weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. c.a.r.d. #22

no-bake, oven-free recipes, a new thriller favorite, and summer fashion staples

Hi! Happy (sunny) Sunday…finally! This is the first weekend since November where it hasn’t rained at all in NYC.

Bring on the fro-yo! The ultimate sign of summer.

My go-to order always involves something chocolate. This is a mix of tart, salted caramel pretzel, and peanut butter fro-yo topped with Heath bar, chocolate covered gummy bears, and hot fudge. From Buddhaberry in Southampton!

Versus my fiance’s favorite order…

It’s all about the cereal! Tart fro-yo topped with mochi, Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes, and a sprinkling of M&Ms.

As summer kicks up, we’re officially in major sale season.

No One Asked, But.

(aka

Christina Tumminello

) has a great ode to sale season on her Instagram. One of her major mantras is “a sale is just a sale…there will be more!” And I completely agree. There’s nothing worse than feeling pressure to buy something on MAJOR SALE!!! and then have it languish in your closet.

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.

Reading: I try to get through at least three books per week in the summer. Last week, I finished two (and abandoned one because it was so bad). The two I finished and loved—this thriller about a CRAZY RICH ASIANS-type family and this professional development book about unlocking your leadership strengths.

This week, I tackled another rich-people-gone-wrong thriller. I’ve been following Danielle Prescod (aka

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by DP

) for years, and her book about a wealthy family with dark secrets has long been on my reading list. But I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did!

Most of the books I’ve read by content creators recently have been…meh. (Danielle is SO much more than a content creator, though. Similar to me, social media is a small part of her career. She’s a consultant, a freelance writer, and a very talented author!)

A billionaire patriarch suddenly passes away on the grounds of his Martha’s Vineyard estate. His death unravels a family history he fought for years to keep hidden. I raced through this book within a few hours. It’s just that good!

Eating: This past week, the heat clouded my brain and cooking was the last thing on my mind. So I’ve been turning to my favorite no-bake, oven-free recipes. What’s been on repeat:

• These rainbow summer rolls with peanut sauce (to lighten them up a bit, you can sub PB2 for peanut butter…and I’ve also subbed the PB for sunflower butter to accommodate allergies)

• This mayo-free spa tuna via Jennifer Fisher (an amazing jewelry designer but also a go-to for healthy recipes)

• This cucumber salad with roasted peanuts and chili oil (cucumber is much hardier than lettuce and lasts way longer during the week, and you can always pair with a rotisserie chicken to add a protein)

• This La Scala salad dupe via

  Kathleen Ashmore
  (candidly, I’ve never been to the OG La Scala in LA, but it’s super filling and tastes way better than Sweetgreen)

Playing: With the idea that em dashes are not an immediate indicator of AI! Spotted this meme via Substack notes and it immediately resonated. As an unabashed fan of em dashes, I needed this reassurance.

Obsessing: Over the influencer industrial complex! What that means exactly…the cadre of content creators who share the same exact product recommendations because of sky-high affiliate rates. Everyone has to make money—I completely understand that!

But the uniformity happening on social media takes the joy out of what these platforms were meant to be. Places to share a diversity of products, ideas, and goals. So I decided to go deep and expose aspects of the industry no one talks about.

My investigative journalism:

1. The affiliate link industrial complex—why influencers continue to shill subpar brands (and what they’re getting paid)

2. Influencer-favorite brands actually worth your money (brands constantly shilled by content creators…for good reason)

Articles and sources I consulted while making these posts:

1. This Harvard Business Review piece about the influencer industry, how it’s grown massively over the years, and regulation it sorely needs

2. UNDER THE INFLUENCE, a podcast hosted by author

   Jo Piazza
   that dives deep into the world of influencers and brings to light the industry’s many secrets

3. This Economist article, which peels back the curtain on the economics of influencing (you can insert into 12ft.io if you can’t get past the paywall)

4. This Reddit thread about influencers (always an interesting source for unvarnished secondary research…this one actually brings up some smart points, unlike many of the snark-centered threads!)

Recommending: Nothing satisfies a type-A more than a good closet cleanout. And I recently did just that—which enabled me to analyze my summer wardrobe. What pieces did I gravitate towards most? What were my workhorses? The pieces I was excited about…but didn’t end up wearing?

Three item categories I find myself wearing on repeat every summer:

1. White collared shirts

Whether it’s my beloved gauze button-down ($44.50) or a more polished iteration, a white shirt always makes me feel pulled together. This business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back short-sleeve white shirt is a new closet addition this year, and I’ve been wearing it a ton. As is this elevated gauze piece. All are under $250…for good reason!

Summer clothes are meant to be worn, not treated preciously. Sunscreen, sauce, and sweat are all potential stain hazards!

2. Raffia bags

Raffia is truly the fabric of summer. Though I love my silver-studded work tote and do carry it in the summer, I prefer lugging around something a bit lighter.

Like this massive raffia crossbody. I picked it up the other day and have worn it every day since. Fits your phone, AirPods, two books, a notebook, snacks, a notebook, a portable charger, and keys. And on major sale! I got stopped today by someone who asked if it was Khaite. Absolutely not!

This raffia-and-black tote is similar, but is more office-appropriate. Unlike other raffia bags that I’ve tried, these two pieces are both very sturdy. I picked up a $920 raffia bag from The Row the other day (for fun!) when I was in Bergdorf Goodman and I wouldn’t have even paid $30 for it…yes, it felt that flimsy.

3. Breezy dresses

If this week’s East Coast heatwave taught us anything, it’s that the looser the garment…the cooler you’ll feel. No Hervé Legér skintight dresses to be found here. But finding dresses that are comfortably loose yet don’t feel like a schmata is a tough ask! A few that pass my test (I own and love all of these):

• The $198 shirtdress that’s viral for a reason (it’s so well-tailored!)

• The $106 linen-blend dress that looks like Julia Amory

• The $44 dress I thought was STAUD at first

• The $30 shirtdress that looks significantly more expensive

• The $30 linen-blend dress I’ve had for years

Treating: Myself to a subscription to The Cutting Room Floor podcast. I love smart conversations, and I’ve seen clips of this podcast for years on TikTok (which does deep-dive interviews with fashion industry luminaries). (This one with Steve Madden is a particular favorite).

I felt like my podcast rotation was getting stale (do you feel this way too?!) so this was the perfect solution to mix it up. $6 and worth every penny. Host Recho Omondi is a great follow on IG too!

Admiring:

Muna Ikedionwu

’s new Substack

I Have Thoughts...

. So many smart takes on celebrity-founded brands, emerging players, and major marketing no-nos.

• When you feel incompetent, remember these…stories & reframes that are instant mood boosters

• Life is all about balancing something cheap with something expensive

• Career scams I’m not falling for

• Independent designers that deserve more hype

• DITL of an entrepreneur with a portfolio career…cosplaying as a mom influencer

• Major mistakes I made in my early career

• Beauty products & procedures that seem ridiculous…but are worth your $$$ (part 2)

• Beauty products & procedures that seem ridiculous…but are worth your $$$

• The affiliate link industrial complex

• Wedding shower look

• Eldest daughters can do anything

• DITL of an entrepreneur with a portfolio career…that was a little weird

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