Welcome back!
Happy Wednesday wherever you are in the world. Lots of really interesting things in here today, and a glimmer of positivity at the end to keep us sane. Would adore you if you met me in the comments with any thoughts or reactions as you read <3
PS: Did you catch the first edition of my new conversation series, Setting The Table? Don’t worry - they will *not* always be this long, but Taylor and I are good friends and simply had too much to yap about when it comes to the state of size-inclusive fashion.
At The Composite, we serve up a curated collection of culture and critique. Think of The Digest as your quick, thoughtful read to replace the doom scroll, offering a bite of everything you need to stay in the loop. Come hungry. Leave questioning everything.
Aperitif
A little taste of what’s to come
Trending Tidbits:
These trends are tracked not for following, but for what they reveal. Not necessarily an endorsement, but a thought starter
➡️ Polka Dot Skirts (and matching sets)
➡️ Go See Outfits (worth a read)
Recommended Reading
📖 Is fitness culture making us sad and boring?
📖 How Literary Tourism Became the Hottest Vacation Trend
📖 My night out ‘read-dating’: how bookshops became the new Tinder
📖 Ty Haney is Elon Musk's Reply Guy (more on this below)
📖 How Magnum ice cream became an It-girl accessory
The Main Course:
A selection curated to keep you fed
As you probably know, Rare Beauty is launching their first fragrance along with layering balms for customizable takes on the scent. Gloss Angeles had a fantastic podcast ep about the launch with Rare’s Chief Product Officer - highly recommend
On the pod, they also talk at length about the process to make the perfume accessible to use for people with dexterity issues
PS: remember when I predicted the rise of scratch n sniff? Rare Beauty got the memo for this launch. I’m also really enjoying the vibe of their social rollout
Starbucks and Taco Bell are leaning into customization with their Secret Menu and Fan Style menus respectively, leaning into the art of the “menu hack”
How do we feel about brands wiping their grids to make a statement? Curious to hear thoughts
Marie Claire says “this summer's on-screen love stories are more bleak than bubbly” and The Atlantic wrote that TV is in an “Age of Anxiety”, noting that comfort shows are going out of style
There’s a lot to unpack here - the rise of ‘50s-adjacent tradwifery, corp core, shifting body ideals - but all I see is a new take on the peplum craze of the early 2010s that had me and other big girls in an absolute chokehold
This, however? Absolutely a recession indicator if I’ve ever seen one
Speaking of Anthro, they’ve upgraded their private label Maeve to a full fledged brand of its own with a launch strategy that includes a Substack newsletter, IRL events, and a physical catalog
Sigh. The VS fashion show is returning this year
Store brand versions of popular products are gaining traction, with consumers increasingly prioritizing value over brand loyalty - not only for groceries, but for beauty as well
I’ve been telling everyone: it’s the summer of the virgin. First we had Lorde’s album, titled Virgin, and now I’m seeing a rise in TV shows about the subject. TLC’s Virgins just wrapped, and Hulu has an upcoming dating show called Will You Be My First?
For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite one. Sexual wellness brand Dame launched a book of erotic stories, cleverly named Toy Stories, taking a “steamy literary take on sex toy reviews”
Urban Decay is calling out the blandness of the makeup industry. To fight back against the “blandemic”, they’re partnering with OnlyFans star Ari Kytsya and speaking out against censorship
Side note - UD, Miracle Gro, and Dame are all among the brands using a “sensitive content” post to promote a launch. Interesting tactic considering how much *actually* sensitive content there is on the internet right now… not sure about it. Thoughts?
Anyway, I mentioned recently that Hinge turned their Substack into a (beautiful) physical anthology. SAPPH-LIT and Grotto, a sapphic cocktail bar, are hosting the book launch party in Bushwick, complete with flash tattoos, dancing, a book swap, and more
A few weeks ago I said that we’d see the aestheticization of the veggie for fall as we’ve seen for fruits in summer. Cue Dairy Boy’s newest launch, a collection that personifies 6 different vegetables (🥕🌽🍅🥦🍆🎃 ). More on this in the Spread this week
Another one of my food predictions is slowly coming to life with cereal milk lattes dropping at Dunkin soon
Continuing to see social video series about scent as memory, now from GQ
Gabbois, a fantastic artist and creator, has been popping up on more brand pages lately - e.l.f. here and AWAY here. Back when I was a social media manager, I’d pull aesthetic reposts from her page. Her work continues to be so cool
Ditto with Girls Carrying Shit, with recent posts on Boy Smells, POV Beauty, Little Spoon and more
Late to the party but I loved this shit
Digestif:
A download on this week’s hard pill to swallow
Here’s the thing. A lot of launches and people have fallen short in the last couple weeks, and I’m going to briefly talk about a few of them here. Stick around for Dessert if this course feels a little heavy for you.
SKIMS FACE WRAP
You had to know this was making the cut this week. Really, what in fresh hell is this?
The caption positions this as a “must-have addition” to your nightly routine. Kim, people are dying.
As Chrissy King said:
I visited the Skims website to see what’s up, and was struck by their tagline “Solutions for Every Body”. Particularly notable when their launch directly after the face wrap was a college centric campaign that looked like this:
TY HANEY RETURNS TO OUTDOOR VOICES
If you’re celebrating the Outdoor Voices comeback and didn’t click on the Ty Haney article by
in the recommend reads section, you really should. It outlines her bizarre behavior, on X and beyond, in which she is obsessed with Elon Musk. Seriously, go read it. And the Part II. As if being a “dark MAGA” supporter wasn’t enough, the article also grabbed my attention on a different aspect of the Outdoor Voices reboot. Who wants to guess the size range?That’s right - it’s all available in ✨straight sizes only✨
To me, this is the PERFECT epitomization of a brand that profited off inclusivity when it was trendy and then seized the opportunity to walk it back, proving that none of it truly mattered to them in the first place. Here are some images from their earlier days:
Not the most inclusive of all time, but miles away from whatever this current iteration is:
Fatphobia 🤝 fascism
GAP <> BEIS
And lastly, let’s chat briefly about this collection. The visuals are fucking awesome. The marketing is so smart. But you know my feelings about Gap and their abysmal size range. I don’t have a ton to say on this that Samyra hasn’t already said, so watch her video. But the one thing I’ll say - your campaign tagline is really go big or go home? Phew. Denim for all? Where!?
Dessert:
A spotlight on a positive moment as the cherry on top
I usually use this space to recommend a book - and I will still be recommending many, many books in this newsletter generally. But I am acutely aware that I can come off very negatively as I critique brand after brand, launch after launch, for their lack of inclusivity. And that is really, really not my goal. I think it’s extremely important to bring attention to these shortcomings and call out the moments that we can do better. I want to help you know who you’re shopping with and giving your money to, so you can make an informed decision on whether that’s something you want to continue doing.
SO all that being said, I want to start ending on a positive note here. There are still good things happening and people doing good work. I also hope to do this with my Setting The Table series, but this will be a mini spotlight on something positive for each week.
Today’s Dessert is Disabled& by April Lockhart
April Lockhart is a stylish and cool creator that just might be the only person who could convince me to make my life more colorful. This outfit of hers lives rent free in my head. Her wardrobe and hostessing prowess are incredible, but her heart and advocacy work are even more so. She recently launched Disabled&, a community for disabled creatives.
Disabled& is a first-of-its-kind community that celebrates disability not just as an identity, but as a source of style, ambition, creative power and connection. Founded by self proclaimed “disabled fashion girlie,” April Lockhart, Disabled& exists to create opportunities for people with disabilities to gather, grow and create. Whether you’re sharing an intimate dinner with new friends, swapping insight with fellow entrepreneurs, or mentoring the youngest members of the Disabled& community, this space was made with you in mind.
They're also on Substack, so be sure to give them a subscribe. You can find them on IG here. As I always say, being an engaged subscriber or follower is a great way to support the causes you love if you can’t support financially!
And as a bonus, two great recommendations for you:
Alessia Golfetto is a badass plus size creator who is just unbearably cool. A+ follow.
And for this week’s book rec, I highly suggest you check out Chrissy King’s book - The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom - and subscribe to her Substack
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From my scroll: things that caught my eye or match the themes of this week’s letter, formats I think will catch on - you get the vibe
If you’re here for a new perspective on fashion, beauty, and culture, you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair. The table is wide, and the conversation is layered.