2 years of blogging
Questioning why people listen to me followed by why outlet shopping is in this summer.
Coffee Order turned 2 this spring. It’s kind of crazy that I’ve had a passion project run for this long (if you know me you know I’ve had a few—Posters by Olivia™️, knitting, beading, etc.), and in these past 2 years, I’ve come on here multiple times apologizing for my lack of posting and inspiration.
I started writing this blog about things similar to what I wrote about when I was doing The Manor at SCAD—for those of you who don’t know, that’s SCAD’s online fashion publication for which I served as Editor-in-Chief for my Junior and Senior year of college. I’ve been dishing you out hot takes on everything from reality TV to influencer culture to just my daily observations, transitioning from a college student in Savannah to a Teenage Woman (trademark pending) in New York. Some of these I didn’t really wholeheartedly believe, I still embarrassingly use Snapchat (to which my friends call out) even though I put it on my “outs” list of 2024, and the RHONY reboot got a lot worse after I wrote that it saved Bravo.
Does this make me hypocritical? You can decide, but I think I believed it at the time, and merely grew out of these thoughts and feelings as an almost-24-year-old is bound to do.
My lack of inspiration stems from my interests diverging from what they used to be. This statement may lead to someone checking my pulse, but I feel very disconnected from the pop culture-obsessed part of my brain that used to rule my being. Someone asked me this weekend if I had seen North West in the Lion King, to which I thought to myself, what the fuck? I had absolutely not seen North West in The Lion King. The Lion King on Broadway? Is The Lion King still on Broadway? Not Broadway? Then where? Who did she play? I had a million questions.
A year ago, I would’ve been all over this. It sounds silly, but this has been a repeating occurrence, and North West starring in The Lion King was just my aha moment. I haven’t been divulging into these corners of Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as much as I used to, I can barely keep up with the weekly Bravo cycle of RHONJ, Summer House, Vanderpump Rules—repeat—let alone watch the new season of Bridgerton or commit a weekend to Baby Reindeer (I started it, what is wrong with you all? It was horrible) to keep up with timely discourse for this blog.
It’s embarrassing to call my job “busy” or “time consuming”, I’m not a doctor, but sometimes having a 5-day in-person career in the year 2024 makes me act like my schedule is just as important as one of a surgeon. I cannot possibly watch three episodes of a mini series, go to Pilates, and stare at the abyss of my ceiling for at least 20 minutes after I get home. One must go, and it’s typically the mini series. Sometimes Pilates.
My favorite Substack’s recently (I’ll list them below) or media in general have been narrative-focused, leading me to keep up with the lives of people I don’t know, but just enjoy hearing from. I think this is also why I love Girls so much, and haven’t watched anything new, and have decided to commence my third rewatch. It’s entirely about the lives of four girls who I absolutely cannot relate to, but am fascinated by. And even if it’s fictional, the lore of Girls and the behind-the-scenes research I’ve done for no reason at all (definitely not this blog) proves to me that Lena Dunham did weave her own personal experience into each episode, which is very apparent to me, and why it resonates so deeply.
My favorite Substack’s these days:
I’ve entered a weird phase of life, which I tried to convey through Teenage Woman. I don’t know why I feel like my personal life and experiences are interesting enough to write about, but maybe they are? It’s not like I’m being flown to Ibiza by Reformation or Coachella by Guess Jeans (why are these my markers for authority or success, I couldn’t tell you). Is it ignorant to think you all want to hear about how I learned to Citi Bike (sorry Mom)? Maybe if I weave it in with insight on how to outlet shop this summer, why I love Etsy for vintage shopping, and why the dinner sweater is the accessory of the summer, then it would make sense? I feel like we should just try it out.
Inspiration seems to have struck because I wrote this post in my notes app on the subway and then in the park across the street from my office. I’ve been getting to work unnecessarily early every day and I need to stop. Nothing stresses me out more than being late, but I don’t need to be boots on the ground 40 minutes before required of me. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to take my time, and look at me now. My newfound skill of Citi Biking is only going to make me even more efficient, so maybe I’ll have time again to regain status as a pop culture juggernaut. I’ve literally only biked twice and feared for my life deeply every time, with a maximum distance of 10 blocks, so that may be a little ambitious.
I’m going to take a sharp left into outlet shopping for the summer.
Recently, I discovered that you can A) shop outlets like Banana Republic Factory, J.Crew Factory, and Gap Factory online, and B) that “Factory” means the same thing as “outlet”.
I get served a lot of paid ads for outlet sites on Instagram and my other favorite social media of choice—Pinterest. I also often get ads for baby/kids clothes that are masquerading as flirty little tops (see below), and both are guaranteed to earn a click-through from me.
The first time an outlet ad on Instagram hook, line, and sinker-ed me was for a pair of $13 J.Crew Factory sunglasses that I wore every day for a year until I left them in the locker room at the Hotel Chelsea spa (honestly, a pretty amazing place for them to rest). They looked expensive, and I know this because I often got asked where they were from, to be met with complete shock when I didn’t only stop at J.Crew, but continued to utter the words Factory in the same breath. I also ordered leather flip-flops that were ever so slightly reminiscent of The Row, if you never take them off to exposed the chipping label on the insole and forgot to wear your contacts.
I’ve never really been a fan of outlet shopping IRL. I’ve been to a few, including the infamous Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Palm Springs, where I walked away victorious with the pre-Heaven Marc Jacobs x Ava Nirui I Can’t Believe It’s Not Marc Jacobs! collab hoodie—one of my most prized possessions—and a discounted Reformation dress I wear in the summer quite often. Despite this successful experience, I didn’t quite understand the concept of waiting in-line for an hour to get a 17% discounted neon green Balenciaga Motocross Bag from three years ago.
My obsession with the outlets is fueled by rediscovering just normal Gap. I recently ordered around 6 tank tops and white tees from them in my continued commitment to staying broken up with B*andy M*lville, and even went back for more at their Flatiron location this past weekend (I unfortunately do not recommend stopping by). I get a lot of compliments on my pieces from Gap. They just fit right, they’re super soft, and I can wear them to a medley of places, from the office to the bar to dinner to Whole Foods, on a Citi Bike, anywhere.
I also don’t get worried about them being destroyed at the wash and fold, which is a big pro. They’re replaceable (unlike B*andy M*lville where, as a friend says, every tank top is like a snowflake, they’re never the same), reliable, and always on sale.
My friends have also recently forayed into “factory” shopping, and have all came out victorious with highly discounted clothes that don’t feel like they’re made of polyurethane or will go out of style by next weekend. All the girls are doing it, it’s the summer of outlet shopping, and you don’t have to drive an hour to wait in endless lines to do it.
I guess for me, it’s the summer of outlet shopping AND blogging. And maybe biking. Sounds great to me!
HAPPY TWO YEARS. So good