weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. c.a.r.d. #19

a new snack obsession, <$100 summer dresses, and tablescaping on a budget

May 25, 2025

Hi! Happy Sunday. I hope everyone is having a relaxing Memorial Day weekend (despite the less-than-spectacular weather on the East Coast). We’ve been channeling the spirit of summer through…

Lobster rolls (even though it’s 60 degrees).

Hot lobster rolls vs. lobster salad, always.

Beach walks (with a weighted vest and a puffer jacket).

And of course, the inaugural summer fro-yo. (Buddhaberry is my go-to…and my toppings to fro-yo ratio is always skewed in the best way).

Let’s dive in!

P.S. If you’re new around here—welcome to the weekly r.e.p.o.r.t c.a.r.d! It’s a weekly grab bag of the ideas, things, and people that I’m loving. Check out the last issue here. It’s a fun, light addition to the VARSITY READER fold.

P.P.S. This post is too long for e-mail (too much good stuff), so click through to Substack to read it all.

Reading: If you don’t already follow Matchmaker Maria on Instagram, do it. Maria is a fourth-generation matchmaker who delivers super frank advice about dating & relationships (and I especially love her weekly Q&A). Her first book just came out, and it mirrors the same candid advice I’ve come to love on Instagram. If you (or someone you know) needs a kick in the pants when it comes to relationships, this book is IT.

P.S. I was on the Matchmaker Maria podcast last year, where we chatted about how I was a total late bloomer when it came to dating and how I met my fiancé.

Eating: I don’t really consider myself an influencer. Social media and content creation is a part of what I do…not everything I do. While I’ve gotten invited to many brand events, I say no to most. Schlepping here, there, and everywhere for a free gift bag doesn’t interest me. I preserve my time and energy for brands I truly love and am excited about.

So it was a true treat to go to the launch of Skinnydipped’s new coconut almond bites in the Hamptons yesterday. I’ve been sharing about this brand for YEARS (their mini almond packs are a longtime travel go-to…the lemon is my personal favorite).

If you like Almond Joys, you’ll be a superfan of the coconut almond bites. They’re lightened-up in the best way—healthy-ish without being an almond butter-honey-almond flour monstrosity that someone on TikTok is calling cookie dough. You know?

Everyone at the event got this coconut mocktail upon entry adorned with the candy. As someone who considers dessert my alcohol (would way rather a macaron than a margarita), this was right up my alley.

Playing: With LinkedIn. (Feel free to add me…I’m posting more and more career content there). It is very funny how the loudest (and most viral) voices on LinkedIn are men, whereas the most prominent voices on Instagram, TikTok, Substack, YouTube etc. are primarily women. Lots to unpack there about gender roles and algorithms.

Obsessing: Patterns are a funny thing. It’s very easy for patterned pieces to look cheap—whereas it’s much harder to tell the price point of a solid black dress. So this $82 patterned dress is a bit of a unicorn. I love the toile print and the brown polka dot colorway. Both look very expensive!

And for more pattern inspo,

Christina Tumminello

just did an incredible roundup of patterned pants in her latest Substack. It’s a good one!!!

Recommending: I’m getting married in August, so I’ve slowly been adding more items to my wedding registry based on feedback from friends and TikTok research. The registry process has reiterated my love for tablescapes and hosting…on a budget. Some of the items I’ve seen are gorgeous, but ridiculously priced. $125 for a set of lobster-adorned napkin rings you might use once all summer? No thanks.

For trendy (and well-priced) summer tablescapes, Target has SUCH a cute selection. A few items that stood out during a recent scroll:

This $14 fish basket for fruit or bread. The perfect centerpiece!

These rattan chargers. $7 each at Target…I’ve seen them floated for up to $30 each at other retailers. And these are much cuter!

And this rattan candle, which would look great at a party entryway or lined up down the center of a table. This is the cheapo version (while this one is $45, but I actually like Target’s better).

Treating: I’m always looking to add flowy, work-appropriate dresses to my closet—pieces that can easily flex from a meeting to a night with friends. This dress is my MDW splurge. The collar makes it a bit more elevated, while the drop waist is on-trend. More sizes here and here. I opted for the navy, but also love the white!

Cutting: The pressure to hit 10K+ steps per day. Our feeds are flooded with people touting their 10K+ step days…and do I feel great on days I hit that number? Absolutely. But it’s important to know that the 10K+ step number was created for a 1960 marketing campaign. So it’s really just branding blah-blah. If you have a busy day and don’t hit it, don’t dress yourself out.

Admiring: Gauze > linen. I say this nonstop, but I don’t understand the linen obsession. I feel like a giant wrinkle as soon as I leave the house and then I’m futzing with my outfit all day. Gauze is just as breezy…with no wrinkles! These $20 gauze pants are on major sale (and many of you have said how much you love them). This button-down is equally good. Don’t look like a slob and wear gauze!!!

Resolving: To spread the gospel about these comfy shoes. As someone who flits around the city all day, I need something comfortable…and though you might see Chanel flats pushed on social media, they’re truly the most uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. A true Uber-to-restaurant shoe! These shoes, though, felt like sneakers the first time I slipped them on. They took me through 15K+ steps on my first day of wear, and they’re actually cute (no Dr. Scholls here). I can’t recommend them enough!

Daring: To do more things that scare me this summer. I’m okay with pushing myself in all ways…except when it comes to sports. I met someone the other day who was talking about surfing and how much she loved taking a recent surf lesson. I was wincing the whole time imagining myself on the board—which means I should probably give it a try…

weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. c.a.r.d. #19

a new snack obsession, <$100 summer dresses, and tablescaping on a budget

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