I love the woozy stillness of summer. I know for many, winter might be a season associated with pause. When snow blankets the world in winter, things have a tendency to feel quiet and hushed. In summer, kids are let loose from schools and set free upon society (and their parents) to frequent water misting stations, neighborhood parks, or a myriad of bustling family-friendly vacation spots.
But for me, I love summer best when it hits like a languid sizzle. Sliding from a bobbing pier into a steely lake ringed with mountains, dodging refracted watery sunbeams. Lazing on a lounger, air gently frying like an egg with a juicy beach read and a tall glass of something filmed with condensation at the ready. When you just feel akin to a convenience store hot dog slowly twirling on one of those heated rotating pipes. Speaking of … boy do I love a hot dog.
Below, another smattering of links from life lately.
📧 Email: This is going to get cut off in your inbox. Best to view it in app or in browser.
🔗 Affiliate Links: Throughout this newsletter I use affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase, I may get a small commission — at no cost to you! Thank you for supporting Liner Notes. Gifted items are denoted with a *.
💚 Engagement Matters: If now isn’t the moment for a paid subscription, no worries. There are other - no cost! - ways to support Liner Notes. Becoming a free subscriber, tapping the ‘heart’ button, sharing this post, or leaving a comment are all lovely ways to support this space and the work I do. Every bit of engagement helps support independent writing more than you might think. I’d be so grateful if you considered.
Pictures In Frames Of Eras Tour Poster Sheets: You know those tasks that stick around on your to do list that get bumped down … and down … and down for months (or, eep, years)? You know the ones. They’re low effort, high reward. They’re the kind of “to dos” that, upon completion, you find yourself asking the universe, “What took me so long?!”
One recent example for me are these Eras Tour posters that I’ve had twirled up and held with an elastic band at the bottom of a closet for ages (both of which were acquired by Mr TSS as thoughtful gifts). The goal was always to have them framed for my office. I had gotten the Vancouver one up and done shortly after the tour ended in Winter 2024. But I only managed to hunt down a secondhand Seattle poster (thank you Facebook Marketplace!) last year. After much putting off, I finally popped down to my neighborhood Michaels. Wouldn’t you know, they still had my frame preferences (frame, size, matting, border detail - everything!) saved from when I did the first poster. Oh and they happened to have a 50% off sale running. It was meant to be! A five minute conversation and two weeks later I got the call my frame was done. And gosh was it ever worth the “wait” I put myself through.
I say “never again” but I also currently have a “print wedding photos” task still dawdling on my To Do list. Mwerp.
I’d Marry You With Oura Rings: A delayed Oura ring review — but here are my thoughts on this wearable tech at last! I purchased my Oura around this time last year so I’ve had a full year of use with it. As someone who formerly had every outfit photo ruined by a Fitbit (RIP to all my honeymoon ‘fits), the Oura ring is probably the least offensive of all the wearable tracker options out there. As resistant to wearable as I was, I got to a point in my health journey where I really wanted to track my sleep, steps, and stress. Though the information the Oura ring provides on these points is helpful, I try not to get too bogged down too much the data. It feels a tad counter-intuitive to try to manage stress by stressing about numbers.
That said, a few detractors. This is technically my third Oura ring in the span of 12 months. The first is utterly my fault and it was sadly lost in the whirlwind of a girls trip (there may have been margaritas involved). I repurchased and have had smooth sailing for the last year. Until about two weeks or so ago when my battery life took a noticeable nose dive to the point where daily charges were required. Oura ring notes the 4 model should last between 5-8 days normally. The gold finish had also worn down from its rich warm tone to a pale yellow. I reached out to Oura and they ran diagnostics on my ring. They clocked the atypical battery wind-down and replaced my ring for free. Just some things to keep in mind from a real life user.
The bottom line? I think the Oura ring is a great option for those who want:
1) A relatively attractive wearable tracker
2) Useful information for managing health goals
I’ve worn it basically everywhere I go for the last year (to bed, at the gym, swimming in bodies of water) so it’s gotten quite attuned to my habits and flow. It’s even accurately predicted when I’m about to get hit by a cold or when I’m starting to feel a little under the weather.
To that, while it’s most noted features are its step and sleep tracking, I’ve discovered that I’m most grateful for the gentle nudges it gives me to prioritize recovery and rest. Couldn’t we all use a bit more of that?
I’m Just Too Soft For Hard Pants-ing It: Whether you know them as ‘drawstring’, ‘soft’, ‘pull-on’, or ‘easy’ the one pants trend that has defined this summer’s style has been this unstructured laidback style. Buttoning up our pants is very passé. Style reporter Sarah Shapiro did a banging job for Puck documenting the data of the style and why its ease works particularly well for a season when most people would prefer as little fabric as possible touching the skin.
For WFH days or for outfits that require a bit of breezy chill, the ones I keep pulling on and tying up are this crisp white cargo pair (above), the slightly weightier mushroom option (this color pairs so well with other neutrals AND poppier colors), and a classic goes-with-everything black barrel.
Up On The Roof With A Fresh Patio Makeover: Home really does take time. After seven or so years of living in a “set it and forget it” mode of living, I’ve started making tweaks in our abode. Some things are small. Like a matching hand and dish soap set to streamline a countertop or buying matching IKEA storage bins in bulk and making like a bandit with my label maker to corral random odds and ends. The satisfaction of nesting objects inside of other objects: unmatched! Some things are bigger. Like designing and installing new closets plus a full media wall. Even then, there are other things that exist between the two. Those that require a tad more effort but have fundamentally changed how we live in this home. Adding curtains! Swapping light fixtures!
This season, I turned my gaze out to our patio - which I’m blessed to say has a generous footprint. Refreshing that space with seating, shade, plants, lights, and a fire pit has extended the size of our home and led to many a spritz clinked outside under a canopy of some beautiful summer sunsets. Floof has also been enjoying the expansion of his kingdom (under supervision, of course).
Loving This Mask Was Red: After seeing this mask* just about everywhere, I’ve finally given it a go myself. Red light therapy isn’t a new technology. Most of the spas I’ve frequented over the years have offered its collagen-boosting and fine line-targeting benefits as part of their facial offerings (or at least as an optional add-on). So it’s an absolute treat to have access to those benefits at home.
The trick, as with most things, is consistency. I’d only recommend purchasing if you know you can commit to popping it on every day to reap the rewards. My tip? Habit stack! When you’re doing one established daily ritual, layer a new one on top. For me that means strapping my mask on while I do my daily Duolingo courses. While I learn French (I’m on day 558), my skin gets blasted by hundreds of tiny little red lights targeting texture and aging. C’est parfait!
One more tip: Current Body generously gave us a code. Yay! Use “SARAHCHA” for 10% off if you’ve ever been mask curious.
Ain’t About What’s Waiting On The Other Side … It’s The Grind: I’ve lived in Vancouver my entire life but have somehow escaped the tyranny of the Grouse Grind. Until now!
The “Grind” is a famous 2.5 kilometre (1.55 mile) trail comprised of stairs set into the wooded shade of Grouse Mountain (one of three ranges that ring Vancouver, all offering a plethora of activities in the summer but that each shines best in the winter when ski/snowboard season comes to life). The steps go up a straight shot of 800 metres (2,624 feet). Nature’s stairclimber. Stairclimbing has been my cardio of choice for the last year yet I still felt quite nervous to actually do it. I expected the journey up to be quite the slog. In short? It was — and then some. The Grind is noted around here locally for the challenge it incites in people. There are timed leaderboards for fastest ascent and total number of times a Grind has been completed. Having now officially gotten the Grind notch in my belt I have to give the questioning side eye to my local friends who do the Grind recreationally / on a regular basis. Taking all the stickiest parts of the hiking experience and none of the payoff? Let’s just say, the aptly named “Grind” humbled me immediately.
The only thing that - barely - got me through the anguish was an alternating playlist of “The Climb” and “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version). Since its release, has anyone else found themselves measuring time in increments of “All Too Well”s?
Flying In To All My Bitch Pack Friends In Multiple Cities: So far this summer I’ve had two different girls weekends away. The first in June to Rhode Island (with a brief New York pitstop). The second in July much closer to home with a jaunty little ferry ride over to Vancouver Island.
When I returned home from both of those respective trips, unpacking my luggage and my feelings in tandem, all I could think was:
Both trips left me with that indescribable feminine feeling when your internal emotional cup is overflowing. What a gift it is to be loose limbed and looser tongued. Joyful. Free. Silly. Fuelled by nostalgia, the ties that bond, and spicy-rimmed margaritas. Sometimes I think the best parts of adulthood come by facilitating the healing of your inner child with to an adult-sized income. As a teenager I couldn’t always afford the cute top I wanted that would help me fit in, or the latest CD from an artist I would have loved to chat with friends locker-side about. I feel so lucky to be able to have experiences like this that funnel that unencumbered, uncomplicated type of fun I always craved.
I just feel so much love and gratitude for the people in my life, coupled with the slipstream fizz of amazement and joy that they love me that much in return.
WOMEN!!!
So I Fly ‘Em All Around The World: To that point, I have a few more fun windows of travel scheduled for this fall. Another trip with my best friend to mark 20(!) years of friendship and a longer stint in Europe with Mr TSS.
With that: If anyone has recommendations for activities to do or things to eat in Copenhagen, Paris, and Bilbao plus where to go and see and do in Portugal (Lisbon and Sintra are on my list!) … I’m all ears.
And yes, I’m already outfit planning. Naturally.
A peek at my Copenhagen moodboard below — if you’re curious.
What’s rolling around in my brain at the moment for my week long trip to Copenhagen. I love outfit trip planning this way. It starts with heading to Pinterest and furiously saving street style outfits I’m magnetized to. No explanations, no thoughts - just pure fashion intuition. I enter a pin flow state. PIA (Pinning In Action) if you will. When I surface from the depths of my feed, it’s then that I step back and look at the board as a whole. From there, it becomes super easy to pluck out the recurring patterns from which to build a travel capsule around.
In this case, the repeating themes really stand out: Oversized shirting. Voluminous pants and skirts. The roomy architecture of a “big + big” base in materials that keep the silhouette sharp in an oversized comfy way. In terms of palette, that’s clear here too! Pops of red and cobalt tempered by crisp white, cream, black, and more neutral mid-tone blues.
Fashion tingles!
Top Picks of 2026 (So Far): I had a post simmering away in my drafts with a full breakdown of every single item of clothing I’d purchased so far in 2026 with notes on what was worthwhile (and what was not). But I thought a more useful way to present that information was in a bite-sized aside in the Note Pad series, whittling down to just the tippy top things I’d actual rec. Figuring that out was also a statistical breeze because all I had to do was glimpse into my Indyx app and see what rose to the top of the “most worn” tab. With that, the best of the best purchases made so far this year — and the number of times I wore them to earn their keep.
Aritzia ‘Constant Coat’ | January: This tailored black wool coat was a superstar through the chilly start to the year. It complimented workwear classics and added some polish and structure to even the most casual wardrobe basics. WEARS: 25.
Oak & Fort ‘Oversized Trenchcoat’ | March: As the season turned, I moved away from my heavy wool outerwear towards a breezier and lighter silhouette. Here’s proof that one category that’s always worth investing in is your topper. This trench was a spring constant for me. The neutral color goes with everything and it drapes much more elegantly than the price tag would indicate. WEARS: 16.
Arket ‘Zebra Print Leather Shoulder Bag’ | April: Say it with me … Animal print is a neutral! This was the most fun bag to pop onto any outfit that needed that oomph. It also helps that it fits my laptop meaning it works for office days. WEARS: 21.
J. Crew ‘Luna Pant’ | May: When I say these have become the pants I always want to wear and reach for … I mean it! They are a slightly heavier weight than my other pull-on pants but I like that about them. They feel more structured and significant but not suffocating. And the mid-tone brown goes with everything. WEARS: 15.
Parisa Wang ‘Gabrielle Bag’ | May: An investment, but not one I took lightly. The structured silhouette and size have made this an ideal “big girl” bag. When any of my outfits called out for polished gravitas, this is the bag I always reached for. This is what I think makes accessories such great levers in an outfit. A base of a simple tee and jeans can be drastically shifted into a different vibe direction with your choice of bag or shoe. WEARS: 14.
Straight From the Tortured Posture Department: Bad news for my fellow doubters of Taylor’s infamous Forme bra* … I think it works. As someone whose upper body posture has been described as “shrimp-like” I was highly skeptical that a sports bra would have any hope of yanking my shoulders into the supposedly upright position they’re meant to occupy. And yet I put this bra on and was … amazed. I really did feel I was sitting up straighter, my head felt like it was floating taller, and my shoulders were pulled down and back. Whether by magic or proprietary tech - I’m not going to question it.
A Half-Time Performance That Don’t Lie: How inspiring was Shakira’s performance at the World Cup’s half-time show? The second her face filled my screen I felt mesmerized. Every time I’ve watched her, I’ve felt completely captivated. The face! The hair! The dance moves! I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought that her Roberto Cavalli ensemble added an extra layer of exuberance to the World Cup track “Dai Dai.”
Now excuse me while I promptly go do some spine and hip exercises.
What’s a recent “to do” list accomplishment? Big or small!
Do you have any upcoming travel plans you’re excited about?
A warm memory with a friend that still makes you laugh / smile?
What have been your favorite buys of 2026 so far?
Favorite summer activity?
Share Liner Notes by Taylor Swift Style
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.