The Best Travel Resource for Nice Snobs (ahem) + 8 Amazing Pieces from the Net-A-Porter Sale.
Also: Why is this Sneaker Pimps video from 1996 so good?
Welcome to another edition of: What is up with this Mercury Retrograde? I’ve always been sensitive to them—Virgo is ruled by Mercury, after all—but this one feels like a bit of a doozy, despite Chani’s intimation that it should be relatively mellow? Am I the only one, or are you feeling it too?
Part of it is my own fault; I have a slew of Tauruses in my life, including my BFF since kindergarten and my husband (happy birthday, my love), and normally I’m out ahead of their birthday shopping at least a month in advance. This year has been a bit more of a scramble, and while I know that things like delayed shipping are just par for the course in a Merc Retro, I somehow managed not to plan for it, and am definitely feeling the pinch right now. (These are not real problems, I know.)
Sometimes, when I’m feeling moderately overwhelmed by work (check!), parenting (check check!), and my role as a friend/wife/colleague/family member/human (check check check!), I go into avoidance mode. My voicemails pile up, DMs go unread, and my best practices for my physical and mental health are discarded with abandon. Instead, I find myself up late at night organizing my closet and researching things that aren’t pressing. (It’s funny that as I get older, my self-sabotaging moves now have a distinct whiff of productiveness about them; a far cry from the escape choices of my younger years, to be sure.)
All of this is a very (typically, unsurprisingly) long-winded way of saying that I’ve been doing a lot of travel research lately, and wanted to share my favorite discovery: Yolo Journal. To be completely candid, calling it a “discovery” implies I’m cleverer than I actually am. A few weeks ago when I asked for Palm Springs suggestions, I got a DM from the woman who was ELLE’s Executive Editor when I worked there in the early aughts, Alex Postman.
Seeing her name in my inbox is always a major pleasure, as Alex is the most top-notch of humans on a variety of levels. During my time at ELLE, she was probably the most universally beloved and admired person on the team, from the top of the masthead on down. I was delighted to learn that after turns at Conde Nast Traveler, Whole Living, and the book publisher Rodale, that she is now the deputy editor at Yolo Journal, which is an excellent travel publication with a few print issues a year and a delicious newsletter called Yolo Intel.
Yolo was founded by Yolanda Edwards, who started her career as a photo editor at Conde Nast Traveler, worked her way up to become the magazine’s Creative Director, and then left the industry in 2018. While I haven’t seen Yolo’s print issues yet, as I just subscribed, I can tell you that the newsletter is DIVINE.
Yolo Intel is the kind of travel publication that I was craving, but hadn’t been able to find. Some content is free, but the really good stuff is behind the subscriber paywall, and features beautifully curated collections of the best places in the best destinations. (I always read the Los Angeles installment of any travel publication first, because if they can get my city right, I’m more apt to trust them in places I don’t know as well. Reader, the LA version of Yolo is excellent and totally up my alley, and the Palm Springs black book guide was equally correct, so you can bet I will be re-reading their Paris dispatch before heading there for work this summer.)
Aside from reading city guides and travel stories, there is one other main way I self-soothe during avoidance mode—can you guess what it is? If you thought online shopping! you, my dear friend, would be absolutely correct. Specifically: The Net-A-Porter 20%-off sale that is happening right now and is aggressively good.
I’ve curated a handful of key seasonal buys for you today, as well as some classics that are worth your time and money, and I hope you enjoy perusing. But mainly I hope you sign up for Yolo Intel, because damn, it’s just that good.
(Also: I spend too much time on social media whilst in avoidance mode, but the good part about that is finding gems like this never-before-seen performance* of the seminal song “6 Underground” by the Sneaker Pimps.)
*by me. As in, you might have seen it, but it was new to me!
Mara Hoffman Off-The-Shoulder Tencel and Linen Dress ($650 regularly, now 20% off)
Babe, it’s summer and you’re going to need some dresses that adapt to a wide range of occasions, and this off-the-shoulder number is it. She’s a little stretchy, but looks fancier than she is due to a higher percentage of linen in the fabric. This dress can be styled every which way, from daytime ready with a flat lace-up sandal to evening with a heeled lace-up sandal. I’m just kidding; there are a zillion other shoe styles that will work with this dress. (Also, not sure why a $1000 pair of heeled sandals from The Row feels almost like a deal, but considering how expensive everything else they make is, it does? I mean it’s not, but…)
One last thing: The dress is also available in white, if that’s more your speed?
OUAI Haircare Finishing Creme ($24 regularly, now 20% off)
This is probably my favorite hair product from OUAI, and if you haven’t tried it, or simply need to stock up, now is the time. Founder (and my longtime friend) Jen Atkin once said, “It’s like lotion for your hair,” and she was exactly right. It’s the perfect thing to lightly tame your second-day hair, and it manages to make my very fine hair look polished and kempt, even when it’s frizzy or fussy.
Cult Gaia Enid Marbled Clutch ($338 regularly, now 20% off)
Much like my feelings on buying patio furniture and laptop bags, I don’t love spending an egregious sum of money on evening bags. Yet they are, admittedly, useful and I’m always sad when I don’t have the right one for an event. So I was delighted to see that Cult Gaia has a number of options available right now at the discounted NAP rate, including this pink one that will be perfect when you fall in love with Barbiecore again this summer.
Gianvitto Rossi 70 Suede Wedge Espadrilles ($895 regularly, now 20% off)
Timeless investment alert! Are these suede wedge espadrilles cheap? Oh hell no. But are they wildly chic, totally timeless, actually comfortable, and will go with any/everything? Oh hell yes. Perfect for decades of summer weddings and baby showers, built to go with your best Bardot-inspired sundresses and styled under impossibly long wide-leg or flared jeans and trousers, these shoes are never a bad idea. The majority of my most loved shoes are Gianvitto Rossi; they always look good, feel great, and hold up longer than you’d imagine.
Khaite Uma Off-The-Shoulder Melton Wool-Blend Midi Dress ($2200 regularly, now 20% off)
Are you getting married this summer? Need a dress for the courthouse? Need a dress for the afterparty? Need a dress for any aspect of your wedding festivities? Try this dead simple option from Khaite, the coolest cool-girl brand around.
Rixo Lara Velvet Trimmed Open Back Sequined Crepe Mini Dress ($445 regularly, now 20% off)
One of the amazing Who What Wear editors—hey Judith Jones!—wrote a story recently on the best black revenge dresses, and it got me thinking about that category as a whole. Because let’s be honest: There’s always someone I want to spite with a really good outfit. (Frankly 99 times out of 100 it’s a former frenemy, but that’s neither here nor there.) Anyway, you mix together revenge dressing plus the Barbie nostalgia that’s going to crescendo this summer, and you get this little number from Rixo. The bow in the back is a flex, and I like a sleeve for an evening event, even when it’s warmer out, because then you don’t need a jacket.
Frame Le High Flare High Rise Jeans ($280 regularly, now 20% off)
Is Daisy Jones and The Six still rattling around in your head? Have you, too, started following Suki Waterhouse and Camila Morrone because it’s one way to not totally let go of the show? (Yes, I know it was a book; we’ve talked about this!) Well if that sound like you at all, just use this sale as an excuse to buy a pair of ‘70s-inspired flare jeans. There are a whole slew of options on sale right now—a slew I say!—so you’re bound to fine a wash you like. I’m into a super dark or black jean because a) that’s what I always wear and b) I think it makes the vibe more modern? But if blue is for you, go for it.
Dries Van Noten Fringed Crochet Cotton Midi Skirt ($625 regularly, now 20% off)
I can hear you now: “Over 500 bucks for a see-through skirt? That looks like I could wear it to the beach? And it doesn’t even come with a slip? Are you high?” And I get it. But hear me out. 1. It’s Dries, which means it will last, look cool, and god forbid you decide to sell it, will hold some value for years. 2. It’s actually pretty versatile. Sure you can be cheeky and style it with just undies for a naked-dress trend moment, but you can also wear it with an actual slip and then take it to work or a cocktail party or whatever. 3. You can style it in the winter with boots and with sandals in the summer. And yes, it could totally come with you on summer holiday to the Mezzatorre or the Belmond Caruso, just saying.
Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated..
Your experience with avoidance mode is incredibly relatable. I find myself in this cycle too!