The List: Choose Your Summer Archetype

It's time for Sets in the City. (Am I a... Carrie?!)

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE INBOX ORACLE. Substack stylist, lowercase legend. She’s not an influencer, she’s the reference. Dwells in a major metro so she can have her coffee with a side of surveillance. She lives downtown, somewhere pretty, with old floors and good light. Group chats forward her edicts like scripture. PR teams brief off her captions. She says no often, yes intentionally, and disappears for the summer, when the writing gets good. —— Links: Rohe leather jacket, By Malene Birger brooch (a tiny version of my Phoebe Philo version that many of you loved), Oribe lamellar water (to augment the humidity), AGOLDE barrel leg jeans, Hermes nail enamel, CHRISTEN sandals, The Row bag, Phoebe Philo sunglasses, Macrene Actives skin tint.

This weekend will be my first of the season in the Hamptons, and I can’t wait. Talk your shit, but I love it out there. Mentally, I’m already at the farm stands and oyster farms, posted up at Tutto, sipping watermelon cocktails at Crow’s Nest, and lingering over outdoor dinners with friends.

I developed a few Summer Archetypes and peppered them throughout the issue. What’s yours? Spoiler alert: the first one is mine (not literally, Karen), and it’s inspired by all the other infinitely cool women who write here on the fashion corner of Substack.

Anyway, since I’ll be gone for a few months, I’ve stocked up on the essentials: sunglasses, sandals, SPF (so much SPF), good hats (this, this) to block the sun, summer-sized goodies from my favorite brands, stockpiles of wine and Ghia, and many, many matching sets.

Speaking of no curfew, I went to the Beyoncé show last week with a band of girlfriends and had so much fun. Watching my usually composed friends scream like teenagers was AMAZING. Several of us were moved to tears. STAUD hooked us up with matching stadium bags, which was terribly cute going through security. A full letter will be sent soon about what everyone wore! But if you’re looking for ideas, I did a whole roundup a few weeks ago. Levi’s also has some good denim dreamed up in collaboration with Queen B herself.

I caught up on And Just Like That last night. Even though I saw the filming through my own front window last year, Carrie Bradshaw being my fictional neighbor is still surreal. Her doorstep is about 100 feet from mine. I could see my apartment door in the show's background, which I’m pretty sure Oprah would call a “full circle” moment. I used to watch reruns lying in my flowery pink bedroom in Wellington, Florida, and now, my real life mirrors what I once saw through the looking glass.

Does this mean I’m a Carrie?!? Maybe I need to retake that Buzzfeed quiz.

That’s the thing about New York. Half the time, you’re just trying to keep up, and the other half, you forget the whole world is trying to catch up to you.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE TRUST FUND CAMP COUNSELOR. Smells like Le Labo and bug spray. Wears archival Chloé with Chacos. Spends July in Montauk “off grid,” but still manages to be photographed for a brand campaign. Her aura is eucalyptus and generational wealth. —— Links: Still Here shorts, Completedworks Net-a-Porter exclusive necklace, Loretta Caponi apron dress, Hereu mesh tote, miu miu paracord sandals, Another Tomorrow chambray shirt, Letlet NY embroidered cotton bandana, COLORFREE zinc SPF,

• Let’s begin with what’s been giving me joy lately: my bath ritual. My bathroom, which is already my little sanctuary, has become even more so now with the addition of L’Occitane’s just-released shimmering Almond Body Oil, well-timed with skin season.

• I’m also swan diving into the world of May Lindstrom, who sent me a whole suite of goodies. The Good Stuff is a hair and body oil that I glug into my bath and use on my scalp and legs. The Blue Cocoon is terrific for the luteal phase of my cycle when my skin starts to break out around my mouth — I sub this instead of moisturizer, and it soothes inflammation overnight. (Though I also rely on the spot-healing powers of Biologique’s Complexe Iribiol serum, Masque Vivant, and a good pimple patch.) I’ll soak in my tub with The Honey Mud mask or Chanel’s Sublimage Le Masque (now a refillable format!) on my face for 20. And The Clean Dirt is a killer exfoliant when my skin needs encouragement to turn over.

• I talked to my bestie while he was Pride outfit shopping, and we both agreed that we assign a lot less value to our summer clothes. Maybe it’s how hard we are on them or how little material they contain, but I don’t feel super splurgy about this category except for those few special pieces. It’s all cotton anyway! This is the time of year I lean hardest on places that make easy stuff for the Dog days like J.Crew, Aligne, Alex Mill, Quince, Levi’s, Varley, Halfdays, With Nothing Underneath, Soldout.nyc, Splits 59, etc.

• I’m relying on Loretta Caponi, Matteau, Doen, and The Row for that handful of days where I’m not being a complete sun bum.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE HAMPTONS PRAGMATIST. Less “quiet luxury” and more “old money doesn’t explain itself.” She lives in crisp cotton, drives a car with 80k miles on it, and has never once panicked about what to wear… because she always wears the same thing. Her nails are buffed, her brows are natural, and her jewelry alone could pay someone’s mortgage. —— Links: Tabayer cuff, U Beauty Lip Plasma and The Barrier Bioactive moisturizer (JESS20 for 20% off first order), Another Tomorrow shirt, The Row flats, ALIGNE linen dress, Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 PIGM 400, SLVRLAKE jeans,

• Luckily, everything is on sale this time of year for those nicer things. Most of the Memorial Day sales have rolled over into deeper markdowns. Even Toteme is running a 40% off private sale. (Not on the sale, but very much calling to me are these mules.)

• Speaking of The Holy Trinity (if you’re new here, that’s Khaite, Toteme, and The Row), have you seen the Khaite Resort lookbook? Oh. My. God. Talk about a brand with big Karma points with me: I made an abysmal shoe choice for the Beyoncè show and realized it too late. Mayra, my angel at Khaite, answered my fashion emergency and hand-delivered a pair of perfect (comfy!) boots to David Mallett, where I was getting my hair done. I topped it with a Stetson and away I went.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE GLASS ONION. Her parties are never posted, her wine is never domestic, and her friends are often exes. She is the room’s temperature, not just its center. She speaks three languages, does not raise her voice, and collects originals, both art and people. Her intentions? Unclear. Her invitation? Coveted. ——- Links: By Malene Birger shirt, Bottega Veneta earrings, Christofle onion vase, Guerlain customizable lipstick case, ALIGNE high rise straight jeans, ELUWA taper candles, Hermes Barenia hair mist, Isabel Marant dress, Manolo Blahnik heels,

• I have a full day of showroom appointments on Wednesday to look at Resort ‘26 collections (Resort is my lowkey fav), which I’ll report back here, but Instagram Stories will probably be a better hang if you don’t want to wait. The last appointment of the day is an apertivo with Kallmeyer, which seems to be getting better with every collection. Then, on Wednesday evening, Khaite is taking a few people on a private tour of the Judd Foundation led by Donald Judd’s son, Flavin. Judd is often cited as a significant influence on designer Catherine Holstein, which makes it all the more special. After, I end my night dancing to Samantha Ronson at a Violet Grey party — NEW YORK, man (!). My Wednesday nights did not look like this when I lived in Atlanta, y’all.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE NORDIC SIREN. The Row, on the rocks. Resides in Amagansett, owns exactly two cashmere sweaters and ten oyster knives. Her beauty isn’t loud; it’s structural. Emotionally neutral unless you’re talking about cold plunging or coastal erosion. Never online, yet somehow always in the know. She sleeps with the window cracked and her feelings folded neatly away. —— Links: Toteme hat and pants, LIE Studio x Lido swimsuit, J.Crew bikini top and bottom, Ancient Greek Sandals jelly flip flops, Vertigo bag charm.

• One thing that’s full price for real? Swim. Lido’s new collab with LIÉ Studio (launching June 5) is restrained enough to double as daywear. And for the boys, Vilbrequin did a cheeky collab with the St. Regis, which is pretty cute for the poolside. Even if you only have $25 to spend, that won’t oust you from a new ('90s-era Pamela) Baywatch-red bikini or one-piece at Quince. There’s even a coordinating pair of (current-era Pamela) breezy beach pants.

• How much do I love the Wales Bonner Adilette slides? Let me count the ways. They're super nostalgic for fellow soccer girls but elevated enough to throw on with my High Sport shorts to run around this summer. Could not buy them fast enough.

• Remember that super extra Christofle sterling coffee go cup? They brought it down to earth (a little) and made it in stainless steel.

More Archetypes below the jump!

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE GENIE IN A BOTTLE. She’s half apothecary, half fantasy. She wears Alaïa harem pants, puts lion’s mane in her matcha, and lavender mist in her pochette. Her bathroom looks like a portal. Her skin glows like it knows something you don’t. She doesn’t age; she alchemizes.

Links: Alaia small Le Click bag, dedCooL Aura fragrance, L’Occitane shimmering almond body oil, Aflalo Lolana silk pant, Sidia Wired body serum, Ben Amun bangles, Chanel Sublimage Le Masque.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE DIMES SQUARE STAYCATIONER. Her baggage is emotional, not literal. In her mind, she’s the main character in her own indie film. Her diet is primarily from takeout containers; her cigarettes are primarily rooftop (she’s trying to quit vaping). Permanent residence? Downtown, liminally. Spent all her money on thrifting and Prada. What was left went to her bar tab at Parcelle. Can’t afford to leave the city this summer, so she turned staying into an aesthetic. Never goes above 14th, but did take the train uptown to Instagram the new Jessica McCormack townhouse.

Links: Varley jacket, Jones Cherry Mints, Prada babydoll dress, The Row 90’s bag, Wales Bonner Adilette slides, Loewe 10th anniversary Puzzle bag.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE RHINE-STONED COWGIRL. She’s a little bit Western, a little bit weed pen. Her boots are dusty (she thrifted them outside Marfa), her denim is vintage, and her playlists make grown men emotional. She rolls her joints tight and her shorts shorter. Her vibe? Beyoncé at golden hour, with a soft buzz. Yeehaw, but make it YSL, baby.

Links: Edie Parker cherry pipe, Balenciaga small Rodeo bag, Sacai x Levi’s jacket, Eterne tank, Khaite studded suede tote, Massimo Dutti sandals, Kemo Sabe belt.

SUMMER ARCHETYPE: THE SICILIAN VIOLET. She smells like fig and church incense. She’s indulgent, feminine, and deeply cinematic. She wears fragrance like armor and keeps her lace in silk-lined drawers. She collects perfume, letters, and lovers—in that order.

Links: Another Tomorrow top and pants, Dolce and Gabbana rosary, Ortigia perfume, Else Lingerie underwire bra, Khaite silk dress, Santa Maria Novella Magnolia bath gel, Christian Louboutin shoes, Acqua di Parma perfume