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The Link Up: The Sun Hat Emily Will Wear All Summer, Mallory’s Awesome Sports Bra, And All the Summer Dresses We Bought This Week
Hello and welcome to….*drum roll please* THE LINK UP! We just wanted to build a little extra suspense today with that virtual “drum roll” to shake it up, we hope you enjoyed. This week we’ve got lots to talk about because we’ve been buying products left and right in preparation for an (almost) post-pandemic summer…it’s so close we can taste it. So here’s what’s going on this week:
This week’s home tour was sent to us by one of our awesome readers, Jessica Davis. Jessica is an interior designer who recently renovated her mid-century modern in Atlanta and transformed it into an epic spot for her and her family. The home is dripping with personality and amazing hardware (from her hardware company Nest Studio). Scroll through to see some really inspiring rooms & a very fun secret passageway moment.
From Emily: It feels like summer has officially hit up here in the mountains, so I thought it was fitting to share my favorite sun hat and what I look for in a sunhat in general. In the summer we boat around the lake a lot, so I am a HUGE supporter of hats with chin ties because I never have to worry about them flying off. Also, when you want to take the hat off, it makes it easy (and looks cool) when you can just wear them like a backwards necklace. It also needs to be wide enough to ENSURE I won’t get a face sunburn (which can easily happen with my skin). These say they’re 50 SPF and while I’m not totally sure how a hat can have an SPF, these sure do the trick. Last thing… they’re pretty affordable –– only $35 and they’ve gotten me through 2 summers now. I’m a big fan.
From Caitlin: I’m here once again to sing the praises of J. Crew Factory, AKA the dream destination if you miss Jenna Lyons-era J. Crew (not sure if anyone else was really obsessed with the scalloped skirts – I was – but they still exist here!) or want to get current Madewell styles at way cheaper prices. I stopped by their brick & mortar location when I was in Delaware (pro tip: J. Crew outlets = Factory storefronts) and my mom treated me to the CUTEST $50 DRESSES that I now need share! First up, I grabbed this simple white midi with bright rickrack trim which fit way better than I had anticipated – thought it’d be pretty shapeless on the rack but it was awesome on! The waist is a little more form-fitting and the top truly comes to my shoulders, so no armpit creases are visible – and the trim just makes it so happy and fun. And I also grabbed this lightweight slightly-above-the-knee dress with really pretty longer sleeves, which is the perfect comfy choice weight for outdoor summer events where I don’t want to answer a million questions about my tattoos. (FWIW this one runs a little large – I, a person who can’t remember the last time I got a medium and exists in the L/XL spectrum, got a large and considered sizing down from that!)
From Jess: I really love this new dress I got! It’s so cute on and I feel kinda powerful in it. Plus Veronica just got the same one which in my opinion is the ultimate stamp of cool approval. I got a large but the button on the belly area just fits. So if you are cuspy I would maybe size up. As a side note, I’ve decided that I’m going to lean into alterations this year because every body is different and it’s impossible for every piece of clothing to fit perfectly on each one. Had this one been a bit tighter I would have sized up and gotten it taken a little in. I want to control my clothes, not the other way around!
From Albie: We’ve had a lot of big projects that require big fixes but also a lot of small projects that call for small fixes, especially when it comes it comes to finishing touches. DIY isn’t our forte, so the end result may need some finessing. This little kit has come in quite handy when it comes to ensuring a polished finish or just covering up amateur mistakes.
Also from Jess: After 8 years (?) I FINALLY went to the dermatologist and within a minute of my doctor checking me out, she promptly told me a mole on my leg needed to go right now. So with two sets of stitches, my already scheduled first vaxxed pool party will be far less “pool” and much more “dry shade” (ooooooof course). But I’m VERY grateful to have caught a potentially dangerous mole. Everyone go get checked out! All of this is to say, my doctor told me I needed to get compression socks so I ordered these and these. From everything I’ve heard, compression socks are the jam for good blood circulation, swelling, and achy legs. Just make sure you measure your calf so you get the right size :)
From Mallory: This sports bra literally deserves its own blog post it’s that good. I’ve been a Lululemon fan for a while now, pretty much ever since they made workout clothes cool again. The reason why I love this sports bra so much is because it’s super simple, but has an AWESOME detail on the back so it feels really cute and special. I work out better when I feel good in what I’m wearing, so it’s no surprise that I literally try to grab this every time I workout (which sounds gross, I know, so if you’re curious I also wear this sports bra a lot too). Also as a little easter egg I found this in the sale section of lululemon and think it’s really cute if you want to snag it for yourself since there are only a few left :)
From Ryann: Welcome to another episode of “Tik Tok made me buy it”. This week I was scrolling innocently when a woman with very similar body shape as me recommended this bralette that is seamless and has zero padding yet looks so supportive. I hate bras with underwire but with size 36 DD boobs bralettes can be hit or miss for me. This one sold me and I want wear it every day, sometimes just with leggings or shorts as it is not too revealing and looks very much like a sports bra (and the green color is so cute!).
Thanks for reading and have a very very happy Sunday!
Opening Image Credits: Design by Jess Davis of Atelier Davis | Hardware by Nest Studio | Photo by Emily Followill | via Atlanta Magazine
I’m kind of literally drooling over that cream and teal/green console in Jessica Davis’ living room (? unclear what that room is) and am taking notes on how the shelves in the office are styled as I have similar spare wood shelves.
I didn’t think I was very much into mid-century modern, but I LOVE Jessica’s house. All the tile and pops of red throughout and I love the primary bedroom with that dark floor (so smart) and rug headboard. Taking many ideas from this one. Well done!
I know it’s not always possible but it would be great if (when you can) you use non-Amazon links. The Columbia hat is currently available and even on sale on the companies own website and I’m sure other retailers with less history of human right’s abuses.
Yes, I prefer going directly to the manufacturer’s/brand’s website, and I have found the prices are usually cheaper, and they offer free shipping.
Usually they are really responsive to comments about links in the Sunday posts. The fact that this easy update hasn’t been made makes me think they get a better financial deal from linking to Amazon, which is disappointing.
Amazon’s practices are completely unethical, right dow to the way they treat their employees.
We are what we choose.
Life is about more than sheer convenience.
I also check Sierra Trading Post for anything outdoorsy – their sale area has great prices.
Thank you for posting another sun hat that is much cuter than prior sun hat post! ???
So many cute dresses at J.Crew Factory, Caitlin! I’m not sure I need any right now, but I need to remember to check there in the future.
Love the home tour, as usual. I love seeing different styles and how different designers implement them.
I was so confused by clothes with supposed SPF too, but let me tell you: after getting a tan line of my bra THROUGH my t-shirt, I now understand the value of those shirts that REI sells that advertise their SPF. Sold!
SPF just stands for Sun Protection Factor – it how much protection from the sun a thing can provide you. Mostly we think of sunscreen which gives protection mostly through chemical means (which is not bad! Chemicals are, um, everything, and can be for good or bad) but they also mechanically protect by adding a layer of matter on top of your skin that the sun’s rays hit before getting to your skin. Just having that layer will stop some of the rays, not much because the layer is so thin. Clothing is also a layer of matter between you and the sun’s rays – so all clothes provide some amount of SPF. Most are not tested to see how much because that’s not their primary purpose (we don’t yet shop for dressy clothes based on their SPF) or bc it is so small (“provides 0.4SPF” is not a great selling point). However, some clothing is made with a tighter weave or materials that bounce the light (not necessarily shiny stuff) so that it provides a significant amount of mechanical SPF. Camping and outdoor clothing makers design and test their products to hit certain SPF benchmark numbers because that is… Read more »
I kinda can’t stand Columbia’s industrial style but that hat is The Bomb. We kayak and the hat is so reliable and I think I look pretty cute in our pictures.
Albie, thank you for the link to the floor repair kit. It’s just what I need!
And Jess, you are so right about clothing alterations. It’s so worth it to have clothes that fit properly.
Earlier tonight, I reread the blog post which combined everyone’s thoughts and feelings at one year of COVID. I found it moving and quite uplifting. Then I come to posts like this. I’d like to see some back up of the sentiments around less waste, materialism, consumerism etc and less focus on encouraging needless shopping. These endless shopping posts and links to consumer goods really feel like you’re just cash-mining your database. I don’t usually read them and I will continue to ignore them (and opened this by accident) but they feel very jarring after reading all the pious sentiments expressed elsewhere. Makes the other seem sanctimonious and quite frankly, insincere. The worst are just endlessly long pages of mass links to stuff, ‘our 500 favourite things’.