Wearing a tie to the countryside?
and pair it with retro Pumas. That's so summer 24.
Hello, my airport dads and passenger princesses, Ilze here. ‘tis the season for catching flights, not feelings, and searching for the best suitcase packing techniques (rolling your clothes, duhh!).
While it seems that travel is the answer to all our worries, travel burnout is a real thing. It occurs when we experience a mix of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion from prolonged travel sessions, leaving us feeling drained and disinterested. I think we’re all feeling this meh when it comes to travel CONTENT.
While there has been a shift from the classic 'hot-dogs or legs' pics to more nostalgic scenes like Southern grandpas reclining on plastic chairs in streetside cafes. Yet, I think we’re still not quite there yet.
Let's be honest —the "Italy" highlight on our Instagram, which we meticulously update after each trip, probably has just two real viewers: us and our moms.
We need to get more creative so our friends don't start secretly skipping our Instagram stories. I mean, what kind of friend would do that?!
Cottagecore
As we pack our Bialetti moka pots and watermelon vapes and head to our countryside homes, this aesthetic is booming—especially English cottages and Scandinavian fjord-side abodes leading the trend.
In fashion, think boho dresses, linen and knits, stripes, checkers, laces, and hair tied in a bow or head scarves (because nobody wants to find a hair on the freshly cut heirloom tomato). Very Matilda Djerf-esque.
Some people even decorate their downtown apartments with this aesthetic—patterned upholstery, unique ceramics, vintage furniture, copper pots.
Puma Like it’s 1999
It wouldn’t be a PTS newsletter without some sneaker content: Puma has brought back to life its 1999 Speedcat sneakers. The suede sneakers, originally designed for F1 racers have become a street favorite, particularly in Paris where it got an exclusive launch party end of June.
Emily Rata-whatshername (last pic) has been loving them too.
Hot Honey’s Sticky Grasp
Hot Honey is on all the things. We’ve got the classic hot honey butter, and hot honey on burgers - and we can’t escape hot honey on halloumi (try them as fritters). Recently, we’ve started seeing hot honey in drinks - cocktails and coffee. This obsession allegedly has roots in Brazil - with a condiment of hot chillies in honey at a pizzeria inspiring USA native Mike Kurtz to the American palate, and then blowing up all over - and now in Europe. Have you fallen into hot honey’s sticky grip?
Grocery Store Tours
Airplane aisles aren’t the only aisles we like to walk. Getting lost among the shelves of Leclerc, Edeka, Conad, and other grocery stores abroad offers an undeniably entertaining cultural experience: discovering chewing gums with the strangest flavors and snatching up delicious souvenirs that beat a fridge magnet any day. Grocery store tours are taking over Instagram and TikTok, and honestly, they’re not the worst travel content out there.
Rise of Functional Beverages
Protein in your beer, fiber in your soda? We know Gen Z is drinking less alcohol, but the beverage industry is evolving by focusing on selling drinks that are also ‘good for us’. With the popularity of supplements and a growing ‘health-food’ market - functional beverages are pouring everywhere. We’ve always had ginger shots and other health juices, but the world is now obsessed with prebiotic drinks, ‘natural’ energy drinks, and drinking our supplements. Now, Club Mate is replacing Desperados as the summer bev, and the gut-health gurus are upgrading from just kombucha to prebiotic and high fiber fizzies. Apparently now there’s also ashwagandha soda?
Office Siren Out of Office
Remember the office sirens? Well, they’re out of the offices now, donned in their drippy stylish workleisure wear. This rebrand of the business casual/smart casual is back into the trend cycle, inspiring us all to wanna look like we’re dressed neither for work nor leisure - and yet somehow for both. Blazers at the bars (and definitely at borrel), pleated trousers in the club, and more than anything - ties, ties, ties. Maybe they’re the new necklace - in a very grungy ‘Avril Lavinge in sk8r boy but still clean girl’ way.
Word on the streets of Vilnius… everyone’s going crazy for the strawberry matcha from Raštinė - a vibey cafe-cum-stationary shop. They've even inspired pins designed after the drink. Much ado about matcha?
@rastine.cafe; @nidabern; @nerile_klein [Instagram]
That’s all from us this week. Stay hydrated, wear SPF, and keep those suitcases rolling. See ya!