Tomorrow, I fly to Copenhagen for Fashion Week, which I’m excited to report back on, since I’ve only ever been there in the winter (and that was 10+ years ago). Then I’ll be offline on vacation the week after, passenger princessing through Denmark and Sweden on a road trip with Matt 😇✌️

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In the meantime, I’ve been basking in the best of what the tri-state area has to offer. I stayed at a friend’s house on LBI, visited my mom upstate, and also got some much-appreciated beach time at The Boat House on Shelter Island, thanks to Design Within Reach and Boutique Homes. If you’re interested, the three-bedroom spot, which overlooks the harbor, is available to rent through November, and I’m positive it’s just as pleasant in the “off-season” as well.

Although we only got one day of blue sky, which I will never take for granted again, we still had a ridiculously dreamy weekend. We packed sandwiches and drove to Shell Beach, which was somehow empty on a Friday afternoon. We piled into the hot tub. We grilled. We bought fresh fish from the farmer’s market and ate it raw. We played Jenga and Trivial Pursuit and watched the World Cup at Salt, a local bar, where Matt ordered so many Long Island iced teas that the bartender asked: “Who is ordering Long Island iced teas???”

On top of all that, DWR let us borrow a brand-new Mercedes for the trip, which made the three grown men I brought along squeal like little girls. Of course, the entire house was also shoppable. I had no idea DWR sold mattresses, and the firm one I slept on made me question the “extra plush” one I have from Saatva. I’d also buy the outdoor lamps, the Hawkins New York beach towels, and this $20,000 record player if I had all the money in the world, although if that were the case, I’d just get the whole house.

Below is everything else I enjoyed in July.

What I Wore

It’s important to have a summer alter-ego, and my Versace muscle tank is helping me embrace my inner Baywatch character. (Hot tip: much of Dario’s one-and-only runway collection is now on sale.) I’ve also been wearing my H-O-R-S-E shorts in three different colors. Red is my new favorite.

I’m still on my hat journey… But I rounded it out with some other brown accessories, including a Sézane raffia bag, which is the right price but still sturdy, and Church’s fisherman sandals, which were expensive, even when I found them on sale, but so far, entirely worth it. (Set an alert on TRR; these are $168.)

At the bar on Shelter Island, one of my friends was like, “Why are all these women wearing rope???” I didn’t understand what he was saying, but then I was like, “Oh, do you mean…. Crochet?” The male mind cannot comprehend on-theme beach attire.

What I Bought

• More electrolytes, sleep gummies, and wipes to remove sunscreen from my face.

• A Systemarosa x Coming Soon x Cold Picnic “futbol” bath mat.

• For Copenhagen, I got Flòwze sandals on sale, an Extreme Cashmere striped sweater, and I’m also packing this Attersee knit tank top, which is now on sale as well.

  ---

What I Bookmarked

• This photo of Victoria Beckham in her WAG era came across my feed, and the top looked familiar. It’s Dolce & Gabbana. I found it on The RealReal.

• Carmen Amsterdam, a store I’d like to visit one day, launched its own “House Shirts.” I’m partial to lilac and pink.

• The Row released suede ankle boots that look like the Ludwig Reiter ones stylist Anny Choi put me onto ages ago. I’m kicking myself for not buying a pair when I was in Vienna earlier this year. She said they run large: “I’m a US 6 and got 4.5, but [they’re] big. Could have gotten 3.5 or 5.” (I dm’ed her about this in February, but never pulled the trigger.)

• Of course, I find the straw hat of my dreams at the end of the summer. Maryam Keyhani is still undefeated.

What I Read

• Biz Sherbert gave a Parsons freshman $100 to see what (clothing) they’d buy. A fun idea.

• The NYC Ferry launched merch. The slogan is cute, but I wish the designs/styles were better. Put it on an L.L. Bean tote!

• People left farewell messages at the shuttered REI SoHo store. “Once went on a first date here because a guy had to pee,” read one unsigned note. Another says, “Best gear and best bathroom in the city.” Okay, so people are sad about the bathroom?? I regret never using it—my preference is the Apple store—and walking away from these sunglasses.

• Speaking of bathrooms, I did not know about the poop-fluencers. But of course there are poop-fluencers.

What I Screenshotted

My friend Maxime’s mom is extremely chic and makes a mean deviled egg. She posted this cheeky tray to display her gorgeous creations that reads “THE DEVIL WEARS PAPRIKA,” and I love it.

NEXT TIME: A dispatch from Copenhagen Fashion Week.

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The forecast did not look great: temperatures were expected to reach 98 degrees, smoke from Canadian wildfires was turning the sky hazy orange-gray, and panic about an explosive diarrhea-causing parasite was rapidly spreading across the city. Did he maybe want to reschedule to a day that wasn't quite so apocalyptic…?

“There is no day that I wouldn’t come,” said Flynn when I arrived at 9 am. He’d only been at the Greenmarket for 30 minutes, and his XL extendable Mac Sports wagon was almost full. (He would get there earlier, he told me, but street cleaning doesn’t end until 8:30 am, and he needs to be able to park his van nearby.)

He ran to get blackberries first. He’d also already grabbed armfuls of corn, bags of small “fairytale” eggplants, pattypan squash that looked like colorful flying saucers, and multiple “flats” of fruit. But we still had a lot of ground left to cover.

“I’ve been yelled at by so many old ladies,” said Flynn, who wore his uniform of a t-shirt, khakis, and waterproof hiking boots from On, his new kitchen shoe of choice after his girlfriend, writer and stylist Amanda Lee Burkett, told him they made him look like designer Jonathan Anderson. “They come at me, and they’re like, you’re why I can’t get my tomatoes.” But what else is a guy with a 40-seat, California-inspired, seasonal, and vegetable-forward restaurant to do? The Greenmarket doesn’t offer wholesale, so it’s every chef for themselves out there.

Flynn comes to the Greenmarket four days a week, every week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with Hannah Chirillo, head of purchasing at Cove, who has her own XL wagon to fill, and usually focuses on pre-orders. On this particular Wednesday, we also ran into at least three other chefs, including pastry chef Lauren Schofield, who makes beautiful, fruit-covered cakes, and pastry chef Clodagh Manning of Zimmi’s.

Diarrhea be damned, the Greenmarket is clearly the place to be. I find the whole thing overwhelming, though, even when I’m only getting one tomato, some lettuce, and a decadent muffin back in Carroll Gardens every Sunday, so I asked Flynn to walk me through his approach to buying different fruits and vegetables.

Below are his tips for embracing the chaos, including how to know when a raspberry is good, where he gets various tomatoes, and why he has “stone fruit trust issues.”

“By the end of the trip, I always feel like I need a post-market nap,” he said.

Basil

“If you’re gonna buy basil here at 10 am, you’re just kind of fucked,” said Flynn. He was referring to the fact that it was sweltering hot, and by late morning, most basil plants would be crying for help. “We get most of our basil from our garden, but we’ve also started to keep some in the wine fridge. Not the walk-in, because if it gets too cold, it goes bad. My sister also told me the other day that she bought some basil from Trader Joe’s and put it in a jar of room temperature water, and it kept.”

Berries

“If it’s been pouring for like a week, they’re not going to hit the same. They need to be baked in the sun to taste really good. If you want to be a really OCD farmer’s market buyer, you can check whether it rained upstate or in New Jersey. I’ll talk to the farmers. You can also tell: when raspberries, for example, are very open, they’re drier.”

“Same with strawberries; they also need lots of sun. We’re in a strawberry lull right now. Everyone got them in early April. The craziest New York thing is there’s a huge bump of September/October strawberries. No one acknowledges this, but they’re the best ones. The September strawberries from Samascott are my favorite berries ever. They’re the darkest red you’ve ever seen.”

Eggplant

“Squeeze ‘em. You want small ones to be hard, but for bigger ones, you want a nice little give. Otherwise, it’s not ripe.”

Flowers

“James Durr has the best ones on Saturdays. Luna Family Farm is also consistent. For sunflowers, the longest-lasting ones are from Oak Grove. I’ve never really ever figured out how to keep sunflowers fresh, though. I’ve heard you can blowtorch the bottoms, but my advice is to just enjoy them until they die.”

One purveyor told Hannah to cut the bottoms every single day, and they’ll last for two weeks.

Lettuce

“We buy from farms as far upstate as possible; the colder the climate, the better.”

Stone fruit

“This was a weird year for stone fruit because it was a very late frost. There’s actually a bit of drama, with some people thinking farms are secretly buying from elsewhere… I have stone fruit trust issues after being burned too many times. I don’t pre-order anymore. I have to eat one first, which I can kind of get away with because I buy in bulk. I just got some white nectarines from Caradonna, and you can tell they’re good because they’re slightly pink on the inside.”

Tomatoes

“I go to Campo Rosso on Fridays, Eckerton for heirlooms, and Sycamore for Sungolds. They also do these really amazing mixed cherry tomatoes later in the summer, and have sauce tomatoes. But depending on the point of the season, I’ll just buy as many Sungolds from different places as I can.”

“If you’re buying one tomato, leave it on the counter. But if you’re buying six flats, like we are, you have to keep some in the fridge. We’ll pull them out two days before we use them. If we buy them underripe, we’ll leave them out, but if they’re fully ripe, we don’t really have another option.”

“For me, it’s about consistency [when picking out tomatoes]. You either want the whole thing slightly underripe or fully ripe. Otherwise, you’re going to have a lot of dead spots.”

Bonus: Flynn’s Favorite Farmer’s Market Snacks

“I get a cinnamon roll from Bread’s Bakery, and Lani’s juices are the ones. I had a crazy iced tea from them that tasted like chicken broth. It was really weird, but it was good.”

You can read all of ’s farmers’ market dispatches on his Substack, The Market Report.

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Last weekend, I was on a 6 train headed to Brooklyn from Grand Central when I missed my transfer at Bleecker Street. I got off at the next stop and trudged up the stairs with three huge tote bags, hoping to catch the F at Broadway-Lafayette. But as soon as I emerged from the Spring Street station into SoHo, I realized I’d made yet another, even worse mistake.

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Last weekend, I did almost nothing. I made an OxiClean stew in my bathtub with my white shirts, and you’d never know they were once covered in pit stains. I ate a “swingle,” or a mini key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen on a stick, at Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie in Red Hook. (Perfect dessert.) And I finished The Bottom of the Harbor, a book of essays by New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell chronicling the various eccentric characters of the New York waterfront in the 1940s and ‘50s, including rats.

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As weddings have gone from private affairs to personal branding opportunities for anyone with a social media account, competition to stand out, or celebrate in a way that feels truly unique, is fiercer than ever. Finding a dress is no longer just about getting something you like; it’s about finding something that no one else will have.

“When people approach bridal, they think that they have to think so outside of the box, and be so extra, when in reality, you should really think about what you’ve worn in the past, who you are, and what you like,” says bridal stylist Anny Choi. “Do that instead of trying to change your whole personality in order to be different.”

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Having worked one-on-one with brides for eight years now, Anny knows her way around a wardrobe crisis—and how to steer brides towards something that fits their personal style. She also founded Over The Moon’s bridal styling program in 2018 alongside the website’s founder (who is also the editor of Vogue Weddings) before launching her own styling business in 2022.

Increasingly, brides are coming to Anny seeking hard-to-find vintage looks over traditional wedding dresses. As evidenced by her own closet full of incredible archival pieces, which she prefers to wear as a guest to the many weddings she’s invited to, Anny loves vintage and is really good at tracking it down. But she feels like brides are interested in it “for the wrong reasons” these days.

“They only want vintage if it’s a certain a designer—Valentino, Chanel, etc.—and they don’t stop to think about the dress itself and the shape and whether or not they like it on their body,” she said. “Obviously, wedding coverage and social media are a big part of it; you don’t want something that everyone else has, and I get that. But I always tell my brides to take a step back. If this weren’t Chanel or Valentino—if this were a no-name, $50 dress from a thrift shop—would it still feel like it’s the dress that you need to have? And does it still make you feel amazing?”

It’s a good question to ask yourself before you buy anything, bridal or not. Sometimes, while I’m scrolling, I will literally hold my hand up to my screen to cover the brand name, so that I can see something for what it really is. (I recently did this with Auralee, for example, and saved myself about $600.)

Instead of starting with a designer name, Anny likes to find the silhouette that works best for her clients first. What shapes do they already have a lot of in their closet? What tends to look best on them, and what do they feel most comfortable in? “It makes my job easier, because then I can pull things in that general direction, versus going out and looking for vintage just for the sake of it.”

This year, Anny also began working with some of her favorite contemporary brands, including Colleen Allen, Christopher John Rogers, Batsheva, Rosie Assoulin, and One/Of, to produce more bridal-friendly versions of their ready-to-wear looks, which she displayed for the first time collectively at a trunk show in May. (Alongside a smaller collection of vintage finds!)

“Women hire me as a stylist because they don’t want to walk into a traditional bridal boutique and buy a dress,” Anny explained. “They want to bring on a stylist who has relationships with non-bridal designers, so that they can be connected and wear something that anyone can’t just walk into a store and get.” In this case, the lesser-known the brand, the better.

In addition to ditching well-known bridal designers, which may have been a status symbol 4-5 years ago, “more and more brides are also walking away from the very traditional, classic ball-gown look,” Anny added. “They want their bridal wardrobe to be a reflection of their personal style and what they would wear day-to-day.”

Anny’s idea is a win-win for everyone involved. Brides feel like they’re not getting something so mainstream and mass-produced, but rather something small-batch by a designer they love, and the designers get to expand their client base in the process. “Most of the brands I’m working with are small businesses, and these custom projects bring them a good amount of cash that they can then use towards their seasonal collections,” said Anny. This isn’t to say that they care less about bridal; they’re just limited on time and funds. “Having me as an in-between allows these designers to focus on what they do best, which is the creative part and the design, while I’m handling all of the customer service.” Plus, the trunk show model makes their work more accessible; brides don’t have to hire a full-time stylist to get what they want.

“The goal for me is to open a permanent showroom in 2027,” said Anny. In the meantime, she’s testing the waters with pop-ups and trunk shows. And so far, so good. At the most recent trunk show I went to at the Sophie Bille Brahe showroom uptown, I watched a total stranger try on a white Colleen Allen gown and was so overcome with emotion that I nearly cried.

It was a white version of a velvet, ridiculously flattering, deep U-neck dress that I already own in black. “The idea is to take these evening and black-tie dresses that you’d wear to someone else’s wedding, make them in white, and maybe add a little bit of a train,” said Anny. “It feels more wearable and modern, especially if it’s made by a brand that you’re already aligned with. If you’re not wearing Oscar de la Renta day-to-day, why should that be your only option?”

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The only look anyone cares about is the bride’s because it’s her wedding. Not yours. And that’s great news!!! Because it means you can wear whatever will make you feel your best.

Of course, your outfit should be respectful. If the bride says she wants all of her bridesmaids to wear Missoni, then Missoni be it. (True story.) But otherwise, what’s stopping you from buying something you actually want?

“It’s an opportunity to dress up and have fun with your personal style,” says bridal stylist Anny Choi, whose opinion I trust more than most. “You don’t have to play it safe. And if it doesn’t turn out great, just don’t post a photo after.”

In addition to eight years of experience as a bridal stylist (plus seven years before that working for Vogue), Anny is an all-star wedding guest, traveling from India to Montana to London to Italy and back to New York again to celebrate her friends. As summer wedding content starts to flood my Instagram feed, she’s one of the few people I’m turning to for inspiration. (She recently attended a wedding in Montana in an iconic Spring 2018 Chloé suit that she found on The RealReal, for example, which she also wore to a wedding event last October.)

About a month ago, in the thick of my wedding guest anxiety, I called up Anny for some advice. I’ve divided the tips she shared with me into two parts: the first is for guests, and the second is for brides, which will hit your inboxes on Sunday.

Below the paywall are her dos and don’ts for shopping as a guest.

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The streets of New York were filled with Knicks merch last week (and still are). But the looks that stood out were the one-of-ones: the custom t-shirts, bedazzled jerseys, and creative combinations of orange and blue. Below are some highlights, plus Hannah La Follette Ryan’s photos from the scene.

• On the night of the Knicks’ Game 5 win, Ramell-Correen Frederick, or @tattood.cloth on Instagram, offered custom embroidery of images and phrases like “bing bong” on the streets of Fort Greene using his vintage embroidery machine.

• First Lady of New York Rama Duwaji wore an upcycled Knicks T-shirt dress by 2026 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Miss Claire Sullivan to the parade.

• Stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson interviewed the “expert tailor” who worked with Karl-Anthony Towns’ girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, on her custom looks.

• Batsheva sold out of custom t-shirt dresses.

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Hannah La Follette Ryan is a Brooklyn-based artist and educator from Amherst, MA. Her Subway Hands series has been featured in dozens of publications in the US and abroad. She freelances for New York magazine and The Nation and has collaborated with Boy Genius, Valentino, the Guggenheim, and many others.

You can read all of her “Subway Rat” columns here.

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They correctly assume that all anyone wants for a made-up holiday is a fun gadget and/or a gift card for wagyu hot dogs. I’m not a Grill Dad, a Golf Dad, or a Car Dad (and my own dad died when I was 11), but every time I scroll through one of these lists, I learn about some new tool or device I didn’t know existed, like an industrial-strength toothpaste tube squeezer, or a portable pizza oven, and feel a brief but potent shopper’s high.

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This is why Father’s Day gift guides are so funny: absolutely no one needs an industrial-strength toothpaste tube squeezer and/or a portable pizza oven (even if it allows you to make “pizza in places you never thought possible”). But no one seems to know enough about their own fathers’ interior lives to venture beyond the obvious stereotypes and get them literally anything else. According to these gift guides, everyone’s dad is a reclusive alcoholic with bad taste and a love of sharp objects? And while that may be true… I feel like, as a society, we should maybe stop giving men more knives.

This is all to say: Father’s Day gift guides are hilarious, but they also make me sad. I think we can do better, which is why I scrolled through hundreds of items and pulled out the funniest, most ridiculous recommendations. Below are my favorites, plus a few of my own ideas.

Recommended Product: A Pocket Handsaw

The NYTimes really thinks your dad needs a handsaw. It’s the second item on their Father’s Day gift guide, and that scares me. Also, anyone can just buy this on Amazon??? That might be even scarier.

Who recommended it: NYTimes / Wirecutter via “The 37 Best Father’s Day Gifts”

Recommended Product: A Personalized Hammer

Just in case your dad confuses his hammer with another dad’s hammer at the hammer function.

Who recommended it: NYMag / Strategist via “The Best Personalized Father’s Day Gifts”

Recommended Product: A $500 Infared Baseball Cap

Congrats, your parents will never have sex again! Your balding dad doesn’t need a reminder that he’s balding, or any excuse to wear a baseball cap in bed.

Who recommended it: “The 2026 Father’s Day Gift Guide” by Goop

Recommended Product: A $1,040 JW Anderson x Guinness Sweater

I fear for your father’s safety. You’re going to let him out of the house in this?? I don’t care if it’s by Jonathan Anderson. Your dad doesn’t know who that is, and neither do his friends at the pub.

Who recommended it: “The Best Father’s Day Gifts for the Design-Loving Dad” via Architectural Digest

Recommended Product: A Magnetic Wristband

Okay, this is actually kind of sick. You’re allowed to get this for your dad, but ONLY if he agrees to wear it as a fashion statement.

Who recommended it: “The Verge’s Father’s Day 2026 Gift Guide”

Recommended Product: Gorilla Grip Meat Shredder Claws

This one (paired with the title of the product and the guide) made me laugh out loud. It’s called a fork, my guy.

Who recommended it: CNN via “The 45 best gifts for Dad in 2026 that show how well you know him”

What I’d get your dad, instead:

• Sponsorship of a local beehive and the honey that comes with it. Greenwood’s is brilliantly called “The Sweet Hereafter.”

• A tour of Paul Rudolph’s townhouse. I went a few years ago with some friends, and it left a lasting impression.

• A Made In pan. Matt loves this thing more than me.

• Tickets to see a clown show. Great conversation starter and a lesson in vulnerability.

• A copy of London Falling by PRK. A book about parent-child relationships disguised as a murder mystery.

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As Sam Herzog said on her panel (which you can read about here, ICYMI), collecting is “the most elite form of shopping,” whether it’s a rare jersey or a rare pair of Prada shoes. Below are some of the night’s MVPs.

Photos by Hannah La Follette Ryan.

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Hannah La Follette Ryan is a Brooklyn-based artist and educator from Amherst, MA. Her Subway Hands series has been featured in dozens of publications in the US and abroad. She freelances for New York magazine and The Nation and has collaborated with Boy Genius, Valentino, the Guggenheim, and many others.

You can read all of her “Subway Rat” columns here.

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My face still hurts from smiling at all the brilliant and beautiful panelists/attendees of The Sports x Fashion Summit, and my throat still hurts from screaming at the Knicks game, which I watched afterward in a massive, empty new Chinatown dim sum spot called 100 Feast. It was perfect.

I first want to thank my co-hosts, Sam Herzog and Naomi Accardi of systemarosa, who spent many hours curating an all-star roster of panelists with me and made the event look super chic, among a zillion other things. Also, a huge, huge, huge thank you to Nike for making the event possible and Game Seven for putting it together.

Grazie mille to Balera for the delicious food, and thank you to David Benthal and Hannah La Follette Ryan for photographing.

Another huge thank you to the panelists for being there—stylist Courtney Mays and Nike mastermind Hami Delimi came a very long way—and sharing such thoughtful, honest, and insightful answers to our questions. Nike got Gotham FC forward and Harvard graduate Midge Purce in the building!!! I was in awe.

Last but not least, thank you for being there! I loved meeting you and seeing your outfits, which I’ll highlight in a separate letter featuring Hannah’s photos.

Below is a recap of some key moments. I learned so much from everyone, and I hope to have more of these conversations in the future. (You really had to be there!!! The quotes below just scratch the surface.) My main takeaways are that there’s still a lot of progress to be made in merging the worlds of sports and fashion, but when they do come together, it’s a beautiful thing.

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PANEL 1: “The ESPN-ification of Fashion”

Moderated by me.

A discussion inspired by i-D magazine editor-in-chief Thom Bettridge’s Substack essay about how fashion and sports went mass, resulting in fans becoming “experts” who care just as much, if not more, about gossip, trades, and individual players as they do about the clothes/the game. During the panel, he suggested that Bernard Arnault do his own version of Lebron James’ “The Decision” next time he hires a new creative director, and I agree.

Panelists from left to right:

• , editor-in-chief of i-D magazine

• , award-winning journalist and author of “SportsVerse”

• and of The Sports Gossip Show

Key quotes:

Charlotte on why gossip is good: “To talk about sports with a true sports fan, there's so much lore, and I think it’s been used to keep people out in the past. Like, if you don't know this, we're not going to tell you, and you're just gonna have to start from here. It’s like starting Selling Sunset at season 8. It’s a great way to keep out people who traditionally haven't had access to sports media or found themselves represented or spoken to. So what we're trying to do is break down some of those barriers and say, ‘Hey, we'll tell you who these people are. We'll give you the lore. You can start now; it’s not too late.’ Daniel, you said that gossip might have been frowned upon before, and to that point, I think a lot of the media has protected these institutions, saying, ‘We're not going to tell you the unsavory things.’ Now, people have lost trust in institutions, and it's like, Well, why not say what's actually going on? And I think we've seen that in both the sports world and the fashion world.”

Thom’s “hot take” on what cuts through the noise: “I think both sports and fashion have become almost too cultural, in the sense that I feel like 95% things I read about fashion aren’t about clothes, and 95% of what I read about sports isn’t about playing sports—it’s about people being traded or whatever. So I feel like there’s this really amazing magic trick that brands have done—and that journalists have done—of expanding these things outside of what they are. Because it would be boring if fashion were just about clothes. But it’s almost like it’s expanded so far that there’s a desire to actually talk about the actual thing again. […] I just feel like we kind of lost the plot a little bit.”

PANEL 2: What Does an Athlete Look Like?

Moderated by of systemarosa.

How brands, stylists, and athletes are working together to push the boundaries of sports style codes.

Panelists:

• Courtney Mays, stylist with athlete clients including Breanna Stewart, Megan Rapinoe, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Sue Bird, and Anthony Anderson

• Hami Delimi, global senior brand director of Nike Energy

• Midge Purce, forward for Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and the United States national team

Key quotes:

Midge on how being a part of a team helped her find her personal style: “Growing up, I didn’t really have a choice for my sense of style. My dad’s a single father, and I grew up just wearing whatever my brother wore, so T-shirts, shorts, and sweatpants. It wasn’t until I got a little money that I began to actually explore what I want to wear and what I like. I think being on a team around a bunch of other women is really empowering in a special way. It makes you really confident in making decisions about what you want to do and how you want to present yourself in life.”

Hami on how his background informed the collaborative work he does at Nike today, like the recent X2 collection: “I actually grew up in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, which is really at the center of the city, and my elementary school was literally in front of the historic Chanel building on Rue Cambon. I’m gonna sound old, but at that time, the brand’s fashion shows all happened in that building, so since I was five, all the way until I was ten, it was actually hard to focus four times a year because of the fashion shows happening just next door. [Fashion and sport] used to be completely separate, though. While I was growing up in this environment, I started playing football […], traveling to the suburbs [to play], and being exposed to a world different from the one I grew up in. Navigating these different worlds, moving from one to another, and blending everything helped me find my way and absorb what was relevant in each. Then I started DJing and traveling the world, meeting people, so I guess all that really shaped me as a person, and somehow influenced the way I’m working today.”

Courtney on how there’s still a lot of work to be done: “I’m so grateful for these moments, because we’re obviously pushing the needle forward in the conversation about the convergence of sport and style, but I think there’s still a lot of logistics that need to happen. Brands aren’t necessarily throwing clothes at me, or you know, excited about athletes. Stylists, and not just me, are doing a lot of educating to the fashion world, because [brands] know LeBron, they know Megan Rapinoe, but they don’t know everybody, and I think a lot of times I’m trying to explain who these men and women are in order to open the doors for them. When I started, nobody cared. And I started with LeBron, so I started at the top. My whole career has been in sports, but we were buying Ralph Lauren. They weren’t giving us Ralph Lauren. I think social media has allowed us to live in a world of illusion. I don’t mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, because I’m not at all, but I think that there’s so much work that needs to be done. I’m happy because, as much as I love styling, I also love talking about the process, so we can educate both the athletes and the brands and work better together. So, yes, there was a time when brands were like, ‘No, thank you,’ and it might have been this morning. […] We’ve always looked to athletes as trendsetters and tastemakers, and I think that the world is now catching up, and I think that there is a larger conversation about race and gender and gender presentation that needs to be had about why we’re just not figuring it out. So I hope that I can keep those conversations going, and that maybe five years from now, when you ask me that question, I can say, ‘Everyone is so excited to work with us.’”

Midge on what the future will hold: “Because of the way AI is embedding itself in culture and society, I think sport will be one of the last places that you can actually get this really raw, authentic human experience. We’ll actually be forced to make sport a greater focal point of fashion and culture because we’ll run out of other options that feel good or satisfy human nature. No one wants to watch robots play. There’s this purity and sanctity in sport that will become even larger as AI continues to kind of dilute the rest of the world.”

PANEL 3: We’re All Stans Now

Moderated by Sam Herzog of systemarosa.

Fashion and sports fanatics come together to find common ground among their obsessions.

Panelists from left to right:

• John Colver, stylist and senior fashion editor at Office magazine

• Arianna Cho, fashion collector with an archive full of vintage Issey Miyake, Undercover, and Comme des Garçons. (She also co-owns Sake Bar Asoko.)

• John Palumbo, Newcastle jersey collector and high school math teacher

Key quotes:

John P. on how the most “valuable” shirt is not always the one that’s worth the most money: “I have shirts from the biggest stars who have ever played the game. But the most meaningful jerseys in my collection are the 1994 Morocco home and away jerseys. I was 11 years old in 1994 when the World Cup was here, and my mom took me to those matches. She took me to see Morocco play Saudi Arabia at Giants Stadium. At the time, we didn’t want to wait in line to get that jersey. Of course, it turns out to be one of the rarest jerseys ever created, and I waited 30 years to finally get it. We lost my mom a couple of years ago, and it brings back the memory of that day: June 19, 1994, going to Giants Stadium when it was 109 degrees outside. Value doesn’t matter; it brings me back to better times.”

John P. on the greatest length he went to get a jersey: “The day before Thanksgiving one year, I didn’t tell my wife where I was going. It was in the middle of COVID, too, so everybody was kind of paranoid. I was like, ‘I’ll be back in a couple of hours…’ I drove from New Jersey, where we live, to Staten Island to meet a Russian guy I’d been talking to on eBay. He didn’t speak much English, but I showed up at his house, and he invited me into his basement. My students love this story. I was like, ‘I’m never coming back.’ But then he shows me the most amazing collection of shirts I’ve ever seen, and I got a shirt I’ve always wanted: a 1983 NASL match-worn jersey from the Dallas Tornados. So it all worked out.” [His wife shrugged and told me he brought her back a cup of coffee.]

Arianna on how collecting brings people together: “So, I always have a crazy manicure, and I always tell my manicurist to base her work off a collection. Right now, I have Spring ‘97 from Comme des Garçons, for example. One time, I had Spring 2006 Junya Watanabe, and I was walking to the tailor to pick up my clothes, and I saw a girl, and I was like, ‘Wait, your shirt is on my nail!!!’ She laughed, and she recognized what I was wearing, too. I couldn’t even take a picture; it was just too good a moment.”

John P. on his most memorable interaction: “One day, I was wearing a match-worn shirt of Tony Viola’s. (He was the World Cup 1994 goalkeeper from New Jersey.) And I walked past him. I was like, ‘Hey, this is your shirt.’ We got to talking, and he was like, ‘How did you get that??’ It was just one of those wild, full-circle moments. He probably thought I was weird, but I had to stop and say, ‘Hey, I’m literally wearing the shirt you wore 30 years ago.’”

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So excited for the Sports x Fashion Summit on Wednesday!!!

Over 450 people signed up, which is crazy, but there are still a few spots left…

Below is a general run of show so that you can plan accordingly.

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Date: Wednesday, June 10

Address: The Aula gymnasium at 268 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012, USA

Time: 5:00 - 8:00 pm

• Drinks and bites will be served starting at 5:00 pm. Our friends at Balera are catering, which means you should definitely get there on time!

• Panels will start at 6:00 pm sharp and run for a tight 30 minutes each, with time for audience questions. Seating will be available, but not reserved.

• The event will now end by 8:00 pm, just in time for you (and me) to watch the Knicks game. Amen.

PANEL 1: “The ESPN-ification of Fashion”

A discussion inspired by i-D magazine editor-in-chief Thom Bettridge’s Substack essay about how fashion and sports went mass, resulting in fans becoming “experts” and craving volatility.

Time: 6:00 - 6:30 pm

Panelists:

• Thom Bettridge, editor-in-chief of i-D magazine

• Madeline Hill and Charlotte Wilder of The Sports Gossip Show

• Daniel-Yaw Miller, award-winning journalist and author of “SportsVerse”

PANEL 2: What Does an Athlete Look Like?

How brands and stylists are working together to push the boundaries of sports style codes.

Time: 6:45 - 7:15 pm

Panelists:

• Courtney Mays, stylist with athlete clients including Breanna Stewart, Megan Rapinoe, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Sue Bird, and Anthony Anderson

• Hami Delimi, global senior brand director of Nike Energy

PANEL 3: We’re All Stans Now

Fashion and sports fanatics come together to find commonalities between their obsessions.

Time: 7:30 - 8:00 pm

Panelists:

• John Colver, stylist and senior fashion editor at Office magazine

• Arianna Cho, fashion collector with an archive full of vintage Issey Miyake, Undercover, and Comme des Garçons. (She also co-owns Sake Bar Asoko.)

• John Palumbo, serious Newcastle jersey collector

See you on Wednesday!

Emilia :)

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To prepare for my future trip, I’m seeking recommendations, and there’s no one whose Google Maps I’d want to access more than designer Meryll Rogge…

Last summer, Meryll was appointed the creative director of Marni. (Read why it’s such a perfect fit in my interview with her for T magazine here.) She also has her own namesake label, which she launched in 2020, and a knitwear brand called B.B. Wallace.

Born in Ghent, Meryll would often take the train into Antwerp to shop and eventually attend the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, so she knows the city better than most. She studied under legendary names like Walter Van Beirendonck (a founding member of the “Antwerp Six”) and alongside fellow-Belgian talents like Glenn Martens, now the creative director of Maison Margiela.

“If you think about the work of Dries, Martin Margiela, Walter, etc., it's the story of independence and of a unique point of view,” she said of the Antwerpian way.

One day, I’ll get to see it up close for myself. In the meantime, here are her generous recs!

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Where she’s shopped the longest:

My first conscious purchase was at around six years old: a floral padded dress with a matching jacket, very early ’90s, bought at a store called Princess, which is still owned by the same family today. (Although the owner doesn’t remember selling this highly fashionable girl’s outfit!)

There’s a full circle moment in the fact that we now work with them. At one of their other stores, Renaissance, they carry Meryll Rogge, B.B. Wallace, and Marni.

New-ish store she recently discovered:

It’s not new, but Atelier Solarshop by Jan Jan Van Essche is worth mentioning. I think it’s an achievement for an independent brand to have its own space with such a distinct, personal voice. Alongside the brand’s collection, they also offer a curated selection of home goods that make great gifts.

⁠Area or street she’d recommend spending an afternoon:

Antwerp is small enough to cover on foot in a single route. A good place to start is the MoMu to see the new exhibition on the Antwerp Six.

From there, walk to Het Modepaleis, the Dries Van Noten store, and continue via Steenhouwersvest towards Lombardenvest (or stop at the niche perfumery, Necessities first). Along the way, you move through different parts of the city’s fashion offering, from the Meir (famously hosted Diesel back in the day) to Kammenstraat (where the Vier Antwerp store used to be), and into more high-end shopping.

Nearby streets like Schuttershofstraat and Lange Gasthuisstraat bring together a mix of high-street and international luxury brands.

Sint-Jorispoort is arguably one of the cutest streets in the city and is worth a short detour.

For flowers, stop by Baltimore.

Vintage store:

There are many good ones. They have one thing in common: a focus on Belgian designers, alongside Japanese and other international labels. Rosier 41 and Labels Inc are good examples. There are a few more interesting vintage shops in the Haredi quarter, but I haven’t made it there yet.

Home goods/furniture store:

There’s a super fun shop that sells the most amazing Christmas decorations and Christmas balls, open all year: Dauwe Christel. An ornament a year for me! I have Gherkins pickles and cowboy boots.

Another home goods speciality store on the Mechelseplein is a knife shop. Literally called: De Messenwinkel.

Multi-brand store:

Renaissance, Louis, Houben, or Verso. Each has a very different approach and clientele.

Gallery:

A special place just outside Antwerp is Kanaal, created by Axel Vervoort. Set in a vast former industrial site, it functions less as a conventional gallery and more as a curated environment where art, architecture, and interiors merge. There’s a permanent installation by James Turrell there.

Speciality store:

Ganterie Boon, a glove shop that has been in business since 1884, always has a very beautiful window display, and the shop is lovely.

⁠Hotel she’d recommend to friends.

Hotel August and Hotel Julien. Good balance between price and comfort. There are more ‘upscale’ ones, but they can quickly feel a bit overdone or over-the-top.

Restaurant she’d eat at before/after a shopping day:

Things move quickly in Antwerp; there’s a new restaurant popping up every month, which is fun, but let’s stick to the classics…

For afternoon tea, you can go to Domestic, which has amazing pastries and bread.

Close by, you can go to the bakery Goossens for the chocolate bread (delicious) and sugar bread, or Philipps Biscuits for a traditional “Antwerp hands” cookie.

For great Belgian food, you can have dinner at Ciro’s, which has always attracted a good art crowd.

There’s also a big local market on Saturdays near the Stadsschouwburg, where you can eat Belgian shrimp croquettes from a food truck (but not a trendy one).

Antwerp has a lot more to offer, but there’s just not enough space here!!

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I’m hosting another summit!

The previous one went so well that I’ve decided to do it again. This time, on a completely different subject: SPORTS!!!

Following timely discussions on the “State of Shopping,” I thought now would be a perfect moment to talk about the state of fashion as sport and sport as an extension of fashion, given the upcoming World Cup, the next Olympics being in the U.S., and gestures broadly. (Go Knicks.)

And who better to serve as co-hosts than my stylish and athletic friends Sam Herzog and Naomi Accardi of Systemarosa, a creative studio that bridges the gap between fashion and football a.k.a. soccer??? (They introduced me to my boyfriend at one of their events in 2024, so who knows, maybe you’ll find your soulmate in the crowd…)

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Our Sports x Fashion Summit will take place on June 10 from 5-8 PM at the Aula gymnasium (famously and fittingly the same location as the Rachel Comey sample sale) and is powered by Nike.

The goal is to bring sports and fashion fanatics together under one roof for a night of lively discussion and debate.

Food and drinks will be served at the start. Then there will be four different panels, moderated by me, Sam, and Naomi, with some incredible athletes, writers, editors, stylists, and fashion/jersey collectors. If you hang around on Substack, I think you’ll be particularly interested in the panel with editor-in-chief , who will discuss the “ESPN-ification of fashion” with the hosts of The Sports Gossip Show and . Each panel will last 30 minutes.

We’ll have more specific information to share soon, but make sure you save the date and RSVP at the link below.

Sign up to attend here.

My last summit filled up in 5 minutes, so act fast!

See you there,

Emilia :)

RELATED:

I went to my first Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. We sat on the “sky bridge,” which is basically on the ceiling, but whatever, it was great. Go Knicks.

I enjoyed the new Iris Van Herpen exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.

I saw some nice-looking lights at New York Design Week.

I went to London with Allison, and we did the five-hour Belmond British Pullman murder-mystery lunch experience we’ve been dreaming about for a very long time.

And I got domestically partnered, which doesn't mean I got married but does mean I’ll save $500+/a month on health insurance and get better coverage!!! I’ll write about this once I get my new card in the mail because it was the best $35 I’ve ever spent.

Below is everything else I did this month.

What I Wore

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My relationship with The RealReal has lasted longer than most in my life. Our romance began in 2015, when I was 22 and a young professional interested in buying a pair of studded designer pants for $100. We’ve had our ups and downs ever since, but our attraction is undeniable. Over the last 10 years, no company has had more influence on my closet and how I shop.

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The RealReal is where I got the outfit I wore for my first day at New York magazine in 2017. (Which made an editor go, “Omg, it’s so cute that you dressed up,” meaning I never wore the outfit again and probably consigned it on TRR shortly after.)

It’s where I found the Calvin Klein suit I wore to my suit-themed 27th birthday party at Primo’s in 2019, the dresses I’ve worn to at least three weddings, and the shoes my friend wore to her own.

It’s where I bought my first pair of Prada shoes, where I was introduced to names like Geoffrey Beene and Romeo Gigli, and where I learned to identify Michael Kors-era Celine, Phoebe Philo-era Chloé, and Tom Ford-era Gucci.

Recently, I was inspired to dig through my entire purchase history from start to finish. I learned that I’ve been wearing a leather Tom Ford-era Gucci skirt BACKWARD since I bought it in 2021 (smh), and that I purchased a Marc Jacobs x Stray Rats tee in 2022, long before I started this Substack. I also learned roughly how much money I’ve spent over the last decade…

I can’t even begin to calculate how many hours I’ve spent scrolling, though. I still check the site twice a day, at 10 am and 7 pm ET, when new items are released. If I’m late, it means I’m either on vacation or dead. When people ask me how I’m able to find what I do, I explain that I’m not “better” at The RealReal than anyone else; I’m just insane. At this point, I cannot imagine my life closet without it.

Looking at 11 pages of past purchases revealed a lot about myself, my style evolution, and how I shop, as well as about fashion in general and how trends and prices ebb and flow. (Everything used to be so cheap, my god!!! 😭) Below are a few other key takeaways, along with some more embarrassing photos.

Fashion is a flat circle

Two of the first three items I ever bought on The RealReal were from Chloé, a brand that I spent the next 10 years ignoring… Until recently. They say it takes a decade for a trend to make its way around the sun, and reviewing my purchase history, this appears to be true. Not only am I looking for feminine Chloé tops again since Chemena Kamali revived the brand, but I was also reminded that I’ve already participated in trends like “Snooze Mode” before (see below).

Only basics will last

I was surprised and slightly horrified by how few items I still own today out of the hundreds I’ve purchased over the years. Of course, your style changes a lot in your twenties, and The RealReal allowed me to explore. (And re-consign when I changed my mind.) But it was good to be reminded that it’s often the more “boring” basics that are the true gems. A pair of Tod’s knee-high black suede boots, for example, which I bought for $76 in 2022, remain one of my most-worn finds to this day.

But it’s okay to go rogue

That said, The RealReal is an ideal place to shop for special occasions, like weddings. You’ll spend less, and you’re guaranteed to have a look no one else will. Plus, when you inevitably re-consign because you don’t want to be photographed in the same look twice, it’ll feel better than getting $35 at Beacon’s Closet, trust me.

Be patient

For The RealReal’s new book, Real Style: Dressing with Intention & Expressing Yourself Through Style, which comes out in October, I wrote about how I pieced together one of my favorite Prada outfits over the course of a few months. (First, I found the blazer, then I found the matching skirt, which was a few sizes too big, and got it tailored to fit.) Something similar happened with the Emilio Pucci bandana below, which I bought in 2022. Two years later, I found the matching skirt. Sometimes, when you’re not looking for something, it finds you.

Over time, you’ll become a collector

Returns and re-consignments aside, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride when I look back at my purchases. Over the last 10 years, I’ve amassed a collection of (mostly Prada) pieces that I’d never, ever part with. Sure, I made some wrong turns along the way, but eventually, I found my lane. It’s the most satisfying way to shop—piece by piece, over time—and I have no regrets. In fact, I look forward to seeing my receipts in 2036.

RELATED:

The RealReal

Six Items on TRR You Can Easily Repair

Every January, fashion writer Emilia Petrarca publishes a series called “Repair Month” on her newsletter, Shop Rat, and obviously, I am a huge fan. I keep her handy Google Doc of tailors and cobblers bookmarked, and have used it to revive a designer bag my grandma gave me and get a dress for a wedding tailored at the last minute…

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6 months ago · 86 likes · 12 comments · The RealGirl and Emilia Petrarca

Instead of waiting five months to buy one that was tiny and uncomfortable, as I did the last time I furnished an apartment, I went with the first one I saw that Matt and I both liked: Sixpenny’s L-Shaped “Neva” Sofa in medium-weight linen.

I’d already bookmarked the brand after browsing the Strategist’s list of best couches, so when Sixpenny reached out to see if I’d want to try one, it was a no-brainer. Sure, I’d previously put in writing that I’d never get a couch that resembled a bed. But the thought of being able to watch a feature-length film without getting a crick in my neck was very appealing to me, as was gaining back the many, many hours of my life I would have spent scrolling, probably to end up with the exact same thing.

So, I ordered a big, comfy, Nancy Meyers-y, “jasmine” greige couch. I love lounging on it every day (with Matt, who can now fit next to me), and have decorated the rest of the living room around it.

Below is everything else I’ve bought since.

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The New York Times declared it the “event of the season,” while New York magazine said it was a “peak of the Met’s past decade.” Lise Davidsen, the Norwegian soprano who played Isolde, is widely considered a once-in-a-generation talent.

Those unfamiliar with opera (me) might assume that attendees of such a momentous occasion would pull out all the sartorial stops. Gowns! Opera gloves! Heck, maybe even a tiara. But no. According to my fabulous friend, Kimya Zahedi, and her fabulous mother, Nassrin Iromloo Zahedi, you can spot an opera regular by their understated elegance.

Kimya and Nassrin are serious opera-heads. Nassrin, a retired cosmetic dentist, fell in love with opera as a teenager listening to the classical music radio station in Iran. Her love of opera intensified when she moved to the US following the Iranian Revolution. After settling in New York, she spent most of her time studying alone at home for the dental Board Exam, watching opera showings on Channel 13, and decorating her bathroom with pictures of her favorite opera singers.

Kimya, an immigration lawyer in New York, grew up watching her mother get dressed for the opera. “I just loved the way she looked on her opera evenings and would imagine the elegance and magic of the opera house,” she said. When Kimya was 10 or 11, Nassrin brought her to her first opera: The Magic Flute at the Met. They’ve been traveling the world to see operas together ever since.

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“I love opera because it’s a full sensory experience,” said Nassrin. “I’m immersed in the music and feel like I’m part of the stories. Opera also gives me endless things to think and talk about. Discussions of operas are the best conversations of my life and cover every topic.”

A great deal of consideration goes into their outfits, but only so that they don’t have to think about them at all during the performance. Rather than going for something flashy, they take a more practical approach. Not only do they need to be comfortable in their seats for hours on end, but they also need to be able to use the restroom quickly at intermission, avoid the coat check line without freezing, and choose fabrics and jewelry that won’t distract.

I’ve never been to the opera, but I plan to go one day, and I’m so glad I called up Kimya and Nassrin before I did, because I would have made more than one faux pas. Below are their tips and tricks, which they plan to share soon in a cheeky book of opera dos and don’ts.

Emilia: Walk me through each of your outfits for Tristan and Isolde. At six hours long, it’s like a marathon, but sitting down. Are you thinking about comfort? Do you pack granola bars in your pocket? What’s your strategy for such a long show?

Nassrin: I have many pants in my closet that I call my “opera pants.” They’re elegant and elevated pants. On this evening, my opera pants were made of thick black silk with an elastic waistband. I wore them with a cream-colored silk shirt. I never tuck in my shirt, because sometimes there’s a long line to get to the ladies’ room, and you don’t want to make other people wait by having to tuck in your shirt. You want something that is quick, practical, and still looks good. On top, I wore a black, floral Dries Van Noten jacket.

Kimya: In general, it’s a lot of nice pants, heeled boots, or a nice, comfortable heel, a shirt, and a jacket or a coat. Personally, I get cold. You never know what the temperature will be in the opera house. Sometimes it’s absolutely freezing, and you want a layer to put over your legs and bundle up. So, a jacket is great. On the other hand, you don’t want to check a coat. So I try to wear something warm enough to get from the train to the opera without freezing to death, but not so warm that I end up with a huge, chunky coat in my lap. The reason why you don’t want to check a coat is that everything at the opera has a long line. There’s a long line for the coat check, there’s a long line for the bathroom, there’s a long line for the drinks, etc. So whatever you can do to streamline the number of things you’re holding and the need to get in line for is great. Also, at the Met, there’s a ticker in front of every seat that translates the opera into English. So you absolutely cannot hang anything from the back of your seat.

Wow, I had no idea. I’m glad you told me that.

Kimya: And no perfume!

Nassrin: Or up-dos! I rarely go to openings anymore because a lot of women dress up and get their hair done up. They’re often not regulars, and they want to look fancy. For someone like me, who is not tall, it makes my viewing experience very uncomfortable.

Kimya: Yeah, no up-dos. No hats. No noisy bangles. No shiny sequins. No clicky sandals. No distracting perfume. That night, we abided by all of these rules. I wore vintage leather pants that [my husband] Maxime’s aunt gave me, patent-leather Christian Louboutin boots with a chunky low heel, a white t-shirt (so no tucking in), and a vintage, black floor-length jacket that I got in Finland for $15, which was warm enough for that day. Jewelry-wise, I wore a vintage Tiffany chainlink bracelet that I know doesn’t clink. And I prefer wearing glasses instead of contacts. Sometimes you get dry eyes, or sometimes they use fog or smoke, and then it really messes up my eyes. Oh, actually, I lied; I didn’t abide by all of our rules that night. I wore the wrong bag. I wore my new silver Dries Van Noten bag, and it was on my lap when the opera started. I noticed that the light was reflecting off it, and I put it on the ground, which is fine, but I noted for myself: You know better than this. I’ve learned from my mom that, as an opera-goer, you have to be conscious of other people’s comfort, because it’s a fully sensory experience that can be ruined so quickly.

Are there specific dress codes for each opera? Or do you just learn from experience?

Kimya: No opera house on earth is doing exceptionally well—I don’t know that for a fact, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that—so there’s an effort on behalf of the opera community to make opera more accessible to people, whether it’s making tickets more affordable, making the space seem less high-brow and opulent, etc. So I assume the Met probably won't explicitly give any dress code guidance. [Ed. Note: There is no official dress code at the Met Opera or the San Francisco Opera. La Scala in Milan prohibits shorts, tank tops, and flip-flops.]

Nassrin: The city you’re in, the opera house, the opera itself, and the day you go—all of these factors influence what to wear. If you’re going to an opening night of an opera at the Met, for example, you usually dress up. But if you’re a regular opera-goer, you don’t wear a long gown. You usually wear a black suit or cocktail attire. If you are in La Scala in Milan, however, you may wear a long gown.

Why wouldn’t you wear a gown to an opening night at the Met?

Kimya: Different opera houses have different cultures of dressing. At the Met, it’s very normal for people to come in normal clothes. Some people show up very dressed up, and other people show up very dressed down. It’s something I love about the Met. My mom goes to the opera every week. So it doesn’t make sense for someone who’s a regular opera goer like that to get so dressed up every time, right?

Nassrin: Yes, that’s true. It’s about practicality. Like many New Yorkers, I usually walk to the Met, or I take the bus across the park. So while I do wear something that is dressy, it has to be comfortable and practical. I’m not going in jeans with sneakers. I have seen people do that, though. Some people dress up because they are going to the opera for a special occasion. But usually, if I see someone wearing a long gown, I know they are not regular opera-goers. That said, there is an opera club within the Metropolitan Opera building. When I go there, I dress up a little more. Men will usually wear tuxedos, and women will wear long gowns. At the end of this month, I’ve been invited to go to a dinner there, and I already know what I’m going to wear.

Kimya: What is it?

Nassrin: I’m seeing Eugene Onegin.

Kimya: No, what are you wearing to it?

Nassrin: Oh, I’m wearing a black and white Michael Kors skirt with a sleeveless turtleneck top.

Kimya: Okay, so that’s not really black tie. You’re just dressing up.

Nassrin: No, not black tie. But men wear tuxedos, and the last time I went to an event at that club, I wore a long black dress.

Do you guys share clothes for the opera?

Kimya: Oh, yeah, we share clothes for everything.

Nassrin: When I travel [to see the opera], I do borrow some of Kimya’s coats and jackets. Kimya has a lot of long jackets. It makes anything I wear very chic and modern.

Kimya: The traveling opera thing is a whole different fashion conversation. The packing has to be light; you’re taking trains, staying in Airbnbs, traveling in a group, etc. And you’re not just going to the opera, so you have to have versatile outfits. Long jackets are great because they elevate a simple shirt and pants.

Have you ever made a dress code faux pas?

Kimya: In 2017, when my mom took me to the most esteemed opera festival for Wagner fans in Bayreuth, Germany, we didn’t have any knowledge of what the customs were. So we went as Met Opera-goers. It was six-hour operas with long intermissions, in the original opera house that Wagner designed, so no air conditioning and wooden seats. And there were a lot of older people, so we figured people would dress for comfort, right? That’s the New York mentality. And it wasn’t the case. Everyone was decked out. We walked down the spiral staircase at our hotel—we still laugh about this—and we saw all these people dressed up in diamonds and tuxedos. There were people passing hors d’oeuvres and champagne. We thought there was a wedding. We didn’t realize we were all going to the same place. I said, “Mom, is this…?” We were midway down the stairs, and I was suddenly like, “Mom, let’s go back up.” She was like, “We can’t, it’s too late. Just hold your head up and let’s go.” We had pillows in a canvas tote bag for the wooden seats. The person sitting next to us asked us very sincerely if the airline had lost our luggage. [Laughs.] We learned very quickly that no one in Bayreuth, Germany, is dressing for comfort to go to the opera. This is an elite event. You could be 89 years old, but you are in a gown, full makeup, and all your diamonds. That’s something we learned.

Nassrin: Speaking of packing for opera travel, at places like Glyndebourne or Garsington [in the U.K.], you also have to walk on grass, so you need chunky heels.

What about other opera houses in the States? Is San Francisco fancier?

Nassrin: No, San Francisco is not fancy. None of them is as fancy as La Scala in Milan.

Kimya: Does that have anything to do with the frequency of programming? Like the Met, for example, has an opera every single night.

Nassrin: No, the Met dress code is like that because it’s mostly people from New York. Regulars are often people who also regularly attend Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic. They take the train or bus, and if the weather is good, they walk. It’s the culture in New York to dress up and look elegant, but you also have to be comfortable. Even today, I was at the park, and I saw a young person pushing a stroller with heels on, and I thought it looked silly. You don’t see that in New York. Maybe in Europe, but not New York.

What’s the fanciest, most exclusive opera on earth?

Nassrin: The Salzburg Festival in Austria and the Bayreuth Festival in Germany.

Kimya: People wait like ten years to get off the waitlist for the Bayreuth Festival.

Nassrin: The year that Kimya and I went, I had to use a lot of leverage to get us in.

And you dress up for that now?

Yes, I dress up for that, and I’m looking forward to dressing up for it this coming summer.

Wow. Well, I’ve learned so much, thank you.

Nassrin: Good luck with your first opera. I hope that you become a regular.

Do you have a recommendation for what I should see first?

Nassrin: Oh, yes. There’s Eugene Onegin and La Traviata. Innocence is also on. It’s about a school shooting in Finland. It’s very modern, but it’s a fabulous opera.

Kimya: Go see La Traviata if you can.

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Mymo started collecting recipes in her cookbook when she was 18. Born in Lyon, she married young and had four children (one of whom is Melanie’s mother), but divorced in the early 1960s. To support herself, she ran a cantina-style restaurant until she and her second husband, Yves, moved the family to the South of France, outside Cannes. (Her first husband came too; they split the house down the middle.)

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“She was a great cook and loved being in the kitchen,” said Melanie, who moved from France to the United States for college when she was 17, and has been cooking her way back ever since. “It was her happy place, and I think I got that from her. She didn’t know how to whistle, but I remember her making her own happy humming noise whenever she got lost in preparing a dish.”

Melanie spent summers as Mymo’s petit sous-chef, peeling string beans and handling other small tasks while perched atop a chair. “The only thing I wasn’t allowed to do was fry things,” she recalled. “We’d go to the beach at 7 am, then we’d go to the market, then we’d make lunch. During lunch, we’d plan dinner on a piece of paper—she planned all of her menus. Then we’d take a nap, and we’d cook dinner. What a life, you know? It was a great childhood.”

Mymo taught Melanie how to dress a salad correctly (dry every piece of lettuce to perfection, dress evenly and lightly, and sprinkle flaky salt throughout), how to cook pomodoro from start to finish (Mymo loved Italy and learned to speak Italian over the phone), and how to set the breakfast table when you have guests (do it before bed and place the cups upside-down). All of this is in Riviera—and more.

“The goal of the book was to honor the spirit of her everyday cooking, which is recipes that are really un-fuck-up-able,” said Melanie. “Everything she made was easily adaptable, because she’d use whatever was in season at the market.” Il n’y a que des bonnes choses dedans was her motto: “There are only good things in it.” Meaning: If there are only good things in it, it will taste good. (Including generous amounts of sugar, which Melanie cut down a bit in her own adaptation.)

Mymo wrote in her cookbook up until the day she died, in April 2012. Part cookbook, part diary, part scrapbook, it includes small personal notes written in immaculate handwriting like “extra!” and “really good!” She also always gave credit where credit was due, noting when tips and recipes came from her friends and neighbors.

When Mymo passed, everyone in her family wanted the cookbook, but as the first-born grandchild, it was Melanie’s to keep. (Mymo, who couldn’t really handle alcohol, was also part of the inspiration behind Ghia.) “It’s a big responsibility, but [my uncles] love that I have it,” said Melanie. “Obviously, I called up all of them when I was writing [my own] book.”

The day Mymo died, she’d been expecting guests. “When my mom got to her house, she opened the fridge, and there was a full meal in there, ready to eat,” said Melanie. “We just had to put it in the oven.”

You can order Riviera here and follow Melanie on Substack here.

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I worked all the time, writing multiple “articles” a day while also managing the magazine’s social media accounts. But I was young and hungry, and felt like I was finally in the right place. The magazine industry was changing (and at Condé Nast, about a decade too late), but I believed that if I put my head down, wrote a handful of viral stories, and fired off a few sick tweets, I’d get to where I wanted to go. (To New York magazine’s The Cut.) Thankfully, this turned out to be true.

In 2016, my former professor’s daughter, Ila Kumar, came to visit. She was 13-years-old and an aspiring magazine writer. To her, the shiny halls of One World Trade were the most glamorous place to be, and even though I knew deep down that they weren’t (as Nigel says in The Devil Wears Prada 2, I’m in the business of creating “content that people scroll past as they pee”), her excitement reminded me that a million girls would kill for my job.

Ten years later, I wonder if that’s still the case. Ila just graduated from college (we both went to Vassar, Meryl Streep’s alma mater, and where Anne Hathaway studied for a year before transferring to NYU) and is now looking for a job in media, since her two publishing internships just ended. (She also recently wrote about Brandy Melville for Shop Rat.)

After seeing the movie this weekend, I called her up to discuss. Does the job still hold the same allure? What was her takeaway from the sequel? Below is an edited version of our conversation.

Spoilers ahead.

Emilia Petrarca: Before we get into the sequel, I want to talk to you about the original movie, which I re-watched last week. Have you seen it? What was your takeaway? Because I was like, Damn, this still hits.

Ila Kumar: Yes, I loved the original. It depicts this really specific fantasy world that, in my opinion, is even more far-gone now. The anorexia of it all is so early-2000s fashion-core. When I saw the movie growing up, I was like, “Wow.” That’s the appeal, though: it’s this other dimension. And in the end, we get this beautiful message: that you don’t have to tear people down to further your career. Miranda even helps Andy get the job she wants.

Yeah, the original movie leaves you feeling good, and I can’t say the same about the sequel. It’s always been a touchstone for me—a reminder that being a good person and doing good work is what will get you ahead. What does the original symbolize for you?

That it’s important not to hurt those who have helped you. But also, Andy comes to realize that fashion is not frivolous. For me, that was a really meaningful point. She’s part of something bigger that matters. They make fashion seem like a serious endeavor that has substance. Even my mom, who’s an economist and has definitely never seen the movie, texted me yesterday: “Have you seen the speech about the turquoise belt?” And I was like, “It’s cerulean.” But still. I don’t think that message, or that tension, plays out as much in the second movie.

Okay, let’s talk about the sequel. It starts with Andy being fired over text message seconds before accepting a journalism award for her article, “Hearts of the City: Stories of Resiliance,” which sounds like an AI-generated title to me. What was your reaction to that?

I was like, Wow, I’ve never seen a journalist with such long hair. That scene was realistic, though, I guess. I assume it was based on the Washington Post situation. It reminded me of reading a novel about COVID; the whole thing felt like last summer’s news cycle, with Anna Wintour becoming Head of Global Content and the rumors about Jeff Bezos buying Vogue for his wife. [He ended up buying her the Met Gala instead.] The fact that Vogue is promoting this movie so hard is confusing to me. It’s so dark.

To me, the fact that Vogue has played such a big role in promoting the movie is a sign of how much the movie industry is also suffering. In the sequel, they talk about how Runway doesn’t exist without advertisers like Dior, but movies don’t exist without shameless product placement nowadays either. I’m willing to bet that Dior threw in a couple of bucks, along with Brunello Cucinelli, Diet Coke, and Starbucks.

Just as fashion recycles everything, Hollywood is remaking old IPs. And laid-off journalists are going to Bubby’s for casual drinks! That was crazy. They don’t sell Stella at Bubby’s!!! Also, Andy is like, “I need a nicer apartment.” But I was like, “No, you just need a plumber. Your apartment is so nice.” The boyfriend arc in the sequel is also devastating. Adrien Grenier is so gorgeous in the original. And now she’s just with some guy??

Yeah, that casting was tough. Vogue’s involvement in the promotion is unfortunate because the original seemed to have a bit more critical distance. It kind of proved the point of the movie: that we can’t afford to have creative freedom anymore.

The Dior stuff is so real. I was confused why Andy went back to Runway so quickly. She didn’t even try to get another job.

Yeah, and they’re definitely not paying her double, unless she really wasn’t making any money at her journalism gig.

If you want to write a three-part investigation about the Federal Reserve, then you should. Also, you probably don’t want to go into business with billionaires.

Yeah, let’s jump to the very end: Andy and Miranda save the magazine from being bought by an evil billionaire by selling it to another, slightly less evil billionaire, which is also depressingly true to life. The conversation they have in the back of the car together echoes the final scene in the original, where Miranda tells Andy she sees herself in her, and Andy is like, Hell no, and throws her phone into the fountain and walks away. At the end of the sequel, though, they’re basically co-conspirators. Miranda is like, This is a sinking ship, but we just love the work so much that we’re going to keep doing it anyway, right? It came at a cost—she was an absent parent, and Andy’s eggs are in a freezer—but it was all worth it for beauty and journalism!!! To me, this is the exact opposite of the original message, which was: Get a life. Work is not everything. I’m not sure I find the opposite message particularly empowering or progressive, which I think it was written to be. I’m curious what your takeaway was, specifically about work?

When I see these movies about working at magazines, I’m like, “It would be so cool to be part of this bigger thing.” To pursue beauty and do meaningful editorial work. But in TDWP2, it’s framed in this weird way where Miranda is like, “I love to work.” Like, it’s her personal thing, and not about the community aspect. There’s a moment at the dinner in Italy when she gives this little speech to the billionaire who’s trying to buy Runway. Miranda is talking about the pursuit of beauty, trying to grasp the larger idea of what it means to work at a magazine. And if they had all banded together to save Runway, it would have been cool. But in the car at the end, she tells Andy something like, “I love to work, so I’m going to be the editor-in-chief for 10 more years, because that’s my favorite thing to do. And then you can capitalize on that and write a book about me to get ahead.” I thought that was really depressing. There was no sense of a greater mission or purpose beyond the self.

I’m glad that you brought up the community aspect, because I do think that’s one possible positive takeaway. Obviously, my favorite part of the movie—and the original, too—is the relationships between Andy and Emily and Andy and Nigel. At the end of the sequel, Emily asks Andy to be her friend. Even Miranda acknowledges Nigel! I don’t miss my old job, but I do miss the community aspect of working in an office. wrote about seeing TDWP2 with all her old Vogue co-workers, and it’s such a sweet story. They really loved working together and are friends for life. The point is not the work, necessarily; it’s that you get to do this crazy thing with other people.

And learn from people. My favorite character was Andy’s intern. Much has been said about the heyday of Condé Nast, but the trope of the Magazine Girl is still alive. They didn’t make Andy a Substacker, even though she should be. Instead, she’s back at the magazine.

I’m curious, does the office still have an allure for people your age?

On my last day as a publishing intern, an assistant who’s a few years older than me was like, “Whatever you do, only give 60% of yourself to a job.” It was kind of shocking for me to hear, as someone who sees how these jobs, hers included, are so coveted and competitive. I think the office does have an allure, because so much of that culture doesn’t exist anymore, and so much of our work is remote. Because of COVID, a lot of people my age didn’t have in-person internships throughout college and stuff like that. So the idea of a workspace is really appealing. It’s precisely because magazines are so much harder to break into now that they’re so attractive. The day we had grilled cheeses at the Condé Nast cafeteria was the best day of my life. Why? Because I got to see inside. So there’s still a huge attraction, but for my generation, there’s a tension between being interested in the workplace and being interested in work.

Something that struck me watching the original—and the sequel—is Andy’s ambition. When Miranda is like, “Get me the unpublished Harry Potter book,” or “Get me the interview with the billionaire’s ex who hasn’t given an interview in three years,” she goes the extra mile and gets the job done. She’s not giving 60%. It’s a very intoxicating feeling, chasing the pat on the back, but it can also ruin your life. When you’re at the start of your career, it feels worth it because you’re trying to “pay your dues,” or whatever. Your hard work will hopefully pay off. But in the second movie, there’s less of a “why.” Okay, Andy loves the work. But does she? Does she really like writing a profile of a billionaire’s ex?? Or does she just like getting a gold star from Miranda?

I love that Instagram account, @assistantsvsagents. It’s the most insane screenshots of people going to the ends of the Earth for their terrible bosses. That culture definitely still exists. But what are we doing it for? It would have been a slam dunk for the movie to be like, “We’re doing this because we’re saving a dying art.” But instead, the message is: “You’re doing this because you, as an individual, love to work.” Because you’re Andy, and you’re ambitious. And because you’re Miranda, and you’re ambitious. And because we sold the magazine to the Good Billionaire. Obviously, I didn’t expect it to be some radical, employee-owned, subscription business. But I was really surprised that that was the solution.

I guess my final question is: Would you do it? Would you take Andy’s job?

Literally, the whole time, I was like, “Oh, my God, I am so jealous.” When I watched the first movie, I couldn’t wait to do that one day. Now I’ve graduated from college, and I wake up every single day looking at the Content Tower, and I’m still like, “One day.” The precarity is just part of it, and that’s fine, I guess. And these companies have always been owned by some random billionaire family.

It’s true. Hearing you say that makes me less depressed.

We’re aware it comes at a cost, and that you can’t have it all. But people interested in magazines are willing to do it anyway. If you care about doing creative work, you probably don’t care about work-life balance.

In my head, Gen Z is like, “Fuck it. I’m just gonna be like an influencer.” But to your point, if you want to write, you don’t want to sell your soul to brands. You want to write. And you’ll do whatever it takes to do that. (Which sometimes means selling your soul to brands, at least in my experience.)

I want to be in an environment where I can learn from other people. That’s what I imagine it’s like to work in an office: you’re just constantly overhearing stuff.

I’m happy to hear that. I’m really glad you’re still going for it. I’m surprised, but I wouldn’t have the perspective I have today had I not worked in that building, lived it, and done it. If I hadn’t had that opportunity, I would still want it, for sure.

I would do literally anything. I’m applying for a part-time, two days a week summer internship at The Drift right now, and I know a 28-year-old with a master’s degree from Cambridge University applying for the same job. It’s crazy.

Damn. A million and one girls would kill for these jobs now.

Or start a Substack.

Well, I hope whoever is reading this tries to hire you.

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