July was a bag of summertime tricks on Man Repeller.
You may have spotted some stories on the subject of taking your brain to the spa, like cool outfits that don’t take any thought (here), how to relax without meditating (here) or Amelia’s summer to-do list (here). But there was drama in equal measure, like this story about what it’s like to regret staying with your high school sweetheart (here), or what it’s like to wait tables for 14 years (here), or what it’s like to have narcolepsy (here).
What kind of mood are you in? If you need help deciding, below are some of team MR’s favorite stories from the past month and why. Let us know yours (from MR or elsewhere!) in the comments. We’re all ears/eyes!
Reimagining the Best Summer Scenes
(and Outfits!) from ‘Sex and the City’
“Since I’ve been downright spoiled by the recent uptick in present-day revivals of my most beloved TV shows and movies: Gilmore Girls, Wet Hot American Summer, Twin peaks, etc., I was actually starting to get annoyed that another season of Sex and the City wasn’t even under consideration. Then, like the angelic answer to a millennial prayer, Amelia delivered this incredible recreation of the show’s most iconic summer scenes to my deprived eyeballs. It is so, so satisfying to see how she imagined the outfits and characters would look in 2017: different but also — strangely, perfectly — the same.”
—Harling Ross
The Fashion Industry
Interview Heard ‘Round the World
“During the week of the 4th of July, when the office and America were radio silent, Vestoj (an academic fashion journal based in the U.K) republished an interview with Lucinda Chambers, the venerated fashion director of British Vogue, who was abruptly fired in June (they had published it earlier, but subsequently took it down). Harling, Leslie and I went back and forth on the interview ad nauseam, but ultimately settled on a summary that would highlight some of the more illuminating pieces brought forward in her interview — mostly about a fashion editor’s relationship with anxiety (deep), failure (unacceptable) and vulnerability (don’t touch it with a 10-foot pole). As a bonus, it brought me back to another story we ran at the end of June, comparing the truths of The Devil Wears Prada to industry truths from anonymous employees of institution.”
—Leandra Medine
My Favorite Natural Deororant
Is Ugly and Uncool BUT IT WORKS
“The universe brought this hilarious and honest story to me days after I threw out two natural deodorants that failed me. I was frustrated, a bit smelly and on the hunt for a new savior. The day Claire’s story was published literally felt like Christmas to me. I ordered the Ursa Major deodorant right off the page and haven’t looked back since!”
—Ariel Tensen
I Regret to Inform You
We’re Breaking Up
“I really liked this one because it was a rare opportunity for me to get involved in the editorial process, and a great example of the team’s everyday experiences manifesting on the site. Haley and I were at breakfast as I recounted a recent breakup (wherein my admittedly jargon-y vocabulary definitely played a role) and she found it funny enough to pitch as a piece. It was fun and exciting to help her work on it, and the end product was both entertaining and unexpectedly enlightening. Definitely gave me agenda items to circle back with my therapist on that week, and I’m still holding on to the formalized learnings, so stay tuned. ”
—Matt Little
I Asked 6 Smart People
Why They Read Celebrity Gossip
“I really enjoyed this because I’m a genius who reads celebrity gossip. I’m sort of kidding but I did enjoy reading a variety of perspectives on the topic. People really look down on the topic of gossip and pretend to not know who Kim Kardashian is, but they’re lying.”
—Ashley Hamilton
3 Ways to Wear the Unsung
Style Hero of Summer: Skirt Suits
“Pandora was nicknamed ‘Clipboard Pandy’ in college because she was so anal. I can relate. As a ‘clipboard type’ myself, I’ve always avoided structured skirts because they’re too similar to my personality. In this story, Pandora breaks down three very FUN ways to wear a skirt suit, including a relatively low-budget option featuring a Reformation blazer and Topshop skirt. Even her most high-end and least ‘chill’ look is shaken up with a t-shirt that says “Give a Damn” on it. Her ability to poke fun at herself but look impeccable always has me.”
—Elizabeth Tamkin
I Went to a Yacht Party
by Myself and it Was Terrible/Great
“I loved this because I watched the IG story Haley did in real-time and was dying/cringing with her and rooting for her to make friends. This piece continued that storyline and provided more context as to why she did it, how she prepped and how she feels now that it’s over. I like that it was a journey we got to experience with her even though she was very alone.”
—Jasmin Aujla
Menocore is the New Normcore,
and it’s a Lot More Comfortable
“I loved this for a few reasons: 1) Nancy Meyers as a person, design reference and general color palette is one of my three ultimate aesthetic aspirations, so this really resonated. 2) It was refreshing to see an age group different from the industry’s “norm” highlighted for inspiration. I spent the whole time thinking of my own very cool mom! And 3) I love any time a name has been assigned to a trend. So satisfying. (Not to mention Harling really dug at my heartstrings with her styling/writing and Edith shot beautiful photos.)”
—Amelia Diamond
The Pie-Eating Fashion Editorial
You Never Knew You Wanted
“Our photographer, Edith, wanted to shoot a fashion editorial about pie. That was all she knew, and she wasn’t giving up, whether we had a story to go with it or not. We all nodded along — we trust her implicitly — but I’m not sure any of us knew how passionate she was about this vision, or how incredibly she’d execute it. We’ve all been freaking out for a week. These photos need to be blown up and sold and/or hung in MoMa immediately. Also, Edith is a great writer, it’s a really good read, too!”
—Haley Nahman
The Most Indulgent
Instagram Trend of 2017
“I’m always trying to get better at Instagram (e.g. post something more than twice a month) and this thorough exposé on what Amelia calls “the plandid” was just the confidence boost my selfie-phobic self needed. Plus, scrolling through the comments section to see how Amelia graded any plandids readers submitted was like reading a whole other (but equally as entertaining) story.”
–Erica Smith
