hi lovers!
fresh off a seven mile Central Park run and bunkered back down in the AC, I’m using today to prep, pack (Montauk bound on Wednesday!), and organize myself. and while it’s set to be a BUSY week first, a little bit of fun!
happy Bastille Day to all of those who celebrate. as the francophile I am, I’ll be honoring the holiday at one of my fave French restaurants in the city that has a live band this afternoon. also speaking of my beloved France, I have some news/an ask…
from next week until November-ish, my company is having our teams go entirely remote as we navigate an office move. this means that for the first time in nearly a decade of working post-college (pandemic aside which doesn’t count because travel was tricky!) I have the chance to have complete location independence. with some wedding commitments that I’m proioritizing, I’m not able to hop back to Europe until mid-September, but at that time, I’m hoping to be in Paris for a month.
before I delve into the process of posting my place on an apartment swap site, I wanted to start here with my network. do you, or does someone you know, live in Paris and want to swap apartments for a month, roughly from mid-September to mid-October? as you may or may not know, I have a cozy little West Village studio, allowing someone craving their Carrie Bradshaw era to be able to come to New York right as temps cool down and the city dips into its fall glory. basically, I’m living in a dream world where I’m looking for a true The Holiday moment of my own and thought, why the heck not try to make it happen? if you have a lead, please feel free to message/email (kayla@curatedbykayla.com) me!
speaking of work, if you didn’t know, my full-time job is Director of Content at SmartFlyer, a luxury travel agency. what does this entail, you ask? writing, editing, designing newsletters, shooting content, and amongst other things, just generally being on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist to ensure our content hits the right notes from a lifestyle perspective.
basically, my brain is always on overdrive about what’s going on in the world and how it impacts what consumers are thinking about, particularly in the travel space. that said, I would NEVER EVER share my screentime with you, but I can say with confidence that it’s absolutely disgusting—and I have no intention of trying to lower it. but think of it this way: I’m scrolling so you don’t have to. and in this edition of the newsletter (perhaps a more regular staple in the sunday series, depending on how you like it??) I’m going to recap some of the stories that had me most enthralled this week.
Jack Schlossberg Is Just Being Himself (Vogue): as JFK’s only grandson, Jack’s TikTok has been drawing attention for quite sometime for its seemingly unhinged (we’re talking, dancing videos in Walmart with no shoes on) nature. but what could be misconstrued as conent that’s shockingly unfiltered for a Kennedy is in fact curated in its own way—considering his uncle, Bobby Kennedy, is also running and he’s loudly rallying against voting for him, some have said Jack is trying to demystify what the Kennedy name means. by making himself less serious, he in turn, makes his uncle less serious by name alone. this breakdown on it describes it all far better than I can! but back to the Vogue of it all…considering how WILD this election news cycle continues to be, I think having Jack’s voice in the media space campaigning so hard for Biden is going to be interesting to follow. also, if nothing else, this photo of him under a desk next to printer paper is awfully nice to gawk at.
How Celebrity Book Clubs Actually Work (Esquire): I hung onto every word of this article like I had gotten my hands on an answer key prior to a multiple choice test high school. as a bookish girl with an eye for a well structured campaign, I’m deeply fascinated by the marketing machine behind Reese’s Book Club and Read with Jenna. I follow their monthly picks (amongst others) closely, and I’d be lying if I said the little sticker on the cover doesn’t often influence my buying decisions. according to this article, this makes me a cringey millennial since Gen Z are turned OFF by the sticker, but we already knew where I stood on the generational divide, and I’m so very fine with that. I also appreciated mention of some of the newer celebrity book clubs like Kaia Gerber’s Library Science—consider me influenced. and if you are too, don’t feel bad, essentially the takeaway from this piece was that it’s not all some perscriptive, disingenuous system only created to snap up adaptation rights by celebs; ultimately, these book clubs are the result of women who love books, want more people to read, and the remarkable buying power that presents.
Visit Oslo’s latest campaign: marketing a destination that doesn’t fall within the American traveler’s comfort zone (U.K., France, Italy) is actually…harder than it seems. so I loved this subversive approach by Visit Oslo to make fun of itself by picking apart what you (me) might think of it. and it did it’s job—the campaign made me really want to go to Norway!!!! after tackling two (Stockholm and Copenhagen) of the four (Oslo and Helsinki) Scandinavian capitals this summer, I am keen to spend more time in this part of the world, period.
TradWives, Pop Culture, and Feminism with Carol Burke (Money with Katie): this is a staple in my podcast rotation, and I loved this part II to an earlier interview Katie did with Caro Burke. I watch basically all of Caro’s TikToks in awe of how someone can so expertly slice into culture and unfurl topics like our unhealthy obsession with TradWives, so I really appreciated this financial lens on it all. bonus if you too love Katie and Caro’s content: they are both coming out with books next year! I can’t wait to read.
A new Illinois law will force influencer parents to compensate their children for appearing in social media content (Forbes): okayyyy so if you read
’s debut, SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE, this will hit hard. if you haven’t read Olivia’s book yet, you should because it tackles this new(ish) cultural conundrum around what is owed to the children of influencers when they are a fixture in their parents content?? as someone who loves funny kid content and fit checks with the whole fam (“looooook du jour!”), I grapple with how my internet usage perpetuates this somewhat sick cycle. ultimately, I think Illinois’ efforts in this arena are huge progress towards what should be more nationwide legislation to protect children.Doctor Rodger Federer Will See You Now (What Now? with Trevor Noah): as someone who knows practically nothing about tennis but admires it from afar, I found myself deeply in love with this interview. I’m a big Trevor fan in general and appreciated how him and Rodger connected over their Swiss roots (now talk about a tourism board that has NAILED IT) amongst many, many other things. I’m going to watch the docu they were discussing during this interview, Federer: Twelve Final Days, as soon as I can stop watching (aka finish) Owning Manhattan and DCC (more on this obsession below!!)
Blake Lively Shares Why She Believes ‘It Ends With Us’ Book Fans Will Love Film Adaptation (The Hollywood Reporter): I’ve been following Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover’s promotional tour for It Ends With Us with bated breath but was truly blown away by all Blake and Colleen did at the super-star author’s final Book Bonanza, including a surprise screening of the movie months before it comes out on August 9th. I love how closely the writer and actor are working in concert to promote it and am especially excited that there is Taylor (Blake’s real life bestie) music on the soundtrack! consider me in theaters the day this comes out.
Everything We Know So Far About The Perfect Couple (Town & Country): speaking of adaptions, I absolutely lost my mind this week when Netflix released the trailer for Elin’s book, The Perfect Couple. set to release on September 5th, this STAR-STUDDED (Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Eve Hewson, Meghann Fahy and more) cast seems to have flawlessly stepped into our beloved Nantucket to play out this murder mystery. but mostly, I’m so damn hyped for this because Elin has written THIRTY novels and this is the first (as far as I’m aware?!) to be adapted. before sharing the trailer, she wrote on her Instagram Story, “What follows is what it looks like when a person’s greatest dream comes true after 24 years of keeping the faith”…chills. we read this one for @westvillagebookclub last summer and we’re discussing her latest, Swan Song during our meeting on Thursday. Elin fans, what a fun summer for us!!!!
Becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Is Like Getting Into Harvard (New York Times): so, can we start with the fact that I can’t stop crying when watching DCC? maybe it’s because me and my sister used to watch the CMT show when we were teenagers and it brings out some weird nostalgia in me. but honestly, after listening to this podcast interview that previous sunday series guest Kate Kennedy did with one of the show’s stars, Victoria, I feel validated in my emotional response. one of the most fascinating things I discovered listening to the interview was that DCC didn’t get editorial approval or producer credits on this one like they used to back on the CMT show; what has resulted is a really honest portrayal of the complexities of this organization, its version of feminism, and the fandom they’ve created and grown over the course of decades. I could talk about it for ages, so if you too are bingeing, please let me know.
Vacation Is The Perfect Time For Despair (): finishing off this roundup with a nod to one of my fave Substacks, written by a “Recovering Marketing CEO”. yesterday’s send had me giggling on the subway for its relatability as someone who panic shops for practically every trip they go on and inevitably still hates everything I pack. in particular, this part me got me GOOD, "I was frustrated by the lack of vacation time for Americans, making everything feel jam-packed and hectic. Yet, I joined the masses in a panic shopping spree because that’s our way! Instead of advocating for more vacation time, we channel our angst into stockpiling mini toiletries, destined to die with a drawer full of tiny shampoos. Shopping mishaps often happen when I’m trying to meet my own insane expectations. When my nervous system is going nuts, I try to exert control through busyness, errands, or buying things.” so yeah, you should subscribe!
okay, that’s all for now! I don’t anticipate being in your inbox next week as I’m fully OOO (this newsletter is a full time job on top of my full time job…like seriously, you wouldn’t believe me how long it takes and I do it completely for free because I’m actually insane!!) but I do have a fun little summer series I’m cooking up for August so, stay tuned. and please, do feel free to comment if you enjoyed this approach to the sunday series, or, better yet, share it with a friend! we are now 1k+ strong but the more subscribers I amass, the bigger the authors I can bring on when I return to my author Q&As in September! xKD