june faves: jersey shore, bikini tops, espresso martinis, & more

an early summer recap

Jul 01, 2024

June! How sweet you were to me. Is it just me or did this month genuinely feel like a blip in time? But one that, somehow, was full of beautiful early-summer moments. It’s been super hot on the East coast this month so many of my style and lifestyle choices have been informed by heat and exhaustion. My freelance work has been picking up, I think I’ve socialized more in the last week than I have in the last three months, and I’ve also started to plan out and execute some exciting new things for this Substack. It’s been very go, go, go and I feel like I need to constantly remind myself that it’s okay to slow down and spend some time doing absolutely nothing (or rotting in bed watching Jersey Shore). I try to balance this by keeping Sundays a sacred day to reset though I should probably take a second day of the week to myself but its scary to slow down when it feels like you’re building momentum in the present. I hope July brings me a much needed vacation or trip to the woods. Or maybe resting is more of a late-summer activity.

Here’s what I’ve enjoyed throughout June 2024:

1. Rewatching Jersey Shore

Nothing has made me appreciate being a Jersey girl more than rewatching the first season of Jersey Shore. I may not be Italian or have grown up on the shore but this is my culture!!! Also a Jersey Shore rewatch fits so perfectly with the brat summer vibe (Snooki and JWow are indie sleaze queeeeens).

2. Lemon Ginger Iced Tea

It’s been so hot all I want to do is sip on a hydrating iced drink! Iced oat matcha’s were my go-to for a while but milky drinks tend to sit a little heavy with me, so instead I’ve been brewing my usual hot lemon ginger tea bags and pouring them over ice. The ginger makes it feel almost carbonated, which feels healing after Poppi-gate…

3. Meeting Long Distance Friends <3

Last weekend I finally got to meet one of my Sustainable Baddie coworkers irl, Carla (our partnerships coordinator, in the blue top). They live in LA and it was their first time visiting New York so we spent a day thrifting and just having good wholesome fun (singing karaoke and drinking natural wine on Jazmine’s stoop). They are so wonderful and I’m very happy I got to connect with them in the physical realm!!

4. Filming the First Episode of Hardly Revolutionary Interviews

Is it a show, a podcast, a video blog??? I’m not exactly sure what to call this new chapter of Hardly Revolutionary but I do know I’m excited for it! One of my favorite parts of working as a writer is getting to interview people and I want to bring the magic of a conversation with an artist to HR, while doing it in a way that feels artistic and aligned with my hedonistic, romanticist values. My first interview is with San Diego based artist Muse and will hopefully be out within the next week :)

5. Espresso Martinis

I tried my first espresso martini last weekend and I can confidently say I’m an espresso martini girl now. This one is from Reception in LES and it had a little puffed corn kernel as a garnish which reminded me of the bags of puffed corn I used to buy from D1 in Medellin :’)

6. Bikini Tops as Bras

I don’t usually wear bras but I’ve been having fun styling bikini tops as bras that peek out from whatever top I’m wearing. I feel like this could be a fun way to use bikini tops throughout the year as well? Like under/over a sheer top or something. They also absorb boob sweat pretty well lol.

7. Buying Myself Flowers

If no one is going to buy me flowers I’m going to do it for myself! Also this feels like a practice in curation. Aren’t these little cherry bulbs (def not what they’re called) the cutest things ever?

8. Seasons by Six Foe

Every summer, it’s like these freaks get dumber / Every winter, it’s like the brain get thinner / Every spring, they chasing everything that bling / In the fall, them freaks they would do it all

9. Post-Sun, Cold Shower, Fresh Sheets

One of my favorite feelings specific to summertime is that of having spent all day in the sun, to go home and take a cold shower, to then jump into freshly cleaned sheets. If there’s a thunder storm raging throughout the night, even better.

10. The Brat-est Sweatpants You’ve Ever Seen

This months Depop find is this brand new pair of US Polo Assn sweatpants. June’s heat waves have had me in a bit of a style slump and wanting to stay indoors most days/ lacking the energy to put an outfit together but I feel soooo cunty when I wear these at home with a black tank top. Like, is my Uber Eats driver going to notice my outfit and associate me as a work from home fashion writer who wakes up at 1 pm most days, chain smokes, drinks espresso martinis, and probably has a rare cat in there somewhere?

11. My Poncho

I bought this Poncho at a market in Santa Elena last summer and it’s one of my favorite most versatile pieces. I recently realized I could style it as a skirt (left) but ofc it looks beautiful as it was intended to be worn (right, at NYFW FW24). Layering in the summer is rare but because there are so many holes in the poncho and the fabric is light it’s perfect for covering up or adding a layer to an already simple outfit! Distressed layers are def the way to go in this heat.

I’d love to hear your June faves!