Hi everyone! Long time, no blog. I just got settled back in New York after what I’m calling the “Southmaxxing” portion of my summer. In June, I spent two lovely weeks at the beach in Virginia before heading down to New Orleans—one of my favorite cities in the world—for an upcoming magazine story. Then I hopped over to Nashville for a week, which was somehow even hotter and steamier than it’s been in New York. I’m tired, y’all!
I am very much looking forward to staying put in the city for a stretch. I’ve made the most of the limited time I’ve been here so far this summer, leaning into the same sort of activities that teenage me enjoyed: I saw Jimmy Eat World live, I got my bellybutton pierced (shout-out to Colby, the only person I’ve let pierce me for over a decade), I’ve had spontaneous daytime hangouts stretch long into the evening, I’ve eaten more soft-serve vanilla cones with rainbow sprinkles than I can count. Something else I’ve done, in a semi-shocking turn of events if you know me at all, is watch a lot of sports.
There’s been plenty written about the “Summer of Sports” already, but it’s been particularly interesting to see how fashion brands and publications have adjusted their strategies recently to go all-in on athletics. I’ll admit, sports are one of my biggest pop cultural blindspots, though I am trying to learn. I had Madeline Hill of Impersonal Foul and The Sports Gossip Show come on the pod in late 2024 to dig into all of the ways fashion and sports are more intertwined than ever, and in the time since, they’ve become exponentially more entangled.
One of my favorite things about reporting on fashion is that it touches every spoke of culture, including sports, which are the last true monoculture we have. Over the past couple of months, I’ve ambiently absorbed more information about style from the sports angle than I have from the fashion weeks that just closed—specifically, Paris Men’s in late June and Couture last week. Between the Knicks winning the NBA Championship, the ongoing World Cup (the final is this Sunday), and Wimbledon that just ended in London, a steady stream of sartorial moments has made mainstream headlines—many of which were more memorable than anything presented on the runways or from the front rows.
Off the top of my head, we had Jordyn Woods’s lucky orange bag from the Knicks Finals run that ended up on display at the Guggenheim; Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters drew ire for their corny, punny DIY Knicks T-shirts at Game 4; Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner turned heads courtside wearing his and hers Chrome Hearts; First Lady of New York City Rama Duwaji wore a custom Miss Claire Sullivan piece made from bootleg Knicks merch to the championship parade; and Jennifer Lopez went viral for her massive, floppy Ralph Lauren straw hat at Wimbledon, as did Norwegian striker Erling Haaland for his collection of custom Hermès bags. Perhaps the biggest marriage (lol) between fashion and sports came from the Swift/Kelce nuptials at MSG over Fourth of July weekend, where both the bride and groom were outfitted in Dior Haute Couture by Jonathan Anderson; several wedding dress-like gowns walked the Dior Couture runway just three days later.
Even if you aren’t locked into what’s happening on the runways or red carpets, anyone paying attention can see that this team spirit has seeped into what people are wearing on the street. Though we’re a few years out from the peak of Blokette—shout-out Nymphet Alumni for the coinage—soccer-adjacent clothing and collaborations have dominated style this summer. I can’t spend five minutes on Instagram or TikTok without seeing a look centered around a Cossa New York or Connor Ives jersey. I am not easily influenced, but the campaign for the Reformation x Umbro collaboration—featuring my dream girl Devon Lee Carlson shot by Daniel Arnold—drove me to impulse buy a pair of $148 soccer shorts. (Good thing I did, they sold out within days.) I also purchased a couple of World Cup-themed tanks from Los Angeles Apparel while wandering Soho one afternoon that have earned me a lot of compliments.
I have a soft spot for one of this summer’s trending sports in particular: I grew up in Virginia Beach where surfing is a massive part of the culture, despite famously having no waves. Since I was a kid, I’ve been infatuated with the aesthetics of surfing, and I’ve incorporated them in my own personal style for as long as I can remember. This season, fashion’s really leaned into surfing, too. Roxy, one the brands I shopped heavily in my youth, is enjoying something of a renaissance—a Roxissance, if you will—thanks in part to a pair of buzzy collaborations. Miaou’s collection with Roxy is mostly sold out, and includes a bikini, a miniskirt/tank top set, and some wedge flip-flops; the Roxy x Madhappy collab drops this week, and features logo tees and hoodies, printed cargo pants and swimsuits, beach towels, knits, and various accessories. I just set a calendar notification for the drop to make sure I can shop it before it’s all gone.
The surf vibes even made their way over to Paris for Men’s Fashion Week. At the Louis Vuitton show in June, noted Virginia Beach native Pharrell showed a Spring/Summer 2027 collection that was influenced by the coastal surf community. In addition to LV branded surfboards, boardshorts, wetsuits, and Vans-inspired sneakers on the runway, the set was a feat of engineering: a continuous wave that barrelled for the entirety of the show. When I was in Virginia Beach last month, I visited Atlantic Park, an impressive man-made wave that’s among the best in the country for pro surfers and enthusiasts. Atlantic Park is one of Pharrell’s lesser known projects within fashion circles, but seeing this nod to my hometown and its signature sport in Paris got me feeling sentimental.
That warm and fuzzy feeling is what’s made this sports-heavy summer really special. There’s nothing like team spirit to bring people together! I rarely suffer from FOMO anymore, but Knicks Game 5 coincided with the last weekend of my beach trip, and seeing all of my friends watching from the back of a pickup truck in Dimes Square without me is the stuff it’s made of. The brands have obviously tapped into this collective camaraderie, inviting influencers and editors to games—Adidas at the World Cup, and Ralph Lauren at Wimbledon, for example—and hosting viewing parties, like the one Nike held for the Knicks at Deans, the trendy British pub in Soho, and Burberry’s takeover of the West Village Corner Bistro for the World Cup.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you want people to buy something, try making them feel something first. As I type this, my group chat is trying to figure out where to watch the World Cup final on Sunday—if you have any ideas, you know where to find me!
Til next time, sports fans.
Jimmy Eat World, belly button piercing, and ice cream—hot divorcee summer is HERE
Big mood. Absolutely obsessed! I blame Oasis for causing my jersey obsession and the World Cup hasn’t helped 😅😅