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.
I’ve never loved summer quite the way I have this year, and I’ve slowly come to realize that so much of it comes down to perspective. Summer in Charleston can be a very particular kind of unbearable. The air is heavy, the thunderstorms are inconvenient, and the humidity can make even the simplest plans feel like an undertaking. But the days are long, the evenings are forgiving, and there is something wonderfully liberating about a season that encourages you to simply go have fun.
I’ve had nothing but good days so far, and I have no intention of letting up anytime soon.
July came and went in what felt like an instant, but I’m genuinely ready to welcome August. With end-of-summer travel plans on the horizon, much of this month was spent waiting with anticipation while simultaneously soaking up as much time outside my apartment as possible. This was an exceptionally good month, especially for someone who has historically dreaded the stretch of time between May and September. For that alone, I’m feeling incredibly optimistic about what’s ahead.
Carly’s Cut, Vol. 12
Shopped //
I’m getting ready to embark on my first adult tropical vacation at the end of August, and I’ve decided to make it everyone’s business. I’m headed to Mallorca for a week-long trip with a group of girlfriends, and we’re all feeling the unspoken pressure to arrive with wardrobes worthy of the occasion. The beauty of traveling with friends, though, is that your closets inevitably begin to blend together. You loan out a top one day and borrow a skirt the next. It makes the ritual (and stress) of packing feel a little more manageable.
Because I haven’t taken an island-centric vacation in quite some time, I feel like I’m starting from scratch when it comes to building a wardrobe for the trip. I’m searching for pieces that feel distinctly vacation-ready while still earning their place in my everyday rotation once I return home. The more time I’ve spent window shopping, the more I’ve realized that my summer style has become far more playful than any other season, and I’m trying to embrace that shift rather than fight it.
Lately, I’ve been drawn to the idea of grounding an outfit with simple foundations: a great tank, a classic tee, an easy sandal, then letting patterns, color, and unexpected accessories do the rest of the work. Of course, it would be both impractical and expensive to add every piece that has caught my eye before the trip, but narrowing down the ones that feel most like me has proven to be the hardest part.
I’ve already added a few pieces to the lineup: this cotton tank from Zara, this classic pair of Havaianas, and this darling crochet bucket hat from J.Crew. The rest, however, remains undecided. Do I lean into something unexpected, like these silk pants from Pointe Milou, or focus on a great short, like this ruffled pair from Emily Dawn Long or these swim trunks from Nu Swim? I’ve been especially drawn to crochet this summer, which explains why I’ve been eyeing this Reformation x Courtney Grow tank and this Dôen skirt (which I could absolutely see pairing together).
These Tory Burch wedge slides are unlike anything I’ve ever owned and could be the perfect companion to this bikini top and swim shorts from Oddli. The list continues, the decisions remain, and now comes the most exciting part: figuring out what makes the final cut.
Watched //
There are certain films that, even on a first watch, carry an overwhelming sense of familiarity. As I’m watching them, I’m struck by this peculiar feeling of déjà vu. I still haven’t figured out whether it’s because I’ve unknowingly absorbed snippets of them over the years or because I find myself so deeply identifying with a character that the story begins to feel like a memory rather than a discovery. Whatever the explanation, no film has ever stirred that feeling in me more than Paris, Texas.
It had sat near the top of my watchlist for ages, though the wildly mixed reviews on Letterboxd left me unsure whether I’d remain captivated through its two-hour-and-twenty-seven-minute runtime. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There are very few films I’ve fallen for as quickly, or as completely, as this one. Whether it was the beautifully restored color palette with its unwavering devotion to primary reds, or Harry Dean Stanton’s quietly magnetic performance, I found myself surrendering to the deliberate pace of the Henderson family’s search for redemption.
The closing scenes between Travis and his ex-wife, Jane, are the kind that linger long after the credits roll. Without giving too much away, they meditate on the devastating weight of wasted time. By the time I wiped away the last of my tears and logged the film on Letterboxd, I knew Paris, Texas had earned an immediate place among my five favorite films of all time.
Read //
Admittedly, this isn’t my first rodeo with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I first picked it up while living in New York, often carrying it to Prospect Park in search of a quiet patch of shade, tucked away from the clusters of friends gathering for long, sun-soaked summer afternoons. At first glance—and, truthfully, even now—the novel feels a little intimidating. At 476 pages, it’s an immersive journey through friendship, collaboration, ambition, and…video game design? Nearly everyone in my orbit had sung its praises, yet for the first hundred pages I found myself quietly questioning all of their literary judgment.
Looking back, I don’t think the novel was the problem. There was something about the trajectory of Sam and Sadie’s relationship that unearthed a sadness I was working incredibly hard to keep buried, and eventually I realized I wasn’t in the right place to receive it. I made it a little beyond the halfway mark before deciding to set it aside, not because I disliked it, but because it was asking something of me that I simply couldn’t give at the time.
It wasn’t until news of the film adaptation that I felt the pull to return. Rather than picking up where I’d left off, I’ve decided to begin again from the very first page, reacquainting myself with the rhythms and nuances of Sam and Sadie’s friendship before following them wherever the story leads. This time around, I’m entering the novel from a very different place, and I’m looking forward to discovering not only what I missed the first time, but what Gabrielle Zevin’s words might have to say to this version of me.
Saved //
When I came across this photo posted by none other than my favorite influencer, Reese Blutstein, I immediately fell in love. Reese has an incredible ability to express her personal style with unwavering consistency, season after season, and this look perfectly encapsulates my ideal approach to summer dressing: a playful tank paired with an elongated board short. Naturally, the screenshot was immediately dropped into Google Lens, which led me to discover that the shorts were from one of the most underrated brands around, Nu Swim.
What I love most about this outfit is how deceptively simple it feels. At first glance, it’s just a black tank and a pair of shorts. Look a little closer, though, and the styling reveals itself. The structured shoulders and fitted silhouette of the tank balance the relaxed, almost masculine proportions of the board shorts, while the woven clutch introduces just enough texture to keep the palette from feeling flat. Every piece quietly supports the next, creating an outfit that feels effortless despite how thoughtfully it’s composed. This one has earned a permanent place in my inspiration archives.
Ate //
There’s nothing more Lowcountry than a seafood boil on the Fourth of July. It had been a while since I’d really gotten my hands dirty, the kind of meal where you’re hunched over a folding table, cracking shells and peeling shrimp until your fingertips wrinkle. While I’m no stranger to making my way through lobster, clams, oysters, and mussels during summers back home in New England, I realized I hadn’t spent nearly enough of my ten years in Charleston embracing the South’s own bounty of shrimp and blue crab, generously doused in butter and dusted with Old Bay.
I spent the holiday weekend in what felt like the most quintessential summer fashion: surrounded by friends, drifting between the beach and afternoon naps, trading stories, and soaking up every ounce of sunshine my porcelain skin could tolerate. My friends Janette and Savannah generously hosted us at their parents’ home on Sullivan’s Island, where the day concluded with a classic seafood boil of shrimp, blue crab, corn, and potatoes spread across the table for everyone to share.
I must have peeled, cracked, and eaten my body weight in seafood that evening, and somehow it still didn’t feel like enough. I’m not usually one for summer holidays, but this Fourth of July quietly reset my expectations. It was a reminder that the best celebrations rarely hinge on the occasion itself, but on the people gathered around the table and the simple rituals that have a way of making an ordinary afternoon feel unforgettable.
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