What would you buy for life?
Summer #BuyItForLife favorites 🍉
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Is it trite to say that special purchases can open your mind to something new? A realization, an appreciation that transcends trends.
For me, it was this vintage shop find, labeled “1920s French Man Shirt.” I’ve never been drawn to “peasant tops,” ruffles, or the color white, but fell in love with the tiny, detailed frills at the wrists. Suddenly I thought, maybe I could take care of a white shirt?
Once upon a time, I imagine it was a thick garment. A century later, he’s crisp, without being flimsy. The shirt I reach for when I want to be casual but brave, like my 35th birthday.
I hope I’m still wearing it when I’m 100… though it’s a small miracle I haven’t stained it already.
Similar 1920s French shirts on eBay:
In the vein of #BuyItForLife, I asked a few other Substack writers to share summer favorites they’ll cherish for a long time.
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I purchased my first one-gallon glass drink dispenser back in 2018, for the purpose of brewing continuous-batch kombucha. Here's my beginners guide to brewing kombucha, in case anyone wants to start brewing! It also comes in handy for parties, or even for storing big-batch summer drinks in the fridge if you have the space! In April we decided to invest in a second, larger dispenser for a big Eid party we hosted, with lots of kids running around. This time we got the 2-gallon size with a stand.
This summer I'm gearing up to start a new type of brew... this time with water kefir! I love kombucha, but my husband and I have found we now prefer water kefir as it's lighter, caffeine-free, and even more refreshing. I feel like it hasn't gone super mainstream yet (we discovered it from local, small batch sellers). If/when it does, you heard it here first, heehee!
I just ordered my water kefir crystals from a company local to me in Pittsburgh, PA, but they ship! Water kefir looks even easier than kombucha! I'll be following these instructions, and I'll report back on my brewing experience in my Substack later this summer!
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It’s nearly summer CSA time, and I’m already dreaming of the tomato, fennel, and spring greens salads that lie ahead.
This stainless steel Alessi salad spoon set I bought a few years ago has already become a #BuyItForLife for me. It’s perfect for summery salads for all my backyard hosting, and can even be repurposed as a spaghetti or slotted spoon. The set is part of Alessi’s Mediterraneo series by Emma Silvestris, and I love its quirky and utilitarian design (in fact, now I’m eyeing the fruit bowl).
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Summer is so ephemeral, the idea of #BuyItforLife seems almost heretical. What is permanence in a season of melting ice cream? How can you “buy once, cry once” when each week at the farmer’s market brings new produce? But then I remember I spent most of the summer between my junior and senior years of college pretending to be a surf bum and rewatching Endless Summer — so clearly there is a precedent here.
But what would typify a summer staple? It’s probably something that evokes the feeling of summer year-round, but really, it’s anything that pulls you outside. I think there’s no better way to do that than by cooking and eating al fresco.
You can obviously do this without specialized equipment, but if you have the space, an outdoor camp burner is a game-changer.
Once the weather hits a consistent sixty-degrees, we cook everything we can on ours, rotating cast-iron pans (another #BuyItforLife staple – one from Lodge is great; Smithey, a splurge) from burner to fire to trivet to table, letting the hot and the fast and the fresh dictate the menu — which is exactly how summer should be lived.
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For me, nothing screams summer quite like a semi-sheer white cover-up. I throw it on over a swimsuit, colorful straps peeking through. I might be heading to lunch, running errands, or just wandering—but either way, I look like I belong beachside with a Paloma in hand.
When summer arrives, all I want to do is escape to the ocean—strawberry seltzers, ice-cold orange slices, my favorite worn tote, legs out, and a cotton slip I’ve worn a hundred times.
There’s something so playful about a white cover-up. It’s feminine and sexy, but also simple and casual. Glimpses of skin shine through like light leaks on film. Just like a fresh tan makes me feel like a new woman, the first white mini frock of the season brings out the glowiest version of me.
What I love most is how versatile it can be—long or short, sheer or structured, with floral appliqué or cut-out holes, embroidered or plain cotton. I have just a few, and I’m holding them close for life.
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Thanks for reading! How about you? Any summer gems you think you’ll keep forever?
In Case You Missed It:
I love this post! I'm always on the hunt for a summer white (so love the shirt and the cover up). I have this little picnic bag set that I whip out during the summer months from Saks. Having plates, cups, silverware, cloth napkins, all ready to go in a very cute wicker bag means that I'm always eating in the park.