Carly’s Cut, Vol. 11

Carly is back with the latest installment of Carly’s Cut. You can read her last one here. If you are new here, Carly is The Stripe’s Creative Projects Manager. She has such great taste that I wanted to give her a monthly column. Think of her as our younger buddy, telling us what we should know about.

June! Is it just me, or did this month absolutely fly by? Goodness, I feel like a broken record. Summer has officially arrived, and I am certainly feeling it. Most days have been spent seeking refuge in an air-conditioned room or a patch of shade at the beach before inevitably making my way to Vino Feo for a frozen sangria. Months like this always make me nostalgic for life in the Northeast, leaving me with a persistent urge to escape somewhere that still cools down after sunset—somewhere the evening lows hover around 60 degrees.

As always, this month was filled with shopping, reading, eating, watching, and then shopping some more. Lately, I’ve felt myself settling into a rhythm that feels both grounding and sustainable. I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve. The weeks have been punctuated by long stretches of time with friends, late evenings at the movies, afternoons spent wandering the Hampton Park Farmers Market, and quiet hours at home surrounded by silence and sun-drenched shadows.

Carly’s Cut, Vol. 11

Shopped //

Summer is in full swing here in Charleston, which can mean only one thing for getting dressed: simplicity. It’s far too hot to devote much thought to the garments draped over my inevitably sweaty body, though that doesn’t mean I want to look as though I gave getting dressed no thought at all. While reading one of Kelly Klein’s Substack articles, I became completely enamored with the concept of sandwich dressing—a styling approach that bookends sportier pieces with more feminine elements on top and bottom. The formula immediately resonated with me, requiring little more than the addition of a few lace-trimmed tops to a wardrobe I already owned.

The beauty of the sandwich method lies in its flexibility. There are very few rules, and nearly every combination feels surprisingly effortless. My personal version typically revolves around some sort of prairie-inspired top paired with nylon pants—a combination that manages to feel both practical and considered. The added bonus? It seems to earn a compliment nearly every time I leave the house.

I’ve slowly begun acquiring some of the pieces I’ll share below and can confidently say they’ve been well worth the investment. What appeals to me most is their versatility. Each piece feels distinct enough to be exciting, yet adaptable enough to earn repeated wear across seasons. There’s a certain reassurance in knowing that something new already feels at home within the framework of your existing wardrobe.

If you’re unsure how to accessorize these looks, my advice is to start with what you already own and err on the side of restraint. I typically opt for minimal jewelry—a watch and a few rings—and finish the look with a sandal, flat, or wedge depending on the occasion and time of day.

TOPS: J.Crew Lace Trim Tank, Madewell Pintuck Tank (I’ve worn this nearly every day since it arrived in the mail), Sea Anglaise-Trimmed Top, Reformation x Courtney Grow Crochet Tank, Loeffler Randall Embroidered Top, Dôen Pintuck Blouse

BOTTOMS: Made Some Nylon Pants, Staud Wide-Leg Pants, Still Here Drawstring Pants, Donni. Nylon Zip Pants, Tibi Hem Snap Pants, Venroy Taffeta Shorts, Gardenheir Sport Shorts

Watched //

I’ve been on a mission to ease into my weekends by starting each morning parked in front of the television with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Not in the spirit of obsessively consuming mainstream media, of course, but rather in an effort to work my way through as many classics (and Criterion Channel selections) as possible. There’s something deeply satisfying about waking up at 8 a.m., making the short journey from bed to couch, and beginning the day with a film released decades before the 2000s. The experience feels both quiet and strangely inviting.

It’s become a ritual I don’t foresee giving up anytime soon—one that helps me reclaim a small piece of my weekends when it feels as though my workweeks have swallowed them whole.

My Letterboxd watchlist is overflowing with oddities from every era: French New Wave films from the ’70s, noirs from the ’30s, and titles cinephiles reference as casually as the alphabet. Prior to this year, I had never seen a single Audrey Hepburn film, which now feels almost criminal given how much I’ve adored each one. While staying at a friend’s house, I spent the early hours of the morning completely enchanted by Funny Face, a film that has quickly worked its way into my personal top ten.

I still can’t quite pinpoint what moved me to tears by the end. Was it the editorial montage of Audrey’s character draped in some of the most radiant looks ever committed to film? Or the dance sequence in the tiny nightclub, performed with such effortless charm while Fred Astaire’s character watched in disbelief? Regardless, I’ll never tire of Hepburn’s cinematic adventures across Europe, where she somehow always manages to be adored by men twice her age…

Read //

This is hardly new information, but I’m pretty much incapable of picking up a book unless it comes recommended by a friend whose literary taste I trust—or at the very least, deeply respect. My latest read, Nails and Eyes, came from a friend’s personal library (alongside The Princess Bride) and continued to surprise and unsettle me with each passing page.

The book is a Japanese novella translated into English, accompanied by two short stories that explore similar themes of grief, trauma, and memory. Without giving too much away, as Nails and Eyes clocks in at a brief ninety pages, author Kaori Fujino takes readers on an emotional roller coaster through the eyes of a young girl whose newly widowed father welcomes his secret lover into the family home. What follows is a deeply unsettling examination of loss and emotional displacement. More than anything, I found myself captivated by the perspective. It felt unlike anything I’d encountered before, and I repeatedly returned to previous pages, lingering over passages and rereading sentences that had lodged themselves in my brain. Fujino’s writing possesses a quiet sharpness that made it impossible for me to move through the novella too quickly.

One of the joys of borrowing from a friend’s personal library is that each shelf feels like an extension of its owner. My friends all have wildly different taste in books, and while their recommendations have helped me better understand my own literary preferences, they’ve also deepened my appreciation for the people themselves. Reading a friend’s favorite book can feel strangely intimate, as though you’re being granted temporary access to the way they move through the world. I always leave those books feeling a little closer to the people who handed them to me. There’s something deeply special about tracing your fingers over a dog-eared page, deciphering notes tucked into the margins, or stumbling across a passage they felt compelled to underline years before. In those moments, reading feels less like a solitary act and more like an ongoing conversation.

Saved //

I’ll be thinking about this outfit worn by Ayo Edebiri for a very, very, very long time. It’s secured a permanent place in my brain and manages to scratch every itch associated with where I hope my own style eventually lands. In my mind, Ayo is one of the defining it-girls of her generation. She works with the incomparable Danielle Goldberg, a stylist often described as an “image architect” for her collaborative work with the likes of Greta Lee and Zoë Kravitz.

Ayo was recently spotted in a perfectly transitional outfit: a vintage long-sleeve Björk graphic tee paired with trousers by Still Kelly, STAUD kitten heels, and an incredible Chanel mini bag. For a celebrity look, the balance between high and low feels remarkably achievable—aspirational without being entirely out of reach. What I love most is the way the leopard-print bag functions as a statement piece while still behaving like a neutral within the larger look. It’s the kind of styling choice that feels effortless until you try to replicate it yourself.

Consider this my official declaration that the hunt for a vintage Björk tee has begun.

Ate //

I recently posted this photo to my Instagram story with the caption, “Some of you haven’t had a girls’ night al fresco dinner, and it shows.” Within minutes, my inbox was flooded with laughing emojis and responses along the lines of, “You’re so right.”

One of the greatest gifts of my two best friends and I finding ourselves back in Charleston is the weekly ritual we’ve built together: girls’ dinner. Typically once a week (though occasionally subject to the demands of our equally chaotic work schedules), we gather at one of our homes and spend a few hours catching up over a home-cooked meal. More often than not, those dinners take place at our friend Pippa’s apartment, which overlooks Colonial Lake in a way that somehow makes you fall a little more in love with Charleston each time you visit. Pippa is one of the best cooks I know, and I feel incredibly fortunate that one of the ways she shows up in her friendships is through feeding the people she loves. Fresh penne alla vodka, generous pours of wine, and the kind of laughter that leaves your face sore by the end of the night.

Most dinners are accompanied by a chilled bottle of red wine and a week’s worth of stories, gossip, and life updates. These few hours have become one of the anchors of my week—something I rely on to keep me grounded, and if I’m being honest, occasionally afloat.

This particular evening’s menu consisted of a very green salad, the cheesiest penne imaginable, crisp wine, and tea prepared by our friend Anna. It was the sort of meal that felt synonymous with summer. The finishing touch? Plucking fresh basil from Pippa’s tabletop herb garden to garnish the pasta. Some evenings feel almost too perfect to manufacture, and this was one of them.

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