Happy Friday!
Today is my husband Carter’s birthday, and I have spent the better part of the week trying to write about him without descending into cliché — a losing battle, as it turns out!
Carter is, quite simply, the personification of joy. He carries wit in his holster at all times, the kind of quick-draw humor that could go toe-to-toe with Ted Lasso. He is tenacious and soft enough to let you in, sturdy enough to never let you down. To know him is to love him. To be his best friend has been, without exaggeration, the great honor of my life.
We have a full weekend ahead in his honor, and I intend to savor every moment of it!
Until our next correspondence,
xx Lauren
The Lauren Letter will always be free. But if this space has become something you look forward to—a small ritual in your week, a source of inspiration, a reminder to approach life with more intention—you now have the option to support it.
Wearing | Rhoback Bedford Mockneck
I have officially declared that this is best sweatshirt ever! I will be living in it through late summer, well into fall, and if I'm honest, probably straight through winter and spring as well. It sells out with regularity, so join the waitlist and let the restock come to you! Their collegiate line is equally worth a look, if you're partial to a sportier look.
Eating | The Famous La Scala Salad
This is a recipe Sadie Loving posted a while back, and it is divine in its simplicity. Two notes from my own kitchen trials: insist on a proper stick of salami rather than the deli-counter cold cuts, and go noticeably lighter on the red wine vinegar than instructed.
Reading | British Vogue
Call me a Benedict Arnold, but I have defected from American Vogue in favor of the British edition, and I don't foresee a return. Their art direction is devoted creativity and less commercialized.
Watching | Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th
Get in the family van! This season assembles a single housewife from nearly every franchise across two decades of Bravo history, and the resulting debate over which city truly put Housewives on the map is reality television at its most gloriously, deliciously delusional.
Listening | Haley Toumaian Price’s Lindsay Clancy Trial Recaps
If you don't have the bandwidth (or, frankly, the peculiar delight I take in watching a cross-examination unfold with real command of the rules of evidence), Haley’s recaps of the Lindsay Clancy trial will hand you the essential takeaways each evening, distilled and digestible.
Trying | Stakt Mat
This was sent to me as pr, in full transparency, but it is such a genuinely lovely piece! It folds down neatly enough to tuck away, and while I remain a devoted studio-workout loyalist, it is perfect for at-home stretching and meditating.
Champagne | Cadets Everyday Poplin Pant
Cadets is one of my favorite under-the-radar labels — technically a childrenswear brand, though its women's offering rivals anything on the main tab. This brown stripe poplin, in particular, would become a workhorse of a fall transitional wardrobe.
Frites | Target Women's Front-Tie Striped Cargo Pants
Don't let "cargo pant" send you running — this is a far more elevated silhouette than the name suggests, and at under $25, it's a no brainer!
1. Tuckernuck Hyacinth House Crimson & Brown Corduroy Trim Liam Chore Jacket
2. Onward Reserve UGA Standing Bulldog Tattersall Classic Fit Quad Woven
3. Onward Reserve UGA Dawgs Vintage Script Scope Printed Performance Polo
4. Tuckernuck Midnight Check Esme Dress
5. Tuckernuck Red Mini Chloe Dress
6. The Clearly Collective The Athens Bulldog Scarf
7. VEJA Volley Leather Silver Pepper Sneakers
8. Quince 100% Organic Cotton Boyfriend Crew Sweater
9. Cadets Everyday Poplin Pant
10. Foster University of Georgia Mahjong Tiles
Molly Burford
Molly is a poet whose work I admire without reservation. She is proof that a feed can still hold room for language and feeling amid the links and marketing. Following her is a small, reliable act of restoring balance to your scroll.
P.S. I promise to always keep The Lauren Letter free as my little exercise of trying to make the world a bit more beautiful. If, in return, you could considering giving this post a “like” or share with a friend, it would just mean the world to me.
Lauren, shrimp fried rice! My new favorite poem! So talented!