In Bug Ballet, creator Orren Fen performs as the fly with a dramatic and pleading papier-mache “O” for a mouth. There are eagle-sized moths circling a lightbulb sculpture commanded by pink tutu-ed ballerinas and maggots and worms of all girths and sizes wriggling about on stage in squirmy fits.

I don’t really know what Bug Ballet is about—but I know I need to be there.

Bug Ballet first came to me through a video on my FYP (a reminder that occasionally the TikTok algorithm does good things for society), but seeing as I don’t live in Minneapolis and that the show’s 10-day-long run was sold out, I didn’t get to attend, and I’ll have to live with that forever. (Unless…? 2027 nationwide bug tour?)

The ballet hasn’t left my mind in the weeks since my discovery of it—in fact, it sort of keeps growing in strength like an arthropod Hydra—and it was right up front in the plumpest folds of my brain when I plucked out a shiny blue trench coat from my closet.

The vintage London Fog, a piece from my late grandmother, is my own shimmering exoskeleton. It’s not a clean metallic (its life’s purpose is to be drenched in mucky rain water, after all) but a grimy, of-the-earth metallic, like a glistening navy scarab or a blue milkweed beetle. It’s got shoulder pads, a chunky lapel, and it’s not afraid to get dirty.

In my metallic blue trench, I’d play a beetle private detective in a bug ballet. A beret atop my beetle head with two cut-outs in the wool for my feathery beetle antennae. My delicate beetle wings would unfold from the back of the trench and carry me away over the audience as the rest of the insects swarm to center for the final big number. It would be bug-tastic. For now, the sidewalk will have to be my stage.

For paid subscribers: 30+ secondhand & vintage finds requested by you.

This batch includes, yes, fab London Fog trenches in beetle-licious colorways, silk going-out tops, oversized raffia totes that won’t break the bank, & more.

More on Beetlecore from Yeehawt’s earlier days -

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Then the green sets it. It’s that bouncy, virginal shade of green that only exists in spring. More vivid and intoxicating than the darker, settled shade of dense summer foliage. This green wraps you in its rambling arms and promises to stick around for a while.

The first month of warm weather is extra special after a record-breaking snow-filled winter. I took advantage of it! This is everything I had on repeat in April: vintage, new, plaid, striped, creamed, glossed, and more.

When I stumbled upon this blindingly brilliant ‘60s frock on eBay, I felt very strongly it was her destiny to come with me on a coastal holiday. I’m not usually one to make a purchase specifically for vacation—but sometimes a dress reaches deep into your soul and puppets your fingers into a Paypal checkout window like a vintage-possessed Ratatouille.

It’s home-sewn with mouth-puckering lemon sour belts climbing up the torso in a shade of yellow bright enough to light up a campsite. Cozied up next to hints of lime, punctuated by purple pinstripes in the center, and protected by a smattering of guardian angel butterflies on the collar and sleeves.

It’s also perfectly shapeless in the way I find necessary for upcoming summer humidity. There reaches a point in August where just the idea of cloth touching skin incites literal panic.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, across from easy breezy summer wardrobe staples, lies the plaid wool skirt, an item of clothing I love too much to give up even when the weather app begs me to. This one, also from eBay, hits right above the knee and blends cherry red and denim blue with ease.

I was also wearing it this month when a Vogue writer jotted down my outfit as a detail in a story covering events (brilliant and so fun). A lesson I’ve learned time and time again: a graphic t-shirt is an excellent conversation starter.

Now that I think about it more, this top has been a hit with Vogue staffers from several different eras of the publication. What is it about Vogue and the Spice Girls?

Every April afternoon featured this vintage ‘80s teacup and saucer set that my partner brought me back from Singapore. I always thought saucers were pretty pointless at home, only mucking up the sink with more things to wash (sorry, how American of me), but now I get it. A little spot to rest my spoon! A bed for my cookie!

This rich French vanilla leather number from Coach (*gifted) stayed slung over my shoulder (as you obviously just saw in the outfits above…). It passes two tough purse tests: 1. Can it fit a big hardback book?; 2. Does it slide off my shoulder while walking?

Yes, it can! A 400-pager, even. And no, I was actually shocked at how stable it felt while walking, even over slick fabrics. Shoulder slippage is such a pet peeve of mine, and this one excels in staying securely fastened.

I put my earlobes through the ringer this month testing clip-on earrings for a piece I wrote for The Strategist. Most clip-on earrings are excruciating to wear longer than an hour, and I was thrilled to find some new comfortable favorites through this process.

People always seem genuinely shocked when it comes up that I don’t have my ears pierced—sorry if you look at me differently now! I do have one cartilage piercing that is real. Why that one healed just fine and my multiple attempts at the lobes ended in disaster is something only God knows.

Two vacation skincare heroes this month: the Dieux intense recovery cream and Good Weather Skin’s SPF 30 lip gloss. A perfect travel moisturizer—small enough to fit easily in a toiletry bag, large enough to not make you feel like you need to ration out product every night. It’s thick, gentle and soothing, and felt heavenly to slather on after a day in the sun.

I’ve been loving this GWS mostly because of the texture—SPF lip balm always feels filmy in a way that discourages me from using it. This feels and looks just like any other gloss. No one tells you how painful a lip sunburn is, you just get one accidentally on a hike and spend the next week re-applying Aquaphor every 30 minutes to the chapped monstrosity of your mouth and vow to never go unprotected for that long again.

I IV-dripped myself ’s Famesick this month, knowing that if I let my animal brain take over I’d gulp down the 394 pages in a feverish daze and end up depressed with a tummy ache like a kid who ate all his candy on Halloween night. Instead I rationed out my peanut butter cups into ceremonial daily doses—a pious attempt at literary prudence.

There are a million things I loved about it, but we’ll focus on one in particular, (because this is a fashion newsletter!), which is the way Lena talks about clothing: with sharp specificity that brings exacting and playful clarity to each character. One of my favorite lines in the book that made me laugh out loud in the airport:

In April I wanted “to dip myself in a body of water” and enjoy warm weather recipes “that aren’t various forms of hot mush.” Check to both #blessed. I enjoyed the crunchiest bag of green grapes this month, it felt religious.

This month, I’d like to spend copious amounts of time on a picnic blanket, wear flip-flops as much as possible, and maybe do a little dancing? The world is your oyster when it’s 67 and sunny.

I’d love to hear about your recent repeats. Happy May!

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Yeehawt features gifted items and affiliate links, at no cost to you of course. Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TT.

ICYMI:

I came to the south coast with a celebratory purpose—a darling friend’s 30th birthday party—along with 29 of her other closest friends, most of whom had never met one another. The accommodation she booked had twelve bedrooms, three outdoor tents, and spotty plumbing. A peak-season loquat tree guarded the center of the compound, heavy with ripe marigold fruit, defending the kitchen entrance like a gentle sticky giant.

There was a pool (icy, half-chlorinated water that took my breath away), two hammocks drooping across the lawn, and a back grove that housed a large gazebo and wooden crates full of yoga mats. There, we stretched and squatted and sweat through the mornings, our one toddler resident monkeying his way onto his mom’s back during downward dog.

We made lemonade from the citrus trees, fired pizzas in the charcoal oven, and played cards on the backyard wooden bartop, drawing carefully from the center pile to avoid knocking over a beer or glass of natural wine from the vineyard next door. We sang karaoke to each other on the big outdoor sectional—white and C-shaped like something from Love Island—and the birthday girl cried when her little sister grabbed the mic.

Inside, the kitchen was a maze of half-eaten baguettes, a never-depleting pot of lukewarm coffee, and a rotating cast of IKEA glasses loaded and unloaded from the dishwasher every two hours. There were three small couches, one large dining table, and straw hats taped to the wall as decor. A comically height-mismatched barstool and kitchen bench combo rendered the seated parties with only their shoulders and head peeping up from the counter like a whack-a-mole arcade game.

The house had an L shape to it—two bedroom-laden arms stretching out perpendicularly with the kitchen/dining room sat right at their intersection. There was so much space. So many beds to rest on, so many windows to stare out of and quiet corners to take respite. Yet still, each night, we found ourselves snuggling up on two loveseat couches in the smallest alcove of the house, sardine-packed practically on top of one another, giggling like kids at summer camp. Strangers before but never again.

This was the latter half of a trip—teary-eyed and friend-filled and decidedly un-flashy, in sweatpants at the local chain grocery store trying to calculate how many chicken thighs 15 large men could take down. But I spent the first few days exploring in Lisbon, hiking cobblestone hills and tracking down pasteis de nata like a shark sniffing blood.

Here’s every spot I loved in Portugal.

Restaurants, shops, the beach, and a sandwich that I miss like a lover who’s gone off to war.

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A travel diary of sorts will be in your inbox soon, so I won’t spill too many details yet, but I’m over the moon to share the souvenir I brought back for you:

All the cool European brands behind the best pieces I saw while vintage shopping in Lisbon, PLUS more than 50 secondhand finds by those labels — including flirty skirts, summer halters, and insane ‘70s vintage leather.

I love exploring the local vintage scene while traveling (I’m guessing you do too if you’re reading this newsletter), and the Lisbon circuit felt so special. I had researched and saved a few promising places before arriving in the city, but at only my first stop, the shop worker gave me a free map of all the best stores in the area. She noted that there was a discount deal between a few of them — buy something at one, get 10% off at the rest — which indicates how tight-knit the community must be.

Everyone I spoke to was so lovely, and I even ran into a friend from Australia while shopping. Brought together halfway across the world by a pile of Y2K low-rise denim — that’s gotta be a good omen, right?

While shuffling through the racks, I kept tabs on the brands that came up frequently and noted the tags stitched into the most standout pieces. This is something I often do while shopping IRL — take detailed notes on what I love about the piece in front of me and jot down potential key terms to test search later. Doing it on another continent allows you to tap into a whole new world of brands you may have never come across in your home country.

(Side note: I love how so many shops in Europe feel dark and cavernous, fit into insanely old buildings and rock formations. I feel like a primitive caveman hunting for Prada.)

It’s primarily Italian, French, and Spanish labels that made this list — ones that seem to have enjoyed their heydays between the ‘70s and the early 2000s. I know that I would have seen these in shopping catalogues as a kid and desecrated their photos with black Sharpie circles.

These 10 brands stood out during my boots-on-the-ground research, and I went internet deep-diving to bring the Lisbon vintage shops straight to you.

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Mia is the brilliant mind behind Lazy Skinscience, which makes one of my favorite moisturizer + serum duos in the most stunning little fresh cream rose jam yin yang pot. YUM! You also might know her from Sundae School, which she co-founded, or her newsletter . Mia, tell us what’s been on repeat for you lately…

Backgammon

It’s technically not its repeat season yet, but mentally, I’m already there. I associate backgammon with a very specific kind of life — long afternoons, salty air, nowhere urgent to be. A few years ago, my partner gifted me a travel set, the kind that folds into itself, slightly scuffed now in a way that makes it feel more legitimate.

I haven’t played nearly enough this year, but I keep it close anyway. It’s aspirational repetition. The idea that soon I’ll be sitting somewhere coastal, playing slow games that stretch into hours. Some repeats are about habit. Others are about the version of yourself you’re trying to return to.

Kimchi soup

I’m one of those people who craves spicy food when it’s hot out. It makes no logical sense, but it feels right in my body. A spicy kimchi soup clears everything — your sinuses, your head, sometimes your mood.

I make a big pot of kimchi soup on Sundays and eat it on repeat throughout the week. It’s efficient and comforting.

It’s also the best hangover cure, which is less poetic but equally important. My Korean mom’s version (recipe here in my Substack) is the one I default to. It does what it needs to do, every time. It’s reliable and something I can always count on, like my mom, my family.

“Mad Men” (but for a different reason)

I thought I was so over mid-century modern aesthetics. And then I watched “Mad Men” for the first time this year and it completely undid that opinion.

I watched the entire series in two weeks, which is slightly unhinged, but I keep going back to specific episodes. The writing, characters, fashion — yes, everything is intoxicating, but my eyes go back for the rooms, the furniture, Don’s bar stool, Peggie’s office art, and SC&P’s lobby. The show is old (its first season aired almost 20 years ago!), but its interiors never feel out of style.

Don’s New York apartment:

Don’s office:

The SC&P creative lounge:

Peggy’s office:

Lazy’s Double Duty

I know, I know. Founder talking about her own product. But if anything, I’m more ruthless with what I actually use because I see everything that goes into it.

What I keep noticing, not just in skincare but in how we live, is how easily we slip into overdoing. More steps, more products, more optimization. And then suddenly self-care feels like another job.

Lazy Skinscience’s Double Duty is the opposite of that. It’s the thing I reach for when I don’t want to think. One step, light but actually hydrating, no layering gymnastics1. The red camellia keeps my skin even and calm, especially in this in-between season where everything feels a little unstable. If something earns a place in my routine, it’s because it removes friction, not adds to it. That’s the real test.

This $8.99 top? skirt? find

I found this top at a thrift shop for $8.99, and I’ve been wearing it both as a top and as a skirt. Which feels like the most “lazy” fashion outcome possible.

This matcha from Malibu

I met Zayna, the founder of Ashu’s Matcha, a few months ago and she gifted me a few of her blends. Since then, it’s become my morning default without me really deciding it would be.

My favorite is this first harvest Tsuyuhikari which is earthy but clean, aromatically sweet with no bitter aftertaste.

Froyo but from Pinkberry and 16 Handles (original tart, always)

F*ck all the fancy new froyo brands that are popping everywhere in New York. I have no patience for the line and the price.

I’m loyal to Pinkberry’s original tart. It’s cold, sharp, and simple. The toppings are exactly what they need to be as well as the wait time. There’s something special about going back to the same place you’ve been going to since middle school, where everything feels familiar in a way nothing new can replicate2.

See more from Mia here, keep up with Lazy Skinscience on IG and TT, and subscribe to here on Substack <3

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Recent guests:

As in, the jacket I scooped up for $14 by a brand likely found in your grandmother’s closet…

With saucy snap buttons and a collar that won’t quit, I’ve been reaching for this suede number as often as the weather will allow. A jacket you can dive into like a lagoon — velvety waves rolling overhead and dissolving your earthly worries.

It’s the sartorial equivalent of the “H2O: Just Add Water” mermaid moon pool, and I wore it three days in a row last week to assuage my lakeside desires. As soon as the sun pops out in spring I need to be in a body of water. The next best thing is wearing one.

The “I Can’t Believe It’s Still Light Out on the Way to Dinner” Spring Fit

• Pants: Uniqlo Men’s (a 100% cotton wide straight style that I can’t for the life of me understand why they stopped making)

• Shoes: Margiela (similar suede pair here, though I got this pair from a very different source)

• Bag: Coach Chelsea Shoulder Bag 30 in Vanilla (this shade is so indulgent and the body has a perfect slouch, *gifted)

The “It’s Finally 72 and Sunny So I Need To Expose My Knees” Spring Fit

• Top: LA Apparel 3/4 sleeve boat neck tee

• Shorts: Patagonia Stand Up shorts (stolen from my partner, option on eBay here)

• Belt: vintage ponyhair belt (similar I love only $25)

• Shoes: same Margiela flats

• Bag: NEWT Hawaiian tote (red + green + blue on one bag!! ideal)

And The “My Neck Is Freezing in This April Wind but I Won’t Let That Stop Me From Examining Every Item at the Flea Market” Spring Fit

• Sweater: ‘90s vintage (a vtg GAP number with a similar vibe)

• Jeans: hand-me-down Levi’s 505s from a friend

• Bag: vintage Miu Miu (here’s one in cream leather)

• Shoes: G.H. Bass tassel loafers in wine

Below, the ‘old lady’ mall brands I can always count on for killer finds & a round-up of 27 secondhand spring jackets (including plenty of suede and exacts of my lagoon baby).

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UNION SQUARE GREENMARKET — Andrew at the Andrew’s Honey stand notices you look confused.

He sees you struggling to pick a jar and tells you to look for your neighborhood. You’ll want to select honey produced by bees closest to your apartment to maximize its immunity-boosting effects, he says. Something about the pollen. You happily obey and scan the illustrated lids for the one made by your neighbors, the bees.

Under the flower tents, placed at the edges of the crescent of vendors so you won’t forget to grab a bouquet on your way out, you’ll wonder how it’s possible to choose between 50 perfect bunches. You grab sunny tulips from their watery jug and tuck them in your purse with the blooms peaking out like an accessory.

A dozen niche apple varieties wait patiently for you to make your way over to the northeastern most corner of the square. They’re “tart” and “crisp” and “refreshing” according to the signage. You choose with your heart because you’re not an apple sommelier and have no clue how to distinguish this one’s tartness from the next. It will always be a good choice.

As you gather your grocery haul, I’m taking notes on the outfits. The bootcut jeans; the floppy sun hats; the Barbour jackets; the ironic tote bags; the CBK-inspired eyewear; the tank tops and their accompanying red shoulders; the dogs in useless rain coats. And I’m daydreaming about what the produce itself might wear.

Honeycrisp Apple, for one, is definitely an older sister who loves a crisp cotton blouse. Bok Choy is a bit of a party girl, obviously, whose oversized shades and stacks of arm candy stay on at all times. Daffodil feels most herself in a turtleneck and has the best top-handle bag collection you’ve ever seen.

In today’s letter, I’ve channeled the spirit of spring produce to style a look for each. Outfitting yourself to honor mother nature’s abundance is a long-held tradition — but maybe it’s time the harvest wants to play dress up too.

She was a Girl Scout well into her teens. She always has gum. She adopted two Siamese cats and named them Romulus and Remus (she was a classics major). She owns an extra large Hulken in a limited edition color. As a kid, adults were always telling her she had “an old soul.” She’s never dyed her hair.

Her outfit:

1. 1950s white button up blouse, $45

2. Vtg Betsey Johnson twill skirt, $65

3. Trademark nylon top-handle bag, $57

4. Vtg Andrea Carrano polka dot shoes, $77

5. Striped scarf, $12

6. Ray-Ban wayfarer sunglasses, $60

7. Vtg Baroque pearl choker necklace 15”, $28

8. Butterscotch yellow chunky beaded necklace, $29

She’s Honeycrisp’s younger sister (don’t you see the resemblance?). She can quote every episode of Lizzie McGuire and knows Madonna’s catalogue like the back of her hand. She doesn’t take off her jewelry to shower. She’s touched glitter in the last 24 hours. And the in the 24 hours before that. A surfing instructor once told her she was a natural.

Her outfit:

1. 1980s New York Dance Co. tank, $48

2. Vtg Isaac Mizrahi leather suede patchwork skirt, $90

3. Leopard Repetto flats, $119

4. 2008 Chloe Saskia bag, $184

5. Crochet sequin head scarf, $22

6. Coach shamrock bag charm, $79

7. Mexican sterling silver collar necklace, $124

8. Taxco sterling silver onyx ring, $60

9. Sterling silver chain ring, $18

10. Alexander McQueen skull ring, $210

Her mom’s a fourth grade teacher. She has three passports. She gives really astute advice that you don’t want to take. Her vinyl collection is unmatched. She has a natural grey streak in her hair and can do a spot-on impression of any character in a 2000s sitcom. She tailors all her own clothing.

Her outfit:

1. Vtg Chic Lee striped blazer, $25

2. 1991 Bronx Zoo t-shirt, $32

3. Vtg Baby Phat denim mini skirt, $95

4. Vtg Ferragamo suede pumps, $54

5. Moschino Cheap and Chic polka dot bag, $400

6. Tom Ford sunglasses, $123

She’s a pisces sun with a cancer moon. She has a tomato leaf candle in every room of her apartment. She’s unbeatable at Scrabble. She has a complete collection of matching vintage spice jars. She buys her shampoo and conditioner from the hair salon. She’s never filed for a tax extension.

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I felt reborn — and I know it wasn’t the movie, the movie was just ok. It took only one tepid sunlit evening for months of gloom to be scrubbed clean from memory.

What I had on repeat this month: treats for your shoulders, your eyebrows, and your mouth. Plus a humble request from me to you about a hair accessory I haven’t had to deal with in years…

Ina Garten (in all forms)

March was unofficial Ina Garten month at my house. I read her memoir on a whim, plucked absentmindedly off a friend’s bookshelf, and within 10 minutes of finishing it I had ordered a used copy of her first Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

My mind was fixated on coconut cupcakes: a cult favorite from her Hamptons stores and a recipe she brings up quite a few times in the memoir. So with the cookbook and a bag of shredded coconut in tow, I got to work on what turned out to be perhaps the most labor intensive baked good I’ve ever made.

Sans stand mixer, my arm muscles were quivering in between each of the five (5!) individual egg beatings and bowl-scrapings. The sheer volume of butter in this recipe renders it less of a silky batter and more of a play-dough-like substance. I’m not gonna lie — it was worth it.

After an hour of baking (I converted it to a cake), and another workout mixing together a vat of cream cheese frosting, my expectations were sky-high. The first bite was moan-worthy. It’s a really fucking good cake. And the recipe yields so much that we’ve eaten multiple slices a day for more than a week and still have had plenty to share.

The messenger bag that took 5 years to find

It was also the month of a major bag revelation — the perfect slouchy carry-all I’d been hunting down for years appeared to me on Depop like a mirage. Could it be? Only $33? I didn’t believe my luck until it was in my hands a week later and I could smell the vintage leather myself.

I already detailed the messy breakup with my former paramour in a much longer letter here:

And though I linked a bunch of matching messengers in that letter, it seems we have already emptied the virtual stock of this bag from the internet. I’d love to see a pic when it arrives if you managed to snag one.

Seeking: gentle claw clip

I’ve unlocked a hair accessory I haven’t been able to use in years — a full-sized claw clip. My hair has been cropped into a chin-length bob for most of my adulthood, but now that it’s just grown past my shoulders, I don’t really remember what to do with it. I’ve been out of the game too long!

It’s not quite long enough to braid but definitely long enough to get annoying, so I upgraded the size of my claw clip to toss it up and out of my face. But the one I grabbed from my local drugstore keeps ripping out my hair. Do you have a claw clip that leaves your precious strands in tact? Please share because I can’t take this anymore.

Zip-up spring slime

Sickly chartreuse shades are a year-round delight, of course, but a piercing green is especially well suited to the early days of spring. It’s the color of a young garden: new stems poking out of fertile soil, dense fruit that hasn’t yet matured, tender bamboo before it hardens and yellows. It’s refreshing. It’s rejuvenating. It’s a promise.

This zip-up from LA Apparel in the shade Celery Green has hardly left my body this past month, serving both as color therapy and as the most practical outerwear choice in mood-swinging March weather. Summer sweating in the sun: unzipped. Arctic chill in the shade: zipped. It’s a little cropped, just enough so your t-shirt peeps through the hem, and it’s really good stiff thick cotton.

A brow gel to end all brow gels

I have had this for over a year and I’m finally hitting pan (hitting tube?). I’m devastated. I’m super picky about what I’ll put in my brows, and this Skin by Ella Rose gel nails the fluffy natural look. Not too pigmented, not too light on hold, and — harder to find than you’d think — not the texture of superglue.

How long is too long to keep your pajamas on in the morning…

I slept almost every night this month in an icy blue Negative Underwear t-shirt (don’t ask me how many times it’s been washed, I don’t want you to think less of me). They were kind enough to send me a few new pieces recently — after years of me broadcasting my all-consuming love for their bralettes and whipped fabric unsponsored — and I’ve been pushing the limits (to say the least) on the length of time appropriate to keep your PJs on in the morning.

Negative’s stuff is just the best. This fabric feels like silk woven from cloud tendrils or a paper thin vintage tee that air dried in a sea breeze. I’ll be switching to the cami version when summer’s suffocating humidity rolls in.

Last month I hoped “that false spring will just be real spring” and wanted “to eat a hot dog soon.” I ate the dog! Spring weather whiplash is in full force though, unfortunately.

In April, I need to dip myself in a body of water. Stat. And I’m sooooooo looking forward to warm weather produce and recipes that aren’t various forms of hot mush. Cold and crispy, here I come!

I’d love to hear about your latest reads, listens, wears, obsessions, etc. Please indulge me in the comments <3 Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TT. Happy April!

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Earlier this week:

A home decor deep dive inspired by Emma Chamberlain’s LA abode + her new West Elm collection. (I may have bought something from this haul myself…sorry not sorry…)

About four minutes in, the video starts to feel like a thinly veiled ad when she mentions her new West Elm collection. Lol. (Of which apple-focused decor pieces make up a not insignificant portion.) But there was a golden nugget of secondhand shopping wisdom lurking beneath the surface that made me immediately open up a blank document and start typing.

During a walk-through of her living room, she somewhat indirectly likens home decor to tattoos, sharing a throw pillow from the collab stitched with objects she has inked on her arms. There’s a mushroom, a turtle, some birds, and an apple, obviously.

What I think she’s getting at is the idea that she treats collecting the pieces in her home the same way she collects her patchwork tattoos. They’re representations of the things that speak to her: important moments punctuated by ink symbols and vintage cookie jars. What is a living room or a sticker sleeve but realized adornments of interests, values, and the memories you hold close?

The bulk of the interior was designed in partnership years ago with Ashley Drost and Marie Trohman of Proem Studio, she explains in the original tour. But she shares in the 2026 update that most of the tchotchkes she’s added since have been collected secondhand from vintage stores and flea markets. She elaborates on her interior design philosophies:

“I like to find myself through being eclectic, mixing and matching. I love so many different things from so many different eras: ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, medieval times, who knows!

“But when I sort of tapped into that, I found that it magically had a cohesion because the through-line is me.”

!!! That’s the crux of why shopping vintage is so fulfilling: no two people can ever have the exact same collection, and whatever you collect is entirely tailored to your specific taste. No two blends can ever be the same. Each is a unique combination of styles and decades and references that might only be held together by a single common thread — you! When every piece speaks to you, they can chime in to help tell your story too.

The homewares space actually seems like a pretty natural path for Emma, a YouTube pioneer turned coffee company maven turned fashion darling. She’s proven herself time and again to have great style instincts and sensibilities — it’s a huge reason she’s been able to graduate from posting thrift store hauls as a teenager to sitting front row at Louis Vuitton in Paris and giving red carpet commentary at the Met Gala. The two worlds aren’t so disconnected, after all.

She explained in her original home tour that she feels hunting for a home and for a closet are the same process — “I find inspiration for the home everywhere, the same as fashion. It’s all one in my mind.” Well, yes!

So if you left this video like I did, itching to climb right into a vintage home decor rabbit hole, I’ve got just the salve for your aching little heart:

a vintage home edit inspired by her eclectic genre-bending interior design swag.

Some themes and design buzz words I kept in mind: soft coastal, cottagecore, organic shapes, subtle whimsy, playful elegance, earthy tones, medium/dark wood, mid-century modern, ‘60s/’70s kitsch, “soft mossy garden” energy (in her own words)

Oak Mid Century Gossip Bench, $859 (called a gossip bench because you used to keep the phone on the table and sit on the bench while talking shit with your friends!)

Vintage 1960s Mod Big Blue Eye Girl Hand Mirror, $39

Waechtersbach Red Apple Coffee Mug Vintage Retro Dark Blue West Germany, $10 (Yeehawt color palette helloooooo) (*first one sold but here’s another)

Vintage Throw Pillow with Floral Pattern Ruffled Trim, $95

All-American Ads of the 60s by Jim Heimann, $28

Small green metal mushroom clip-on lamp, $42

Vintage Handmade Art Pottery 5” Cat Figurine, $19

“Rebecca” 1940 Movie Poster Print, $11-$42

Vintage Handmade Small 11” Red Pillow Beaded Flowers Bead Embroidery, $12

Vintage Kelvin Chen Miniature Enamel Watering Can, $40

Vintage old enamel milk can, $32

Vintage Mid Century Vinyl Gossip Chair Telephone Sleep Rite, $325

Vintage Atomic Cat Salt And Pepper Shakers MCM, $30

Vintage Original Southwest Landscape Painting Oil on Canvas Impressionist Signed, $129 (Emma’s dad, Michael Chamberlain, is an oil painter who has done a lot of the work in her house. His pieces generally focus on northern California landscapes and landmarks.)

Yahtzee Dice Game Vintage 1956 E.S. Lowe Company Sealed pieces Unplayed, $20

Vintage handmade speckled teapot, $25

Vintage Set Of 2 Home made Fabric Chicken/Hens Plush, $19

Vintage Original Photo Woman with self portrait painting Art Artist 1950s, $11 (I just think she would love this. I love it. You probably do too.)

Vintage Round Bright Turquoise Ruffle Velvet Pillow, $33

Vintage MCM Oblique Wooden Mirror, $66

Vtg Margie’s Garden Green Studio Art Pottery Vases Set Of 2, $35

Vintage Siberian Elm Burl Wood Birdseye Jewelry Square Box, $90

VTG Ceramic Cow Head Decoration Black And White 8 1/2” Signed, $30

Vintage 1970s Pine Wood Table Lamp 38 cm Rustic Scandinavian Fabric Shade, $60

Vintage Hartstone Pottery Golden Delicious Apples Mug 1982, $12

VTG Wicker Woven Basket with Lid, Delicate, Tightly woven 8.5 in Tall, bid at $13

Hope you enjoyed this juicy letter — a digital fruit basket from me to you. This one is free, but usually the vintage finds are just for paid subscribers. Consider upgrading if you enjoyed today’s lot <3

Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TT.

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The brand most often cited to me by friends (and some readers) as their inspiration for wedding guest dresses is Réalisation Par. And I really, really get the appeal — I’ve worn a Réalisation Par number to a wedding myself! It was a perfect low-key choice for a sticky southern summer affair.

The label specializes in delicate silks, hip-hugging bias cuts, sultry florals, flirty whispers of a ruffle, and has clout-worthy collabs in the vault like a capsule collection with Wildflower Cases head diva Devon Lee Carlson.

Even if this is the first time you’re hearing the name of the brand, you’ll surely remember their mega viral and ceaselessly imitated cheetah silk skirt that took over influencer feeds in 2019.

What they’re most known for, however, is their signature silk dress — the signature isn’t a specific silhouette per se, but just the fact that you look, like, really hot wearing it. They favor bias cut silk which cradles curves in a delicious way, and unlike so many other dresses on the market, RP never forgets room for the boob.

Their dresses (and the evocative product shots) sell an irresistible fantasy: Imagine slipping on single-layered silk post-everything-shower, sun kissed from an afternoon in the French Riviera heat, hair still damp but twirling effortlessly into product-free curls. You glide into skimpy sandals and head out on a leisurely stroll to an early dinner reservation when your girlfriend snaps a casually stunning candid film photo of you, glowing orange sky illuminating your clear bare skin. I mean, say less, I’m already packing my bags.

That particular vibe is what I used as my jumping off point on this vintage search. Effortlessly stunning, swishing florals silks. Keeping in mind, too, all the the details that take a special occasion dress from good to great.

What makes the perfect wedding guest dress:

• It makes you feel like a supermodel, but it’s not so overtly hot that people think you’re trying to detract from the bride (the precariousness of this line really depends on the bride’s attitude & how well you know her).

• It’s comfortable and roomy enough to be able to take full advantage of the expensive food or buffet, have two slices of cake, and a few signature cocktails named after their dog. You shouldn’t have to worry about zippers and seams and weird bunching fabrics while in the throes of celebration.

• It’s rewearable. I think we all have this dream that some day we’ll find the wedding guest dress that fits for every dress code and theme, but the one magic dress is an impossible myth given how formality/style/vibe can change so drastically from one wedding to the next. But at LEAST it should be a dress you love enough to wear in your everyday.

Below, 43 dresses made of 100% silk that capture the essence of RP for the vintage-minded wedding guest.

A bouquet of delights in refreshing blues, sunset hues, and sweet sassy florals. This crop was chosen with warm spring/summer weddings in mind in particular, so most hit between the knee and the ankle, and the price range is between $14-$150.

Polka dot ruffled dress, $75. This flouncy little collar is so sweet.

Slimy spring green halter, $35. To match the tulips stems.

Animal print-adjacent ruffled dress, $60. Has flirt built in, just like RP pieces.

Undeniably animal print slip dress, $65. For the right wedding, leopard could be a showstopper.

Floral detail yellow halter dress, $91. Needs to be spinning on a dance floor to ABBA stat.

Ralph Lauren floral dress, $50. Feels like something Rachel McAdams would’ve worn in a movie playing a bridesmaid in the mid-aughts.

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We accept the bag we think we deserve.

To get one thing out of the way, this is not Baggu hateration. I’ve been a longtime wearer of the Baggu medium crescent and an even longer-time user of their reusable totes (I have one in my purse at nearly all times). But in the last few years, I’ve grown increasingly at odds with my crescent.

It had become a purse crutch!

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have bought it in the first place — it wasn’t meant to be, and I’d been ignoring the red flags for years. I’m almost always opposed to logos or brand names on my body (should go without saying that you’re totally allowed to disagree for your own closet), and thus the branded “BAGGU” strap grated on my conscience every time I slung it over my head. Yet I kept reaching for it, like late-night texting an ex who lives in your neighborhood, because fuck it’s convenient!

The water-resistant nylon skin is a good choice for drizzly days and so difficult to stain (it rains more than 100 days a year in NYC, and this was the common denominator of when I reached for it most). It slips right over your tired shoulder, balancing weight across the torso and hips like a circus act. And its capacity is magical: able to hold a Hydroflask and two library hardbacks with ease.

I’ve affectionately referred to the medium crescent as the fuel-efficient mid-sized SUV of purses, and living in the city, a roomy purse is the closest thing you have to the freeing mobile storage of a car. A handheld RAV4 is too tempting to pass up when you’re running out the door ten minutes late for a doctor’s appointment and there’s threat of rain looming in the sky.

But I was always uncomfortable wearing something that wasn’t 100% my style (a lesson I hadn’t quite yet learned in my early 20s when I first got one: don’t waste time and money buying the thing that’s almost perfect, it’s worth it to wait for the perfect thing). And as someone who devotes so much time to pondering fashion — this was unacceptable! And frankly a bit embarrassing! Shouldn’t I know myself better than that?

So I began a search for something to replace it. Like… 5 years ago. A durable and spacious beater bag, more elevated than logo’d nylon but well suited to errands and grocery stores too.

My everyday, any-occasion bag criteria:

1. Black

2. Leather

3. Vintage or secondhand

4. Rain proof-ish (no suede and had to close properly with a well protected interior)

5. Holds my 13” laptop

6. Fits at least two books

7. Thick strap so it doesn’t cut into my shoulders

8. The strap had to also be leather and adjustable (I needed sleek from tip to toe and this turned out to be so tough to find)

9. Have a crossbody-length option for hands-free city schlepping

10. Inexpensive enough to not feel too precious about

So many purses were almost right. I got really close with a few late aughts Marc Jacobs numbers and one fantastic vintage Bottega that tragically wouldn’t have fit my laptop. I was incredibly strict with myself, refusing to acquiesce to a bag that wasn’t perfect, fully committed to never settling.

I scoured TRR for higher end options; I macheted my way through the eBay jungle where the search term “vintage leather crossbody” yields more than 130,000 results; and I sighed with desperation perusing Poshmark, Depop, and occasionally Japanese eBay, hoping to stumble upon a miracle. I swiped left on thousands of bags. My eyes were bleary from out-of-focus photos and listing typos, and I was beginning to worry my perfect purse would die in rose jail.

So I came up with a temporary solution: “upgrade” the Baggu.

Crescent 2.0 — When the Collina Strada collab came out in spring of 2024, I snagged the plain black crescent. My reasoning: the strap was a higher quality, silkier material, and the big silver buckle made the bag feel more like me. It was a nice design touch, and I liked that bag a little bit more than the one before. I hated myself less when I wore it.

Crescent 3.0 — When the Molly Goddard collab came out in the summer of 2025, I promptly sold my Collina Strada one and replaced it with the button-strapped black crescent. SANS LOGO! I could maintain my go-to rain bag without feeling assaulted by the branding across my chest, I reasoned.

I don’t hate this version at all. I actually love this shiny industrial button-strapped design, it just still didn’t meet my criteria. Even without the logo, it was too casual, didn’t fit a laptop, and wasn’t leather. I was annoyed with myself for trying so hard to make it work when it, at this point, it hadn’t been working for years. We were long past couples therapy by now.

All the while, as I willed my crescent to change (they never change), I was searching high and low on resale sights for something to curb my insatiable appetite. It seemed like a hopeless feat.

Until I found it — in 2026, six years after my first Baggu purchase.

A black leather, silver-buckled messenger bag originally released in the fall of 2004. I submitted an offer on Depop for $33 — a risky move allowing time for someone to swoop in and buy it out from under me, but I respect the game too much not to send a lower offer. Thank GOD she accepted.

I’ve worn it nearly every day since it arrived: to work functions, to the farmer’s market, to an ultramarathon my partner ran in the Pennsylvanian mountains. It clings to my hip tautly, swaddles my laptop gently, and has already survived a couple spring drizzles.

It’s vintage Banana Republic, and I knew the leather would be scrumptious because I have my mom’s buttery smooth BR leather jacket from the ‘90s hanging in my closet. The specs:

• Thick, heavenly leather

• Vintage and only $33, major win

• Fits my laptop

• Can hold 4-5 books if that ever becomes necessary (or one really girthy epic)

• Varying strap length options, from low-slinging to tight on the hip where I prefer

• Internal and external mini pockets for extra organizational promise (a mysterious small one in the upper middle behind the big flap too, I texted to see if it might be an old Palm Pilot/flip phone pocket — she confirmed yes!)

• Silver hardware with buckles and rivets for some design intrigue

• Perfect intermediary size: big enough to schlep, not too big to be confined to casual settings

With the messenger bag’s historical origins in mail carry, it’s only fitting for it to hold the digital mail I send to you every week. Back to her roots she goes! Now I just need to see about getting a horse.

Some secondhand bags I found for you:

1. My bag in brown, $40

2. My bag in brown, $60

3. My bag in brown, $80

4. My bag in brown, $99

5. Banana Republic black canvas/leather messenger, $40

6. Banana Republic black leather messenger, $48

7. Banana Republic green suede messenger, $75

8. ‘90s GAP black leather messenger, $70

9. Vintage Nine West black leather messenger, $30

10. Vintage Sonia Rykiel black leather messenger, $85 (fair condition but so cool)

11. Giorgio Armani black leather messenger, $105 (the bow detail!?)

12. Coach black leather messenger, $204

And I can’t not share the Kate Spade messengers, which aren’t leather but have been on my watchlist for so long (they might actually be diaper bags? one comes with a fold-up changing mat!):

1. Kate Spade pink corduroy messenger, $72 (I actually shared this a while back and I can’t believe it hasn’t sold, I’m obsessed with it)

2. Kate Spade blue corduroy messenger, $75

3. Kate Spade black nylon messenger, $15

4. Kate Spade grey wool messenger, $15

5. Kate Spade mint nylon messenger, $30

6. Kate Spade pink jacquard messenger, $42

7. Kate Spade red nylon messenger, $35

So what’s happening to the Baggu 3.0 now? I’d love to tell you this break-up is final. I’d love to tell you I kicked her out of my house already, burned her clothes on the lawn and blocked her Instagram. But that would be a lie… Part of me is still hoping she’ll change! Or that maybe someday I’ll change and see her in a new light.

For now, she’s been relegated to the back of my closet, and with a little more distance from the heat of the situation, I’ll reevaluate her place in my life and in my wardrobe. If anything I hope my messy breakup can serve as a reminder to trust your sartorial instincts. Don’t force it. You deserve better.

Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TT.

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Warm weather incoming…

Whatever your wishlist holds — funky jeans, slippery suede skirts, buttery leather boots stuck in the recesses of your mind — can be found secondhand. This I am sure of.

Recently I have taken to video in pursuit of sharing secondhand and vintage alternatives to popular fast-fashion-adjacent items. This is often how I shop for myself: using an item I spot in stores or on a hot babe crossing the street as the blueprint, I track down something similar in my size/color preference/ideal material or vibe on a resale site.

Because why buy the $548 Reformation boots when you could get the vintage Prada pair they’re inspired by for four hundred dollars less?

This particular find felt so good. Goosebumps good. The direct line of inspiration is obvious, and how delicious that the original Prada was only a fraction of the price?

That’s the kind of rush vintage obsessives live for. I imagine us all like pirates, sailing the seven resale site seas with mad looks in our eyes pursuing a treasure everyone else thinks we’re crazy to believe in. But, as you know if you’re on board too, the treasure is always there. It’s just waiting for someone to find it.

So this series combines two shopping passions: finding beautiful vintage and luring others onto the secondhand ship with me. All in pursuit of better alternatives to what’s already in your cart.1

In this letter — 30 secondhand finds to cure spring sartorial cravings based on your requests.

To submit a wishlist item for a future letter,

• Reply to this email with a link to the piece

• Share the item in the Yeehawt chat

• Or feel free to DM me on IG

The craving: Reformation Clara Cardigan, $198

The idea of this cardigan had a chokehold on me a few years ago, too, until I tried it on in-store and found the neckline so awkward and unflattering on me. And of course… you know how much I love secondhand cashmere.

The cure:

What’s so appealing about this particular cardigan that I kept in mind while hunting —

• a boxy silhouette that isn’t entirely shapeless

• a sweet little crewneck neckline

• and a semi-cropped length that renders it appropriate for any occasion

1. Vintage ‘50s/’60s 100% Scottish cashmere cardi, $100

2. Vintage ‘80s 100% cashmere cardi, $40

Below the fold: cashmere continued, flirty silk dresses a la Realisation Par, leather boots galore, and more.

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Runway season! Yards and yards of silk (miles, maybe?), millions of microscopic beads, silk alchemized into magic… delish. Capital F fashion is excess with a capital E, which often feels grating against the state of the world: it’s an uncomfortable collision that fashion usually chooses to ignore tbh.

But a crucial fight against fascism is the championing of ART!, so we rage on, zooming in at max capacity on the Schiaparelli scorpion and Dior’s lily pad shoes and the Miu Miu bejeweled fur trapper hats. In dark moments, it’s nice to turn toward something that sparkles.

This letter covers a few stellar collections from the recent season with deep dives into:

• the looks that took my breath away

• standout motifs, i.e. trends that are about to blow up & details I’m keeping an eye on for my own closet

• keywords + brands to shop similar pieces secondhand

So let’s chat about some clothes, shall we? Starting with the one thrilling enough to make the headline —

I’d go to grad school for a Ph.D. in Valentino Physics

I have a soft spot for Alessandro Michele. My dream holiday is a week in his fantastical inner world, parked up on a lounger sipping something frozen and fruity.

The Valentino couture show was a surreal inversion of traditional logistics with guests viewing the looks through peep holes as models cycled through stations instead of a classic runway. Because of this, every group of guests saw the show in a different order.

Order is generally very important to a fashion show — you start with something bold, you tell a specific story as you move through the work, and you end with a bang. But this was a show without order. Time seemed to fold in on itself: no look was truly first, no look was truly final. The couture was born from a wrinkle in the shimmering fabric of Valentino’s space-time continuum. Each look as big of a bang as the last.

It was deliciously ‘70s and titillatingly vibrant. Deep v-necks, elaborate head pieces, and all the glitz of a feverish disco. I’d be shocked if Michele didn’t have on reruns of “The Cher Show” during his design process.

The look that took my breath away:

★ This beaded necklace cascading down the model’s chest like a gold waterfall is almost blindingly luxurious. A bright, deep pool of emerald draped around it, and the two pieces mingle on her body like the sexiest singles at a hotel bar.

Notable motifs:

★ Deep deep Vs. Sultry even sans cleavage. If the belly button isn’t at risk of exposure, it’s not deep enough.

★ Minty blues. Deeply engaging for pop of turquoise truthers like me. I clocked a lot of pairings of bright blues and luxe shades of red this season (though I’m always primed to notice as it’s a personal favorite color combo).

Mix ‘n match keywords to search: (always start with + “vintage” for prime results)

70s disco, 70s deep v, 80s party dress, 80s belt, dressing robe, ruffles, Elizabethan collar, opera gloves, heeled mules, bedazzled, embroidered, sequin, crushed velvet, lurex, silk, satin, metallic, feathered, beaded fringe, big bow

Tom Ford is making me pro-microplastics

This collection blew me away — perhaps most of all because I wasn’t expecting it to. I always have the highest hopes for Prada, I expect posh glamour at Chanel, sculpture won’t shock me at Schiaparelli, but for some reason I was caught off guard by the Tom Ford rain coats dripping in sex. Silly me.

Starting with the bare bones, a stark white backdrop and actually decent lighting feel so welcome in a land of dim sets and overproduced backdrops. It was still the sexiest show of the season even with the lights turned all the way up. Sharply tailored, lusciously textured, playful, confident, every piece had an edge.

The look that took my breath away:

★ Famously a sucker for see-through skirts and a brunette with a red lip, this look was tailor-made in a lab to give me heart palpitations. The show is a love letter to contrast, no better exhibited than in this look: an opaque black hole threatening to swallow her face, somehow working in harmony with sticky plastic exposing everything below the belt.

Black sesame torso + simple syrup skirt = delicious treats for all.

Notable motifs:

★ Rain gear! In addition to the skirts, we saw plastic bonnets (been on my eBay watchlist since last spring, though I fear it’s about to be a lot harder to find the perfect one), thick plastic coats, and even blazer-like numbers. Suddenly I’m forgetting every study I’ve ever read on microplastics.

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Last month whizzed past in a fervor of snow storms and pink balloons and that little Punxsutawney Phil fellow who’s hell-bent on ruining the vibe every year. What I did on repeat: read, listen, get dressed, and stain my cheeks with a fiery dollop of expired blush each morning. That’s what Feb is for!

I feel Fendi in this upstate warehouse

Took a little roadtrip in February (famously a month of ideal road conditions) and made a pitstop at the Newburgh Vintage Emporium.

I patroned this place only once, but I repeatedly paced down every aisle and through every booth until I got a vintage headache and had to force myself to leave. The only item I left with was this pony hair red leather picture frame — still TBD on what to put inside — but I was tempted by bowls of horses, menstrual cycle posters, and one particularly blinding ski suit.

Then a few weeks later this bag popped up at the Fendi show, and I felt the spirit of Maria Grazia Chiuri descend into my third floor walk-up and give my frame a little kiss.

I had an incredibly vivid dream about her once where I lectured on about everything she was doing wrong at Dior. Perhaps we’re psychically linked. Maria can you hear me?

A swoon-worthy faux fever

Glossier miraculously squeezed winter flush into a $24 tube. This shade of cloud paint gives the illusion of fresh-in-from-the-snow blood-soaked cheeks. It screams “someone must get me a steaming mug of tea, for my health!”

I feel very Victorian when I come in from the cold with a bright red nose, staring at my frozen face in the mirror like Oh this dangerous weather does make me look rather dashing… “Spark” is a much safer means to that end.

And a perfect color match to Banana Yoshimoto’s “Kitchen,“ which I also read this month on loan from ’s library <3

This tube is eight years old and has moved states with me four times. It’s still full. I rediscovered it last winter tucked away and stuck it in my medicine cabinet, then came upon it again this winter and actually started using it. It’s definitely expired, but that’s never stopped me before and it won’t stop me in the future. At least it’s not arsenic.

The C-Word (but not the one you’re thinking of)

I got hooked on Alissa Bennett’s and ’s podcast after hearing Alissa at a Fashion Fiction reading last month. Thank god this woman with the silky voice keeps getting handed a microphone.

It’s a delicious recipe for a show, with Alissa’s dry wit and profoundly empathetic storytelling and Lena’s preternatural ability to condense complex emotion into brilliant one-liners. If you’re the type of person to defend subjects of the Daily Mail’s torturous reporting and dive deep into the nuances of being a female public figure with your friends, you’ll love this shit.

And suddenly I have a Transatlantic accent

This vintage pea coat in pristine condition with a ‘60s midwest department store label (jackpot!!) was waiting for me to adopt her in an antique mall in Helena, Montana. I feel so Old New York wearing it, which is probably a very transplant thing of me to say, but it’s too fabulous to care.

The coat has those gorgeous retro cropped sleeves that work perfectly for a T-Rex like me but aren’t so great at keeping warm in harsh winter weather. Thankfully we had some days of decent sun that allowed me to pull her out a few times.

Gnaturally I loved Lost Lambs

I, along with two million other literary-minded women of New York, read Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash last month. I went in completely blind (my reading preference) and was so delighted that it lived up to the hype. Hilarious, charming, smart without being pretentious — I ate it up and wanted seconds.

I have repeatedly obnoxiously recommended it to all my friends and now I’ll be the fifteenth person to recommend it to you.

“I think my dad’s trying to kill himself.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He was looking up least painful ways to kill yourself on the family computer.”

Last month I prayed for “ONE warm(ish) day and that I have more time to stare at the ceiling.” I mean, sure. It was cold and it was busy but the sun came out occasionally. It always does.

This month I’m hoping that false spring will just be real spring and perhaps this year we’ll be spared from the March seasonal whiplash. Also I’d like to eat a hot dog soon. Feels like it’s time.

I’d love to hear about your latest reads, listens, wears, obsessions, etc. Please indulge me in the comments. Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TT. Happy March!

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More repeats:

• Dreamgirl and friend of the letter Kylie VanArsdale stole the show wearing an archival Pepe Jeans look in Baby Keem’s latest video. A lot of really good leather jackets can fit into four minutes. The video was directed by Renell Medrano, a favorite in this house, whose other recent MV credits include Bad Bunny and Lorde (Lorde in all that vintage Prada, yes please!). I wrote about what guests wore to her inaugural ICE Mag launch party here.

  

• Harry Styles went heavy on eBay vintage in his spread for Runner’s World. He also wore his own label Pleasing, socks from Celzedonia, Nike shoes, and Oakley shades. He’s in conversation with Haruki Murakami for the cover story. His actual favorite running shorts — the ones he wore to run the Tokyo and Berlin marathons — are the Tracksmith Van Cortlandt shorts. They’re also my favorite athletic shorts.

  

• JFK Jr. is pissing me off in “American Love Story.” That breakfast sign up situation should’ve been the last straw. On the topic of his style, though, this video by is such a crucial point in the conversation. “You guys are giving him credit for a style that he didn’t invent. JFK Jr. was just dressing like a Black man in the ‘90s.” Don’t let a white fashion boy try to convince you he invented wearing a backwards hat with a suit!

  

• I am deep in a rabbit hole of secondhand Yaffa organizers. They’re these brilliant little plastic catch-alls from the ‘80s, and something about those little squares has me in a trance. I really want this teal one but it’s $90 and that doesn’t feel responsible.

  

• It’s going to be in the 60s this week in New York. The city is about to get so incredibly slutty. I’d love to hear what you’re excited to wear during this first taste of spring. I’m personally looking forward to wearing shoes with no socks — the tops of my feet haven’t seen the sun in far too long.

Now onto the meat and potatoes! (And dessert, because I’m not a monster.)

If “non ugly work tote” and “comfortable loafer” can be found in your search history, you’re going to want to know this brand.

I came across the brand the old fashioned way (being woefully obsessed with Prada) but hadn’t personally tested the leather waters until I saw these sunshiny high-tops listed on eBay for $25 and knew I had to jump. Like a pair of bananas perfectly ripe for the picking.

They’re buttery smooth, magnificently constructed, and the rubber dotted soles are grippier than almost anything else in my closet. It’s the grip that has me reaching for them often — in late winter weather, they handle slick subway stairs with aplomb.

Tart lemon shoes are an apt choice for shit weather, anyway. I need that protective layer of acidity between me and the cold concrete, burning off city grime before it has a chance to crawl up my leg. A pop of citrus is healing in a 35° drizzle.

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You may have read Fortesa in outlets like The New York Times or The Cut, listened to her on NPR or like Sounds Like a Cult, or know her through her newsletter. Or maybe it’s from that time she chronicled her ketamine therapy for Refinery29?

Fortesa’s first book, “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online” comes out in April (I actually contributed research to the book, so having already read it, I can confirm that it’s brilliant). Fortesa, tell us what’s been on repeat for you lately…

One Line a Day journal

As a writer, I’ve always wanted to be good at journaling but… I’m just not. I’ve never found a journaling practice I could stick with until I started this one-line-a-day journal back in 2021.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: each day, you write a single line about what happened during your day or what you’re feeling or thinking about. I’m now in my fifth year of using this journal and I love looking back and seeing all these small life moments that I would’ve totally forgotten if I hadn’t written them down.

Rag and Bone sweatpant jeans

Unlike the queen of Yeehawt, I am not a jeans enthusiast. I actually hate wearing jeans. Even the best pairs make me feel so uncomfortable. But a few months ago, my sisters introduced me to the Rag & Bone sweatpant jeans and my life changed forever.

These “jeans” look like you’re wearing jeans but feel like you’re wearing sweatpants. I now have them in two washes and wear them constantly. Highly recommend for any sensory-sensitive girlies like me!

A pocket-size pill organizer

For some reason, I love this tiny little pocket-size pill organizer so much. I used to just have this huge Ziploc bag full of pill bottles that I’d sort through when I needed something, which was… not the best organizational tool. My husband bought me this and I love it. I also think it’s kind of cute which helps with any weird feelings around medication.

Kindle

I am a voracious reader and I don’t say that to brag — I think there’s something about my psyche that I don’t truly want to delve into that makes me have to constantly have something to read.

As of the end of February, I’ve read 19 books so far this year and my Kindle is a big part of why. It’s just so easy. I can grab it and put it in my purse or if I don’t have it on me, I can read on the Kindle app on my phone. Also, I borrow almost every book I read from the public library app Libby1.

Going to the beach

Sometimes I’m like “wow, my rent in LA is obscene,” and then sometimes I’m like “my rent in LA is obscene, but I get to go to the beach even in February.”

Even if we don’t go swimming, there’s something so grounding and lovely about going to the beach (especially because my toddler gets so psyched about it). Even if you don’t live near the beach, this rec can be broader than the beach: just go do whatever makes it worth it to live where you do.

Brick

If you’re anything like me, you’re worried about your screentime. There are so many possible ways to reduce your screentime, but the one that I’ve really stuck with is Brick. (I wrote about it here.)

It effectively blocks me from all social media on my phone minus a few hours during the work day (because I’m an online culture journalist and lots of my work takes place… on social media) and it’s totally changed my life. Highly recommend!

Love Is Blind Season 10

I’m not generally a reality TV person, but for some reason, “Love Is Blind” gets me every time. It’s just so sociologically rich. My favorite way to unwind right now is to watch the latest LIB episodes while scrolling through the discussion threads on Reddit.

Staring at my book

My book “Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online” is coming out in April and I am… freaking out, to put it lightly. Its publication kind of feels like sending my baby out into the world and hoping people are nice to her. But sometimes, to soothe myself, I just look at my book and let myself feel proud.

I sold the book when I was 7 months pregnant and turned in the first draft at 7 months postpartum. It was both the most challenging and most fun thing I’ve ever done professionally in my life.

Keep up with Fortesa on IG, TT, and Substack, keep an ear out for her coming up on one of your favorite podcasts (no spoilers), and pre-order her book here.

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Happy Saturday. I hope wherever you are, you’re wearing something you love and soaking up a little sun. Some news: Yeehawt became a Substack bestseller last week!

If you read this newsletter exclusively in email, this affects nothing lol. And good for you for having one fewer app on your phone. Protect your peace, darl. If you do read in the app, you’ll notice a little orange checkmark next to my name.

What this means, most importantly, is that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you being here. I’m having the time of my life writing about wearable X-rays, Prada dentists, ghost hunter jewelry, plane jeans, medieval sex appeal, toteduckens, possum gloves, and how to spoil your weird girlfriend, among other things. I’m so excited to see what we’ll get to talking about this year.

To celebrate! A flash sale on paid subscriptions and a special batch of vintage and secondhand picks as a thank you to the paid subs who made this happen. You are the light of my life, the fire of my loins, and whatever else Lana del Rey was singing about.

The vintage catch of the day: 30 bites including denim Calvin Klein, leather Gucci, silky Armani, studded Miu Miu and more, plus plenty of gems by more niche labels at killer prices.

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This runway season so far has been full of these looks. There’s a palpable electricity in the air, and quiet doesn’t feel so luxurious anymore. The volume has been turned way way up. And sometimes you just don’t realize how hungry you are until you take a bite. Turns out — we’ve been STARVED!

Suffice it to say, I’m bursting at the seams with excitement about ‘80s puffed shoulders and vivid stacked colors and ridiculous embellishments and doodads. I’m more excited about clothes than I have been in a while (though to be fair my baseline of excitement is above average to begin with).

More articulate thoughts on the horizon — I’ve been working on a big fat fashion month brain dump for the past few weeks, but at time of writing this we’re barely even into Milan. I’m this optimistic about the season and Prada hasn’t even showed yet… I’m either an oracle or a fool. Maybe both.

These aren’t my favorite looks from these collections, per se, but the ones that inspired a little cheeky characterization. Fantasize with me, won’t you?

(Part one for the uninitiated.)

Simone Rocha

Carrie Bradshaw being forced to take the subway for fucking once in her life because a taxi won’t pick her up in the middle of a snow storm. (With the addition of some slingback Manolos.)

And a grown up Georgia Nicolson redeeming herself and her signature color after that olive costume fiasco.

Diotima

Edgar Allan Poe’s raven if he grew up and got a degree from Central Saint Martins.

Tory Burch

That friend who never shows up to a dinner party empty handed and always knows exactly what to say in that email to your boss that you’ve been agonizing over for a week. She’s magic.

Coach

The cast of a baseball movie I’d actually watch.

Jil Sander

An orphan turned assassin whose drive to kill stems from her lack of the one thing money can’t buy: love. It can buy gorgeous leather dresses though.

7 For All Mankind

The girl on your dorm floor who you’re 99% sure has music executive parents but her online presence is so luxuriously bare that you haven’t been able to confirm it yet.

Sandy Liang

Cece modeling Nick and Schmidt’s latest after quitting their jobs to design Swuits full time.

Fendi

Your super hot accountant who you’re kind of afraid to trust with your finances because there’s no reason for an accountant to be that hot and have that well tailored of a suit.

Proenza Schouler

The wine stain on your white rug that’s come to life after you made a poorly worded wish on a genie.

Carolina Herrara

Your unbelievably chic great aunt who owns an antique cigarette case worth more than your car.

Connor Ives

Gwyneth Paltrow winning an academy award at the 1999 Oscars, but in mauve.

Kim Shui

Napoleon if he was capable of serving c*nt.

Jacquemus

The man in the yellow hat in a very sexy avant-garde A24 adaptation of Curious George.

Bora Aksu

The cast of a very sexy avant-garde A24 adaptation of Little Bo Peep.

Anna Sui

Still (!!) the cast of the next Knives Out movie in my fantasies. Imagine a tasteful little blood splatter on that leopard cardigan…

What are your favorite looks from this season so far? You know I’ll be on the edge of my seat until Prada. Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or follow me for more vintage and fashion chatter on IG and TikTok.

ICYMI:

A sweater hill I’ll die on.

The drugstore brand gloop holding my dry skin together atm.

Even getting into non-acrylics, lower grade new cashmere pieces (not talking true luxury goods here) are priced well beyond their secondhand counterparts. A Reformation 95% cashmere jumper currently retails for $328. This 100% cashmere argyle jumper on eBay in a similar cut sold for $39.99 after I shared it in a TikTok last week.

There’s a reason people pay so much for it new: a good cashmere sweater feels like a torso-shaped cloud or a blanket of gentle kittens. It’s warm, it’s breathable, it’s what every good Nancy Meyers woman’s closet is full of. But it doesn’t have to come with a startling price tag! Cashmere on the resale market is available at all price points, from Goodwill numbers in the teens to the several hundred range for rare vintage styles. And whatever your budget is, you can almost always get a higher quality piece for that price secondhand.

In this letter:

• a quick lesson on cashmere, what it is and how to determine its quality

• an index of 41 brands to search for the good shit secondhand

• and 53 vintage and secondhand 100% cashmere sweaters starting at $16

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Vintage wool more your style?

• Cashmere originated in Kashmir (a territory that has historically been claimed by India, Pakistan, and China) and has been used in knitwear for thousands of years.

• It became popular in Europe in the 18th century and made its way to America in the early 19th century. It hit the American mainstream in the 1940s through Austrian Bernhard Altmann who lost his European textile business and fled to the States from Nazi persecution.

• Cashmere is a fiber sourced from shaving or combing the fur of cashmere goats. The majority of the world’s cashmere comes from China and Mongolia (cold winters mean heartier fur).

• Higher grade cashmere has thinner and longer fibers which make for an incomparably soft garment less prone to pilling and shedding.

• Lower grade cashmere has thicker, shorter fibers that aren’t quite as luxurious to the touch and more prone to pilling and shedding. (Personally, I’d choose lower grade secondhand cashmere over “high” quality new acrylic any day.)

• You can test cashmere in-store by rubbing it up against itself or your finger for a minute. Really low quality cashmere will pill pretty quickly, and high quality cashmere should look no different at all.

• Lower grade cashmere doesn’t mean bad cashmere, however, and it’s relatively easy to breathe new life into a pilled sweater using a cashmere comb.

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By now, my first weeks of January in the heat of Australian summer feel like a fever dream. The filthy icebergs that line the New York City sidewalks are speaking to me in tongues. Does anyone remember what it feels like to have grass beneath their bare feet?

So yes, we’re halfway through February, but I’m a full month back into winter and a full year deficient on positivity and Vitamin D. Fashion month is hectic, the world is on fire, and I’m cat-sitting a 17-year-old tuxedo with half a tail. So it goes!

This is what was on repeat for the last month: all the unsexy pieces on the frontlines of the polar vortex we’ve been facing, including a special Scottish scarf, off-brand moisturizer, and the roadkill gloves I’m deeply in love with.

My derm once diagnosed me with “clinically dry skin,” to which I asked “is that like eczema?” and she replied: “I wish it were that simple.” In reality, this translates to countless tubs of drugstore brand moisturizer scattered around my apartment in the winter.

Aptly named “Advanced Moisturizing Cream” as if my dermatitis flare-ups require lotion with a degree. It’s unscented, thick like paste, highly effective, and incredibly unsexy. Just as so many of the best skin solvents are.

Between the months of December and March, the only thing keeping my thighs from frostbite is a layer of Nordic wool technology. I don’t understand how anyone can go outside in sub 30°F weather with only a denim veneer between their knees and the wind. I need to be swaddled like an infant.

I most often wear this Norrøna pair, and I also love the New Zealand brand Icebreaker. Occasionally I’ll throw on my Negative long underwear too, which aren’t as warm but are deliciously buttery soft.

A lot of heat escapes the narrow connectors of appendage to main body —wrist, neck, ankles — and all must be covered for me to leave the house. The possum gloves have seldom left my wrist lately, and I’ve especially loved the sleeve styling options at play with a pop of oceanic blue.

I own but one shoe that could be considered winter weather appropriate. This is to say most of the time I’m leaving my house in very inappropriate footwear, but for most of this last month, my feet were safe inside Blundstones.

They’re not the sexiest snow show imo — not like a flirty Moon Boot or a saucy fur pair — but they’re snow, slush, and salt -proof which is really all that matters. I can’t think beyond “warm dry foot” when it’s feels like -10°F outside.

This little red riding hood was in a Neverworns event gift bag a couple months ago. Call me a freebie fiend, idc, the hood has become a legitimate workhorse in my winter accessories drawer.

It’s the only head-warming piece I own that doesn’t completely fuck up my hair. No more sweaty forehead under a wool beanie, strands glued to slick skin, praying for dim lighting that won’t reflect an unsightly sheen off your soaked fringe. Spares your dignity and your blowout.

And for even MORE WARMTH, I’ve been pairing it with a little wool scarf tied around the neck too. Why wear one when you can wear two?

This plaid is actually my partner’s Scottish side’s family tartan… so needless to say I have no idea how to procure a ShopMy link for that one. I can, however, point you to this merino beauty that’s very similar and almost a one-to-one match for the tartan skirt I wore in high school.

Last month I hoped for “bearable winds in the city (unlikely) and reunions with friends I haven’t seen since last year.” Oh boy was the weather so much worse than I had anticipated! I did get to squeeze lots of friends though, which almost makes up for the frozen eyelashes.

This month I’m praying for ONE warm(ish) day and that I have more time to stare at the ceiling. I need to think about nothing for a while.

I’ll leave you with a photo of my favorite January treat, a big juicy Sumo, and a poem by Wendy Cope that meant a lot to me in college. It’s required reading in the depths of winter.

Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, browse my shelves here, or find me doing other things on IG. Happy (mid)February!

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