The Best of August
The highlight reel, plus a little extra.
Hello! How’s it going? How was your summer? Me? Mine was great. Very productive. I moved, started a newsletter, added two new team members at Graves Creative (none of which I was planning to do), and thus (sadly) got very little vacation time in.
COVID’s still got me feeling some kind of way about anything more than a road trip, anyhow — a brush with a false positive had me canceling a trip to New York for the US Open this week. But! There are plans for a quick drive to Charleston for Labor Day weekend.
Labor Day flags the unofficial “end of summer” for most, but the arrival of Autumn is such a tease. It always rolls in feeling a little tardy. So as we mire in the dwindling heat, we grasp at what we can: the return of the PSL, September Issues, buying school supplies, and of course, fall fashion. Why don’t we look back at the month behind us?
I’m personally excited to no longer be sweater-shamed for a garment I consider a year-round staple. I ran down my early-season fall buys, bearing in mind my consumption as I opt for fewer, better things.
Side parts are out! Your skinny jeans are now cheugy! Cottagecore! Coconut Girl! E-Boy! Boy brow! Brow flick! Who can keep up? WE CAN. We deconstructed the Coconut Girl and Gen Z’s uncanny knack for repackaging Y2K.
There was also a YM magazine-style quiz, Millenials.
You guys bought a lot of sunscreen from this issue. Like, a lot. Especially this one.
And you really liked these loafers, too. I get it. Great price, super cute, can wear now into fall, etc.
We talked about wine a fair amount, and lots of you decided to buy this book, which I think is the best “know what you’re talking about when you’re ordering” wine primer out there.
Mixing the nuanced cocktail of a perfect tub bath was discussed and oft-clicked.
Questions from Instagram this month:
@sarahgouldlong asks, “How do you go about taking time for you during a busy work season?”
JG: By literally scheduling it in my calendar, and honoring it as though it were an appointment like any other. Also, I am a self-proclaimed self-care queen. The biggest and most necessary indulgence being therapy. The second being my Theragun.
@ajospin wants “good army jacket recs, please!”
JG: My favorite is by G. Label. It’s an investment, but it’s seen me through coming up on three fall seasons now, and it still looks great. Low cost per wear! My other favorite is an old camo Burberry one I scored for like, 80 bucks on The Real Real. Other stuff I’ve seen: this Toteme jacket, this Anine Bing one, and this sturdy well-priced Alex Mill number. Natalie, our Design Coordinator at Graves Creative, says she’s been eyeing this one from Madewell that’s really cute too.
On the Atlanta front, @booktherapyphilly is asking where the good clothing boutiques are, and @redclaysoul is looking for a spot that serves a good Vesper martini.
JG: Given the times we’re in, I’ve been doing much less in-person shopping. But here in ATL, I really like Sabot and Megan Huntz for women, Seed Factory for kids, and Sid Mashburn for men. As far as a Vesper (famously, the drink of one Mr. James Bond) goes, I can’t think of anywhere better-suited than the bar at The St. Regis Buckhead.
@elizabethjkelleher and @ellieeedavis both asked for wedding guest dress recommendations.
JG: My first stop is La Ligne or Hampden. Hannah, our social coordinator likes Wray NYC, Ciao Lucia, and Agua Bendita. Natalie likes Needle and Thread and ASTR the label.
