The Week in Recommendations 6.11.25
Adventures in summer dress shopping, "Love Island USA," and how to support the anti-ICE resistance.
This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Our latest subscriber podcast was about the first two episodes of “And Just Like That…” S3! An episode about “The Valley” is coming soon. Rich Text is a reader-supported project.
Over on Love To See It this week, we’re talking “Love Island USA” Season 7!
Civic challenge of the week:
Donate to the Detained Immigrant Bond Fund set up by Clue Justice in the wake of the hideous ICE raids happening in Los Angeles (and around the country), or get involved locally to protest or support protesters opposing ICE actions.
Also, join a No Kings protest this Saturday! Hundreds of them are planned around the country, and there is very likely an event planned near you.
Claire has been reading… 📖
As ever, the news is unfolding at a breakneck pace, and I’m just struggling to keep up.
This week I read about the unraveling of the Elon Musk-Donald Trump friendship in the Washington Post. I also experienced it a little bit on social media, and though I didn’t follow it on X as closely as I would have in a more-online era of my life, I was perversely tickled to see all the dipshit MAGA pundits trying to spin the dramatic spat as an instance of outstandingly masculine communication, so phallic and testicular than us vaginal libs could never comprehend it.
I read constant news updates about the ICE raids in Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country, the protests in response, and the escalating law enforcement response. I saw a video of an Australian journalist being shot in the back of the leg with a rubber bullet, in what appeared to be a deliberate targeting by an LAPD officer. I saw protesters being met with tear gas and batons.
I read that James Frey, disgraced author of the fictionalized memoir “A Million Little Pieces,” is attempting another comeback. (Having read his last comeback novel, “Katerina,” I would strongly recommend spending your limited time on Earth reading anything else.)
I read a disturbing reported piece in Futurism about chatbots encouraging people to slip into severe delusions by agreeing with and elaborating on their words, no matter how disconnected the user’s ideas are from reality. This shit is dangerous, and it makes me really angry and sad to see how many people are normalizing the use of ChatGPT despite the fact that it is neither safe nor reliable, just because it might save them a few minutes of actually thinking.
Emma has been reading… 📖
After hearing many people, including both Claire and Adam, rave about Sarah Wynn Williams’ memoir “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,” I finally got on board. As a former Facebook exec whose work focused on global policy, Wynn-Williams has all the dirt on Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Joel Kaplan and more. What emerges is truly a story about craven opportunism and short-sighted thoughtlessness, which lead us in large part to the dystopian hellscape we find ourselves in today. Like Claire said when she wrote about this book, a lot of it is information that you probably already know, but didn’t grasp the details of. Wynn-Williams’ writing will grab you immediately and lock you in for a wild — and wildly bleak — ride through the tech-o-sphere.
I also was very moved by Elizabeth Bruenig’s Atlantic cover story, “Inside America’s Death Chambers,” about the experience of being a media witness to state-ordered executions. While there are many things I deeply disagree with Bruenig about, like her approaches to both pro-natalism and abortion, we find common ground on our opposition to capital punishment. Adam found me on the couch two nights ago, staring at my laptop and softly weeping while reading this feature. (Yes, I am still the same child who wrote her Bat Mitzvah speech about how we should abolish the death penalty.)
Claire has been watching… 📺
“Love Island USA,” like Emma! It’s my first season, and I’m still adjusting — mainly to the pace of the new episodes, which are coming at me so fast I can’t think straight. But covering a new series for Love to See It is always a nice little treat. And we are covering “Love Island” over on Love to See It! Tell all your friends!
Between this and rewatching Kaitlyn’s “Bachelorette” season, I haven’t had time for anything but the occasional “Valley” episode. And we’re going to have a chat about all that… later.
Emma has been watching… 📺
A whole lot of “Love Island USA”! Even during last year’s absolutely stellar season, I felt like it was a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, so I wasn’t surprised to have that experience again. However, I’m still really enjoying season 7! Chelley and Olandria are the breakout stars for me — their exchange about how men like Ace are out here acting like Dora The Explorer and/or Christopher Columbus had me in stitches. My main feeling at the moment is that I am starting to feel pretty antsy for some more men to arrive at the villa so our gals can play the field! NEW BOMBSHELLS, WHERE ART THOU???
Claire has been listening to… 🎧
Lately Who Weekly? has been my escapist listen of choice. I’m a medium-time and intermittent listener, but lately I’ve been too busy to seek out new shows and too anxious to keep up with all my political pods. It has, however, been easy to hit play on a show that will both inform (about the goings-on of all the C- to Z-list celebrities I have never heard of) and entertain!
Emma has been listening to… 🎧
A bunch of podcasts that have long been in my rotation: The Ezra Klein Show, Search Engine, and Maintenance Phase. I especially loved listening to Aubrey and Michael go long on why “ultra-processed foods” is an utterly useless scientific category.
Claire has been buying… 🛍️
Summer dresses! No, I didn’t “buy” all of the dresses below, at least not permanently — I do have a little something called a budget — but I did try them on. And since I love a try-on post, I decided not to gatekeep the results.
First, the Hill House Scarlett in raspberry ikat linen and the Dôen Emmaretta in peridot tea floral. They’re both gorgeous prints, and look lovely on, but I ended up returning both for diametrically opposite reasons. The Scarlett is thick linen and partially lined, which, along with the full sleeves and maxi skirt, made it feel a bit overwhelming to wear outside of a Regency-themed event. The Emmaretta is so sheer it borders on transparent, and I knew I wouldn’t wear a dress that required a slip.
Next are some Christy Dawn pieces I have been lusting over — the blueberry Dawn, the Nova in rouge phlox, and the black Monica. The Dawn is also remarkably sheer in person, so it’s probably best for someone who enjoys a see-through look or a slip. The straight cut of the Nova ended up feeling rather unforgiving around my waist, though it isn’t exactly tight. (It’s so ridiculously pretty that if my life involved less bending over and picking up small children I might have overlooked this.) The Monica is adorable and practical, and is the only one I’m really considering keeping. I sized down because the top, a thick jersey, is stretchy and forgiving.
Given that I have such a weakness for summer dresses, I’m trying to hold out for only absolute 10/10 joy-sparking unicorn frocks going forward… but sometimes I can’t resist trying on a few to see if any of them are The One.
Emma has been buying… 🛍️
Like Claire, I’ve been doing summer outfit online shopping… and a whole lot of summer outfit returns. (Truly frustrated that most of the brands I want to shop from either don’t exist in a store or don’t really have enough in-store stock to make it worth it. And thus I have to order lots of things just to see if any of the silhouettes and fabrics work for me!)
I recently discovered the small destination-wear brand, La Maregold, founded by Tara Moni, and have been lusting over everything on their site ever since. They make everything in small drops/batches, which is wise for minimizing waste, but definitely means that you miss out on things if you’re late to a drop. I placed my first order when they dropped the second half of their summer collection, and while everything is beautifully made, I don’t think I’ll be keeping any of the pieces. I definitely ordered a size too big in the Colette Dress — and now it’s sold out! sob! — and while I really liked both the Celine Top / Nicole Pant set, and the Celine Top / Amelia Skirt set, neither looked spectacular enough on me to warrant keeping them. (I also really wanted to try the Sue Dress, the Susie Dress, and the Clara Dress, but unfortunately, they’re all sold out in my size and preferred colors!) I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future La Maregold drops.
We also recently taped an episode for LTSI looking back at “Pretty Woman” (1990) and after talking ad nauseam about how my reverence for polka dots came about as a result of Julia Roberts’ costumes in that film, I’m now wondering if I need this very Vivian-coded Lorraine Dress from Dôen.
Claire has been making… 🧶
Boxed pancakes, Meghan Markle’s skillet spaghetti (again), and last-minute pizza runs.
I may have mentioned (have I mentioned??) that while we’re planning our live show and starting “Love Island” coverage, Greg is in the final weeks of the NYC primary campaign season, and Max’s school is observing the end of the school year by hosting many convenient daytime events where your child would, obviously, be devastated not to see you in attendance. We’re in the proverbial trenches over here. Pizza day, normally a Friday event, has become a moving target depending on which day I feel the most incapable of cooking a meal. Takeout burritos have entered the chat. I’ve made pasta so many times that the preschooler, who loves pasta, has begun to complain.
The Meghan Markle skillet spaghetti is an outstanding throw-it-together meal, so I made it again this week. I also tried the Smitten Kitchen one-pan ditalini, which I somehow turned into soup, but I’m going to try it again on another hell day. When Max asked for pancakes on a Saturday morning, I didn’t have the heart to let him down again, so I made pancakes from a boxed mix with a maple-syrup-peanut-butter drizzle and fresh strawberries. Thank God it’s strawberry season at last; there’s nothing that a bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries can’t fix.
Emma has been making… 🧶
Tea-based mocktails for my friend Sami’s Materni-Tea/Special Delivery party! I put my (non-existent) mixology skills to the test and came up with three different tea drinks: A classic Arnold Palmer, Jalapeño-Infused Hibiscus Tea, and Watermelon Mint-Ginger Tea. Each mocktail was designed to be had on its own, or mixed with seltzer and/or liquor.
And I think they were a hit! (I also learned during this process that if you brew iced tea in cold water, you can let it steep for 24 full hours without overdoing it! Plus, it makes the tea significantly less bitter than when it’s steeped in hot water.) Overall, it was just really nice to be able to do a favor for two dear friends, and do my part to make their pre-baby party as warm, welcoming, and joyful as possible. It’s such a gift to be able to see people you love expand their families — especially when you know they’re going to be the best parents ever.
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I'd love to know the specific recipes for your fancy teas, Emma! I love summery ice teas!
Emma that LM skirt/top set looks amazing on you! I saw that set online this week as well and loved it!