Weekend: Wedding Dress Codes, Decoded 👗

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Sunday. It’s that time of year again when it’s too hot and I don’t know how to dress myself. While scrolling for inspiration, I learned that it’s apparently the summer of enormous trousers — thanks in part to Drake’s meme-worthy pair. Another unexpected (and, I’ll say it, unwanted) trend for this summer: layered bikini bottoms, as showcased by Kylie Jenner. And don’t even get me started on event dressing, since no guest is safe from scrutiny — just see the internet debate over this mother-of-the-bride’s dress. While I know where I stand on that issue, I’m still undecided about whether I need a “swim dress.” Honestly, given how uncertain I feel about all summer fashion, it’s probably best that I just give up until fall.

— Alex Carr / Editorial Director / New York, NY

👗 From “California cocktail” to “wine formal” to simply “festive,” wedding dress codes have become unhinged. Here’s what they actually mean.

🙃 In this week’s edition of Teen Boys Believe the Darndest Things: Facial-fitness gum, which is supposed to “build the most attractive jawline.”

🏠 Choosing to be roommates with your adult sibling: A childhood dream come true or a surefire way to need even more family therapy?

👠 Apparently, this is the shoe uniting Gen-Z and women over 50. Millennials, you’re going to want to sit this one out.

🐾 Although TikTok would have you believe otherwise, that isn’t a person trapped in a Goldendoodle’s body.

Left: Image of Cronigiri. Right: Image of Crookies.

Has any food been subjected to more chaos than the croissant? In just the past year alone, the iconic pastry hit algorithm gold after it was stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough (a truly great moment for the Franco-American alliance). And again when it was intentionally smushed (why???) and topped with everything from chocolate to avocado (we repeat, why???). Not to mention, the most recent and perhaps most questionable development, in which croissants are fused with onigiri (for the unfamiliar, those are Japanese rice balls filled with savory proteins, like salmon).

Of course, all this manhandling can be traced back to the year 2013, when pastry chef Dominique Ansel created the internet’s first celebrity pastry, the Cronut. Since then, the flaky pastry has become a vehicle for all sorts of crossbreeding (see: the Cretzel, Croffle, Cruffin, and Tacro — yes, a croissant-taco hybrid); shoehorned into spirals, squiggles, and squares; and miniaturized and sold as $50 boxes of cereal. No wonder Food & Wine recently asked: “Are Croissant Trends Getting Out Of Control?” The answer, of course, depends on who you ask. While croissant purists would probably say the question is about 10 years too late, fans like pastry chef Paola Velez disagree: “If we just stay stagnant in honoring tradition, we won’t innovate and make new things that people will love.” In which case, prepare for the Crownie and the Ice Cream Crone, both of which could be next.

Scene from “House of the Dragon” season 2

A Westeros summer is officially upon us. Nearly two years after “House of the Dragon” first premiered, the “Game of Thrones” prequel returns to Max tonight — and it’s apparently “bigger, badder, dragon-ier.” Now, if you can’t remember all the details from season 1 (it was…a lot), or if you didn’t quite follow the first time (again, it was a lot), the 101 version is this: The Targaryen civil war (aka, the Dance of the Dragons) is getting underway, and it’s Team Black, led by Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), versus Team Green, led by Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). The winner gets the Iron Throne — so prepare for plenty of Targaryen blond wigs, sibling rivalries, and, yes, dragons.

We regret to inform you that capri pants are the latest Y2K trend to make a comeback. While the calf-bearing bottoms were a key piece of the 2000s pop culture uniform — see: Carrie Bradshaw’s ballooning, pinstriped pedal pushers, J.Lo’s low-rise white capris, or Christina Aguliera’s military-inspired pair — they’ve since become one of the most divisive sartorial choices, except for maybe low rise jeans. But if you love to take fashion risks (teach us your ways), a few celebs have showcased how to style them, including Kendall Jenner’s legging version, Julia Fox’s moto-inspired take, Gigi Hadid’s denim pair, and Ayo Edebiri’s turquoise capri pantsuit. As for the rest of us? We may also want to read up — because, if Ayo wears it, it must be cool. We don’t make the rules.

Millennials, we still can’t do anything right, at least according to Gen Z. This time, they’re coming for our hand hearts. Because, sorry to Taylor Swift, but we’ve apparently been doing them wrong this whole time. Instead of using your thumbs to make the point of the heart, with your remaining fingers curving — a shape one Gen Z woman kindly compared to a "garlic clove" — we’re supposed to somehow use our index fingers. This allegedly results in a more aesthetically pleasing and anatomically accurate heart shape, but honestly, we’re not convinced.

Add personal finance to the list of things we wish we learned in school. Luckily, this guide breaks it down in simple terms: Life insurance premiums are based on factors like your age, gender, health, criminal history, and job. Generally, the less likely you are to die early, the less you’ll pay — or the more coverage you’ll get. You may be able to lower your premiums by quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and taking other proactive steps. Pro tip: Shop for value, not just price.*

me going out to an event that I planned and arranged myself when I was in a good mood

Trending products and brands our shopping team has been loving recently.

Breezy books we're bringing on vacation this summer.

From a heartwarming rom-com to a domestic thriller by one of our very own editors, this is what we'll be reading poolside this season.

Read on

The classic cleansing balm that never lets us down.

We've been using Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm since high school, and it's still one of our favorites. It leaves our skin feeling super-soft and thoroughly removes stubborn formulas, including longwear foundation and waterproof mascara. Here's your sign to restock.

Wash it off

An introduction to the bra that made one editor not hate wearing bras.

Turns out, she just wasn't wearing the right *kind* of bra.

Try it on

PS: Want more product recs? Follow @skimmshopping on Instagram.

Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.

Meet Us On The Leaderboard

Flipart | Spelltower | Crossword | Typeshift | Pile-Up Poker