Welcome to double digits!
I didn’t send out a Digest last week, but I did send a strongly worded opinion on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. If this is your first Digest: this is the weekly result of many hours of scouring the internet and collecting the best on books, bodies, and culture into bite size information so you don’t have to. I hope you enjoy and take your time to Digest.
Think of this as your curated morning paper, best read with coffee in hand
x Jo
Vogue Business reported that “retro tech is the new fashion statement” and linked to a purchasable “dumb phone”, aka a functional, bejeweled Motorola Razr.
creator Taylor Lorenz alternatively said that dumb phones “suck”Meanwhile, Milani jumped on the Y2K nostalgia trend and sent out an Elle Woods-y pink retro laptop PR mailer in promotion of their new Cheek Kiss blush (also I’ve noticed these old school pixelated desktop folder icons on several websites now)
The Cut introduced “Book Gossip”, a newsletter by Emily Gould, to tackle all things book news like “unusual or just plain weird coverage of the big new releases you’ve already heard too much about”. Interesting. You can subscribe here
Absolutely cracked up over this “Men on Love Is Blind trying to make sure the girl isn’t fat” video. It’s not funny but it’s so funny. Love Is *So* Not Blind, babes
Stanley and E.L.F. are dropping matching tumblers + attachable lip gloss holders. Par for the course with the accessorization revolution
Add headphones to that charmed list, btw (also Susan Alexandra strikes (lol) again!)
Nothing I love more than food convos in pop culture. This article about the yassification of grocery stores says “These aren’t just groceries; they’re glimpses into our interior lives” - we’ve been talking about groceries as status symbols for a while here
’s newsletter put me on to The Juicy Brick, a very cool innovative agency focused on CPG1 / the food & bev industry. Looking forward to reading about “the lengths that consumers are willing to go in search of wellness” in their recent trend reportDiesel is really popping up everywhere lately. I can’t decide how much I dislike this… but maybe it’s just her (and the overall politics of the naked dress) that’s irritating me
Loving seeing this beautiful CUUP ad pop up around the city IRL and on my newsfeed this week
One of my current favorite brands to watch is Katie Jane Hughes’ makeup brand KJH - I’m deeply obsessed with her casting choices and OOH2 ads, I love her moodboards, the great founder storytelling. I will be “watching this space” ~as they say~
She’s also ahead of the curve with her new lavender hued packaging - I am personally predicting light purple will be one of next year’s hottest color trends, although I’m not seeing it much in trend reports (more to come on utopian pastels in a dystopian world soon)
Evidently caviar was Fishwife’s most requested product. They listened, and their 100% traceable caviar product is available to purchase now for $99
“Rather than criticising our culture for making young women believe that they need plastic surgery to fit into today’s unattainable beauty standards, those commenting are more concerned with the fact these women’s procedures are detectable and ‘failed’ to make them look youthful”
Planning to write more extensively soon about the recent proliferation of travel-related advertising thematics for non-travel brands (and for travel brands too, ofc)
On the heels of Starbucks x AG1, Nespresso has released a collab with Vital Proteins. The Daily Wellness Pack “includes sleeves of coffee pods packed with collagen peptides” promoted by ambassador Drew Barrymore. One advertising tactic for the campaign is a run club (a buzzword this year) out of a NYC Nespresso storefront (seems like they’re really leaning into the running thing, generally)
Such a great breakdown from Gess on Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s refusal to shrink herself and boldly taking up space when it comes to her (fantastic) fashion decisions
Goldfish has temporarily rebranded, changing their name to “Chilean Sea Bass” to “highlight its adult appeal”. I don’t think anyone among us adults is averse to Goldfish because of their existing brand positioning, so this seems a little unnecessary… but go off I guess
We are getting an ADULT CLIQUE BOOK!! Major major news for lit girls everywhere
I’ve been tracking Owala’s ascendance here for a bit now as they’ve been stealing back market share from Stanley. They’ve clinched the ultimate collab for the Stanley target audience - a collection with Joanna Gaines, available exclusively at Target (also a major Stanley partner)
I know I’m late to the Mina Le party, but she is speaking my language with videos like “booktok & the hot girlification of reading” and “erewhon hauls, ozempic, and chefluencers”
The latest online wellness fad? Okra infused water. Why? The “abundance of plant lube found inside” the veggie. There’s evidently plenty of TikTok evidence for its purported benefits, but not as much scientific basis to be found
J.Crew launched a collection with Christopher John Rogers. I really enjoyed the collection page on J.Crew’s site - it interestingly doesn’t take you right to the products, but takes you through the storytelling + “behind the design” first through text, images, and video. Really fascinating to see in e-commerce and a testament to the intention they put behind their partnerships
Cecred joins the recent ranks of brands releasing candles with a signature brand scent
Peacock has been releasing some bangers lately. We’re really loving Teacup, and I’ll be tuning in to upcoming show Get Laid (featuring personal fave Zosia Mamet)
In exciting news for me personally, Magnolia Bakery and Aura Bora collaborated on an Apple Cinnamon flavored sparkling water. This is the third of great Magnolia collabs I’ve written about lately (+ The Perfect Couple + Boy Smells)
“TikTok’s Owner Already Publishes Digital Books. Now It Is Moving Into Print”. ByteDance’s publishing company, 8th Note Press, will focus on youth-centric genres like romance, romantasy, & YA fiction
You guy’s loved Noah Kahan’s collab with Ben & Jerry’s - he’s continuing the streak of intentional partnerships with classic New England brands, this time with L.L. Bean
~ A peek into my feed ~
~What I’m listening to this week~
Really enjoying ’s podcast as of late + she’s had some of my favorite folks on recently like + . Alyssa’s POV feels so earnest in the best way
Snagged a last minute ticket to see my fave Jensen McRae in concert (incredible) and fell in love with her opener, Corrina
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Consumer Packaged Goods
Out of Home
i love this ! i feel i can safely stay off the internet and just catch up on these once a week.. thank you for ur service
new clique book?!?! we really are going full y2k. i'm so intrigued to see if they will be woke-ified as adults like the gossip girl reboot was. also LOVE mina le <3