GM ALL. Sorry for missing Friday’s newsletter, what can I say sometimes sh*t happens. Hoping you all had a lovely weekend. I went to a few new spots over the weekend which I am going to rate rn—
Gabriela in Williamsburg. This new club on Wythe is a fun new dance spot just a few weeks old. Its got a pretty large space and a second level to chill out. The dance floor was packed and the DJ was pretty good. I’ll come back. 7/10
Twins Lounge in Greenpoint. Went here for a friends birthday, and the vibes were fantastic. Its got great lighting, lots of seating, and space to move, and the upstairs is fun. Its cash only so bring a few Benjamin’s. 8/10
Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli. This place is at the corner of Broome and Mott St. I came here for lunch yesterday after working at Cafe Integral for a few hours and I got a banh mi. I always forget how good a banh mi is. 7/10
9th Street Espresso. This coffee shop tucked super far into the East Village is known for their espresso. I came here and had a shot while reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. I am trying to get into Russian literature. GOOD COFFEE! 8/10
Okay let’s get into some news and things you should know—
Jacob Elordi hosted SNL over the weekend and people are loving his slouchy grey sweater. Its a pretty good looking sweater, but its made my Ami, which I don’t really care for. Aura Lee has a nicer, fuzzier alternative sold at CHCM on Bond St.
Perfectly Imperfect is launching a social media platform. The famous newsletter known for its interviews with actors, writers, and ‘online’ people is getting into the world of social media with a new app. I had no idea its founder Tyler Bainbridge worked at Meta prior to starting the newsletter, and he coded the platform himself. The pitch is that this new, lofi app will take the newsletters signature niche recommendation model and expand it, allowing users to find pockets of people with similar interests for curation. I will check it out, but as sites like The Strategist have become too corporatized, I find anecdotally more people get their recommendations from people online, podcasts, and voices they feel are authentic. This is part of the reason TikTok Shop does so well.
The guy who films himself at Target got a HUGE brand deal. The internet tried to ridicule TikTok ‘star’ Drew Walls off the app for his cringey video of him shopping at Target with a Drake soundtrack, in which he set up a tripod to film himself completing this mundane activity. But he’s the one laughing to the bank as he just got a brand deal with the NFL. This is a really smart move on behalf of the NFL to contract with him. Drake also dropped his own version over the weekend. This is a lesson that you have to climb Mount Cringe to get to the bag. If you’re not embarrassing yourself everyday you’re being too safe.
Lana Del Rey is the face of Skims Valentine’s Day collection. The brand revealed this kitten clad campaign shoot last week to much applause. The cultural staying power of LDR is pretty incredible. She’s probably more popular than ever 10+ years into her career.
I am writing a guest piece on Vehicule’s Substack. Go subscribe to read about their $1,000 cold brew celebs are dying to try.
Malls are coming BACK!!! Once seen as a vestige of a dying retail model (thanks to e-commerce) malls are seeing a resurgence of an unlikely customer base: Gen Z. LA Times spoke to a few about their return to the mall, many of echoed a similar sentiment: trying things on in-person is better and spending money IRL is way more satisfying. I couldn’t agree more. I love the mall and I hate ordering stuff online. Luckily I live in NYC so finding clothes in person is easy. I am doing a Dry January for purchasing new clothes. So far, successful! Also saw this Tweet that literally took me back to being 17.
Okay that’s all talk to you all tomorrow.
About the Writer
Jake Bell is a content marketing and creative strategist based in NYC. He specializes in content creation, branding, art direction, creative strategy, and making things cool.
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