This week felt like a shift for me. Lately, I’ve been in a constant rotation of almond mom life Monday through Thursday, Lindsay Lohan circa 2006 Friday to Saturday, and Gollum on Sundays. I am tired.
Besides summer not actually starting until June 21st, we only really began hypothetical summer two weeks ago. The fact that I’m already feeling worn down is a problem. Therefore, I’m taking a few weeks off summer. I officially decree that for the month of June, I am back in spring.
I’m locked in, I have a half marathon at the end of the month and a trip to see my boyfriend in London in two days. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to dive into a few things that have piqued my interest and I can’t seem to leave alone.
Martini Man: Jonathan Bailey
Forget the search for the new Bond — the MARTINI Man has arrived.
Just in time for summer, Jonathan Bailey steps into the role of The MARTINI Man. In a vintage MARTINI Racing car, he pulls up to a quintessential Italian villa. Not as a guest, but as if it were MI6 headquarters. But no mission, just a mindset. Summer. Italy. MARTINI.
It came as a shock that I was actually unfamiliar with this majestic honour. I’ve since come to learn that it is a historic role within the MARTINI legacy, that was once held by the great George Clooney in the early 2000s. One of the last remaining true Hollywood movie stars.
George Clooney
Casting Jonathan Bailey in the role of The MARTINI Man feels like the perfect sequel. He brings a fresh spirit and contemporary style to a 160-year-old brand tradition, updating its identity without breaking it.
I admit it, I’ll be having a Martini spritz this summer. I’m completely sold. Bravo, MARTINI.
Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel
Scarcity.
I feel like the world has quietly evolved into a place where everything is readily available. In turn, this has had a negative impact on many things. Nothing feels sacred anymore. Nothing feels rare. And when nothing feels rare, nothing feels valuable.
That is until Matthieu Blazy bolstered Chanel back into stardom, like Samantha Jones did with Smith Jerrod in Sex and the City: The Movie. In doing so, it has reintroduced a sense of scarcity that feels almost forgotten in modern luxury.
Kendall Jenner
It’s safe to say I am absolutely loving what I am seeing online. Not for a while has there been a brand or a bag that has garnered this much excitement. It’s safe to say that, since its debut last September, the Chanel Maxi Flap Bag has become the IT bag.
Its minimalism and effortless chicness feel refreshing in a landscape often dominated by excess. I don’t give away my favourite word chic that easily. A word where meaning, sound, and feeling all align.
Margot Robbie
Kaia Gerber and Jake Shane
Summer House Reunion
I’m not sure why, but sometimes I’m hesitant to indulge in my Bravo obsession on here. I guess there’s still a world in which these shows are considered gutter television, or what do they call it, “trash TV”? Funny enough, my boyfriend is one of them. He truly detests these shows. That is until I showed him a clip of one-season wonder, Diana Jenkins on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the first Balkan (Bosnian) Housewife. I should’ve known that’s all it would take. The Balkans are a proud people.
But every so often, a scandal rocks the Bravo world, cracking down the barrier between its world and mainstream media. This time, it was courtesy of Bravo’s second-tier show Summer House.
KEY
Amanda = wife (Kyle)
Kyle = husband (Amanda)
West = bro (Kyle’s bff)
Ciara = bestie (Amanda bff)
Amanda and Kyle’s long-term marriage breaks down and they separate.
West, who is Kyle’s best friend, becomes romantically involved with Amanda after the separation.
Ciara, who previously dated West and is close friends with Amanda, feels blindsided by the overlap in timing and loyalty.
With the final and third part of the reunion airing this past Wednesday, we got a front-row seat to watch Ciara and Kyle confront Amanda and West. The main thing that jumped out to me and it seems Andy Cohen as well, was how sedated the two antagonists were. It was as if dementors had ripped out any drop of emotion they had left.
Part 1 of the reunion drew a SERIES high viewership of 3.1 million viewers. It’s interesting how viscerally people react to cheating scandals, especially when it includes friendship betrayal.
A Ralph Lauren Surprise
Apparently, I had handbags on my mind this week. But this one came as a surprise. Last Saturday, my friend and I decided to have a boozy brunch paired with decadent oysters. From there, we stumbled from store to store until we entered the newly built Ralph Lauren.
A huge canoe hung from the ceiling, with shiny, crisp wood mouldings greeting you at every turn, a feeling of American heritage everywhere you looked. I have to shout out the enthusiastic saleswoman who let me know her grandmother was from Italy. Whenever I say my name is Alessandro, people immediately jump to some distant relative who is from Italy or once lived there.
The reason I’m speaking about this experience is not based on the interior styling, but my utter disbelief at their handbag offerings.
I immediately noticed their totes, offered in a vibrant assortment of colours. Available in pebbled leather and denim, they serve as the perfect summer bag. Alongside them were mini shoulder bags in suede and leather, easy and quietly desirable.
But the star of the show was the large calfskin shoulder bag, a piece that quite literally took my breath away. When it comes to handbags, I always picture Serena van der Woodsen: dark polished nails, effortlessly swinging around a luxurious bag, wearing it exactly as it should be worn. If I imagine her today, possibly as a mother, I see this bag on her shoulder, filled with snacks, a Rhode lip balm, and Tom Ford sunglasses, ready for a weekend escape to the Hamptons. At $798 USD, it sits at a fraction of the price of top-tier designer bags, yet with the same craftsmanship and quality behind it.
Discovering that Ralph Lauren was quietly killing the handbag game was not on my bingo card.
This is such a fun piece! I cackled at “Gollum on Sundays”! I feel you, I’m also tired this week and it’s not even my day off yet.
Good luck on your half marathon! I’m rooting for you! Also, I love the Chanel Maxi Flap Bag!
Major YES to the Chanel Maxi Flap Bag