LE CATCH

What struck me while traveling—from Corsica to London, with frequent detours into Paris couture street style via IG—wasn't the complexity of good European style. Quite the opposite. The best outfits were remarkably simple. Shorts. Button-downs. Tank tops. Jeans. Slip dresses. The kinds of pieces that, on paper, sound almost pedestrian. And yet they didn't look basic at all. In a summer that seems determined to set new temperature records, perhaps that's the new aspiration: clothes that are heat-sensitive but still chic-sensitive. Easy, breezy outfits built from familiar ingredients but assembled with enough intention to feel interesting. Upon my return to LA, I’ve been testing the formula myself with paint-splattered jeans from Jamie Haller and a button-down from Mother. Below, a few new ingredients I’d like to add to my rotation: saturated cotton terry tops from Alexandra Golovanoff (below), a blue leather Cos cross-body bag, the mesh leather skirt (I just bought in green), satin shorts and the striped cotton poplin mini (also in these stripes) from The Frankie Shop, semi-sheer, super light button-downs (a must!), perfectly boxy t-shirts and the most flattering tank tops, plus breathable loose-fitting linen-blend jeans (seen on all the models!).

h&m

A tiny wearable masterpiece for carrying exactly three things and a superiority complex.

1. Gucci crepe jersey dress
2. Aire sunglasses
3. Ann Taylor snake chain necklace
4. H&M clutch
5. Amanu sandals

GOOP asked me to share my vacation packing strategies, which, in a nutshell, is this: pack less than you think you need and make every piece work harder than it looks like it should. The goal isn't outfit variety. It's outfit possibility. And the things that often make the biggest difference aren't the clothes at all. They're the accessories and extras that take up little room yet somehow transform what's already in my suitcase. A striped scarf (or sarong, depending on the day). A versatile statement belt. Pajama shorts that also make a splash at the pool. A take-it-everywhere bag or three (especially when they’re under $200). And, yes, a whisper-thin blouse that looks good even when it’s crazy wrinkled, and a mini skirt that stands up to both sandy picnics and seaside dinners. (P.S. Thanks to my son, I’ve recently started using packing cubes, which not only compresses things but helps keep me organized.) Below, a few summer additions I’d make room for in my carry-on: the reversible Celine jacket, Xero Shoes x J.Crew sandals, an attention-getting embellished bikini, a fun charm necklace, plus a colorful beaded one or two, this Rachel Comey belt, these beaded Fallon earrings, a punctuating Madewell bucket hat, plus a day-to-night Comme Si tunic.

When I landed London, I dropped my bags at the hotel, changed into something more heatwave-appropriate (the throw-on-and-go dress, above), picked up an iced coffee from Omotesando, and immediately got to work: street-style surveillance. In fact, I paparazzied the woman, below. The giant flower brooch pinned to her otherwise simple outfit stopped me in my tracks. Proof that sometimes all an outfit needs is one slightly absurd, perfectly placed thing (I just snapped up the Cos brooch, below). Jonathan Anderson appears to be on the same wavelength. Giant floral adornments showed up at his Dior men's debut a few weeks ago and again at couture this week in Paris. Which may explain why, back home in LA as of yesterday, I've found myself glued to Paris’ couture street-style photos. Specifically, the women who somehow make a Burberry button-down look like the chicest thing ever. I am now surveilling Reformation's new everyday-wearable shirts (sheer red! latte stripe!). I also like this can’t-quite-place-it iteration from AYR. Fashion has a funny way of redirecting my attention. Or could it just be jet lag?!

st. agni

Grooving to these summer beads…

1. St. Agni beaded top
2. Pistola denim shorts
3. Quince sunglasses
4. Braided headphones
5. Roxanne Assoulin stone ring set
6. Topshop metal handle straw bag
7. Black Suede Studio backless ballerina slipper

The real MVP of traveling isn't actually my suitcase but the “personal item” bag that makes room for everything else. The assist. The enabler. The one that swallows the sweater, the water bottle, the souvenir shop haul, the new book snapped up at the airport, and all the smaller bags tucked inside for whatever adventure pops up. The best travel bag doesn't just carry my things. It creates options—and accommodates approximately 47 changes of plan, plus a handful of bikinis and flip flops. For my trip to NYC a few weeks ago, above, I brought the Lo & Sons weekender duffel which touts a separate shoe compartment, endless inside pockets and a laptop sleeve. For Corsica, I loaded up the canvas tote, below (it appears bigger than my suitcase in the picture, but it’s not, though it certainly doubles as a carry-on!). And now, on the flight home, I’ve already found what I will stuffed inside both of them for future adventures— more bags so good I am already mentally planning trips around them. My future travel companions below are from Evereve (also in red!), Cap d’Antibes and Cult Gaia.

A bucket-list box: checked. Yesterday was my first time at Wimbledon, and while I expected to be dazzled by the tennis, I wasn't prepared for quite how mesmerizing it would be in person. The speed of Djokovic’s balls whizzing over the net. The distinct bounce of the ball on grass. And the surprise that Centre Court feels so much smaller than it appears on television. But, naturally, I was also watching the spectators. Unlike fashion week, where outfits can sometimes feel more like performance art than actual clothing, the style at Wimbledon struck me as the quintessence of elegance. Polished. Special-occasion worthy, yet entirely capable of surviving a three-plus-hour match in a folding green plastic seat. No teetering heels. Nothing skin-tight. Just a sea of creams, whites, soft neutrals, whisper-thin fabrics, and women who looked chic enough to meet the Princess of Wales. I wore an infallible classic from my closet: Maison Mayle top, skirt, belt, a woven Bimba y Lola bag, plus sparkle from Adina Reyter. My fellow match-mates: Zoe wore a black tank top and a black linen Reformation skirt, while Anna, a London-based American Vogue editor wore an off the shoulder brown Rohe top with the best flowy white pants and this cool new raffia Burberry bag. Also noted/spotted: this Zimmermann knockout, this Tory Burch dress, this sheer pintuck top (perfect for sunny side of the stadium!), and this cotton eyelet lace top and skirt set in the royal box.

After days of relentless sun, the skies opened up and delivered a proper downpour. Torrential. Biblical. The kind of rain that turns scrolling, snacking, and sofa-sitting into legitimate vacation activities. Oddly, nobody seemed upset about it. After days of temperatures that could fry an egg on a beach chair, the rain felt like a public service. So we pivoted and over-foraged for food and scoped out a few Porto Vecchio shops (in Doen, pleated Anthropologie shorts and this sleeper hit of a beaded bag, above). And then Coco and I settled onto the sofa back at our rental (AKA best house ever), where we spent a good amount of time sharing shopping discoveries with each other. Which is funny because we're sitting on the same couch, yet still texting links back and forth like we're separated by continents. Our version of Corsican postcards! Here’s what we unearthed, below: these floral print Mango pants, the forever-chic khaki Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, these long satin Topshop shorts (also love the shape of these denim ones), this tres chic boat-neck t-shirt by Cos, this Missoni-spirited mini dress (for sunny days ahead) and this perfect pop of blue to tie around our collective croissant-filled waist.

I'm on exercise vacation too. Sort of. Seven weeks post-hip surgery, I still can't run or play tennis. But somehow I'm logging more movement than ever. Every morning begins with a "quick" baguette walk that involves winding roads and enough natural incline to qualify as a stairmaster. Plus: Tracy Anderson heat x 20. Then there's swimming—not laps—just me casually targeting the next prettiest yellow buoy and seeing what happens. Yesterday, I walked up to Bonifacio, which from below appears charmingly accessible. This is a lie. The medieval town sits dramatically atop limestone cliffs, and the journey up feels less like sightseeing and more like being enrolled in a 8K-step bootcamp program. The best part? I'm doing it all in cute shorts, dresses, and blouses. Looking absolutely uncommitted to exercise while sweating my baguettes off for hours. So far, my MVP is a pair of Varley shorts, below, that I actually own in other great colors, but regretfully left behind in LA, these Quince shorts (in the most spot on blue hue), these bed-to-beach club Rails, these Reformation lace shorts (last pic), and these crochet Asos cuties.

I've been operating on the outer edges of normal life lately, where it's so hot that fewer clothes, fewer plans, and fewer possessions make perfect sense. Between the sea, the sunshine, a versatile pair of sunglasses, and one good baguette a day, I haven't been needing much. But Reformation's new arrivals have me thinking about real life again. Actual work. Actual meetings. The everyday stuff. But not at all average. The opposite! My favorites, below. Which may be exactly the nudge back to orbit I needed. (Could use this and this here too!)