The Summer Fun Issue
Anny Choi, Emily Sundberg, Colu Henry and Tammie Teclemariam on how to have the best summer
With the start of every summer, there are great expectations. It’s the one season that’s synonymous with fun — impromptu picnics, lazy lunches, raucous dinner parties, after-parties, drinks at dusk, dancing ‘til dawn. We decided to kick it off by asking four experts — Anny Choi, Emily Sundberg, Colu Henry and Tammie Teclemariam — on how to make it the best one ever.
New York-based brand consultant and stylist to the chicest brides
“Summer is when I really get to have fun with my wardrobe,” says Anny Choi, the New York-based brand consultant and bridal stylist. “There’s more room for creativity.” WSIW asked Anny to put together a few outfits for different moments, and she kindly agreed. While each look has a distinct destination or occasion, there are some helpful through-lines.
“It’s a summer of fun skirts.”
While the sundress is a venerable seasonal staple, Anny contends that the skirt enables more creativity and adaptability. She likes the proportion of a longer hemline balanced by a skin-baring top, as she styled these looks, wearing a cropped, sleeveless knit (Alaïa from The Real Real) with our flared, bias-cut skirt and an actual bikini top as a peek-a-boo bralette with our mirror skirt and mini tennis skirt.
“Don’t take your bag too seriously.”
Your typical fall/winter handbags seem to have the weight of the world — or at least a 13-inch laptop — upon them. A summer bag can shake off all that expectation. The Mini Fleming hobo bag from our BonBon collaboration is so bright, sparkly and compellingly textured that it defies day/evening categorization. It’s just plain fun! The same goes for the almost doll-sized barrel bag she’d take to drinks, albeit for different reasons. And while her choice of our terry cosmetic pouch as an evening bag seems strange at first, it’s actually perfect. Adorable and easy to carry with a relaxed, beachy lack of pretension.
“Ditch the heels.”
To put it simply, flats equal fun. “I like to be mobile so that I can be a bit spontaneous,” says Anny, who might decide to walk through the park after an appointment, get a coffee with a friend and and then go out for drinks. “You want to be comfortable and look good,” she adds, “but you also don’t want to look like you tried too hard.” While a simple single-band slide can do the trick, we appreciate a shoe with some interest. Anny’s choices: the Patos mesh flat (a Substacker fave), the Mellow trail rope sandal and the newly revived Reva ballet.
Writer of the zeitgeisty Feed Me newsletter and woman-about-town
Coney Island
New York is a beach town. If you take the F train to Coney Island, you will be greeted by the smell of burning sugar from cotton candy and fresh ice cream cones. While the the amusement park is heaven during the day, the whole place comes alive at night. Neon and cotton candy, and New York characters. I like going to Ruby’s on the boardwalk for fries and beers, and watching the teenagers talk to each other, while listening to older couples reminisce on how many summers they’ve spent on the same boardwalk.
Jean’s
The worst part about Jean’s is that you’ve probably been to a brand event here, and maybe it’s hard for you to detangle that from FUN. The best part is that they serve pasta until midnight. After that, go downstairs, close your eyes, and enjoy one of the best places to dance in the city.
Westmoreland at The Frick
I haven’t seen this highly publicized yet, but The Frick is open until 9pm on Friday nights. That means avoiding tourists and crowds who have made the mission to the Upper East Side for a few hours. After exploring their newly renovated galleries, you can go to dinner at the newly-opened Westmoreland restaurant inside the museum for a Danny Meyer-approved wine list and decadent desserts.
Brooklyn Crab
On one hand, it’s not easy to get to Red Hook. On the other, you’re more likely to get a seat at Red Hook Tavern than Sag Harbor Tavern. After you’ve downed your martini, oysters, and fish and chips there, head over to Brooklyn Crab for second floor views of the waterfront sunset, Red Hook Iced Teas, and some relief from the crowds of the West Village.
Shy’s
I don’t care where this man is making burgers, where he goes I go.
The Commissary at Metrograph
We all love Le Dive. We all love Cervo’s. But the Commissary at Metrograph not only has a great tuna crudo, but also space for all your friends to escape the heat and watch dreamy Eric Rohmer movies, and eat popcorn. We should all be watching more movies this summer.
Cookbook author & writer of Colu Cooks, which always hits its mark of “simple and sophisticated.”
Summer calls for easy entertaining and simple dishes that showcase peak produce which can double as decor. On the menu? A tomato and zucchini tart with ricotta and herbs, sliced so you can eat it with your hands. Any seasonal vegetable will work here. Feel free to swap in corn, red peppers or roasted eggplant. A simple salad of peaches with creamy feta cheese and torn basil on the side is lovely as is a big green salad tossed with a simple vinaigrette. (Editor’s note: Download Colu’s recipes in a handy PDF below.)
In addition to wine, I’d offer a vermouth spritz served in vintage glassware (mismatched is encouraged) that guests can garnish as they please with citrus and herbs. I’m not much of a dessert person, so I’d either serve bowls of ripe berries with big swooshes of crème fraîche, cherries on ice, or ask a friend to bring a fruit crisp or pie. I’m sure I’d have a bite or two.
People generally offer to bring things, and I encourage you to take them up on it from time to time. Don’t forget the ice cream.
If you’re able to sit outside, please do, and set the table in a way that feels relaxed to you. Not everything should match. I love mixing vintage pieces among contemporary and layering textiles. The food too can be a centerpiece using the ingredients you're serving as part of your tablescape. What is more beautiful than the colors of a deep ruby heirloom tomato, a vibrant marigold squash blossom or a coral ripe peach? Most importantly, have fun. It’s summertime and the living should be easy.
New York Magazine & Grub Street’s Underground Gourmet reports on the food scene across the city.
The Prosciutto Special at Defonte’s
Nothing says summer in New York more than wandering through Red Hook, which should always include a sandwich from Defonte’s. My favorite is the prosciutto special with their battered strips of barely-there eggplant, roasted red peppers, and cool mozzarella.
Clos Cibonne Rosé at Astor Wines
Every summer, I have to get at least one bottle of this slightly aged rose, and savor its sophisticated pink fruit flavors. All the good wine shops know to carry it.
Salted salmon at Gastronome Europe
This unassuming Russian deli has been a constant in my life since my first visit to Brighton Beach many years ago where one of the items in self-service cold food section is lightly salted salmon sliced thick and sold by weight. I love to eat it lavishly by the beach with a flask of chilled vodka.
The Sicilian slice at L&B Spumoni Gardens
I’m not usually a Sicilian slice person, but when it’s warm out, these iconically doughy slices are the hearty thing I crave after a long day of swimming.
A beef patty and ice cream at Taste the Tropics
I’m never happier than when I can get a spicy beef patty and a cone of passion fruit ice cream at the same time.
Though it has historically been a getaway for elegant residents like Jacqueline de Ribes and Jil Sander, Ibiza has persisted in being known for its party culture and club scene. Emma Roig Askari offers a counterpoint to that rave-y reputation with her new book, Inside Ibiza, which shines a non-strobing light on the homes of creative people with excellent taste like architect Daniel Romualdez, Italian fashion designer Jacopo Etro and Roig Askari herself. If a Mediterranean holiday isn’t in the cards for you this summer, Inside Ibiza provides a beautiful visual escape.
”There are a lot of reasons that it could make sense to wear a swimsuit as a top,” wrote
in a Cereal Aisle post on April 15. (Full disclosure: it was in partnership with TB.) As usual, Leandra was early to a trend that has since been building — swimwear or swim-inspired pieces that aren’t headed to a beach or pool.
Leandra played with our sequined one-piece from the SS25 runway collection — helpfully noting that it’s a bodysuit, even though the silhouette has maillot vibes — as did
in his ode to a Wet Hot Italian Summer. Just this week, Irene Kim layered a bandeau bikini top under a vintage Missoni cape with cut-offs and Pierced slides for a decidedly city-bound look. And of course, we’ve got our eye on Anny’s mesh bikini top.
Let us know if you have any summer in the city recommendations to share. And ICYMI: In our last post, Old Stone Trade founder Melissa Ventosa Martin shared her favorite spots on the Upper East Side. Stay cool, everyone!
Talking shop with Melissa Ventosa Martin
Melissa Ventosa Martin has the kind of deceptively simple, timeless aesthetic that gives one the urge to haul everything out of your closet and start anew. Her earliest and most abiding influences were her “always nicely dressed” grandparents and her Catholic school uniform…
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dream women!! inspired by all of them. love this letter!
Anny!!! I'M SO INFLUENCED!!!!!!! 😍