Weekend Reads for the 4th of July Weekend
Content has been a bit light this week because I was in New England visiting colleges with our daughter. I totally thought I'd somehow have time to finish at least one of my half-completed blog posts but nope. I have several Wardrobe Oxygen Community member reviews heading your way, a review of Spanx apparel, and a discussion on pant/jean silhouettes but they are all still in draft form.
Saw some dreamy schools, saw some schools that were more dreamy on paper/online, and had some angina over the prices. Schools that say, “if you get in, we'll make sure you can afford it,” think somehow I'd be able to afford the equivalent of a fancy new car each year of her education. Tell that to my used Subaru I still have many years to pay off!
Cross your fingers for some scholarship, and that the schools that offer merit aid and accept her come to our rescue. Sure, there are some “influencers” who are millionaires, but your girl Alison is not one of them.
Anyway, I often take off on holidays but since content has been light and this holiday feels weird, I thought a Weekend Reads may be appreciated. We're experiencing quite the heat wave in Maryland where they're considering cancelling holiday outdoor activities and many indoor events have been scheduled. I don't even want to think of how this 250th birthday would be if a different president was in office… I do feel the fair and the music would be way better.
If you're too busy to read all this, I support you. If you're laying low and want some distraction, I hope this supports you. If you're looking for some deals, check out my Style Inspo & Sale Alert section, I've gathered some good ones. And know whether you're feeling patriotic or feeling sad about things… I get it. I feel it too.
Weekend Reads
The Fourth is With Us. (Hallelujah Anyway via Substack)
I am American because I hate the flag and love the beef. (The Baffler)
American Dream, American Nightmare. (The Nation)
Supreme Court allows firing of FTC commissioners, ends agency independence. (The Verge)
Air Conditioning is AMAZING. We Should Do It Better. (The Bulwark via Substack)
We've Been Looking at Marilyn Monroe for 60 Years. We Still Don't See Her. (Attention Economy via Substack)
Japanese Women’s Wrestling, but Make It Fashion. (New York Times – gift link)
Revisiting “Silence of the Lambs” in the Age of Trans Backlash. (Electric Lit)
The Mom Who Runs a Household With a Staff of AI Agents. (The Cut)
Ford rehires human engineers after AI fails to match quality checks. (BBC)
Booklovers’ Guide to Washington, D.C. (The Travel Book Club via Substack)
We received this as a gift and now I totally get the hype.
The Peptide Trend Is Not What You Think. (The Menopause Professor via Substack)
The ‘Peptide Gold Rush' Is Here, and I'm Freaked Out. (Good for Your Age via Substack)
My Suri heads showed up this week while we were away, and I was realizing on our trip it was time to replace it. Love the autoship, love the quality, love the sustainability. And love the UV travel case!
And we wonder why women don't speak up. (Shit You Should Care About via Substack)
Have you heard of biomarker tests? This one from Superpower seems the most… reasonable.
Federal Health Agency Cancels Most of its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants. (Rewire News Group)
This was described to me as The Body Shop's White Musk for grown women.
Have it, love it, perfect throw in your bag vacation purse.
When Did Bare Nails Become a Status Symbol? (New York Times – gift link)
This looks like a perfect Jane of All Trades dress: work, travel, funeral, date night, pair with sneakers or heels, sandals or boots.
Do fascism and thinness actually correlate? (Style Analytics via Substack)
Floyd Norman, Disney’s first Black animator, set to receive an honorary Oscar. (The Grio)
Style Inspo & Sale Report
It's a holiday weekend, and while most of us are neck-deep in summer weather, retailers are thinking about fall. That means this weekend's holiday sales are better than usual. They want the summer stuff gone, while we will still be wearing it for a while.
Cuyana, a sustainable and ethical brand that makes incredible quality bags, apparel, and accessories, is having an archive sale. This means this label, that hardly ever has sales, is offering up to 60% off items at this link. This is huge; I felt necessary to share the collage and carousel above of some of the items that caught my eye. I personally adore this bag.
AURATE has 20% off sitewide. AURATE is an ethical and sustainable jewelry company that just came out with a waterproof sturdy but elegant stainless collection. They sent me this tennis bracelet and it is so freaking sparkly, comes in sizes for slim to strong wrists, and is unbreakable while also being able to join you in the pool, the lake, the ocean, and the hot tub.
Marimekko has an extra 20% off sale merch if you become one of their “Friends.” I am one, and it's very similar to the Madewell program where you don't pay anything, get emails you can opt out of, and get special sales and deals. This sale has housegoods, fashion, and items appropriate to wear now. Fancy things like this silk dress or this silk shell, casual things like this cardigan or this bathrobe, and cute things like this espresso cup and saucer.
Lisi Lerch has 25% off at this link, and IMO the best deal are the cute and timeless wicker bag and straw clutch to enjoy summer after summer. That being said, do take a look at the cute jewelry and accessories.
Ruti is 15% off storewide… and I think you can use my promo code ALISON15 for an extra 15% off! Ruti just dropped some new pieces I am crushing on like these silky trousers in some chic colors and these badass are they are a skirt or are they pants in a fantastic neutral that works now and into fall. This washable silk tee that is in my summer work travel capsule wardrobe is also in the sale and just gorgeous!
J. Crew Factory has 50% off everything + Extra 60% off clearance. I'm a fan and I know you are too; the top sellers in the Wardrobe Oxygen community are this shirt (which I just wore yesterday), these pants, and this tank (which both my daughter and I love).
Alex Mill doesn't often go on sale, but right now items at this link are 50-70% off. I'm digging this shirt, this top (which was a Wardrobe Oxygen bestseller last month), this dress, and of course this top.
I know y'all love Mary & Jane; they're having 20% off sitewide. By far the best seller in the Wardrobe Oxygen community is the Sunny Melts.
J.McLaughlin has an extra 30% off sale at this link. J.McLaughlin is creeping up as a popular retailer with the Wardrobe Oxygen community, and I've seen several of this shirt and this dress sell in the past couple of weeks.
See/Hear/Read
When we were in New York State looking at colleges, we had one night where the kids were in the other room playing Scrabble and we could watch a movie. We couldn't figure out how to log out of the rental house owner's Netflix and didn't want to destroy her algorithm watching a series. Netflix suggested her Little Brother, so we decided to watch it.
Little Brother was just as awful as you would think it would be. This is essentially the same story as Elf, but with John Cena playing the James Caan role, Eric Andre in the Will Ferrell role, Christopher Meloni in the Peter Dinklage role, and Michelle Monaghan trying her might to be like Mary Steenburgen.
John Cena is a realtor being cast for one of these reality shows about high-end realtors. Eric Andre was assigned to him back in high school for a Big Brothers/Little Brothers program. Christopher Meloni is Cena's famous and well-loved Alpha Male brother. Michelle Monaghan is Cena's wife and seeing her in a yellow gown makes me believe in color theory (woman is gorgeous, that dress on her was not a Kate Hudson moment).
Crude jokes, jokes veering on incredibly problematic, the clock maker from The Gilded Age plays a reality TV star, Monaghan spits red wine all over her living room and doesn't blink (but then she also does other things that you would think would make her react more than asking for a minty cocktail). The whole thing is stupid. Don't watch it.
That being said, I saw this clip from Pete Davidson's Netflix show, and it's one of the many reasons I like John Cena. He's a good dude, he is kind and giving and has a sense of humor and doesn't take himself too seriously.
For Your Entertainment
Sekou Sylla, who just goes by Sekou, is a 21-year-old British-Ivorian singer who like many young artist these days, got his big break from posting TikToks of himself singing in his unique baritone voice. When just 17, Sekou was performing at Glastonbury, on John Legend's tour, and performing at Brooklyn Beckham's wedding. This was all before his first EP was even released. Sekou's star continues to rise not only in the UK but across the pond; his latest release is “Does She Know.”
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I always look forward to your art curation – the top picture – every week! I really appreciate the intention that must go into choosing it. Thanks!
Enjoy your time off and don’t worry about posting on a schedule. Down time is good.
Based upon one of your earlier posts, I’ve been using the Sea Mist Suri toothbrush for about two months, and am on my second tube of toothpaste. I love the feel and weight of the handle, and the UV travel case. The no charging for four weeks is great when traveling. Not sure what I’ll do with the matching Wash Bag that was part of the bundle, but will find a use eventually, Also not sure if it’s as effective at removing plaque as my higher speed Philips Sonicare, but will find out at my DDS visit next month. The toothpaste is a lot milder than regular mint toothpaste and took some getting used to. I just ordered the 3-pack heads refill since the post-braces dental bar behind my bottom teeth beat the crap out of all bristles, and last two months max. I expect my dentist to say all is good with using the new brush, then I’ll start the automatic refills.
Enjoy your holidays and don’t stress.
I haven’t tried the Suri toothpaste, but when I went to the dentist I was told I’m doing a great job. I shared I switched from my Sonicare, and he nd the hygenist couldn’t tell any difference. I didn’t get a wash bag, you’re fancy! 🙂
Alison, I feel for y’all and the college costs (but aren’t the visits fun at times?). We dealt with this a few years ago, and my son’s dream school (at the time) was Columbia. We are middle class people in the South who work full time, do not have family money, paid for our own college educations, had student loans, have a mortgage, and we do hope to retire one day.
So, yeah, no matter what various expensive schools try to say about making those tuition fees “work,” it’s often truly not possible. In the end, he got scholarships to a completely different school in California, so college was paid for and he’s thriving! We are thankful, so thankful, that he applied to multiple schools & was able to get those scholarships. While we do have to cover expenses for flying him out & back, & for us when we visit, we’ve been able to make it work. The cost of college is ridiculous now, and I’m often surprised by the people I know who come from family/generational wealth who have no concept of what it’s like for those of us who don’t. Best of luck to y’all as you navigate this. (Sorry for writing an essay here—this is just something I still have lots of feelings about!)
It’s horrible; I remember college being expensive when I went, but to expect $100k/year now is ridiculous and impossible for most. I did loans, didn’t pay them off until 2020 and with the changes and the current administration will not do that to my kid. We’re applying to a range of schools, and she’s understanding that her dream school may accept her, but we very likely won’t be able to afford it. The last school we visited, listening to the parents on the tour talking about multiple homes, visiting colleges all summer staying in hotels and flying all over the place and complaining about the “sad” college town I found adorable… it freaked me out and literally made me ill. I spent the evening playing with cost calculators on college websites while my family went out and enjoyed the college town. I know she’ll find a place that is right for her and our finances, but this is a seriously stressful time and weird time for our country.