Tries, Buys, and DIYs: 5 Things Apartment Therapy Editors Are Loving This Week
by Blair Donovan
As a shopping editor, I always have an ear to the ground for the coolest, smartest, most need-to-know home products — it’s kind of my thing. Now, I’m letting you in on the fun, bringing top picks from our editors’ radars straight to your very own space.
Not sure where to shop, or just need some quick inspo? Start here with a weekly rundown of AT editors’ favorite finds, from things we’ve tested and exciting brand launches to home project kickstarters. Read on to see what’s got our team buzzing this week.
“New York-based clothing brand KULE, known as the ‘home of the perfect stripe shirt,’ is bringing their ubiquitous lined styles from your closet to your home — in one of the cheeriest collabs I’ve seen to date. Partnering with West Elm, the two style-savvy retailers launched a nine-piece line of fun pillow covers, cushions, bath accessories, and even a beach towel. Every piece is designed to make you smile but arguably none more so than this peppy ‘Have a nice day!’ accent.” — Blair Donovan, Shopping Editor
We asked Brooklyn-based wardrobe stylist Shelley Young (and her adorable two-year-old daughter Penny), who styles many of KULE’s photoshoots, to put together some stripe-filled outfits to inspire your summer dressing. Peep below for some fun looks courtesy of Shelley and little Penny 🙂☀️.
Shelley is a master at styling proportions. She pairs sweatpants with a crochet bra, or terry shorts with a striped tee and blazer. She also happens to have an adorable two-year-old daughter, Penny, whose style is enviable.
“So far, Penny lets me dress her and isn’t picky about any of it yet. I try to explain why we pair certain pieces together, why things work or don’t work, and I’ll give her choices to pick from. She likes clothing that she can talk about, so I try to call out all the details in order to win her over. All of this is purely a selfish effort to keep her happy while I continue to dress her in everything cute.” – Shelley
I always love the way Shelley mixes vintage and contemporary clothing. Her KULE terry shorts look so cool with our spaghetti tank + her bright green vintage blazer and sandals.
“I am a vintage junkie. I get a major thrill when I find something special for dirt cheap. Of course, that is nearly impossible in NYC, so I get my treasure hunting kicks when I travel. I love supporting small businesses, both locally (like KULE!) and online (Etsy and The RealReal are my happy place), and I try to do my part to heal our planet by buying used. Penny also wears a lot of vintage (mostly mine from when I was little, but also from Parachute, a wonderful little shop in Brooklyn) mixed with her favorite NYC brands, like KULE.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Spaghetti Tank and Terry Venus Shorts, vintage blazer, and vintage Valentino peep toe flats; Penny is wearing a vintage swimsuit
The Terry Venus – Lemon
The Terry Venus – Poppy
The Terry Venus – Blue
The Terry Venus – Pink
The Terry Venus – Cream
Shelley goes for cotton and silks for summer. She says she likes flowy, breezy, and slinky. Muumuus, or tiny tops with loose high-rise shorts, and a crisp oxford or oversized blazer as a layer on everything for daytime.
“I am totally into the late 90’s early 00’s fashion that has come back around. Always lots of gold jewelry and tiny belts. And perfect sandals/slides and vintage baguettes à la SATC Season 2 + 3. Plus, most important of all, a summertime tan.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Terry Venus shorts, red St. John knit blazer, vintage silk tee, and vintage Fendi ballet flats; Penny is wearing KULE Riley tee, Soor Ploom shorts, Parachute Brooklyn straw hat, and Salt Water sandals
With her two jobs – mom and stylist – her “to-go bag” looks very different day-to-day. As a mom, snacks are always in tow. “This child love to eat,” she told me. Also a portable plastic toilet and natural cream or salve (Penny likes to rub it on herself and her dolls).
“I have to set boundaries for myself and outside of those boundaries I have to let go of control. Which isn’t easy to do. I feel guilty for choosing myself or Penny over work. Before having Penny, working was so easy – the hustle, the dedication, the focus. Now not so much. At the end of the day I want to be proud of the choices I made, and that looks a lot different as a mom.” – Shelley
Shelley is wearing KULE Terry Venus shorts, vintage Gianni Versace cropped tee, By Malene Birger tan blazer, and Chanel slides; Penny is wearing KULE Charley tee, vintage handmade brown pants (made by Shelley’s grandma when she was a toddler), Capezio ballet shoes, and vintage barrette
As a stylist, Shelley always has bras, double-sided tape, all sorts of scissors and snips, a billion safety pins, lint rollers… so many things that she says her main kit bag weighs 70 pounds.
Shelley loves to cook and says it’s a meditation for her. She enjoys making tamales, her aunt’s red rice and tomatillo salsa, and her mom’s guacamole. She always makes southern black eyed peas and collards and cornbread for New Year’s Day (a tradition she carries with her from growing up in Texas). On days when she has less time to cook, she makes a lot of salads. Penny loves tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, charcuterie plates (chic!), peas, broccoli, fruit, and bread. She also adores smoothies.
“On the days that I don’t work, we spend most of our time outdoors or on the go. Usually breakfast at home…and then we are off to Brooklyn Bridge Park or Governor’s Island (NYC’s best kept secret), the Rockaways, or a nearby playground. We will picnic or eat somewhere with an outdoor space. We try to get out of town as much as possible. We are going to do a little roadtrip in California this month to see all our friends (my husband Ross and I lived in San Francisco before moving to NYC).” – Shelley
“I believe it is very important to take care of your clothing, so our house is always soaking something (everything) to get Penny’s stains out.” – Shelley
Inspired by Shelley and Penny? Shop their outfits! And don’t forget to make a smoothie in honor of Penny this week 🙂.
What do you pack for trips? We’re excited to be heading to England this summer, and over the many years of visiting my grandmother, I’ve gotten my packing list down to a science. Here’s what I’m bringing along (and I’d love to hear your go-tos)…
I’m planning to wear a matchingset on cliff walks, to windy beaches with the boys, and to drink Shirley Temples at the pub. (More sets here, if you’d like.)
West Elm’s latest capsule collection spotlights cheeky NYC fashion brand by Jennifer Marks
Brooklyn, N.Y. – A new limited-edition collaboration from West Elm is characterized by bold personality and color.
The 13-piece textiles assortment from NYC-based fashion brand Kule includes cushions, pillowcases and beach towels in the brand’s signature colors of royal blue and poppy red. Prices in the Kule x West Elm collection range from $30.00-$125.00.
Kule founder and CFDA member Nikki Kule launched the ready-to-wear brand debuted in 2015 as “classic clothes with a happy wink.” West Elm said the curated collection allows Kule fans to bring the aesthetic into their homes.
Nikki said, “The product is a perfect combination of West Elm’s timeless design, paired with our playful, colorful aesthetic. By mixing our signature stripes and smiles with West Elm styles, we were able to bring our happy energy to the brand.”
Last week, we hosted a party at our Brooklyn store in celebration of Pride Month. We invited customers and friends of the brand to celebrate together with sips and snacks, rainbow tees and LOVE. If you missed the invite or couldn’t come, you can still shop the KULE Pride collection online! We are donating 20% of the sales from our event and Pride products to Ali Forney Center, the largest organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ homeless youth in the country.
The KULE team dressed in the KULE Pride tee and rainbow colors
The KULE Brooklyn store has a beautiful backyard with tons of greenery and seating, perfect for our Pride Party, where guests gathered for the evening.
We are donating 20% of sales from the evening to @aliforneycenter, the largest organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ homeless youth in the country.
We listened and danced to a curated playlist by Gabe Benzur, sipped on Mezcal Margaritas, and, as you’d expect, dressed for the occasion.
From tennis dresses to matching sets—and even Prada slides.
As the sun gets stronger and summer fashion sets in, it’s time to equip yourself in head-to-toe terry cloth clothing. A youthful yet versatile fabric that’s both beach and tennis court approved, terry is central to summer’s most sought-after looks.
Terry has always been a staple for Recreational Habits cofounder Jackie Skye Muller. But for summer 2022, “brands have been reinventing it in fun new colors and prints,” she tells BAZAAR.com. This season, we see terry in a whole new light: In addition to shorts and bathing suits, terry takes on rompers, sandals, bags, and dresses are everywhere from Prada to Aritzia to Terry, a label dedicated almost entirely to the sporty fabric. With so many colorful ways to wear it, “terry feels modern for this season,” Divya Mathur, chief merchandising officer at Intermix, agrees.
Making the terry clothing trend your own is all about balance. “To avoid looking too sporty in this heavier fabric, opt for feminine silhouettes like a romper or miniskirt styled back to a coordinating swimsuit,” Mathur suggests. Or try Skye Muller’s tried-and-true terry uniform: “I love dressing up a casual terry short with a crisp button-up shirt—it’s an easy way to stay cool but still look grown up,” she says. To make all your terry dreams come true, we’ve selected 17 dresses, matching sets, and more to keep you on trend all summer long.
