Notes of a Fashionista

Volume 4: Issue 7: July 2025

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seasonal Notes

Summer Essentials

A Tote

Totes are trending, they are a perfect summer accessories. Hold all of your summer necessities including books, sunscreen, and hats.

From Elle: The New Must-Have It Bag? A Tote That Holds a Book (and Little Else)

$20

From Vogue: The Ultimate Sign of Summer: A Fresh Bounty of Market Totes

From Country Living: The Best Summer Beach Totes on Amazon Start at $13

This would be a great travel tote. $34.99 on Amazon

From GQ: The Best Tote Bags for Men Are Happy to Share the Load

Things to pack in your tote:

Flip Flops

From Elle: The Summer Shoe Trend You’ll Want to Pack for Every Vacation. “Nothing beats a flip-flop that has withstood the test of time. You can never go wrong with tried-and-true styles by Tkees or a beloved Tory Burch flip-flop.”

Havaianas Slim Square Sandal $38 Macy’s

Old Navy Flip-Flop Sandals (Partially Plant-Based) on sale $2

From Vogue: 24 Best Flip-Flops—From Pool-Ready to Platform Styles

From TZR: The 3 Y2K Sandal Styles Taking Over This Season (platform flip-flops)

A Hat

From Travel & Leisure: The 11 Best Packable Sun Hats of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

For men:

From Fashionbeans: A Complete Guide To Spring-Summer Hat Styles

Sunglasses

From Who What Wear: Jackie O Shades and Matrix Lenses: The Only Sunglasses That Matter in 2025 Look Like This

From InStyle: Sunglasses are Having a Main Character Moment—7 Styles to Shop and Wear in 2025

Men:

From Travel & Leisure: The 10 Best Sunglasses for Men, Tested and Reviewed

From Esquire: Our 4 Favourite Sunglasses Trends for 2025

A Book

Sit outside, or inside (with AC), and read a book. Carry one in your tote.

From the New York Times: The Summer’s Best Beach Reads

Atmosphere

Try a summer reading challenge:

Bookshop.org – This summer, Bookshop.org and Gretchen Rubin are challenging you to a 30-day reading sprint. Pledge to read every day from July 15 – August 13, and you could win amazing prizes!

Boston Public Library – Summer Reading for all ages takes place June 1 through August 31! Pick up a bingo card in person at any BPL location or download one online.

2025-Bingo-Adult-D2 Download

Sunscreen

From Rank & Style: Top 10 Body Sunscreens

A Disposable Camera

From Wirecutter: The Best Disposable Cameras. Take your pictures the old school way with a disposable camera. “Disposable (or single-use) cameras create a mysterious kind of fun that many people rarely get to have these days. Simply look through a hole to make sure that what you want in the photo is there, press a button with a satisfying click, wind a wheel to ready the camera for the next picture, and that’s it.”