Hello, TOGS.
Welcome to July’s Soupe du Jour, our monthly round-up of what we’ve been doing, reading, cooking, wearing, and more.
Like the midsummer sun, this month’s Soupe is hot. It’s fun. It’s creatively, intellectually, and possibly even spiritually stimulating. So! Without further ado, let’s dig in.
P.S. We love sharing, but we also love learning about your own finds, obsessions, and recommendations in the comments section :)
I recently picked up Brian Dillon’s latest work, Affinities: On Art and Fascination. Beyond the book’s subject—which essays around a set of images that have preoccupied Dillon throughout his life—I’ve been getting Big Pleasure from its many unusual, frequently virtuosic, sentences. One of my qualms with the AI era is that it cheapens and conventionalizes language by making prose so easy to mass produce. In contrast, Dillon’s words often head off in unexpected directions—doglegging here, playing with an archaic usage there, ending abruptly here. It’s all, in a word, refreshing. (Dillon’s other books, Suppose a Sentence and Essayism, are also excellent.)
While in Stockholm a few weeks back, I snagged a copy of the first issue of Kadens Journal, a Nordic magazine focused on endurance sports. It’s beautifully made and has interesting stories, but I’m most charmed that it brings together a contemporary approach to running with, of all things, sports like orienteering and Nordic skiing. It all gets a similarly vibe-y treatment.
Listening
Charley Crocket released an excellent new album called Clovis back in April—but just as I got into it, it disappeared from web. Well, it’s back. The first song, “The Hallelujah Trail,” has a guitar lick that I could maybe listen to on repeat forever.
Nothing can chill out some car time like a Larry June track, so I’ve had the San Francisco-based rapper on heavy rotation this summer. If you’re new to June, Life is Beautiful, his 2025 album with 2 Chainz and The Alchemist, is a favorite of mine.
Watching
Ways of Seeing, a four-part series hosted by the writer John Berger that was first broadcast by the BBC in 1972, recently re-entered my life, and it has me wondering: does TV like this still exist!? Slow, earnest, and analytical, a once critical and world-opening—this show is about the way art shapes our perception of the world and also how it embodies (often sneakily) the ideologies and beliefs of the culture that produced it. Watch it and your view of photography and painting may never be the same.
A slow Saturday night last weekend led my friends and I back to VICE’s Epicly Later’d series, which—for those unfamiliar—profiles professional skaters in a surprisingly deep and vulnerable way. The recent one on Jamie Foy is excellent, as is the (albeit tragic) story of Ali Boulala.
I’m really not much of a bike packer, but in (very loose) preparation for the Colorado Trail later this summer I went for a little cruise out and around Lopez Island a couple of weeks back. Pleasant as it would’ve otherwise been, the game-changer for this trip was adding a skaterack to the back of my bike, which, with a little ski strap finagling, allowed me to carry boards for two. That’s a double wee scenario, people, and I will be doing it again.
Everyone loves Codenames, but I recently learned about Codenames Pictures, so I’m here to spread the word. I honestly haven’t played it yet, but, as a word guy, I’m sure it’ll be tough for me. Luckily, I love a challenge.
The small West Oakland-based outdoor brand Vernacular recently released a sun shirt and it’s excellent: the UV fabric is silky (and dare I say elegant?), the crop is right, and the snap buttons make engaging CAPE MODE a breeze. This shirt may even be changing my mind about trail-to-town apparel, but more on that another time.
Can you wear a mug? At minimum, it’s an accessory. I love a mug without a handle, and this one from Snow Peak is pinnacle: double-walled titanium that’s as easy on the eyes as it is on the hands. I’ve been using it every morning, outside or in.
Back in December, I mentioned that I was seeking a funnel-neck, full-zip cotton sweatshirt (similar to this one from Colin Meredith), but that I didn’t want to pay a lot for it. I ended up copping a vintage L.L. Bean X Russell Athletic one for $20, and it’s been the best two Hamiltons I’ve spent on clothes in a while. It’s great for summer evenings, and heck, this one is only $11.
It’s summer! Sometimes it’s nice to wear less and let things breathe.
Given my aversion to shield-style sunglasses but my love of SPORTS, I’m constantly on the lookout for lightweight, bounce-free sunglasses with a decent field of view that don’t look too intense/”fast.” These ones from Smith meet all of those requirements while retaining a slight gas station edge. They work well and feel unprecious, and for those reasons I’ve been wearing them for everything lately.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy— I was craving a novel and this one came highly recommended. It’s set on a tiny island off of Antarctica where the last remaining seed vault is held. The family who caretake on the island find a woman who’s washed ashore and isn’t telling the truth about why she was coming to the island in the first place, oooh. I’m loving it so far!
Never Done, a Substack by Julie O’Rourke, designer behind Rudy Jude clothing. This rec also falls under ‘watching’ because she has a video element to her Substack letters which I just adore. They’re so peaceful and slow and a complete antithesis to social media scrolling. Caning a chair? Darning a sock? Pickling garlic scapes?! I’m SAT.
Greta Van Fleet is making new music again, hallelujah! The single “Play Your Games” is out and another new one is coming out on the 31st.
I’ve been playing Aldous Harding’s new-ish album, Train on the Island for some great indie singer/songwriter tunes.
As always, I’m listening to KOTO radio, my beloved local radio station. I’m a big local radio supporter and think they play a vital role in our communities, especially in remote ones like mine!
I loved watching Amundsen’s The Most Romantic Cyclist in the World? with Ronnie Romance and their “quest for quaint.” THIS is the kind of energy I love to see in the sport world. Highly recommend if you like less hardo vibes and more romanticism in art and sport.
I also really enjoyed the short film Meet The Next Generation of New York City Skateboarding from Jenkemmag on Youtube. The kids are alright.
Food from the cookbook California Soul by Tanya Holland, our pick for this month’s cookbook club! This one allowed me to branch out of my culinary comfort zone and every single recipe has been phenomenal. The author traces the roots of modern California soul food and has created a work of art that is equal parts cookbook, guide to black-owned California businesses, and history lesson of The Great Migration. 10/10!
I thank my lucky stars for parents who let me take every art class or sport camp, or invest in every niche hobby that I could ever want (have I mentioned that I was very into the didgeridoo for a few years?). And even now as a 30 year old, I feel like it’s just not summer without a class or craft camp of some kind! We have an amazing arts school here in Telluride, called the Ah Haa School for the Arts, where I took a wax casting jewelry making lesson, and a rust and Indigo dyeing 4-part class this week. It was so wonderful.
Indigo really struck a chord with me and I loved how it required a slow, peaceful pace and many cycles of moving inside to outside—from the studio to out under the sun to oxidize. I think I also require that!!
I just really love vests. This one has been in heavy rotation because of its tasty butter yellow color and perfect boxy shape. From Sézane!
Ohp! Another vest. This sportier version is from Gramicci, which I’ve subconsciously paired with shoes and pants from the same brand.
These are a great pair of ruffled gingham pants from Sønderhaus that I love to pair with other textures and patterns like this lacey top from Mango. They’re so soft and what I’ve been grabbing in the afternoon when temperatures dip during thunderstorms.
You’ve seen me wear this little bag from Klättermusen a million times, but it’s always worth adding. I bring this guy everywhere and find that it’s the perfect size and weight for almost anything. And it’s actually so chic with the rope tucked in as a clutch!
Hadley is on maternity leave, but if you missed it from her last letter—which you can read here—she and Pierre have finally welcomed sweet Lazare Michael Cadot into the world!
We are so thrilled for them and cheering on the newest member of our TOGS family!
Thanks for reading this month’s Soupe Du Jour! Drop your own finds, obsessions, and recommendations in the comments section and we can make this soup a stew.
Thank you for reading. We’ll see you on Friday :D
xoxo,
TOGS
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