POV: You're a humble bookstore owner in New York. As much as you love summer, there's something about the crispness of fall in the city that just makes you want to buy school supplies. A backpack! A new bike perhaps? A bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils even! You always take the same route to your store, but today's a bit different. You swing by the bodega to pick up the end of the season's fresh sunflowers — they have your card on file so you keep cruising past. Down the avenue you go, to a looming intersection where a large store sign is being installed. "Who calls a bookstore 'Fox' anyway?" you wonder to yourself, peering into their covered windows where there's undoubtedly a chain coffee shop counter being mounted, alongside mass manufactured bookshelves in a very predictable (and boring) oak finish.
You sigh, just as a cab honking nearby startles you out of your thoughts. Now remembering the shipment of L.M. Montgomery books you've been expecting for weeks, you hop back on your bike to beeline to the shop around the corner. Breezing in through the front door, now looking for a vase for your sunflowers, your mind wanders again..."I wonder how L.M. Montgomery would write an email to a man she hardly knows...?"
True to form, we've decided to stay put here in New York for Memorial Day weekend, because if you must know, long weekends are absolutely magical here in the city. Like a playground meant just for you. Looking forward to snagging tables at a few of our favorite restaurants in the village, planning far too many picnics and renting a car for a late Monday afternoon drive. What are you planning for the long weekend ahead? Staying local or heading out of town?
With that said, I'm looking forward to signing off this weekend. Less screen time, more nap time in the sun, please! Hope you have a beautiful long weekend, my friends!
An important read this week, as we've passed the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. I found this excerpt to be particularly poignant:
"There is an intimate yet still unexplored relationship between mourning and democracy. We tend to see mourning as a temporary disruption of “normal” life — a cycle of pain, denial and eventual acceptance. This picture is both right and wrong. Mourning is a movement toward wholeness by way of acknowledging brokenness. But it is less a terminable process than a way of being in the world."
The long-awaited reunion special is an uneasy continuation of the sitcom’s easy fantasies. This excerpt also summed up our thoughts on how Gen Z views Friends today:
"A reason Friends has become so popular with people who were not yet born when it premiered, critics have surmised, is that the show revels in the constraints of physical immediacy. Friends’ world is hermetic. Its characters interact not over the cool distance of the digital—text, TikTok—but rather in person. They live next door to one another, across the street from one another, down the block from one another. Their lives are shaped by the fatalism of actual proximity."
Congrats to my friend Katie Sturino on the release of her new book, Body Talk! Here's a brief synopsis: "With Body Talk, an illustrated guide-meets-workbook, Sturino is here to help you stop obsessing about your body issues, focus on self-love, and free up space in your brain for creative and productive energy. Complete with empowering affirmations, relatable anecdotes, and actionable takeaways, as well as space to answer prompts and jot down feelings and inspirations, Body Talk encourages you to spend less time thinking about how you look and what you eat and more time discovering your inner fierceness."
I just discovered the Plum Guide — think AirBnB but curated with only the most beautiful homes and properties. Already have a few saved for future trips.
What does your summer siren call sound like? Is it the nostalgia of an ice cream truck jingle as you dig for change in your pocket? Or maybe the crack of a baseball bat at the first, deliciously warm home game of the season? Or perhaps it’s my personal favorite — the sound of oars lapping the water, as you glide out for a leisurely boat ride in Central Park, the city a distant hum as you lean back and marvel at how lovely the sun feels on your skin.
Personally, I've been hearing summer's siren call more and more lately. We've been indulging in weekend day trips upstate to appreciate sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River. Back here in the city, the mood feels lighter, parks are filling up with happy picnics, tickets for performances are on sale and even just a simple boat ride out at Loeb Boathouse with friends feels like a chapter from a previous summer. A summer that I know we all desperately missed last year.
Yes, I’d love to know — what does summer sound like to you this year?
Zimmerman dress (old, similar style here) // Jacquemus hat // Photographed at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park (Tip: if you'd to get a more aerial shot of the boat, have your photographer stand on Bow Bridge.)
Alright. I know what I'm about to say might ruffle some feathers, but here goes nothing: Summer is just about over, isn't it?
GAH, I know. Most marketing subject lines and blog titles that have been making their rounds all lead with the F word: FALL and I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was more than somewhat excited for a new season to arrive. In my opinion, the switching over from summer to fall is one of my favorite transitions ever -- it's the most apparent and, unlike between winter and summer, it's more bittersweet, as opposed to embittered.
Of course, it just doesn't feel right to start packing away one season of clothes for the next without properly biddy adieu to them. Thankfully, a lot of my summer dress MVPs (in all the photos you see here) are still a.) available and many are b.) on SALE! All the more reason to scoop up a few end of season deals and plan those last few long weekend trips before pumpkin spice lattes consume us all.
I've linked all the original posts for these photos below and you can shop them all via the carousel also below. I just want to highlight, the yellow Mara Hoffman number that I wore in DC earlier this summer is now on SUPER SALE -- act fact people! She won't last for long -- plus, she'd be perfect with booties and a killer blazer layer on top for...wait for it...here comes the F word: FALL.
Happy shopping and hope you're enjoying these last few weeks of summer!
It's been a rollercoaster over here -- with lots of full day shoots and little down time in between, which is admittedly, just the way I like it. That said, your Friday Favorites are coming a day late, so I hope you already have your weekend coffee in hand and some AC blasting (I certainly do!). Let's dive in!
The other day, when I was boarding the bus to head out to Montauk with the Cynthia Rowley team, my friend Lex sent me a DM with a photo of the Duchess of Sussex. Her message with the photo was: "Aren't you wearing the exact same outfit right now?!" I couldn't help but laugh -- we basically were! I had the denim, midi Martin Grant dress you see here, Meghan, of course, was in Carolina Herrera, for the Sentebale polo match in Windsor, but side by side, basically duplicates. Naturally, this begs the question, who wore it best?
I don't know about you guys, but I'm switching up my summer bag routine from straw and wicker to all things beaded. The more vintage looking the better. And this little number from Sachin + Babi is all I want to grab when I head out these days. Plus, it comes in so many different colors -- the emerald is high on my list.
Love her or hate her, she's got one damn good business model. This quote sums it up best: "Her business depended on no one ever being able to be her. Though I guess it also depended on their ability to think they might."
I recently saw this here in the city and practically had goosebumps the entire time. The archival footage is incredible and all the interviews are very candid and raw, plus the editing is hauntingly beautiful -- just like his work. Highly recommend seeing it.
Speaking of your watch list, I recently started HBO's Sharp Objects, with Amy Adams. AND I'M HOOKED. No surprise there though -- it's directed by none other than Big Little Lies's director Jean-Marc Vallée and the soundtrack is amazing -- already have it fired up on Spotify.
A heartbreaking and eye opening read. My favorite part: "On a conference call with a border patrol officer and his cousin, an editor at a local El Paso publication, they both agree “we have lost our focus on humanity.” The officer tells me a story of a four-year-old boy crossing the border alone and running up to him, grateful he’s made it across. As the officer turned the child over to officials, he held back tears. He knows the chance of the boy ever seeing his family again is slim. “His mom either sent him alone so that he would have a chance at a better life, or she’s already crossed over and is living undocumented and will be unreachable, but maybe she’s in the system. With up to 99 percent of asylum cases at El Paso being denied, it’s unlikely these two will end up together.”
I recently asked in an Instagram post whether you guys preferred a certain polka dot dress or a yellow dress and the overwhelming amount of comments in support of the yellow dress leads me to believe I just need more yellow in my life. Looks like I know what I'm shopping for this weekend.
Perhaps I'm still playing catch up from our weird holiday week a while back, but the past few days have felt like a marathon. Waking up super early, going to bed super late and still feeling like I'm not getting through my to-do list each day. I'm heading out to Sag Harbor today with the Nicole Miller team, so I'm looking forward to kicking off an early summer Friday with some sunshine out east.
Also, since the weekend is nigh, just wanted to remind you all that I'll be speaking tomorrow at the Her Conference here in NYC, from 10 to 11am. Our panel discussion is all things related to Blogging 101: growing your reach and increasing your engagement. Plus, I have some RAD ladies joining me, all of whom I admire so much. If you happen to be in the city this weekend, I'd love to meet you! You can snag your weekend pass right this way and make sure to use the code "HERCONFCC" at checkout for $50 off!
As always, hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead, no matter what you have planned! And thanks for reading! In the meantime, here's a rundown of everything that's caught my eye this week:
Loved this honest and very candid post from Jess. It's also a great reality check that I think we all need from time to time, the more we consume on social.
So, in case you missed the army of influencers who posted their new Dior saddle bags yesterday, here's the rundown: Dior has officially relaunched their late 90s, early aughts iconic bag: the saddle bag. Carrie Bradshaw circa season 3 would be proud! But I'm curious, what are your thoughts? Do you prefer the vintage version still? Or it's updated and more expensive younger sister?
My boyfriend recently shared this video with me, and I'm now tempted to recreate it myself. Such a clever, tongue in cheek take on the "I'm so cool without really trying fashion video."
I recently got hooked on this -- and love how concise but comprehensive it is. Everything you need to know about what happened in the world that week, taking about 10 minutes or less to read.
I'm so happy that you guys loved my review of Rent the Runway's Unlimited service! As a follow up, I wanted to mention their team is happy to offer an additional 40% off to my readers for their first Unlimited order! Simply enter the code "KRYSTALPERK40" at checkout. Speaking of, here's what I'm currently waiting to arrive for my next order: this Solace London dress, this Amur dress and this Martin Grant dress.
Today, we're going to talk about The Happy Apples.
What the (fuck) are The Happy Apples, you say? Well, I'm glad you asked!
Let's rewind to 5th grade Krystal back in Reno, Nevada. I was insufferably shy. I loved to read ALL the time. I was obsessed with the Spice Girls. And admittedly, after reading through that list, not much has changed, but I do think about the group of friends I made and kept when I was that age, and realize, a lot, in fact, has changed.
The Happy Apples was the self-given name of a group of my closest girl friends (shameless shoutout to Darby, Amber, Siobhan and Breanne)! We met most days after school, in my backyard clubhouse (God, I miss that clubhouse) and made up an impressive amount of organizational infrastructure for a childhood secret club. We're talking a club song, club IDs, club passwords, club pledge, club rules, gosh you name it, it was probably scrawled out in a notebook that is likely still under my childhood bed at home. We told each other secrets. We knew all the words to "Wannabe." We cried on each other's shoulders as some of our respective parents went through divorces. We giggled about some of the boys we had crushes on at school. We were inseparable.
In short, it was pure, honest childhood friendship.
Now today's post isn't to say friendship becomes less pure or less honest as you get older. On the contrary! I have plenty of amazing, complex and inspiring men and women in my life who I'm so proud to call my friends. But unlike 5th grade Krystal all those years ago, the means to which you meet and foster relationships with these amazing, complex and inspiring people becomes a lot more, let's say, complicated as you get older. Much more complicated than a shared interest in the Spice Girls and how well you fold notes that you pass in class.
So if the Spice Girls and note folding don't get us there, how do you meet, make and keep friends, as an adult?
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I'll preface everything below by saying, I'm learning as I go, too! After multiple moves, job changes, relationship changes and lifestyle changes the past few years, my circle of friends has ebbed and flowed through all of it -- and it's still all very much a work in progress. At the end of the day though, sometimes we all need the reminder that we actually DO know how to make friends and that lots of girls (and guys) out there are looking for friends, too! With that in mind, I wanted to kick off this conversation in hopes we could all help each other out a bit, because that's what internet friends are for, am I right?
So...let's like...be friends?
OK, first things first. Maybe you've just moved to a new city. Or you've recently landed a new job in a new industry. Or you've broken up with a signifiant other and realized that you lost touch with your former circle of friends along the way. Or you're just looking to add a few new faces to your group. Whatever the reason, making friends as an adult certainly lacks the structure of yesteryear.
Let's review: when you don't have school or extra-curricular activities on your calendar essentially bringing strangers, who we shall rename "potential soon to be friends" together, how do you meet them? Let's go one step further and say you work from home and your coworker is your dog, well, social interactions become a bit more isolated, at best.
Social media: Perhaps this one seems a bit cliche at this point, especially coming from someone who is in the business of social media content creation, but there's a reason why most of you when I asked last night on Insta Stories how you make friends as adults responded with: THE INTERNET. And that reason is? It works. Whether it's through common interests and appreciation on Instagram, Facebook groups you both happen to be a part of or you just happen to like what they have to say on YouTube, there's a whole world of people out there, sitting behind their screens, much like you, wishing they didn't have a screen in front of them all the time.
It probably goes without saying, I've made so many of my good friends through blogging over the years. And some of them, even though I followed them for what seems like ages, I didn't actually get the gumption to reach out for a friendship until much later. Take Karen of Where Did You Get That? for instance. I've read her blog for YEARS. Years people. In fact, if I recall correctly, she was among the first handful of bloggers I started following way back when and I remember thinking at the time: "When I move to NYC someday, I want to be friends with her!"
Fast forward almost a decade later, and here we are, three years into living in NYC myself, and it wasn't until this year at a common event, did Karen and I realize: "Hey, you're cool -- let's be friends!" Certainly doesn't hurt that we over index on a lot of the same dresses, shoes and bags, all with zero prior coordination, but my point is this: sometimes a simple DM, email or comment goes a LONG way in kick starting a friendship. Don't be afraid to reach out. I bet whoever you send it to will welcome the invite!
Mutual friends: Again, perhaps this is an obvious one, but I find it's the approach that makes all the difference here. Sure, you can always ask your friends about their group of friends, but without some extra tangible push here, what's the catalyst for getting that new group together? Plan group outings, like picnics or afternoon movies, and tell everyone in your friend group to bring one of their friends along. When coworkers invite you out for drinks with their friends and you know zero folks in the group, join! And, if we want to piggyback off the first point here about social media, leverage some of your internet friends who may have friends in your town. Bottom line is: The six degrees of Kevin Bacon really is true -- we all have more folks in common than we think and if you go into those interactions with an open mind, you'll find it hard not to walk away with a new friend (or several!).
Bumble BFF: Confession time -- I'm actually trying out Bumble BFF this week, so I don't have any anecdotal success stories to share, BUT, plenty of you guys last night listed it as a great resource. And really, I'm not surprised. When you think about how we meet pretty much everyone else in our lives: significant others, employers, heck, the Task Rabbit dude who installed all the shelves in my apartment -- it really isn't all that farfetched to believe some of your new soon to be best friends might be waiting for you to swipe on them in an app. Much like dating, there's a certain finesse to it -- and just because you don't "click" with someone, doesn't mean you should give up on the whole thing. It takes time, but it's certainly worth it in the end.
Interest groups and clubs: Second to social media, this was the most noted means to making friends when I asked you guys last night on Insta Stories. And it follows a lot of the same logic that your inner 5th grader might use: find things you both love, proceed to geek out over them, and BOOM, FRIENDS, next thing you know, you're begging your parents to let you have sleepovers every other night. Ok, it's not quite like that, but you get the picture. Think of this one as two birds, one stone: join some activities/groups that you personally just love and would want to do anyway in your free time and then make a point to meet and get to know the folks in the group. You may not be braiding everyone's hair by the end of day one, but you'll definitely have some new numbers for coordinating lady dates (more on those below!).
Activities include but are not limited to: exercise classes, book clubs, volunteer organizations, church groups, store events, fellow moms you may run into because of your children's shared activities, you name it! The sky is the limit! Case in point: As some of you may have seen on Insta Stories, I recently started a running group for ladies here in NYC to join and feel like they have a network of women to just get outside and MOVE with. We've only had one official run on the books, but I was impressed by how many of the attendees mentioned they had just moved to the city and were looking to make friends. I was so happy and honored they wanted to do that with my little group!
The lone compliment: This one is my favorite, because in a city like New York, where seemingly no one has time for each other, giving a random, unprompted compliment actually goes REALLY far. I can't tell you how many times I've sparked up a conversation with someone after they compliment my dress or visa versa, and from that group, I've formed a few actual friendships that way -- including my upstairs neighbor. Sometimes, all you need is a small gesture like that to really open the door.
OK, we have a few new friends...now what?
Simply put -- it requires a different kind of effort: It goes without saying, life just gets a bit messier as we get older. We get busier. The schedules pile up. Responsibilities mount. Maybe you have kids. Maybe you don't. And along the way, it gets harder and harder to make time for friendships the way we used to. There's no magic formula here, as every friendship is unique and different, especially if you compound it with the fact some of your friends may live in other cities or countries. Planning phone call dates, catching up via long emails and even planning trips to take together are great ways to really dial into quality time with your friends. Personally, at this stage in my life, a lot of my friends are starting up their own side hustles, which I personally just love rooting on as one of their biggest cheerleaders. Sometimes our checkins are simply: "Give me a rundown of how your launch plan is coming together?" and while it may be short and brief, depending on what we both have going on during the day, I just want to remind them that I'm thinking about them and I believe in them.
Lady dates: My boyfriend recently dubbed some of my lunch dates as of late my "lady dates" and I have to say, I kinda love it! Whether you're just starting to get to know your new-found friend, or catching up with an old one, I love being able to carve some time out of my day to meet up for a slightly longer than usual lunch break with a gal pal. It's a welcomed breath of fresh air (after a lot of screen time) and, as someone who works mainly solo throughout the day, it makes for some great creative idea brainstorm sessions. Plus, it's the perfect way to sneak in some time with those harder-to-schedule-after-work friends, which I tend to be from time to time! I encourage you all to try and set up a few lady dates this week -- I guarantee you'll both leave feeling energized!
And that's all I have! Any tips you want to add? Anecdotes you'd like to share? Success stories you want to gush about? Spill!
4minute read4minute read In case you need a break from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, here are 30 unique finds from my go-to designer consignment haunt, The RealReal.
As you might have spied on Instagram a few weekends ago...
I recently hopped out to Gurney's in Montauk with the Ralph Lauren team for a weekend away from the city with my guy, in celebration of their Polo Ultra Blue fragrance. Today's post is short and sweet but I did want to share this little photo diary, as it was the perfect weekend of relaxation, surfing and more than our fair share of indulging on seafood. I know I've said this before, but every time I make it out to Montauk, I'm reminded of how much I love feeling disconnected from the city every once and a while -- after all, they affectionately call it "the end of the world" for a reason.
Hope you're all having an amazing week so far and whatever travels you may have cooking up for this weekend or next, I hope they're filled with adventure!
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(Ha, just ignore my horrible tan lines here, please!)