LE CATCH

Back from a few days of living out of a suitcase and the suitcase is still very much living on my bedroom floor. I haven't unpacked mostly because I'm back on the road for work in less than a week. It hardly seems worth disturbing the ecosystem. So I'm in that funny in-between state where I'm technically back to business, but everything is still being viewed through a summer-travel filter. Maybe that's why a whimsical block print blouse, below, with short shorts (you can’t even see them!) feels like perfectly reasonable workwear. Or why I'm less interested in operating by the normal rules. Travel has a funny way of doing that. You spend a few weeks breaking routine, wandering instead of scheduling, trying things because they're there and some of that mindset sneaks home with you. I'm beginning to wonder if the best souvenir isn't something I pack in my suitcase but coming home ever so slightly rearranged. A few things I brought back from Long Island, courtesy of my in-the-know friends: the new leather butter yellow pouch from The Horse, above, which I personalized yesterday with a Tory Burch fish bag charm and an old pom pom whose long origins I’ve long since forgotten; Needed Hydration Support’s travel-friendly electrolyte and trace mineral sachets for my water bottle—the grapefruit flavor is my fave!), the Dibs Highlights Stick and brush to amplify my Hamptons-made bronze-y glow; and the Pistola denim shorts (below) that hit the exact right slouchy sweet spot. Below are a few more pieces that feel like they're operating in summertime limbo: my new Rowie silk shirt, pictured below, this leather-trimmed(!) Frame tank top, this tasseled Zara tote bag, the $65 Cos dress (with Prada vibes), and this boxy lace mini dress. All poised to go back into the suitcase!

$250, nordstrom

A backless ballerina to swan through summer.

1. Modern Citizen scoop back tank top
2. Cos sheer pintucked skirt
3. Vintage Dior sunglasses
4. Chanel triple leather strap watch (To borrow, use the code MARLIEN for half off your first two months of membership at Vivrelle)
5. Ole Henriksen Peach Skincare Starter Pack
6. Prada leather clutch
7. Bobbies ballet flats

I've spent enough time on Sézane's website over the years to notice that this season's best pieces are selling out at record speed. Blink, hesitate, refresh...and sold out! Which explains why so many of the pieces I've been wearing lately are either long gone or nearly impossible to find, including the above ruffled mini I wore in Corsica a few weeks ago and the check top, below, poised to follow suit. Take it from someone who's learned this lesson repeatedly, the following cuties—a sleeveless lace-trimmed top, the embroidered tank, the print square-neck blouse, the scalloped embroidered dress, the crochet top and the puff-sleeve blouse—won’t be around for long. P.S. The beaded belts are also bound to go!

A big Friday night is on deck. Or at least big by my standards. A hometown Grateful Dead cover band is playing at the beach club, followed by dinner at the Quogue Club. Coco arrived from the city this morning with a few wardrobe reinforcements in tow. They’re all in tune with a distinct kind of summer dressing: not fancy-fancy, but festive. My take, pictured here: a great necklace, a slinky Dries Van Noten dress with flat Dolce Vita sandals. Think sand-between-the-toes glamour. Here are a few more things that fit the brief: the $100 fringed dress (thank you, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!), this Reformation strappy silk dress in black or a lipstick version , this Pistola cotton mini, this deep-V De Rococo drama, this flowy and ruched Modern Citizen and this twinkly Tory Burch tunic. I think I saw Gray Bertuccio walking into Sant Ambroeus in Southampton the other night wearing this (final sale) head-turning Farm Rio lace top, which prompted me to add to cart on the spot! Another vibrant cutie for a summer night out. Happy Friday!

A few days in the Hamptons and my girlhood prep has come roaring back to life. Not the conservative, country-club variety. More loafers with boxer shorts, below, my father’s oversized polo shirts (which I am actually borrowing again!), blue monogrammed button-ups, and stripes galore, above. Even daytime pearls, cotton high-neck tops, and toile de jouy have re-surfaced! (My bikini is Left on Friday x Clare V.) All of which has me eyeing a few finds: this Polo Ralph Lauren button-down (on sale!), this chic Burberry parka, these bound-to-sell-out Chanel-spirited boots by Reformation (already en route!), and this under-$300 vintage Gucci clutch that looks exactly like the kind my mom used to carry when I was a teenager.

A quick dispatch from the Hamptons, where my Summer of Color is going strong. I'm here visiting my dad before his upcoming surgery next week (fingers firmly crossed that all goes smoothly), and while the hydrangeas are sticking to their usual blue-and-white script, I've found myself gravitating toward shades and combos that are a little less expected: mustard yellow with dusty pink, faded honeydew with tomato red knit, and rosy lace with fuschia. In other words, the kinds of colors scream July. Also in the mix: this Roxanne Assoulin beaded necklace, this bandana print slip dress by Zadig & Voltaire, this chocolate brown mini skirt and these polka dot Posse shorts.

$35, h&m

Short and sweet—and deeply summery.

1. H&M dress
2. Indy sunglasses
3. Vintage Cartier yellow gold ring
4. Quince crescent leather bag
5. Ancient Greek Sandals beaded lace-up shoes

I'm not entirely sure who decided this, but the retail universe seems to have collectively woken up this Tuesday morning and chosen discounts. Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale preview kicked off, and closet staples like my cute shoes, below, (plus these!) are on sale. Doen also launched its Warehouse Sale, replete with my own summer go-to’s, like the red crochet dress, below, plus these lace-trimmed linen shorts and this paisley print top. It appears everyone is clearing the decks for whatever comes next. Which is all to say: if you've been eyeing something—say the perfect pink button down, above—today might be the day to stop eyeing and start carting!

ICYMI: I published a Substack over the weekend about my week in Corsica, where I did remarkably little and somehow felt like I did everything. Turns out the itinerary wasn't the point. The simple rhythms—and the myriad outfit changes they inspired—were. Check it all out here! Even though I’m back in LA now (for a minute!), mentally, I'm still somewhere between a morning swim and a peach purchased from a roadside stand. The result is that suspended post-vacation state where reality has returned, but with a summer filter applied. Which perhaps explains why I'm currently dressing—and gravitating—between two worlds. Part beach fantasy, part city reality. Below, a few pieces that feel perfectly suited to this particular state of limbo: the fringed Farm Rio top (looks like Bode!), Poupette St. Barth’s crochet bag, the fitted Reformation jacket, Zara cotton henley, and the flower cut-out denim dress. P.S. Over the weekend, everyone was DM’ing me via IG about the striped cardigan, above, that I was pictured wearing in an Anthropologie ad, below. You can find it here!

Yesterday's assignment was simple: help my son find a few pairs of pants for his summer internship. Mission accomplished for him. Less successfully, I fell down a denim rabbit hole and tried on roughly a dozen pairs of jeans myself. This is the problem with good denim. Even when the forecast is insisting on linen, swimsuits, and as little fabric as possible, a great pair of jeans remains impossible for me to ignore. They're less practical this time of year, sure. But they still possess a certain magnetic pull. Especially a new crisp dark wash, above, that can elevate a t-shirt teammate and, carry a very cute bag. I scored a few yesterday that are unlike what I currently have in rotation, including the loose-fitting AGOLDE I wore out of the store (size down!), below, plus these 80’s-style tapered style (see pic on my IG Stories), these pinstriped Mother jeans, and these painter pants (hello, yellow). Happy Summer Weekend!

Photo: Hannah Allen