Hi, Everyone! It’s almost July, the sweetest month of all. We’re waking up with the sun, putting our bare feet in the grass and looking forward to sitting on the beach with a good book till the fog rolls in. This issue is about making the most of these fleeting and golden days, whether it’s mixing a fantastic new drink for friends in the backyard, eschewing a cocktail dress for a light-as-air linen suit, or planning a last-minute pilgrimage to the Scottish highlands to walk amongst the blooming heather. However you spend the next few weeks, we hope there’s lots of sunshine, salt, fireworks and clinking ice cubes in your future.
And as always, if you’d like to shop everything we talk about all in one place, you can do that here. And if you’d like to upgrade your subscription today, we’ve got a little deal for you, too.
Cheers to summer!
Heather blanketing Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountains. Courtesy of The Fife Arms
The scent of hay, honey and smoky wood fills the fresh mountain air. Experience one of summer’s lesser-known wonders: THE BLOOMING OF THE HEATHER IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS. Check into the Fife Arms in Aberdeenshire for a long hillwalk in the Cairngorm Mountains, a national park 3000 feet above sea level that is blanketed in a shock of deep purple heather flowers come July, peaking in mid-to-late August. The hotel—an art-filled inn owned by Hauser & Wirth founders Manuela and Iwan Wirth—has special ghillie guides that will not only lead you through the expansive landscape in kilts reciting poetry as they go, but will arrange a lunch of cheese and chutney sandwiches and champagne at a remote Victorian cottage that was once the Queen Mother’s favorite picnic spot and overlooks Balmoral, the British royal family’s 50,000-acre summer estate. And after a day of rambling in the great wide open (Scotland averages 18 hours of sunlight in summer), sip on a glass of whiskey beneath a Picasso back at the Fife Arms and crack open The Living Mountain, Scottish nature writer Nan Shepherd’s 1940s masterpiece about climbing the “high and holy places” of the Cairngorms.
As you raise your frosty glass, its effervescence and musky aroma tickles your nose. The classic TRANSFUSION COCKTAIL—a reviving elixir beloved by President Eisenhower and golfers everywhere—just got much more delicious (and easier to make) thanks to Spindrift’s new GRAPE CRUSH SODA. Part of the Charlestown, Massachusetts-based brand’s new line of not-too-sweet pops, their fizzy blend of concord grape juice and ginger-ale combines two out of the three ingredients needed for our favorite boozy summer quencher. Just pour it over vodka and crushed ice in a nice tall pint and you’ve got an unusual, colorful, intensely refreshing drink that is ideal for firework-watching, beach chair-sitting or curing a whopping hangover. A squeeze of key lime gives it a little something extra.
Together or apart, they are unquestionably cool. Every woman should own a good quality linen suit. And Guiliva Heritage’s rum punch-colored ANGIOLINA BLAZER and LAURA TROUSER, tailored by the exceptional Roman atelier run by husband and wife team Margarita Cardelli and Geraldo Cavaliere, is the absolute tops. Cut from soft, light-as-air linen, it is infinitely more useful than any one summer cocktail dress. Worn together with a delicate silk camisole and the perfect simple slides, they’ll be no one better-dressed than you at any party. Split up, the pants and jacket can pair with anything from a t-shirt to a gown. And speaking of sets, if suits are just not your thing, we’re really into the matching linen shorts-and-shirts from With Nothing Underneath and Proche’s easy breezy elastic waist pants and bubble top.
You run your fingers along the glossy lettering and are reminded of a more thoughtful time. There are few machines that have survived seven decades and remained better than ever, but DYMO’S EMBOSSED LABEL MAKER is as useful as it has ever been. Invented in 1958, this handheld gadget creates raised plastic tape labels that can be stuck on anything from adult camp trunks and tennis racquets to water bottles, coolers and clothing drawers. They’re great for monogramming your iPhone case, too (or anything else you lose with frequency). They’ll long outlast 2D printed labels, come in cool colors, are weather and waterproof and will lend anything you affix them to a good ole days vibe.
They catch the light, and everything else just falls into place. An excellent pair of HOOP EARRINGS are one of those non-negotiable staples for warm weather dressing. Without them, you and your wardrobe have to work a lot harder. These hand-carved rose quartz hoops from Ten Thousand Things are sublime with everything from beach coverups to party sets and everything in between. And these resin hoops from Lizzie Fortunato and these truly great basic 14k gold vermeil hoops from Otiumberg are a steal, too. And if you’re one of those people who likes to throw on a pair of barely there earrings and never take them off all summer, we’ve got something quite special for you, too.
In a pinch they are there, ready when you are. We’ve been using FLAMINGO'S BODY WAX STRIPS since the deep Covid days and are always astounded by how easy and effective they are to use whenever and wherever you want in the privacy of your own bathroom. Their proprietary blend of beeswax and castor oil also somehow makes the whole process less painful. Whether it’s your bikini line, upper leg or anywhere else, there is no warming or wax-brewing required. Just peel the strips apart, stick and rip!
Looped into your favorite pair, it shines like the moon on a hot July night. We’re truly feeling a great pair of jeans, a good button-down and an old school BRASS BELT BUCKLE and there’s none better than one from Craftsmasters of Nantucket, part of our recent Nantucket Craft Collection for Old Stone Trade. Our curation includes handmade brass buckles in the shape of an oyster, lobster claw, fishhook and Beetle Cat. (Leather belts to fit the buckles can be ordered here).
Sand, ice cream, wet bathing suits and more, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. When summer arrives, dreams of a hand-stitched vegetable tanned leather mini bag are replaced by the need for an indestructible everyday carryall. Enter the ultimate in this category, ROTHYS LIGHTWEIGHT TOTE, which is knit with approximately 618 grams of ocean-bound marine plastic which makes it impossibly strong, stain and fade resistant and completely machine washable. We love this perforated style for beach toys and towels, tennis games, farmer’s market runs or simply a book and a chilled bottle of low-alcohol wine.
Over salty hair and a smile, there’s nothing better. Yes, it’s that time of year again! Our SUMMER 2025 HAT has finally arrived: a Nantucket rosé with sun-faded blue embroidery made by our friends at Spectrum Designs, a custom apparel organization that provides inclusive employment and vocational training for people in a neurodiverse world. They’re available in a limited-run through our shop and IRL in the VIP bags at the Nantucket Film Festival this weekend. Throw one on and let the sun shine!🤍
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As always, all of our illustrations are original and hand-drawn in ink by Courtney Broadwater
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