It's a hot boy summer
as declared by us, and they're grabbing smash burgers in skimpy shorts.
It’s Ashe with something a little different today. A YouTuber I watch, Niko Omilana (NDL & part of the Beta Squad), is running for Prime Minister in the UK! Niko isn't new to politics—he previously ran for mayor of London and was the biggest independent party voted for. Now, he's set his sights on opposing Rishi Sunak directly in the upcoming general election.
While this might seem like just an intriguing video idea, Niko has a history of tackling more politics topics through ‘pranks’—like interviewing the leader of the KKK (and making him shoutout BLM), the English Defense League (right-wing group in England), and at Trump rallies. Whether or not his bid is serious, it’s definitely making UK politics more engaging for younger audiences.
Some worry this might divert votes from serious candidates, while others see his campaign as a way to boost young voter participation and registration. Niko's campaign focuses on opposing Rishi Sunak’s proposal to bring back the national [military] service (able-bodied guys from the ages of 18 and 21 would serve in one of the armed forces for an 18-months). It made me think about how the political mobilization of Gen Z and their disillusionments with current major ruling political parties has been a huge topic of discussion over the past years.
Let us know if you found this just as intriguing as I did.
Behold! the weekly dispatch:
Smash burgers. Restauranteurs take note, smash your burger patties real tight against the hot griddle and the crowd will go ~WiLd~. The pavements across Europe are filled with Artek stools turned into impromptu tables, holding plates of hefty smash burgers alongside glasses of orange wine. Kikkie’s in Amsterdam, Supernova in London Bunzai in Zurich, and Dumbo in Paris are some of the institutions smashing their burger game.
@my.tasting.menu at Kikkie's [Instagram]; @supernovaburger [Instagram]; @dumboparis [Instagram] Shell of a summer. Sea shells are sweeping through our accessories, interiors, and even replacing plates in restaurants. However, this coastal aesthetic shouldn't be confused with the tacky seaside decor found in airbnbs (think wooden signs proclaiming "Life's a Beach").
[Here’s the design wiz’s
take on the trend which she dubs Grotto Girl][ Homes & Gardens calls it the interior trends’ 24]
@domino.magazine [Pinterest]; Camila Rendon Store [Etsy]; Anna Rosa Vitiello [marieclaire.com/ Getty Images] Everyone wants to hang out, but doesn’t know how. With Sex and the City streaming on Netflix, watching Carrie & co casually roam NYC and snack on pretzels has sparked a wave of nostalgia for our teenage days—chilling in poster-filled bedrooms, munching on toasties, and just seeing where the day goes.
The New York Times recently explored this, finding that spending unstructured time with friends can deepen our connections. And if such communal thumb-twiddling feels unnatural, they suggest turning routine errands into shared rituals. While a piece on Refinery29 proposes adult sleepovers as a fun fix.
Wait, was that an eye roll? If just kicking back makes you cringe, why not try a sip-and-draw evening? ...or snag a table on a bustling terrace and play the classic "f*ck, marry, kill." Paul Mescal, Harry Styles, Theo James go!
People keep asking who Chappell Roan is.
Google shows this first when you search her name She’s an American singer/songwriter who blew up on the charts the past few months with bangers like Femininomenon (she opened for Olivia Rodrigo) and Good Luck Babe! (Sabrina Carpenter just covered it). She’s campy and takes a lot of aesthetic inspiration from drag queens. Her music is trending, her iconic make up is trending, and her old TikToks are also trending. A lesbian icon making waves in the mainstream.
photos via (left to right): Boston Herald; Due_Plate5548 [Reddit]; nylon.com
*Reneé Rapp, the other name mentioned in the text, is a singer-songwriter better known by many for her acting roles in The Sex Lives of College Girls series (Ashe recommends) and the Mean Girls musical. Another lesbian icon.
Layers on layers (in drinkware) is the latest craze. Whether it's the visual appeal or the mix of flavors, these drinks are captivating everyone. Once limited to cocktails and lattes, now you can find a variety of inventive layered beverages everywhere. Plus, with mainstream European cafes discovering blue spirulina and butterfly pea tea, there are more colors to play with. We’ve heard Emma D’Arcy’s new ‘Negroni Sbagliato’ is stove top coffee - so maybe it’s time to try layering at home…
photos via (left to right): matchanmore [Pinterest]; ohhowcivilied.com; [Pinterest] Coach went from a ‘mom-brand’ to an ‘it-brand’ for Gen Z. The brand’s rise with Gen-Z has been palpable since 2023 when they released ‘Coachtopia’- a sub-brand aimed at Gen-Z with a focus on circular fashion and youthful designs. This project may have been released to distract from their controversy in 2021 with perfectly good bags showing up in landfills with slashes - this was all over Tiktok.
Coach’s once cult-classic Tabby bags seem to have been replaced with the Lana 63 and the Wavy Dinky bags. Plus, Coach’s focus on bag accessories and charms during the rise of ‘Jane-Birkinifying bags’ (we covered this before!) catapulted them into the algorithms.
We've seen Coach bags all over the internet, but out on the streets, the Dior Saddle Bag (and its knockoffs) is more common—at least here in the Netherlands.
X (Twitter) removed the ability to see accounts’ likes and people are pushing back by using the Wii 'Miiverse' ‘Yeah!’ react in comments (and creating other very creative variations). Miiverse Yeah! was the Miiverse equivalent of a "Like" on Nintendo's discontinued platform.
This reaction comes with a long list of other changes made to X since Musk’s acquisition, to a point where being on X feels like a memetic activity.
Gaming buzz alert: Nintendo just dropped a bombshell during their Nintendo Direct event—there's a new Legend of Zelda game on the horizon! Get ready to finally, after years, play as Zelda in "The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom." (Ashe was hoping for "Legend of Link" for the ultimate inside joke.) This one looks more like a cozy game compared to the last two, but it's still packed with fun puzzles and epic enemies. Mark your calendars for September 26th!
Men in short shorts. Paul Mescal broke the internet earlier this week by appearing at Gucci's menswear show in short shorts, generating buzz about this summer being the season for men in micro shorts (bonus points for tats on their quads).
Donald Glover in hot pants [GQ.com]; Paul Mescal at Milan Fashion Week [GQ.co.uk] Gucci's Spring/Summer 2025 collection [Vogue.com] A quick poll among the girls shows mixed feelings:
Word on the streets of Porto… is that many are saving up for the Marc Jacobs X Melissa collab. These Y2K/80’s-esque jelly shoe look-alikes are particularly iconic to Brazilian brand Melissa. We predict jelly shoes coming back in full force with Gen Z’s love and commitment to the Y2K aesthetic.
photos via shopmelissa.com
P.S.
Tomorrow, June 21st marks the official start of the summer. We hear it’s brat green (cuz Barbie pink is so summer 2023).