One of the pinnacles of summer is Prime Day — Amazon’s two-day super sale where you can score mega savings on basically everything on the site. It’s consumerism at its finest. Just walking down the street, you’ll hear excited murmurs and the happy laughter of friends telling each other about all the super deals they got on Prime Day.
Because if there’s one thing we can’t resist as a society, it’s a good discount. No matter if you need a new television, vacuum cleaner, pink ice cube trays in the shape of bunnies or not, Prime Day makes you act in ways you normally wouldn’t. And all because it’s on sale.
And I’m no different. I love to shop a good sale, especially now that I’m moving and have a few actual needs. Even if I didn’t have a list of items to buy, I’d still find an excuse — any excuse — for retail therapy.
Amazon
From July 16 to July 17, you’ll save on top brands and best-selling products. Rarely do all of these items go on sale at the same time, which makes Prime Day so special. Prime Days usually feature discounts of up to 40%, so you better get your carts ready.
Of course, there are the classic television and electronic deals that your dad may love…but I’m looking for big trends that are on sale, including TikTok favorite recs and more.
If you’re looking to shop Prime Day 2024, but don’t know where to start…here are my favorite deals from Amazon you can shop today! But hurry, Prime Day is only two days long.
I know I said no electronics…but what about appliances? This CREAMi has gone viral because you can make the yummiest of yummy homemade ice cream, gelato, smoothies, and more with no effort involved. Save the trips to ice cream parlors for overpriced scoops… My mom has one and loves it (and yes, the ice cream is really delicious.)
CHI carries salon-quality hair products and tools at extremely reasonable prices. They’re one of my favorite hair brands on the market — are tried and true, have been around for years, are a staple at salons, et cetera. The Spin ‘N Curl makes curling your hair super simple (especially for those like myself who simply can’t use a wand) and quick. If you want beachy waves or big ringlets in no time, this is for you.
Dermatologist-recommended Youth To The People is my go-to skincare brand. From someone who’s tried everything that’s skincare related, Youth To The People’s Air Whip Moisture Cream is lightweight. It’s a great pre-makeup moisturizer, and it’s $12 off.
We’re all making sure our skin is in good shape this summer– and that starts with sunscreen. Yes, unfortunately, your mom and dermatologist are right. You will indeed get wrinkles and skin cancer if you refrain from the sunscreen train. This mini pack is great for your purse or beach bag this summer (and it’s $12 off!)
Hot air stylers are all the rage right now for a reason: better for your hair, quick-n-easy to use, and eliminates the need for separate hot tools. The Shark FlexStyle is a fan-favorite dupe of the Dyson AirWrap, and functions just as well at half the price…plus that extra discount for Prime Day.
We’ve all fallen for the teeth-whitening gimmicks. I’ve done it countless times and always go back to old faithful: Crest Strips. This whitening kit comes with 20 strips and a light to maximize your results. I don’t often plus teeth whitening kits, but this is worth the $30 discount.
Don’t waste your money on expensive speakers that will only break in a year’s time. Amazon Alexa-powered devices are great for room-to-room speakers. Plus, if you buy multiple, you can sync them throughout your home. I love my Echo and they’re always heavily discounted on Prime Day
These alarm clocks will seriously change your life. A clock that helps you develop a healthy sleep routine with customizable options fully curated to your schedule. With multiple sleep sound options, a gentle awakening setting, and a design made for your bedside table…this clock is all you’ll ever need.
Seriously, what a year for
Gypsy Rose Blanchard. What a success story. Since being released from prison on December 28, 2023 — only days before ringing in 2024 — she’s become a cultural phenomenon.
Blanchard spent seven years in jail after being convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Blanchard conspired with then boyfriend, Nick Godejohn, to stab Dee Dee after finding out Gypsy Rose
didn’t have a lifelong illness, but was instead a victim of child abuse. These events inspired hit drama docus like The Act starring Joey King — seducing the world into the great labyrinth of Gypsy’s lore.
She went from inmate to attendee at star-studded events in mere months. By January 5, she was at seen at the red-carpet premiere for “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” alongside her then husband, Ryan Anderson. From that moment on, she was doing podcast interviews, frequently making informative TikToks on what prison life was like, and even starring in her own reality show.
Now, Gypsy Rose Blanchard has announced she’s pregnant. But no, it’s not with her former husband, the aforementioned Anderson.
I’m sure you’re also wondering just how we got here — so let’s dive into the love life of Gypsy Rose and explain it all.
A Quick History Of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Complicated Love Life
Gypsy Boyfriend #1: Nick Godejohn
If you watched any of the Gypsy Rose documentaries, you’ll remember
Godejohn. Gypsy’s first BF, who began as a secret online romance and spilled into a torrid love affair that ended up with Dee Dee Blanchard dead. Godejohn is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. The pair broke up quickly after their sentencing in 2019.
Gypsy quickly moved on to Ken Urker, followed by an engagement announcement by April 2019. Naturally, the couple met because Urker wrote to Blanchard in prison after seeing the HBO docu,
Mommy, Dead and Dearest — they wrote to one another for a year and a half before he popped the question.
Urker and Blanchard were on-again-off-again until a third Gypsy boyfriend hit the mix.
Can we even call him a boyfriend if she immediately marries him in 2022? Nonetheless, Urker was pushed out of the picture (briefly) when reports surfaced that Blanchard and Anderson had tied the knot. And, yes, this was another pen pal love story.
By March 2024, however, Blanchard and Anderson headed for
splitsville, sadly. Three months after Gypsy was released from prison.
So Who Is Gypsy Rose’s Baby-Daddy?
That would be Gypsy Boyfriend #2: Ken Urker. Gypsy Rose announced via TikTok today, July 9, 2024, that she’s due in January 2025.
Yes, the busy year for Gypsy Rose continues and I’m sure the world won’t have anything crazy whatsoever to say…
Oh, Olivia Culpo. How I wanted to pore over your wedding content in the deepest of green envy. You had it all: the hot football player husband, the equally It-Girl sisters, the star attendees. You could’ve had a
Sofia Richie moment, and instead we’re here.
On June 29, 2024, Miss Universe and model
Olivia Culpo and star running back for the San Francisco 49ers Christian McCaffrey invited their A-List friends to Watch Hill, Rhode Island for what was supposed to be the most spectacular wedding of the year.
As pictures slowly leaked – and with
Vogue onsite for full access – the Culpo-McCaffrey union had the potential to be the Pinterest wedding of your dreams. Everyone wanted to see the bride. Olivia Culpo has become a true style icon for her throngs of followers – regularly posting TikToks getting ready for McCaffrey’s games throwing on “cool girl” outfits.
So when her army of umbrellas fell and the world saw her first wedding dress…everyone was left with the same reaction:
that’s it???!!!
Surely, this must’ve been a ruse. No way would
the Olivia Culpo be dressed in a full-coverage, long-sleeve, high-neck Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown. No, there had to be something else and the public wasn’t allowed to take a glimpse yet.
But, actually, that dress
was chosen by Culpo as the dress of her dreams. And although she had three dresses in total (yes, all equally tacky or underwhelming for different reasons), social media full-on exploded. And Culpo and McCaffrey have made things exponentially worse.
Well, there isn’t just one issue at hand. The first is the dress itself: are we serious? Dolce & Gabbana is
not the luxury brand I’d turn to for modern conservatism.
First and foremost,
Dolce & Gabbana isn’t exactly free of controversy. If you want the people to take you seriously, maybe don’t choose the brand that Elton John called to be canceled in 2015 for making comments against gay parenting.
It’s the middle of summer. If I’m getting married on the East Coast at the end of June, I’m going to be in something strapless. You bet your bottom dollar I’m showing a bit of clavicle. Because it’s
hot and I don’t want to be miserable.
But for Culpo, that was the whole point. And misery loves company it seems. You see, Olivia Culpo defended the dress by saying she didn’t want to “exude sex in any way, shape, or form.” She believes your wedding dress should be “serious” enough to match your “commitment.”
“When I think about Christian and what he loves and the moments that he thinks that I’m most beautiful, it’s absolutely in something like this: timeless, covered, and elegant.
And isn’t there something so
Handmaid’s Tale about wanting to be covered for your husband? I genuinely thought we were past this point in life. But hey, back to the 1950s we go!
Even more ironic is that, for the reception, Culpo changes into (essentially) a bodysuit with a mesh bubble wrapped around her waist. When stylist Kennedy Bingham made a viral TikTok response to Culpo’s fashion choices, Culpo got angry. And so did McCaffrey.
From Culpo: “Wow what an absolutely evil person you are. I hope no one ever tears you apart in this way because it’s extremely hurtful. I love this dress and it was everything I wanted and more.”
From McCaffrey: “What an evil thing to post online. I hope you can find joy and peace in the world, the way my beautiful wife does.”
I think “evil” may be two public figures name-calling a content creator for speaking the truth about the public’s opinion…but hey! Who am I to judge?
(I say seething with judgment.)
The Drama Continues
But Kennedy Bingham ruffled one too many feathers for Culpo and her court, it seems. Not only does Culpo berate Bingham for her evil acts, but she goes on to say that millions of people wear Dolce…she’s not the only one!
And while that may be a redeeming quality for Dolce in Culpo’s eyes, Bingham was quick to point out otherwise:
“They are not just a designer to you, they are a coworker … I’m also not saying YOU’RE anything. I’m saying that your actions allude to a certain mindset that you aren’t doing anything to contradict.”
And one more solid point that Bingham presents is Culpo’s emphasis on her natural makeup look. Yes, she makes the brave move of skipping out on mascara (but is wearing a full set of lashes) and ditches the lip liner (a dose of filler will do instead) for a more “natural” look.
I will hold for stifled laughter and eye rolls. Yes, the former Miss Universe who is no stranger to Botox and filler wanted you to focus on
natural beauty. And look, I’m not saying she’s ugly by any means or needs any further work done…but when you’re preaching natural beauty and realness, please save it.
If you want Botox, get Botox. If you want to wear a parka to your wedding in the middle of the summer, do it. If you want to wear a full beat to your wedding, do it. If you want to wear a bikini, wear a bikini.
But
don’t sell false beauty standards and harp on conserving your sexuality for your groom and then make it our problem when people disagree.
Popstars have been the backbone of the music industry for decades upon decades. There were OG divas like Whitney Houston and Britney Spears. There were Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Rihanna. But it felt like we were in need of a fresh sound.
Most of our original pop girls are onto ventures like starting beauty lines, starring in films, writing books, and starting families. There wasn’t an immediate need to release albums or tour anymore. So the takeover of male artists on Billboard charts ensued.
Of course, the shine to Taylor Swift will blaze on. But the world grows tired of hearing the same few artists over and over. As always, there’s a bright new, shiny Next Big Thing on the horizon.
The summer of 2024 proves that you don’t necessarily need to be a “new” artist to rise to superstardom. Ever since Coachella, it has become clear that there are two Next Big Things in the realm of pop music:
Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan.
Both Carpenter and Roan signed to labels when they were young. You may know Carpenter from opening for Swift on
The Eras Tour or her stint as a Disney star. And you may know Chappell as the opener for Olivia Rodrigo on The Guts Tour.
Chappell has been signed to Atlantic Records since she was 17 - back when she uploaded an original song called “Die Young” to YouTube. Under Atlantic, Chappell released an EP and eventually, in 2020, released “Pink Pony Club.” Not long after, she was dropped.
Everything shifted in September 2023. After being dropped from the label, she remained independent until releasing her debut album,
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, through Island Records.
Come 2024, Chappell toured the album in two parts, captivating fans' hearts with her wit, her live vocal ability, and her homemade tour outfits that were equally as camp as her music.
In the meantime, she remained in control of her social media accounts. Regularly posting funny TikTok anecdotes, capturing more fans in her web along the way. Although Chappell’s album was receiving rave reviews, we were still a little ways away from the world finding her.
Once she joined friend Olivia Rodrigo on
The Guts Tour (previously appearing as The SOUR Tour opener), Roan’s streams saw a 32% increase. But this was only the beginning.
April 2024 marks the complete juggernaut of Chappell Roan’s career. She’s no longer a best-kept secret. Chappell Roan - who sings candidly about sexuality and celebrates being gay in her drag-inspired makeup, her wild red hair, and her Lady Gaga-esque dedication to dramatics - was about to become the next mega-popstar.
The Rise Of Chappell Roan
In early April, Chappell released “Good Luck Babe” as the next single from
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. It felt like the start of the rest of her career. Her way of telling the world: here I am to give you the latest, refreshing pop music. And while I’m at it, shine light on the LGBTQ+ community.
The song received 7 million streams in the first week, “Good Luck Babe” became her fastest song to reach 100 million streams in no time. And then came the Coachella performance.
Chappell was set to perform in the Gobi tent. If you’re clued in to Coachella lore, the tents are generally smaller venues compared to the stages. It’s not typically reserved for bigger artists because they draw larger crowds.
However, during Chappell Roan’s Weekend I set, the Gobi tent overflowed with fans and new listeners alike. The world was watching on the Coachella livestream. And thanks to social media, thousands of TikToks and Instagram Reels were sourced and shared to
millions of viewers.
Chappell Roan caught the world’s attention by being true to herself. Her humility and humor make her relatable - she often displays emotions on stage no matter what they are. Her avant-garde makeup and outfits pay homage to fabulous drag queens and are reminiscent of Lady Gaga in 2010.
And of course, her music brings back a sense of fun to the world. Each song is catchy, daring, and reveals Roan’s true colors. After Coachella, her monthly listener count on Spotify saw a 500% increase to 7 million.
The Year Of Chappell Roan Continues
Since then, the world’s attention is on Chappell Roan. Her monthly listener count sits at over 24 million. She’s dined with new friend Elton John, who shared her album with Ed Sheeran, who also adores it.
She took the stage at Gov Ball 2024 inside an apple, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, holding a massive joint…to a massive crowd - bigger than the headliners. She’s as in-demand as it gets right now…publicly declaring she turned down a visit to the White House until there’s liberty and justice for all.
In an audacious performance, Chappell Roan declares herself as “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.” And she’s not wrong anymore. It’s no longer simply an outrageous statement. Simply put. Chappell Roan is a sensation.
She receives acclaim from Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and so many more. And has been candid about struggling with her recent rapid rise to the top - breaking down onstage, sharing with viewers on TikTok that many pop girls are really just as nice as they seem.
As she continues to grow and flourish in the public eye, Chappell Roan’s bearing up under the burden of pop princess. It’s something she has in common with another rising star, Sabrina Carpenter - who often goes viral for her off-the-cuff comments and sexual innuendos.
A new voice of our generation - Chappell Roan is a breath of fresh air. The people love honesty, they love personality, and they love fine music. Thank goodness Chappell Roan has all three.
You can stream Chappell's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess here:
Ever since Juneteenth became a national holiday, corporations have been trying to do to it what they’ve done with Pride: strip it of its roots and turn it into a commercialized holiday to sell more stuff.
There’s a scene in
American Fiction in which Jefferey Wright’s character is appalled at the suggestion that his book is promoted for a Juneteenth holiday release. Yet, the white corporate executives are so pleased with themselves for the idea: how inclusive, they think, how perfectly celebratory.
And while now that Juneteenth marks a national day off, it will be marked with gatherings and celebrations, it should be a day of remembering. Celebrated on June 19th (hence the portmanteau), Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 (almost 160 years ago) when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of their freedom. More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had legally freed them, these were the last enslaved people to be legally free citizens. Therefore, the holiday marks the actual end of slavery in the United States — unless you count prison labor and other forms of legal enslavement (I do).
Many people are still confused as to how the Emancipation Proclamation had failed to be delivered to all enslaved people. But it wasn’t like there were Apple News alerts. News took time to speak. Major General Gordon Granger's announcement of General Order No. 3 in Galveston delivered the long-overdue message that all enslaved individuals were free, symbolizing a critical turning point in American history.
It’s a holiday that doesn’t just celebrate the freedom of formerly enslaved people but also recognizes the system’s failure to deliver on its promises.
Though the holiday was celebrated informally, Juneteenth is also entangled with memories of summer 2020 during the Global Black Lives Matter protests. After George Floyd was murdered by police in May 2020, protests erupted all summer and marked a shift in the conversation about race in America and beyond. This momentum culminated on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
For the first time, we were talking about racism as a structural institution rather than a series of small actions. We were finally addressing the deep-seated roots of racism in our systems and in ourselves. But of course, this all got gentrified fast. People started putting “anti-racist” in their Instagram bios and thought that was enough. And don’t even get me started on the Black squares on Instagram.
It was Biden’s alleged intention for recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday to not only honor the historical significance of the day but also underscore a commitment to acknowledging and addressing the legacy of slavery and the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice in the United States.
However, just four years later, what have all those promises for change accomplished? Many companies promising to do good have since fired their DEI staff. Many copies of bell hooks and anti-racist books bought during the first wave of support are sitting dusty on bookshelves somewhere. And now we have Juneteenth. But is it enough?
But activism can only be diluted if our commitment to it wanes. Every year, I challenge us all to strengthen our commitment to the values we purported to support in 2020. Read those books. Ask yourself if you’re living up to your #antiracist Instagram bio. And consume media by Black people that aims to educate its audiences — not just placate them with mediocre claims of representation.
From documentaries to narrative features, here are some films to inspire your activism and anti-racism this month:
I Am Not Your Negro
James Baldwin is one of the most insightful voices from the Civil Rights era. His writing, as well as his interviews, challenged American society and politics through both fiction and non-fiction. But many often forget that he spent the last years of his life in Paris in fear that the US government would murder him as they had his contemporaries. Directed by Raoul Peck, the film is based on Baldwin's unfinished manuscript, "Remember This House," which was intended to be a personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. By juxtaposing Baldwin's commentary with images from the Civil Rights era and contemporary times, "I Am Not Your Negro" becomes both a commentary and call to action urging us to acknowledge the truth of the system and also do what we can to change it.
The 13th
We can’t talk about Juneteenth without talking about the 13th Amendment, which prohibited slavery in the United States “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” With the problem of mass incarceration disproportionately affecting Black Americans, it has become a form of legalized slavery. No amount of Juneteenth merchandise will disguise the fact that the freedom we celebrate is conditional. Ava DuVernay’s seminal 2016 documentary takes this loophole as its starting point – tracing the many ways it’s been hideously exploited from the Civil War onwards to maintain a racial hierarchy with commentary from Angela Davis, Senator Cory Booker, Michelle Alexander, and more.
Origin
A narrative can be as educational as a documentary when done correctly. Ava DuVernay’s most recent drama
Origin (2023) chronicles the journey of reporter Isabel Wilkerson's acclaimed book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents." It follows Wilerson’s investigation to how caste systems shape social hierarchies in the United States to parallels with caste systems in India and Nazi Germany. Through a blend of personal narrative and historical analysis, the film interweaves Wilkerson’s interviews, archival footage, and acting inspired by true events to highlight insidious caste-based discrimination that plagues societies around the world.
Rustin
Celebrate the intersectionality of both Juneteenth and Pride month with
Rustin (2023), a biographical drama that brings to life the story of Bayard Rustin, a key architect of the Civil Rights Movement. He helped organize the March on Washington and was one of MLK’s key advisors for a time. But why haven’t you heard of him? Because he was gay — and he was ousted from MLK’s inner circle due to homophobia. Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film stars Colman Domingo as Rustin, capturing his dynamic and often challenging role as an openly gay Black man fighting for social justice in a time of profound prejudice. It’s a reminder of our interlinked struggles and how all justice depends on each other. It’s also a call to action to be more inclusive and intentional in our activism.
Judas and the Black Messiah
One of the most powerful voices of the Civil Rights movement and chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s, Fred Hampton was assassinated by by members of the Chicago Police Department as part of a COINTELPRO operation. COINTELPRO, Counterintelligence Program, was an FBI program investigating “radicals” — which mostly amounted to Civil Rights Leaders. In this dramatic retelling of Fred Hampton’s story and murder, director Shaka King focuses on the involvement of LaKeith Stanfield as William O'Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the Black Panthers and ultimately betrayed Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya. Watch for Kaluuya’s compelling portrayal of Hampton that makes you understand the impact of this rousing leader, and inspires all of us to engage in our communities rather than pick the ebay way out like O’Neal.
Genius: MLK/Malcolm X
The acclaimed Genius series turns its eye upon these two Civil Rights leaders in this biopic series. It underscores their differences and their similarities while exploring what made them so effective. It focuses on their formative years, how they became the leaders they were, and who they were in their personal lives — often imperfect but still determined to create change. By focusing on their humanity, this stops them from being over-mythicized and reminds us that we too can create change if we are committed to it.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
As the first major documentary on the Black Panthers,
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is directed by Stanley Nelson examines the Party’s rise of in the 1960s and its impact on the Civil rights and American culture. It clears up some myths about the Panthers while emphasizing what they actually stood for. Emphasizing both forgotten heroes and familiar faces.
The Black Power Mixtape
The Black Panther Party is chronically misunderstood. This compilation of tapes come from videos shot for Swedish television between 1967 and 1975, capturing the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement; the shift away from Martin Luther King Jr’s nonviolent policies to a more militant approach; and the brutal oppression faced by the leaders of the Black Power movement. Weaved between commentary from Erykah Badu, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael’s mother, these tapes tell the Black Panthers’s story from their Point of View.
Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.
One of the most controversial and talked-about Broadway plays,
Slave Play ignited public interest and ire in equal measure. It was the most Tony-award nominated non-musical play in history in 2019. Though it was too controversial to win any Tonys. It was also Julia Fox and Kanye West’s first date. Do with that what you will. Written by Jeremy O. Harris, it investigates the way that racism and the lineages of slavery are still pervasive in our society — and our intimate relationships. But this is not a film version of the play. It’s a genre-bending exploration of the production of the play, as well as a conversation about its themes.
Black Barbie
Coming to Netflix on Juneteenth, the follow-up to last year’s
Barbie phenomenon: a documentary on the origin of the Black Barbie. “If you’ve gone your whole life and you’ve never seen anything made in your own image,” says producer Shonda Rhimes in the trailer, “there is damage done.” The documentary follows how the Black Barbie came to be. Written and directed by Lagueria Davis, Black Barbie takes audiences through first-person perspectives of three Black women who worked at Mattel during the iconic doll’s incubation: Kitty Black Perkins, Stacey McBride-Irby, and Davis’ Aunt Beulah Mae Mitchell. “I’m excited for people to know their names, a part of their story, and this part of history,” says Davis.
Do you remember a few years ago when everyone was wearing their gigantic Anthropologie initial necklaces? You could see the emboldened Scarlet Letter from a mile away. Everyone who was anyone had one...but quickly, they cycled out of style. Mine still remains in my archives, collecting dust as a relic in my jewelry cabinet.
Every two years or so, there's a new form of the Anthropologie initial necklace that surfaces. Suddenly, we are all
super proud of our initials. Since my name is essentially pronounced like a letter, I'm wearing my name loud and proud.
There was the monogram trend that went hand-in-hand with Lily Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines. Your initials emblazoned on any surface: sheets, towels, bags, and of course, necklaces.
Yes, the trend may die but the idea remains the same. And look I get it, an initial necklace
seemingly should never go out of style...because it's an homage to your name. However, we tend to get overzealous with trends...and these initial necklaces are far from simple.
Which is why I cringed internally when I saw Hailey Bieber donning a diamond-encrusted, bubble-letter, initial necklace. I knew what was coming. I got war flashbacks to girls flocking the necklace stand at Anthro. Going from store to store just to find their initials. Chills.
What is the Hailey Bieber Initial Necklace, you ask?
Hailey is a minimalist in her style - often layering thin gold bangles with chains and simple diamonds. Which is what made this necklace stand out in the first place. She's now accessorizing her cool "It Girl" style with a huge necklace. But doesn't it also kind of remind you of a chain a football player would wear pregame?
Bieber isn't known for her endzone celebrations, however. She's known for her trends and her fashion (and also her husband). And, actually, she designed this herself.
Alex Moss, a New York-based jewelry designer whose brand has skyrocketed since his 2020 opening, is the genius behind the design. He's crafted pieces for A$AP Rocky and Drake, but when Hailey came to Moss for her design - it wasn't even a glema in his eye yet.
He says,
“I have to give Hailey all the credit for the idea of the B,” explains the jeweler. “She told me her vision of a bubble letter; I thought of it like an inflatable birthday balloon.”
And that's not all. Alex Moss then proceeded to design a similar styled "J" ring that Hailey often sports. The same bubble letters, the same diamonds, everything.
I can already see it now: jewelry brand after jewelry brand mass producing copies of Hailey's initial necklace...because anything Hailey touches turns into a sell-out trend. In fact, when you Google "Hailey Bieber initial necklace", there are already a few dupes on the market.
But I'm here to be your voice of reason.
You don't need the gaudy initial necklace just because Hailey has it. Please.
Look, I'll speak for myself to make it make sense: I don't know how to style this necklace to make it work for everyday wear. It's ginormous, gargantuan, capacious, sizable, ample, tremendous, and astronomic. It takes up half of Hailey's chest. You can barely see what she's wearing past that huge piece.
It's good for Hailey Bieber, but maybe not so doable for the non-Nepo Babies like us.
Timeless Initial Necklaces That Aren't Hailey's
I know we all want to be as glamorous as Hailey, but sometimes less is more...especially when you can't afford the real deal Alex Moss necklace that she sports. And, if you purchase something a bit more muted, you're guaranteed a timeless piece that won't make you cringe in a few months time.
If you're looking for an initial necklace revival, here are a few of my fave unostentatious picks:
Brook and York Mackenzie Birthstone Initial Pendant - I love this because it's wholeheartedly you. Both your birthstone and your initial stamp will give you something that no one else has. Plus, I love how dainty it is.
Kendra Scott Inline Initial Necklace - Unique, but not taking away from your outfit. This will give you something different that you can easily layer with other necklaces.
Kendra Scott Diamond Letter Initial Necklace - Diamonds are a girl's best friend...and if you liked the sparkle from Hailey's necklace, this will give you a nice fix without overdoing it.
Abbott Lyon Double Initial Crystal Necklace - Something different, yet still fun - having both of your initials overlapping. It's classy and I haven't seen many people wearing it yet. A bonus.
Abbott Lyon Initial Necklace -One of my favorites because of its simplicity...yet something about the font and design makes it simply singular.
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