The Weekly Wishlist: Let’s Prep For Summer

There’s no way paywall this week, so come and have a read!

This wishlist might be the most stacked to date and I had to EDIT THIS DOWN! Someone commented on Instagram this week that they were excited for my summer content and as a previous hot-weather dressing hater I surprised myself by agreeing. I’m excited too! WHO AM I? Linen sets, knitted waistcoats, cream jeans, strap sandals and basket bags. Sign me up!! So this week’s letter is sprinkled with some summer flavour. It might be 8 degrees outside as I write this on an early morning train, but a girl can dream.

In this week’s newsletter:

• The weekly wishlist featuring a BUMPER Faithfull The Brand edit because their summer drop is simply stunning.

• The two articles that I’ve read, loved and saved on Substack this week.

• Summer outfits that I can’t wait to wear again and using yourself as moodboard inspiration because why the hell not!?

• Am I obsessed with all things Tibi?! Yes. Yes I think I am.

• Two outfits that helped me get dressed this week, and advice on how to put all those screengrabs you take to good use.

• How my weekly wishlist is looking because I *might* have failed at my shopping task this month. Let me explain…

This Substack is sponsored by Ole Henriksen - an old favourite of mine, who does one of the best tinted lip balms around. Lovely to have you here!

It’s glow on glow on glow here ✨

But first, a beauty interlude. If you’ve been following along with my YouTube or Instagram then you will know that for the past few months, I’ve been on a skin JOURNEY. I thankfully seem to be coming out of the other side (thanks to a diet that actually includes vegetables and a simplified skincare routine) and it means that I feel comfortable embracing a ‘no makeup, makeup’ look again. But we all know by now that the secret to skin that looks like it’s practically glowing from within, is skin prep. It’s what’s underneath that counts. And let me tell you - this Ole Henriksen trio ticks all the boxes. Their new Banana Bright+ Instant Glow Moisturiser is the perfect one-step makeup prep moisturiser. Infused with gold-complexed Vitamin C and illuminating banana powder-inspired pigments, for the dehydrated among us it’s exactly what we need. Think a gel-cream texture that’s easily absorbed and just feels fresh. It’s your spring skincare update. Plus it reduces the look of dark spots which seeing as I’m on the tail end of the worst breakouts I’ve ever experienced, I NEED right now. I like to finish it off with its sister product, the Banana Bright+ Eye Crème tapped under the eyes, a layer of SPF, followed by tinted moisturiser, a curl of the ol’ eyelashes, setting of the brows and finishing with the Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in Strawberry Sorbet (that smells SO GOOD). Minimal products, maximum glow and the skincare/makeup blend that you catch in the mirror four hours later and think ‘OOKKKKK!!!’.

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Hush Maggie Twist Front Linen Blend Midi Dress*, Carmen Relaxed Cami Beach Dress* & Jemma Jersey Beach Dress*

Ok hear me out - Hush are giving serious SIR-vibes with their summer drop. Just really simple, but interestingly cut dresses that you could throw in your suitcase and wear to the beach, or add a dressier flat, your favourite jewellery and do double-duty by wearing it to dinner too. The sort of dresses to throw on when you don’t want anything to touch your body. It’s giving ‘Aussie-brand-summer’ but around the £100 mark and without the need for the whole customs-duties faff. My top pick would be the white maxi dress - worn with a bandeau bikini top underneath.

Aligne Meg Square Neck Denim Top*

Aside from doing waistcoats ridiculously well, Aligne do denim REAL good. Their Miso jeans* are a solid straight-leg cut if that’s what you’re after, but this denim top turned my head because it has a very similar cut to the Tibi one that’s on my wishlist. Like that real boxy, square neck that just adds an interesting shape to your outfit. I feel like I’d wear this a lot with a contrasting bottom - like silk wide-leg trousers, or my MANGO knitted trousers. I just LOVE an inverted denim outfit.

St Agni Mira Snake-Effect Leather Mules*

I just don’t feel like there’s a huge hole in my wardrobe for a kitten heel, but say if I did? It would be filled by this immediately. I’ve realised that suede loafers, slim-line loafers in general or square-toe ballet flats are good everyday shoe options for me, but if I was at a point in my life where a cute little heel could be more than a bi-yearly occurrence then I would be trotting around in these on the daily. The perfect print, the perfect toe - I am in love. Imagine these with some straight jeans, a cashmere knit with rolled sleeves and a large tote bag thrown over your shoulder? SO DARN CHIC.

ARKET Boat Neck Tank Top*

I’m not sure I’ve ever found the *right* vest tops for me. Something more square cut with thin straps feels revealing and not exactly right with my wide, but slopey shoulders - the straps always fall! A racerback has been my go-to for the past few years but only because they represent the bulk of what’s available. I’ve always liked this boat-neck cut on me in other styles and perhaps a black and cream vest with this neckline is what I need in my wardrobe. I’m adding them to the wishlist. There’s something ’90s about them and even though that feels very ‘of the moment’ they still feel like something I’d want to year next year and the year after.

Faithfull The Brand Maya Linen Vest*, Ancora Satin Maxi Skirt*, Algarve Linen Jumpsuit*, Delfina Cotton-Twill Vest*, Lui Linen Mini Dress*, Das Flores Linen Maxi Dress* & Serafia Ribbed-Knit Maxi Dress*

Ok I’ve gone a bit wild here, but I was doing some NET-A-PORTER browsing the other day and ended up scrolling through the full selection of Faithfull The Brand pieces and like wow. WOW. The way they have just nailed the vibe of summer dressing that I aim to capture this year. Previously they’ve leant into prints, but summers ‘24 drop is chilled, simple and wall to wall with linen basics; from bandeau dresses to waistcoats. You thought I could go a whole newsletter WITHOUT recommending a waistcoat of some kind?! NEVER!!!!!

Sézane Stella Jumpsuit* (I would order this in a 10, it says if you’re between sizes to size down)

Just stunning. No words. 10/10!! Of course, the black is chic as hell, but it’s the terracotta that has caught my eye and the red too! I feel like I saw a natural linen version on their Instagram as well - perhaps that’s coming soon? Just one to bookmark to see what colours they release next. It might be a little dressy for day-to-day wear but for a wedding guest option? I LOVE. See more of my wedding guest favourites here…

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WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK

#176: Accounting for taste

Thanks for sharing this in the chat Leslie! I love Hayley’s writing and enjoyed her take on taste and how it changes and morphs throughout the years. The bit about how buying more clothes made Hayley feel worse about her personal style. Hard relate!!!

Retail Confessions: Tiffany, Part II

Amy’s ‘Retail Confessions’ posts are one of my favourite series to follow on Substack. In each one, she interviews employees (or former employees) of high-end stores and they break down what it was like to deal with customers - from the uber-rich to the HENRY’s - high earners not rich yet - individuals. Fascinating!

OUTFITS I CAN’T WAIT TO WEAR AGAIN

Whether you happen to write a weekly newsletter where you document every single outfit you wear, or you don’t - taking photos of your daily outfits is something I highly recommend doing. You can pull data from it in terms of what you actually wear (and what you don’t!), but it’s also handy for creating your own moodboards of well… yourself!! It’s something I do on the reg for this newsletter, but all you need is a Canva account and a full camera reel to collate ideas and moods that can not only replace mindless scrolling but also get you excited about what you already have hanging in your wardrobe. I tapped back to summer last year to find some outfits that I liked, played around with them a bit and created the above - all with things I already own and can’t wait to wear again. A fun little piece of homework to try this week if you fancy it?

ENTERING MY TIBI PHASE

Heather’s TikTok did nothing to quell the fire in my belly that is the need for some Tibi in my life. The only thing holding me back at this point? The price and the extortionate customs charges that come with ordering from their U.S.-based website. Or else you know the Tuck Jeans and Slit-Front Denim Top would have been my monthly purchases for the past two months!! I’m gutted that I didn’t even really know what Tibi even was when we visited New York last year because I’m sure I would have had a whale of a time in their NYC flagship. In the meantime I’m devouring all the video content from their ‘Half-Day Styling Marathon’ - a series of videos with Amy and the team on all things style; from colour theory, to how to work trends into your everyday wardrobe. Seriously there isn’t a fashion brand putting out long-form content like this and I lap up every single one. Amy and Keturah are my gals!!!

@pigmamiobvi im straight sized & live in NYC so i have a smorgasboard of try ons available to me but even going to your local dept. store in the mall or thrift store & trying on things you may not usually go for can bear many lessons! You may find a new silhouette you love, or you may dislike it, and realize you're actually happy with the silhouettes you already wear & arent missing out on anything at all

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TWO OUTFITS THAT HELPED ME GET DRESSED RECENTLY

Leandra’s outfit and mine.

You’ll see this outfit in this week’s ‘Everything I Wore This Week’ drop, but I needed a semi-formal outfit to wear to London for a day of meetings and after scrolling through the screenshots on my phone came across this photo of Leandra. I don’t own a cool scarf, nor fun trainers and it was too cold to wear a cotton vest. So instead I borrowed the outer layer - the black trousers with a cream blazer and put my spin on it with brown accessories.

Whenever I’m recreating screenshots (or even outfits I choose to save in the first place), here’s what I’m looking for:

• A silhouette that I like the look of - like the Monikh example below. Here I’m looking more for just shape and ‘overall vibes’. I really liked the loose jacket with the wide-leg trousers, so recreated it with similar pieces I owned.

• A particular item, perhaps one that I struggle to style or don’t wear all that often. That’s why I screengrabbed Leandra’s look. I don’t wear my cream blazer that much and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate it more.

• A whole outfit where I’m like WOW, I own very similar pieces to this, love the overall look and can add my take on it with my jewellery favourites and accessories.

• Just an outfit that I enjoy - perhaps it’s a colour palette or texture mash-up that’s caught my eye. It might not be an outfit that I would personally wear or something that feels quite aspirational and not in line with my lifestyle. But it’s something that’s got the neurones firing in a way that I like.

Monikh’s outfit and mine.

WHAT’S ON MY WISHLIST

• Things that have been removed: I took off the Malene Birger Mariko cardigan. It’s fun and it would have added something different to my wardrobe, but I’d removed it the week before and then re-added it and that’s just not a good sign is it? I feel like the care of it would have been a bit tricky and I could see that perhaps after a few washes it wouldn’t have looked as pristine. It just wasn’t meant to be.

• Things that have been added: I had a REALLY good browse of NET-A-PORTER this week and because of that added three new items to my wishlist:

  • James Perse Cashmere Blend Track Pants* - this one is thanks to Monkih and that post that I shared above. I had to locate the exact trousers she was wearing and it was these. They are basically a wide-leg, jogging bottom but the cashmere content is low (which I like - too much equals baggy knees!). I wear my wide-leg MANGO knitted trousers so much that I feel like it would be nice to have another WFH-friendly trouser option.

  • Hunza G Brown Swimsuit* - this is something that I might need to buy because of my colour analysis. I only own a black swimming costume and the straps are quite thin and often pull down exposing a boob or two. This shape looks sturdier and colour far more up my street.

  • Faithfull The Brand Antipas Linen Top* - ok you’ve got to promise me that if this comes back into stock you won’t sell this out because I need this top like I need my nightly dose of Real Housewives. It feels… IMPORTANT. I screenshotted an outfit it was part of recently but didn’t realise that the top was something that had been under my nose this whole time! It might be black (I know I swore off black clothing buys this year!!), but the shape is just so utterly perfect.

• Things I’m buying: So I bought a dress*. I know. I’ve already made my April purchase, so I’m cheating. And I’m sad about that because I’m a Virgo who loves to make unrealistic expectations for myself and then beat myself up big time for always failing. It’s a great personality trait of mine. But in putting together all the wedding guest guides I realised that I just don’t love my GANNI floral dress. I haven’t for years! I’ve just worn it because it’s been there and I think it’s time to part ways and make way for an occasion dress that feels me. Plus this Allison Bornstein TikTok about ‘if you see a dress you like to BUY IT’ to save yourself from panic-buying something that doesn’t feel right at a later date, was whirring around in my head. Have a click on it and let me know what you think. I feel like it could be it. I’m just waiting for it to arrive and will share next week once it’s here.

  This one was looooong, so I hope you enjoyed that extremely bumper-sized weekly style digest. I already have things on the list to discuss for next week! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to have a read and if you’re a free subscriber I hope you liked this peek into what the Friday newsletter is all about . Have a great Friday all and see you on Sunday!

  Anna x