Swimsuits Can Be Clothes Too
June repeats! board shorts, my $40 film camera, summer skincare, and more
In my summer fantasies I am fully amphibious, splitting time between a creaky wraparound porch and a balmy body of water.
On land, I maintain a never-depleting glass of lemonade in one hand and a bowl of fruit in the other. In water, my hair never tangles and my goggles never fog. It’s bliss.
To go from sun baking in a grassy yard to playing mermaids in a mossy swamp, it’s simply most efficient to stay in swim attire at all times. Just in case. I mean, swimsuits can be clothes too…
This is everything I had on repeat in June: swimwear not for swimming, a perfect $40 film camera, lightweight summer skincare, and camping via microwave.
It’s a Roxy girl summer, haven’t you heard? I snagged these vintage board shorts on eBay for $15 and have had them on repeat since the weather warmed up. They’re a fun respite from denim and linen, and the sportiness adds some texture to an otherwise simple outfit.
Last week was an unofficial Shorts Week here, so if shorts are what you’re after, you’re in luck. Board shorts and 120+ new and secondhand options already liveeee.
In the spirit of swim as daily attire, I reached for this Left on Friday one piece suit a lot in June. Pros of subbing a one piece for a top: supremely comfy, secure compression so you don’t have to wear a bra, and it stays in place all day unlike a flimsier bodysuit.
I especially love this square neckline and low back. And call me a freak if you must, but I relish in the faint chlorinated smell that lingers on swimsuits.
Paired with some thick vintage canvas pants, it feels like an outfit for summer camp, a perfect marriage of play and utility. Summer feels like 4th grade if you do it right.
Summer is by far the filthiest season — it’s sticky, blistered, and coated in a film of SPF. But that’s what’s so fun about it, right? There’s a real elementary school recess texture to summer.
My last film camera was stolen this spring, packed in a piece of my partner’s luggage that was lifted off a train in the south of France. C'est la vie.
Thankfully the camera wasn’t anything fancy — a 35mm point and shoot I’d snagged on eBay for ~$35 a couple years prior. But I felt its absence in the time it took me to replace it, and I have a renewed sense of snap-happiness since the new (to me) one arrived.
It feels like the general consensus is that iPhone cameras keep getting worse (I especially hate that auto brightness adjustment), so it’s nice to have another way to preserve imagery. When I compare phone to film, I always find that film captures the reality of the moment so much better. It’s palpable: the feeling that you can reach out and rub the memory between your fingers.
This time I opted for the Olympus Infinity Zoom 105 and paid $41, not including battery or film. Here’s one on eBay, and another, and one more for good measure.
I’m not too proud to admit I stole this from my boyfriend’s shelf. After squeezing out the last drops of my thick-as-acrylic-paint winter moisturizer, I borrowed his — until it was no longer borrowing but rather just using every day.
It’s a perfect lightweight option when it’s particularly humid outside and your skin finally feels naturally hydrated for the first time in six months (just me?). Crucially, it doesn’t pill on my skin so I can layer if needed. A dollop of gel gently rubbed on clean skin makes my face feel like a ball of dough proofing in a stainless steel bowl (positive).
He buys it at H Mart or my favorite skincare shop in NYC, but you can also find it online here.
I haven’t been camping yet this season, but that hasn’t stopped me from eating my weight in s’mores. (I’ve also introduced them to some non-American friends who had never tried s’mores before — rave reviews.)
I just microwave the little guy for 15-20 seconds until it gets gooey. Don’t forget to lick the chocolate drippings off the plate, it’s a 4th grade summer after all.
In last month’s repeats letter, I hoped for “long hazy afternoons by the water, nights of dancing with friends that go by in the blink of an eye, and more frozen yogurt.” Hazy afternoons yes, a night or two of dancing yes, very little froyo though, I must report. June was more about the ice cream cone!
What did you have on repeat in June?
Get in touch with me at mackinley@yeehawt.com if you’d like to work together, or find me doing other things on IG. Happy July! Love you byeeeee.
My parting gift to you is a recommendation that you run to your nearest IKEA and pick up this chocolate cake ASAP…
May repeats and the case for shortalls.
More on the trip of the stolen camera.
The skincare I’d repurchase in a heartbeat (including that thick-as-paint winter cream).
Your film photos are so dreamy! Totally agree film is a fun alternative to modern. I'm bringing a cheap vintage one on a trip, and I'm so excited.