Dearest Gentle Reader,
What if I started the DM this way? Wouldn’t work. Only works if I have an old white British woman doing a voice-over over a period-setting Gossip Girl remake which quite sadly we don’t have the budget for. We don’t even have the budget to do this under our regular scheduled cadence, because time is money and this summer, we’re short on both.
That’s good though, right? "Busy is good," said the 30-something American woman to herself as she hunches deeper over her laptop, staring longingly at sun-drenched French Riviera photos posted by an influencer with a swimsuit hashtagged #AD, sighing openly as her gaze then goes out the window, thinking about the irony of the phrase “There must be more than this provincial life!”—being about 18th-century provincial France and yet somehow never more relevant than at her sad little desk in Denver, Colorado.
…Where were we? Ah, the cruelness of a busy summer depriving you dear, gentle reader (who hopefully watches Bridgerton because otherwise, you’re certainly wondering what I’m on) of useful, interesting content and me personally of laying next to a body of water (man-made or otherwise) being served by a French pool boy saying one of the only words in French I feel confident saying again and again. S'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît, s'il vous plaît.
Alas, at least one of us can have what we want. May we present The DM Issue 74 with a side of Sabrina Carpenter? Please, please, please.
From Meg
Watching:
Bridgerton, season 3: It goes without saying that I too watched the latest season of Bridgerton this past week and I think it was probably my favorite season yet. I particularly liked Benedict’s storyline and the discussion around monogamy, sexuality, and the sliding scale of so many societal standards that his character brings to the greater Bridgerton plot table. I know, I know— next season is probably Eloise’s but I wouldn’t mind a departure into how he’s navigating his relationship status or lack thereof. Shonda, if you’re reading— My vote’s for Benedict.
Hitman: A fan but for a bit more philosophical reasons than the plot itself (which was cute! Fun! I am into Glenn Powell). I mostly liked it for the underlying theme that your personality can be a malleable thing. If you’re open to the idea of being present in changing aspects of yourself (not just saying I’m going to be more social but quite literally going to the party, talking to people you don’t know, telling jokes to strangers, etc.) you can change aspects of yourself for good. While the stark difference between Gary and Ron was obviously meant as an overdramatization, I find self-actualization fascinating and challenging and I loved how the movie approached it.
If you buy one accessory this summer: Ever since Miu Miu came out with their rope sandals in their fall 2023 PFW show, these crunchy sandals have had a chokehold on the fashion community. For all my Colorado people already wearing them, just keep up the good work. For the rest of us, you’ll be wearing them by next summer if not sooner. While you could pay $890 for those pretty baby Miu Mius- May I instead suggest these Xero rope sandals for 44.99? I found them to be a lovely easy light vacation pack and had zero worries about messing them up on the beach. 10/10 dupe. Ps, for our small male readership- unisex yo!
Y’all, I’m bussssy this week so gonna have to cut to the carbs— Let’s get this bread. And this one. And this one. And if you need more until we talk again, I have a connect:
From Devon
Saving my skin: this all-purpose salve. I’ve been running on fumes and getting very little sleep for the past three weeks, paired with ample computer and phone time (IYKYK 🥷🏻), and this has helped me not feel/look like a total dried-up zombie.
#influenced: after having my eyes on these respective items for weeks, I saw Lindsay in these bejewled flats and Amanda in these boxers, immediately bought them, and now rarely want to wear anything else.
Listening to: this *vibey* playlist while sitting in front of a fan.
The lip color obsession lives on with: a perfect ‘grapefruit pink’.
Boring, but sometimes you gotta keep it real: if you need some new bowls with lids, these are 10/10.
Wanderlust trigger warning: I highly suggest snagging a copy of Lucy Laucht’s (who I want to be when I grow up) new book about the ‘Italian way of summer’ - or, come over and we can sip on mandarin and olive oil spritzes while looking at mine.