All Caught Up: First-class pajamas, fourth spaces, the double sell-out
There are recession indicators everywhere for those with the eyes to see
A little chaos, a lot of good links of this week. Let’s get into it.
This week's picks include the end of MetroCards, Vivian Wilson for Teen Vogue and The Substack Post.
Christina’s weekly scroll –
The Condé golden era was really… something. Editors got zero-interest mortgages – many of which were eventually forgiven. But the biggest perk? THE PENSIONS! Graydon Carter (and plenty of lesser-known editors) have lifelong pensions, with most receiving over 50% of their salaries for life.
Screenshot c/o Adam Morgan Acne x Kappa OTW!
I'm a simple woman – I see an anime marketing rollout, I hit like. This one from Larroudé for their Sakura Drop is super cute.
Substack announced The Substack Post–
Bad Bunny x CK has me losing my MIND.
Klarna is officially the exclusive BNPY (buy-now-pay-later) partner for Walmart – and they’re also teaming up with DoorDash. There are recession indicators everywhere for those with the eyes to see.
GOTTA BUILD ‘EM ALL! LEGO continues to expand its gaming collaborations with LEGO Pokémon, coming in 2026 <3
Air France tapped Simon Porte Jacquemus to design its first-ever first-class loungewear set, which got me thinking about this tweet…
Forever 21 is closing all U.S. stores. F21 claims Shein and Temu’s use of the de minimis exemption “materially and negatively impacted” its business.
Two weeks ago, I covered PLT's rebrand. Now, Boohoo (parent company) is rebranding as Debenhams to shed its fast-fashion image and attract a mature audience. I don't buy the sustainability angle; like F21, Boohoo is struggling to compete with Shein and Temu, forcing a strategic shift.
Industrial designer Joe Doucet has designed a "climate-adaptive" paint that changes colors based on the temperature outside.
ICYMI: PepsiCo is acquiring Poppi for nearly $2 billion. With over $500 million in sales in 2024, the $2B price tag checks out. Poppi, already the official soda of the Lakers, also just added Inter Miami CF to its roster.
Nikita note: That marketing budget paid off I see!
Patrick Schwarzenegger looks good in SKIMS – too bad he sucks!
Speaking of Skimberley, her Perfect shoot with Steven Klein might be the year's worst fashion editorial.
Vivian Wilson (Elon Musk's estranged daughter) spoke to Teen Vogue about her love of linguistics, Chappell Roan and her "pathetic man-child" father. Good read.
The MTA will stop selling MetroCards by the end of the year – a true loss for so many reasons. Another sad day for physical media! DYK there are over 400 limited edition designs? Tragic!!!
Set Active released a BLOOPERS collection featuring discounted items (25% off) due to a sizing production error, and the rollout has been incredibly fun!
New goal: Become a butter influencer + get invited to Kerrygold events.
Jeff Probst starring in a Yellowjackets x Survivor ad for Paramount+ is pure genius.
Nikita’s weekly scroll –
Not a great week for Patagonia – apparently, they produce their clothing in factories fast fashion brands also use. Which means similar human rights abuses may be happening to make everyone’s beloved 5” baggies.
Conservatism is creeping into every part of the internet.
Kinda interesting to see a SaaS focused on brands doing… AI reputation management, lol.
Stanley’s product strategy and mommy blogger alignment made them what they are.
Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake for the Patagonia merch set. Apparently Deel (HR SaaS software as far as I understand, per the subway ads) was spying on rival Rippling and they found out via a Slack honeypot.
Live dispatch from the trenches where a ‘Snapchat’ fix re: read receipts is hurting teen girls feelings more.
Weird Victoria Beckham Bioderma collab… Sure, great.
We’ve entered the age of the double sell-out.
You’ve heard of the third space, but what about the fourth space?
Allure joined Substack. Veeeery interesting!
Bobby Hundreds has a biiiiig new job at Disney. Makes sense to me personally because… adults buy a shit ton of toys.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚Little Treat Corner ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Christina’s weekly report:
READING: Why Tony Soprano is hot (because he is!)
EATING: Deviled eggs, along with loooots of cashews and macadamia nuts.
PLAYING: Still on my Sopranos kick, clearly.
OBSESSING: Over the Boysenberry Festival at Knott's Berry Farm (!)

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RECOMMENDING: Healing frequencies.
TREATING: Myself to some peace and quiet <3
Nikita’s weekly report:
READING: All about AI music production tools.
EATING: Taco salad.
PLAYING: One of my many early 2000s high school playlists.
OBSESSING: Over-washing my face.
RECOMMENDING: Unfortunately, I got the Dyson Air Wrap for Christmas, and after a fiscal quarter with it, I regret to inform you that it is worth it.
TREATING: Myself to the new Experiment moisturizer.
If you want to share a link, a tip, or just chat, leave a comment or email us at hello@blankprojects.co.