread (GF works), 10 eggs, 2 cups whole milk (cashew for DF). Prep the day before — bread should soak overnight. Bake at 350° for one hour.

Hashbrowns — from our absolute favorite, Doma. Pulling in something from a cult-favorite neighborhood spot is a genuinely fun guest surprise. I am not shredding enough potato to homemake a dozen hashbrowns.

Pastries — from La Fournette, the guest of honor’s favorite. You won’t catch me prepping dough, leave it to the professionals.

Dessert — guest of honor wanted something lemony, and I wanted to make a cake. Three-layer lemon vanilla raspberry: King Arthur vanilla cake layers with lemon juice and zest, Sweet Mandy B’s frosting, my aunt Erin’s homemade jelly.

The Bar

As someone who used to love drinking and drugs, the bar is a crucial corner at my soirées. I rarely drink anymore but I want people boozing when I host (sorry to whom this may trigger, that’s just our style).

Kept it easy: spritzes and rosé from the cutest little wine shop on Armitage, Off-Premise. Told the girls to BYO if neither sounded good. Outsource.

Don’t treat your bar like an afterthought, it’s a party anchor.

^{With the exception of the cake serving tray & my wine glasses, everything you see here is a secondhand treasure!}

Tops

1. Dairy Boy Sport LS - pleasantly surprised by this. Loved the color mix - it’s great for a low-sweat workout or just a comfy.

2. Dairy Boy Tank - this is soooo cute, perfect on its own or under a wrap top. Likely a no-go if you’ve got boobs but that’s unfortunately not an issue I’m suffering from. 🫶🏻

3. Splits 59 was probably the hero of this overhaul. Got this longsleeve in multiple colors, fabric is literally butter.

4. 437 Tank - perfect material, shape and color pair.

5. Splits 59 Wrap Top - I’m usually running errands or working after a workout, love to throw one on to feel less naked.

6. Target Wrap Top - just as good as the Splits, but cheaper.

7. CSB Wrap Top - loved this one for the color, goes with browns, blacks, whites.

8. Form SS Tee - loved the cut and layering of this but omg was it tight.

9. Form Tank- same thing here, tightness warning.

10. Splits 59 Tank - similar to Form but better fit.

11. Dairy Boy Fleece - no longer seasonally appropriate but really good.

Sports Bras

A note before you shop: I personally prefer a thin strap sports bra — less fabric, sits better under everything but I’ve included a few thicker ones as well.

1. Skims Scoop Neck - loving this. Not sure how it would fly if I had bigger boobs but if you don’t it’s a goodie.

2. Adanola Double Layer - truly love the look of all their stuff.

3. Live The Process Halter - scuba neck a good change up in style.

4. Splits59 - super comfortable, very similar to the FORM straight neck but less tight.

5. FORM Straight Neck - I did the brown/blue pairing, really good but TIGHT in my true size.

6. Epic Mini Bra - looking commmmmfy.

7. Set Active Sportbody 90s Bra - obsessed with this colorway.

8. Set Active Sporty Strap Bra - same here.

9. Lululemon — tried and true.

10. Nike Skims Studio Stretch - this is in a cart for me.

Leggings

Sadly this list is the shortest, as my favorite styles are mostly the ones I already owned. I hate the leggings being made today, sigh.

1. Alo High Waist Airlift — a tried and true. Really sucks you in, but comfortable.

2. Lululemon Align High Rise — another tried and true.

3. Splits59 Strut This — loved these but they were too long on me and I didn’t want to deal with tailoring.

4. Adanola Ultimate Legging — in my cart, high hopes.

5. Left On Friday Super Moves Tight — no one is doing a true midnight navy anymore which really bums me out, but these look good.

^{Mostly 35mm by yours truly. Photos from Mollie’s site have been starred.}

68 rooms, downtown Aspen, across from Paepcke Park. Mollie is quiet in the way that well-designed things often are—you feel it before you can articulate it. Interiors by Post Company, architecture by CCY, a subtle lens of Scandinavian and Japanese influences filtered through natural woods, earthen ceramics, hand-dyed textiles, and sand-cast brass. The woven installation by textile artist Rachel Snack anchored near the lobby fireplace is worth stopping for. Rooftop spa pool with an unobstructed 180-degree view of Aspen Mountain. Rivian fleet for getting around.

One of the first-ever Michelin Key Hotels—the honor is deserved!

Book here →

Where We Bopped

^{You can’t really go wrong here, drop yourself in town and have a day.}

TLDR: I wish I could tell you this itinerary is revelatory but it’s simply…not! Sometimes there’s a reason things come heavily recommended.

Breakfast at Hotel Jerome — Open since 1889, the Jerome has outlasted the silver crash, the Depression, Hunter S. Thompson’s run for sheriff, and approximately every trend in Aspen dining. We love Felix for an easy Breakfast and J-Bar for a nightcap.

Casa Tua — I’m a Casa Tua loyalist, can’t pass it up when I’m in a city that has one.

Bottega Veneta — Forgot sunglasses on this trip (????), beautiful excuse to snag a new pair.

The Viceroy Snowmass— drinks at their outdoor bar at the base of the mountain.

The Little Bird — Aspen’s favorite luxury consignment shop, open since 2007, quietly one of the best in the country. Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, all carefully vetted, all in exceptional condition. New arrivals daily. Give yourself time browse.

Take the chairlift up — Easy views

Swedish Hill Aspen — Coffee / lunch spot

Pine Creek Cookhouse — My Dad + his wife do Aspen every year and this is a staple of theirs, can attest it’s really, really special.

Clark’s Oyster Bar — An Aspen institution. East and West Coast oysters, lobster rolls, seafood towers, caviar, stirred-to-perfection martinis. The kind of place that rolls from aperitifs into dinner into nightcaps without you noticing the time.

Matsuhisu — The Aspen outpost of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s original restaurant predates the global Nobu empire, this is where it started taking shape. Tasting menus, fusion Japanese, legendary black cod. Worth it every time.

Las Montanas —cutest upstairs, outdoor terrace

Paradise Bakery — An Aspen institution since 1976, locally owned, open daily from early morning. The kind of place that anchors a neighborhood. Go for breakfast, stay longer than you planned.

What I Wore

Honestly a very bad outfit capturer this trip, duly noted. Pulling in some packing inspo.

• Old Dissh tie dye top, few dress versions available for resale. I reallllly wish they would bring these prints back.

• Canadian tuxedo, always on my packing list for a western weekend. Can dress it down with a sandal or up with a heel/bootie, open with a white or black tank or closed as a top. Chelsea Parke // Mary Ralph Lawson both good canadian tuxedo inspirers.

• Can’t find the aforementioned Bottega sunnies anywhere but similar options both new and vintage linked here.

• Love a croc bootie, and some easy, walkable sandals.

• Hiking / workout wear edit coming this week, stay tuned.

The Brand

Lore was founded by Melanie Bender — former CEO of Rhode, before that Merit and Versed (is this my dream resume?) — alongside co-founders Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez of Youth To The People, and Mazdack Rassi of Milk Makeup. Now thattttt's a founding team.

^{Listened to this Second Life episode feature on her last year when the brand was launching, highly recommend.}

Lore’s positioning, “scents that take you somewhere,” is baked into every decision the brand makes, from the names (which read more like film titles or emotional states than product descriptors: Somewhere but nowhere, Lovely and a little twisted, Sublimity) to the visual identity, which is cinematic, dreamlike, and deliberately narrative. The social feed feels like stills from a film that doesn’t exist yet. The copy reads like poetry. Nothing is over-explained, because the whole point is that you bring your own meaning to it.

The flacons, design-forward 50mL vessels inspired by French art glassblower Andre Thuret, were designed to function as objects before they function as containers.

Lil Softie—The Product

Lil Softie is Lore's first new introduction since their four-scent launch. One new SKU, their first at-bat with a product expansion, and they did not miss.

Described as “your yummy, cashmeric cocoon, opening sweet, lactonic and bright with top notes of pink pepper and cereal milk, before wrapping into a skin-close, ambery musk of ambroxan, clean cottons, and something that feels distinctly like us. At its heart, the cool green edge of galbanum mingles with jasmine, ambrette, and a lingering whisper of rice milk.” I’d like to speak to their copywriter. 👌

The name does a lot of work before you even smell it. Lil Softie. Playful, confident, a little self-aware, exactly the register Lore operates in across everything they make.

The Campaign

I could go on and on about the brand but the campaign is the real reason we’re here today.

The product — The flacons remain consistent with the launch SKUs, which is the right call. Brand coherence over novelty. The object is already iconic enough not to reinvent.

Photo + Video — I’m sorry but?! You’ll hear Melanie talk about selling an invisible product—I as a consumer can’t smell the fragrance through the phone, the art direction of the visuals needs to sell it to me. These do just that.

^{All imagery sourced from Lore’s IG.}

Social — @loreworld continues to be one of the most considered feeds in the beauty space. Vague imagery, poetic copy, dreamy soundtracks—the visual language that makes fragrance feel tactile through a screen. Every post is doing the work of translation: here is an invisible thing, and here is how it feels.

Influencer gifting — As a marketer, studying influencer gifting is a genuine pastime of mine. I have seen every custom die-cut box, every nook, cranny, and clever inclusion the industry has produced. And as a consumer, I find most of it to be terribly wasteful. Lore's approach was completely par for the course with the brand's identity—not too much, not too little. Perfectly thoughtful, perfectly executed. The kind of gifting moment that feels like the brand, not like a PR budget.

^{All imagery sourced from Lore’s IG.}

BTS — The team took What’s Your Process behind the scenes of the Lil Softie shoot day for Episode 46, a rare, unfiltered look at the production side of a campaign this considered. The kind of content that makes you appreciate the finished imagery twice as much. Worth a watch before you read the rest of this piece.

IRL — Lore is popping up at Happier Grocer, a SoHo institution founded by Wells Stellberger, a former Marc Jacobs designer. Part grocery store, part fashion industry hangout, with a magazine room, Dover Street Market collaborations, and an ethos built around in-store discovery. It’s essentially New York’s answer to Erewhon, but with a decidedly more downtown, fashion-forward DNA.

The pairing makes complete sense on paper—both brands are built around the same consumer: downtown, aesthetically literate, discovery-oriented. Looking forward to seeing the coverage.

Why It Matters

What Lore is doing with Lil Softie isn’t just a product launch. It’s a proof point. Can a brand with four SKUs and less than a year of history expand without diluting? Can the world-building hold when the world gets bigger?

The answer, so far, is yes.

The first new introduction from a brand this carefully constructed is always a tell. Lil Softie lands squarely in a cultural moment — comfort, softness, the gourmand register everyone is reaching for right now — and still manages to feel like a point of view rather than a response. That's the Melanie Bender fingerprint: aspirational enough to want it, grounded enough to believe it.

This is a beastly edit so here’s how we’ll approach it: dresses, shoes, bags, and jewelry. I couldn’t include everything I wanted to here (this shit is hard), but everything else lives on my ShopMy.

Dresses

Full browse here.

1. De La Vie

2. Third Form

3. Et Ochs

4. Josephine

5. Resa

6. Kysha

7. Heiress

8. O.P.T

9. Hemant & Nandita - if you’re a friend of mine, do not wear this to Talia’s wedding or we’ll be matching.

10. Amanda Uprichard — currently $97. Yes, really.

11. Arakii

12. Taller Marmo — if I were in a different tax bracket, this is what I would’ve been wearing to my August wedding.

13. Shona Joy

14. SEA — great for a welcome party.

15. POSSE

16. SIRAPOP

17. Ulla Johnson

I am not a maximalist so, my personal rule of thumb is funky dress = simple accessories. Simple dress = funky accessories.

Shoes

Full browse here.

1. Izie

2. JW PEI

3. Cecelia

4. Larroude

5. Larroude Python

6. Tony Bianco

7. Toteme

8. Tuckernuck

9. Alexandre Birman

10. Tory Burch

11. Jimmy Choo Blue

12. Jimmy Choo Green

Bags

Bags

Recently got the Erdem in light blue and it’s so good — that one’s a personal co-sign.

1. Etsy

2. Farm Rio

3. Mango

4. Kate Spade — didn’t see that coming.

5. Etsy Fringe

6. Mélisse

7. Clio Peppiatt

8. Erdem Clutch

9. Khaite

Jewels

Full browse here.

1. Lizzie Fortunato in Blue Topaz

2. Etsy

3. Chan Luu

4. Jennifer Behr

5. Isabel Marant

6. Etsy Freshwater Pearl

7. SAME

8. Vintage Jill Sander

9. Wolf & Badger

10. Luv AJ

1. Vintage Boutique Abcoude — Willy Rizzo Dry Bar

I haven’t felt this way about a piece of furniture in quite some time. Vintage Boutique Abcoude, a Netherlands-based vintage dealer, is currently sitting on a Willy Rizzo dry bar set in suede and chrome from Italy, 1970s. Working lights, original refrigerator, matching bar stools. Willy Rizzo (1928–2013) started as a celebrity photographer - his subjects included Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Hepburn - before his clientele loved his aesthetic so much he turned to furniture design. That origin story is in every piece he made.

2. Dahana — TikTok

@dahanadcr is my favorite new follow. Her content is fabulous and she makes the most beautiful flower arrangements, shot with the kind of lighting and editorial instinct that most people with studio budgets don’t manage to pull off. Go follow.

3. Chef’s Tableware — Donut Bowl

The ceramic Donut Bowl from Chef’s Tableware is exactly the kind of object that I’m a sucker for. Perfect shape, perfect colors, would be a fabulous catchall in an entryway, bedside table or bathroom. You can shop it via their Instagram.

4. Design by Lera x Diptyque

Design by Lera is doing these incredible cyanotype concepts, and this one for Diptyque literally stopped me mid-scroll. Lera’s a graphic & motion designer whose focus is in branding, prints and visual stories and she takes us behind the scenes for this cyanotype technique (a photographic printing process that produces that iconic prussian blue).

5. Flamingo Estate — Oaxacan Apple Banana Body Balm

The balm started as a limited-edition for Flamingo Estate’s Mexico Subscription Box, inspired by the creamy sweetness of the Oaxacan Apple Banana, scented with violet leaf and patchouli—before making its way to Mecca Beauty in Australia, where the reaction was apparently wild enough to bring it back properly. Flamingo Estate’s launch execution always exceeds par—they have some of the strongest creative direction in market (and to no surprise, given the Founder used to be the CEO of Chandelier).

I personally hate the scent of banana but try it and report back.

6. Jane Morelli — Espresso & Ashtray Concept

Jane Morelli is an AI designer, and this espresso and ashtray concept made its way across my feed. Does the algorithm know me, or does the algorithm know me? Equal parts object design and still life, the kind of thing that makes you want to sit with it for a while.

7. Lore — Lil Softie

Last but very much not least: Lore’s latest fragrance, Lil Softie. The first new introduction since their launch SKU mix, and they did not miss. I’m going deep on this one in next week’s Studied feature, stay tuned.

I ordered a pair of baby blue heels from Intentionally Blank and they arrived in a bubblegum pink box. Blue shoes. Pink box. My brain immediately goes, oh!

That instinctive response, the oh before the why, is color theory doing its job. Once you know what you're looking at, you see it everywhere—the retail store that felt immediately right, the outfit that catches your eye on someone across the room, the product you picked up before you knew why (did you know most customers make a judgment on a product within 90 seconds, and 62–90% of that judgment is due to color?).

Color theory isn't a rule system. It's the reason you have taste. And it's running underneath nearly everything.

^{The Cee Sandal in light blue.}

The Wheel

Color theory starts with the color wheel, and specifically with the relationships between colors on it. There are a few that matter for this conversation:

^{This is actually a print from Etsy}

Complementary colors sit directly opposite each other on the wheel—blue and orange, red and green, purple and yellow. Placed together, they make each other louder. This is called simultaneous contrast, and it’s why a red strawberry on a green plate looks more red than the same one on a white one.

Analogous colors are neighbors—rust, terracotta, burnt orange. They whisper rather than shout. Harmonious, warm, easy to live with.

Unexpected pairings. the ones that break the rules and still land, are usually playing with tint (lightened versions of a color behave differently than the pure hue, which is why pink and blue feel softer than red and navy) or leaning into emotional contrast rather than purely chromatic contrast.

When it doesn’t work: every successful pairing has a dominant color. When two colors fight for that role at equal weight, neither wins. The other culprit is value sameness—two colors can be wildly different in hue and still clash if they’re the same level of lightness or darkness. Squint at a pairing. If both colors blur into the same mid-tone grey, they’re fighting.

When Pairings Don’t Work (And Why)

Not all contrast creates excitement. Some combinations clash rather than pop, and the difference usually comes down to three things:

Temperature conflict without intention. Warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) and cool colors (blues, greens, purples) can coexist beautifully, but only when the contrast is deliberate. When they’re close in value (lightness/darkness) but opposite in temperature with no clear hierarchy, they vibrate unpleasantly. Think the wrong green and red together—too equal, too much tension, nowhere to rest.

No dominant color. Every successful pairing has a lead. The Intentionally Blank box works because the shoe is the blue - the product, the object you came for - and the pink is the container, the frame, the surprise. Flip that (pink shoes, blue box) and it might still work, but the hierarchy reads differently. When two colors fight for dominance at equal weight, neither wins.

Value sameness. Two colors can be wildly different in hue and still clash if they’re the same level of lightness or darkness. Squint at a pairing—if the colors blur into the same mid-tone grey when you lose the hue information, they’re probably fighting each other.

The Pairs Worth Studying

A few color pairings that do this well.

Rust + pink — warm against warm, analogous enough to be harmonious, different enough to feel considered. All over interiors right now for a reason.

^{All reference imagery from Pinterest, Instagram and Behance. See something of yours and want credit? DM me and I’ll feature it in a note!}

Cobalt + cream — complementary in temperature (cool blue, warm cream) but far enough apart in saturation that cream acts as a neutral reset, letting the blue lead.

^{All reference imagery from Pinterest, Instagram and Behance. See something of yours and want credit? DM me and I’ll feature it in a note!}

Chartreuse + light blue — two colors that should fight but don't. They sit close enough on the wheel to feel analogous, while the value difference between acid green and a softer blue keeps them from muddying into each other. Unexpected, specific, and somehow completely right. Exceptional in interiors, but harder to come by.

^{All reference imagery from Pinterest, Instagram and Behance. See something of yours and want credit? DM me and I’ll feature it in a note!}

Chocolate brown + orange — technically analogous (brown is simply a darkened orange), which is why it reads as warm and complete rather than surprising. The Hermès palette, essentially.

^{All reference imagery from Pinterest, Instagram and Behance. See something of yours and want credit? DM me and I’ll feature it in a note!}

A blue shoe in a pink box. That's where this started. But now that you know what you were looking at, you'll see it everywhere. You always were.

This exercise started the way many great things do: a purchase.

I finally made it into Found By Steph’s second location in Winnetka—(if you’re a city dweller, find her OG location on Halsted) and stumbled upon this treasure: an 80s J.Crew men’s waffle henley in the perfect shade of cream.

The shirt was great. The tag was better.

That little red symbol, the J.Crew Oarsman, is the hallmark of true J.Crew vintage. Tells you your goods are circa '80s/'90s, i.e the Cinader era. I set out to find a catalog or ad featuring this specific shirt (my ADHD was made for a rabbit hole) and while the search was ultimately unsuccessful, the exercise itself turned out to be the whole point.

^{A moment of silence for when everyone had unique facial features.}

^{(Images from Pinterest, Google, @lostjcrew, @jcrewarchives).}

Those old catalogs reminded me of how fully J.Crew inhabited a world. The original brand wasn’t selling clothes, it was selling a particular vision of American life: salt air, Ivy League weekends, worn-in Shetland sweaters, the kind of effortless that takes enormous effort to produce. The creative was confident, image-driven, unhurried. There was a quality of attention in it — the clothes, the casting, the settings — that made you want to live inside the pages.

That’s a hard thing to sustain for forty-plus years. And for a long stretch, J.Crew lost it entirely. (We need not be reminded of the J.Crew plaid short epidemic, and therefor I won’t be including an image of it here).

^{I would be so insufferable if I had this hair?}

Enter Olympia Gayot. Since her appointment in 2020 as Creative Director and Head of Design, Olympia’s been doing something quietly remarkable: threading the needle between the brand’s original DNA and where it needs to go. She’s not a nostalgist. She’s not a reinventor. She’s something harder to pull off: a steward who actually understands what made the original work and why it stopped.

The evidence is in the campaigns. "A Tale of Two SoHo's"—a 33-piece capsule collaboration with London-based creative director Alex Eagle, bridging her Soho (London) with J.Crew's SoHo (New York): British tailoring meets American prep, masculine-feminine tension, chino and pinstripe and merino wool. "Alpine People," the U.S. Ski & Snowboard collaboration for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics—a '70s-Slim Aarons / Wes Anderson inspired campaign, fully committed to a world. And this summer's Camp Crew, featuring a reunion of 2010s supermodels, striped rollnecks over cobalt bikini bottoms, and the kind of Americana that should feel like a costume but doesn't, it just feels like J.Crew.

In Gayot’s own words: these collections draw on “many of the codes that have defined J.Crew for decades, but what’s interesting is that none of it feels archival. The styling, proportions, and color make it feel contemporary. That’s always the goal, to honor what people love about J.Crew while continuing to move it forward.”

That’s the balance. And right now, they’re striking it.

^{Shot by yours truly on 35mm}

We’ve stayed here before and it really never disappoints. Sort of giving Marissa / Julie Cooper in their prime.

504 coastal acres, Italian Renaissance architecture, a Coliseum Pool lined with over one million hand-cut glass mosaic tiles, fireplaces in the villas and service so good it feels personal. Pelican Hill is one of those properties that doesn’t need to try very hard—it just is.

Worth knowing before you book: it’s mid-renovation. By 2027 it becomes the inaugural St. Regis Estate—reimagined villas, new culinary program, the works. I can’t wait to see it the end result.

Book here →

Where We Bopped

Drop yourself in Lido Marina Village and you won’t have much need for a substack guide, but I digress.

Herst Coffee Roasters — Start here. Grab something and saunter/shop/walk it down to the dock and watch the boats.

DÔEN — In residence inside Alchemy Works: Harbor House, which is a destination in itself.

Lido Village Books — For those of us who solemnly refuse to get a kindle.

The RealReal + Goop — Obligatory. I tried on the sickest vintage Cartier watch and my sister had a really nice time reminding me I’m a few years away from being able to afford said watch.

Nobu — Classic for a reason, and right on the water.

Malibu Farm — we couldn’t get into Zinque and that was a-okay.

Vacancy Coffee — a fabulous rec from the one and only Gabs Gofis.

The Looks, Left to Right

• Gap LS Ribbed Tee - sadly soldout but this is an amazing alt.

• Sezane Black Cardigan

• Old Zara green bag w/ amazing silver hardware. Soldout but I love this for a cheapie and Andiamo in Matcha // Jacquemus for investment piece alternatives.

• Ganni Floral Print Top - sadly soldout but this is an amazing alt.

• Old Zara belted sweater (soldout) and my favorite treasure, vintage Gucci from TRR - similar options here and here.

• All time favorites: Gap cream denim

• Cream jacquard corset blouse - also soldout, great alts here and here.

• Old Jacquemus. Recent / similar that I love from them here.

• Laura Lombardi mixed metal bracelet - she doesn’t make it anymore but similar here. Her stuff is perfect for those of us mixing metals.

• Last, but certainly not least. My latest makeup favorites.

A girl in her driveway on Graemere, circa 1996. On her way to find out just how much she hates math.

TLDR: I entered this earth as a 30 year old, and a 30 year old I have remained (plus or minus a year or two).

My taste, likes and dislikes weren’t honed over time, they were rampant out the gate. I wanted to redesign my room every year. I collected magazines and pored over them the way other kids read Junie B. Jones, dog-earring pages, studying layouts, mentally inhabiting rooms I’d never been in. I hosted lavish tea parties with dress code requirements. I begged for a camera the minute it was appropriate for me to have one. I sketched. I painted. I made collages out of whatever I could get my hands on. My undiagnosed ADHD was living la vida loca.

I studied art in highschool, and psychology in college (code for ruthlessly creative, and sizing everyone and everything up). I had preferences on what hotels we stayed at, where we’d travel to, what restaurants we dined in (god bless my parents?), what florals my friends should do at their wedding, what they should gift their boyfriend’s Mom for Christmas. I’ve always had some seriously strong opinions a point of view.

What I understand now, and couldn’t have articulated then, is that all of it was the same instinct: a compulsive, curious, slightly overwhelming need to be surrounded by beautiful things. Nature? Nurture? Just a double Libra?

Those instincts have followed me into - or I followed them into - a decade in marketing. Building brands, learning how things we love get made and positioned and brought into the world. It guided me into a genuine obsession with beauty in every sense of the word: visual, tactile, conceptual. The way a well-designed object feels in your hand. The way a great campaign resonates. The way an event can feel like a lived expression of a person. The way a room can tell you everything about the person who lives in it.

After years of hemming and hawing over what to share, what not to share, I like my privacy, I like sharing beautiful things, I hate the internet, I love the internet…I’m throwing my hands up in the air.

Graemere Avenue is simply where all of the thoughts in my head will now live. Where to travel, eat, and shop, campaigns worth watching, brands doing it right, and the designers I can’t stop thinking about. Everything I’d point a friend toward if she asked (and they ask often).

Helenah Haddox Medeiros // A serving tray so good it could hang on a wall, and honestly, should. HHM Ceramics makes the kind of objects that blur the line between functional and fine art, and this tray is the clearest example of that yet. Use it for entertaining. Frame it. Both.

^{Soldout but I’m betting on a restock!}

Raney Davis, an artist making collages from vintage print works—this particular one built from a 1960s National Forest map. There's something quietly brilliant about rescuing something that was never meant to be art and turning it into exactly that. One to watch!

Chanel’s new beauty Magazine, is to me what crack is to Hunter Biden. Coco is a Chaos publication—led by Editor-in-Chief Katie Lyall and Creative Director Charlotte Stockdale, with art direction by Thomas Lenthal of Lenthal Studio. Multiple photographers, multiple covers, all of it gorgeous. This is how you launch a magazine in 2026.

^{Photo sourced from creative_brandsmag.}

Vinyl Nights: my current favorite TikTok follow, and I mean that with full conviction. An epic vinyl collection, played and shot with the kind of art direction and cinematography that makes you wish your own apartment looked like this. If you love records, beautiful interiors, or just things that are done well, follow immediately.

Second Sense. A vintage retailer battling TRR (here for it) does a content series where they deep dive on brands + designers we obsess over. This recent one on Tom Ford had me fully sat—thorough, thoughtful, the kind of content that makes you want to go back and watch the whole archive. This is what thrift culture looks like when it's run by someone who truly knows what they're holding.

Eva Joan Repair. Co-founders Bjorn Eva Park and Emma Villeneuve opened Eva Joan in 2021 in New York's West Village. Named after their grandmothers, this mending studio does chainstitch, hand embroidery, restoration, and garment reworking entirely in-house, entirely by hand. The work is genuinely beautiful—patches and stitches that don't hide damage but transform it into something you'd never want to cover up.

I own this freshwater pearl cuff and can attest it’s really, really good.

Freshwater pearl necklace. Verrrry Chan Luu coded but for a fraction of the price.

Silver bangle but make it, interesting!

Summer uniform: white linens, white tee, color accessories.

Creole with peridot, in silver. An ear cuff takes the stack to the next level.

Movement = interest. The simple wave in this bangle makes it so much better.

Abstract sculptural hoop earring. Perfect wedding guest accessory.

Pearlized conch shell earrings

Mother of pearl silver pendant. Would be so fun with a blue beaded or silver chain.

I don’t want to play favorites but this chunky resin beaded necklace might be mine.

Vintage marble acrylic resin oversized bangle

Silver chunky bracelets set

Antique silver vintage statement lightweight link bracelet

TLDR: Katherine Powers walked so the female Founders & CEOs you know and love today could run. She is the OG boss: Founder of Who What Wear (sold to UK media company Future plc in a rumored $100M cash deal), Merit, and Versed, co-founder of Avaline and now a partner at venture firm Greycroft. Not only is she a legend, she’s also Nicole Richie’s best friend and for those of us who grew up chain smoking cigarettes and getting into a lot of trouble watching A Simple Life, that tells you everything you need to know.

So it’s no surprise that Merit, led by CMO Alia Morin (listen to her on this recent episode of Behind The Brand), has become one of the most successful, privately-held beauty brands—clearing roughly $200M in annual sales in 2025.

Now, let’s get into why we’re really here: Merit’s recent campaign for the launch of their new Clean Volume Mascara. No one does a launch quite like Merit—teaser, hype, wait list, drop, follow-through, every beat meticulously on-brand.

Merit started teasing this campaign on June 5th, just shy of a month before launch. The teaser creative signaled precision—a measuring stick, a leveler, a drafting compass. As a consumer I knew two things: we’re getting a mascara and it’s (hopefully) going to go as hard as my 2013 L’Oreal Telescopic, without the janky chemicals.

^{Wish I knew who shot this so I could give them credit, but I’ve done the scrub and Merit appears to be gatekeeping. Can’t blame them!}

They seeded this product perfectly — every order leading up to launch included a mini sampler of the new mascara. Trial is the strongest lever in the beauty space. You can tell me how great your mascara is all you’d like; I’ll decide how I feel once I’ve tried it!

Next, the feed became thoughtfully filled with what I call beauty porn—high-resolution, macro beauty shots of the applicator, the formula’s two shades (black and brown), application, even the clinical studies. (Show, don’t tell.)

The launch campaign featured every millennial’s favorite Girls character, Jemima Kirke, famous in her own right for her deadpan response when asked what advice she’d give unconfident young women: “I think you guys might be thinking about yourselves too much.” According to Morin, Kirke was cast because she “always embodied a confidence and irreverence that feels very Merit”, exactly the kind of casting logic that makes a campaign feel inevitable in retrospect.

And Merit’s launch strategy is nothing without an opportunity to bring their community together—they hosted a launch event at Simon House, the 1956 midcentury home tucked into Beverly Hills’ Trousdale Estates, donned with the most gorgeous tablescape, personalized mascaras for guests, and not a branding moment missed—from the serving trays to the tinis to the mugs.

^{Photos from Merit && my nearest/dearest Gabri.}

Here’s a list of all the summer tops I’ve had my eye on.

Farm Rio Top. Style with: low rise white baggy cargos, Chan Luu barrels or a silk pant. Chunky black or pop of color sandal, silver accessories.

Tae Park Top. This cut is good on everyone. Style with: Nili high waisted flare denim, green chunk shoe, big fun gold or broken tortoise earrings.

Cara Cara Top. No one does a print better than them. Style with: Cream or navy silk pant, silver earring, silver necklace, silver bangle, navy suede kitten heel.

Fabrique Jacquard Sleeveless Top. So good on its own or with the matching skirt.

Venroy Poplin Halter. Styled: as is in this set, or with a low rise baggy denim, kitten heel and a croc bag.

Kujten Anise Top. This is so damn good. Style with: low slung black silk pants, black chunky sandal, or a low slung skirt.

Sir Leif Embroidered Top. Literally no notes. White pant, funky blue accessories, silver kitten heel.

One of Others Hazel Top. This e-comm shot isn’t doing it justice, saw a girl on TikTok wearing it and it’s SO good. Chan Luu bracelet, silk pant, funky shoe.

Aritzia Smooth Matter Top. Love the combo of this color + hardware detail. Perfect with baggy cargos and contrast sandal.