Summer A to Z
A bucket list, kind of
The last Friday of the month is normally reserved for a mood board post. I always look forward to writing them; building the physical mood board is a sort of therapeutic process, and we all know I love a research rabbit hole!!!
But I’ll be honest: I’m simply not up for it at the moment. I built SEVEN mood boards last week for various client and personal projects and I just don’t possess the mental capacity to make another one for fun. If I ever give off the impression that it’s all abundant inspiration and overflowing creativity over here, just know that in between those high moments are times where all I want to do is simultaneously watch Love Island and play Sudoku on my phone.
I think I might actually suffer from a little bit of summer ennui. (According to a TikTok I saw the other day, reverse seasonal affective disorder, where one loses steam in the summer rather than the winter, is a real thing.) So in an effort to combat it, and to hopefully inject myself with some of that energy the rest of you seem to have at this time of the year, I’m making myself an A to Z of stuff to up the mood this summer. It’s part bucket list, part list of summer essentials, but 100% devoted to making my boring girl summer boring in a good way.
A — Aperitivo hour. My brain naturally stops working around 5 pm every day and instead of staring at my laptop for an extra hour, I vow to pause for a late afternoon snack and sip. My favorite combo right now: ricotta topped with crushed Castelvatrano olives and olive oil, Rustic Bakery crackers, and a white wine spritzer.
C — Cheese curds. I grew up going to Minnesota in the summers when I was a kid and I will forever associate cheese curds with summer vacations spent on the lake. If anyone knows where to get a fried curd in the greater LA area that isn’t the county fair, please let me know.
D — Darondo’s “Didn’t I”, which somehow makes its way onto every one of my playlists.
E — Electrolytes which, according to that TikTok doctor, are essential in fighting summertime sadness. I’ve been drinking a “healthy” Gatorade alternative called Local Weather lately and while I am in no position to be telling you about the health benefits of anything I will say, the orange one tastes really good.
F — Summer Fridays. Ali LaBelle Creative closes at 1 pm on Fridays until further notice.
G — Grandpa’s cabin vibes. I was lamenting to my friend Annie the other day that there isn’t enough lake/cabin/”going up north” culture here in LA, so I’ll be relying on my Boat and Tote and collection of dad hats to pull their weight.
H — Hypochlorous acid. Something that really saves my skin in the summers is a face mist containing hypochlorous acid, which kills bacteria and combats eczema. This stuff is great on a hot day, especially if I’ve been working out or sweating, and keeps my skin clear. Tower 28 makes a great one, and I’m planning on trying out Magic Molecule’s version next.
I — Italian ice, specifically from Ferrazzani’s here in Pasadena. Cherry’s my favorite.
J — These Jamie Haller sandals. I love a barely-there shoe and if these are anything like JH’s loafers then they’ll be glued to my feet well through Labor Day.
K — Khaki. Look, I too shudder at the thought of ever looking like I could be a cop on a safari or a backup dancer in a ‘90s Gap commercial. But
’s newsletter about her renewed love of khakis planted a seed, and lately I’ve been catching myself saving tons of outfit references featuring that very specific shade of beige.L — ”La Mer”, Cosa Ceramica’s new collection of hand painted plates, mugs, and more. The shell-like plates are practically begging to serve some spaghetti al limone, don’t you think? She even does custom ones!!!
M — Martinis. Really, really cold ones.
N — Not nautical, but not not nautical. I have an odd fixation with sailing culture, even though I’ve not once been on a sailboat and I don’t necessarily plan on getting into the world of boating anytime soon. But this girl loves a half-zip sweatshirt and a Breton stripe and that is just the truth.
O — The ocean. Do I want to go in it? No, not really. Do I want to drink a frozen drink from a sunny deck that looks out over it? Absolutely.
P — Poplin, head to toe. I don’t know if it’s normal to have a favorite fabric but if so, poplin is mine. I just got the Pop Pant from Donni in black and I’m patiently waiting for the red stripe to come back in stock. Also on my wish list: the Avignon Dress from Soeur, the Maja Dress from Ciao Lucia, and the Yoko Pocket Pant from Leset.
Q — Pass.
R — Real Housewives of Orange County, which returns to our screens and hearts on July 11th.
S — Shorts. For too long I’ve been mean to myself about wearing shorts, and this year, the emotional abuse ends. I’m partial to those of the boxer variety (see: Poplin), but I really like these linen ones from Reformation and these A-line ones from Doen, too.
T — Thrillers, especially the kind you can read in one day. I just finished First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston this week and it was at the exact reading level I like to be at in the summer. (I’m accepting suggestions for books that can suck up an entire afternoon.)
U — Underwater Weaving, which I discovered via
. Their basket bags are gorgeous—I’ll take this one, thank you—but I especially love that they sell basket weaving kits that contain everything you’d need to make your own! This one comes with a ribbon for the handle and it’s perfect.V — Vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of good olive oil.
W — Weekday trips. The luxury of working for myself is that I can work from anywhere, ie. a hotel with a pool, and I am promising myself that I will take advantage of this job perk at least once this summer. Some ideas I’m tossing around:
Hotel Vitorrja in Venice Beach — No pool, but it’s on the beach and the west side is practically a world away.
Casa Cody in Palm Springs — I think this place was made for people who just want to sit in silence surrounded by citrus trees.
Palihouse Santa Barbara — Please please please…
X — Alright, this is just about over.
Y — YOLO, as in
’ YOLO Journal but also the attitude.Z — Zzzzzzzzzzz
Welp, now we know our ABCs. If you happen to be coming to the Pasta Girlfriend event tonight make sure to say hi! I’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming next week.
x
Ali
In case you missed it:
The June Specials
Each month I send out a list of the month’s Specials, or 10 things I’m reading, watching, thinking about, listening to, etc.
At The Table With: Katherine Lewin
At The Table With is a monthly interview series that explores the ideas of creativity and personal taste through the eyes of my friends (or people I would like to be friends with.) This month’s guest is the queen of thoughtful dinner parties and founder of Big Night, Katherine Lewin!
Side Order: If I Had A Store
Every once in a while I find myself daydreaming about opening a little shop. The specifics of the shop change depending on the day; sometimes it’s a bookstore, other times it’s full of antiques, and every once in a while it becomes something ultra-niche. (A shop, for instance, that only sells crisp white pajamas.) Today, it’s a shop for people who like to spend most of their time at home.
Do you know, it was quite relieving just to see someone else say, “Sorry, my brain is tapped out on that right now, so no.” And this list was a lot of fun!
"Q — Pass" is the song of the summer