On pregaming economics, dancing as confession, and the eternal dance-floor makeout — now with bonus camera anxiety. What language do you speak? Going out is a language, and like most languages, nobody actually teaches it to you. You pick it up through exposure — through the anxiety the morning after, the pregame curation ritual, and the many drinks you have along the way. Some of us started learning earlier than the number on our ID suggested we should, and some of us are st

When remembering becomes your full-time personality... on rewatching your favorite shows over and over again, Covid-19 bedroom, and friendship breakups. When you Google the word nostalgia, one word in the definition stands out: bittersweet. “Nostalgia is a bittersweet emotional experience—a sentimental longing for the past, often triggered by sensory inputs like music, scents, or familiar items.” (Google, 2026) We all do this. We scroll through our camera rolls in a gu

What makes me happy: Summer House drama (#CarlIsAMess) The Real Housewives of New York City Book Clubs Chomps beef jerky Southern Charm Being a photographer (lol) Sabrina Carpenter & Madonna at Coachella It’s that time of the month again, and I’ve been collecting little favorites that inspire me beyond belief. I’m loving so many different things right now, but we need to start with the most unexpected bang. West Wilson, Ciara, and Summer House Chaos (#CarlIsAMess) Honestly,

Ditching the bar line for the start line It turns out sweating next to someone is a better icebreaker than shouting over a DJ. Dating apps are fading into background noise. Bars still exist, but they are no longer the default. Instead, people are showing up somewhere simpler. Run clubs. And somehow, without trying as hard, they are meeting people in a way that actually feels real. No profiles. No pickup lines. No performance. Just new energy. What started as a workout has q

Wear your ‘grandma’s coat’ in the right way Written by Kiki Pape I never thought I would be revealing my secrets, but here we go. I am a chronic vintage shopper; sometimes I go overboard. But admitting a problem is the first step, am I right? With all that experience, I gathered some tips and tricks for finding the best fashion in the most unusual places. Buying from a thrift shop or shopping vintage is so important, not only for the environment but also for many other r

When is too much, too much? April 2026 Written by Kiki Pape It actually makes me mad when someone says, “Is this too much?” That question feels rooted in the habit of shrinking people. Making someone feel like being bold, vibrant, or fully themselves is somehow excessive. I’ve always had a personal pet peeve about it — because most of the time, “too much” just means confidently taking up space. The only time too much is actually too much? Baking and cooking. Measurements

How our clothes will age you through the wrinkles you haven’t ironed April 2026 Written By Kiki Pape Suddenly, you’re in your childhood bedroom, and you find a piece that makes it clear that time has changed. You were looking for something to throw on, and it turns into something that makes you stop in your tracks and remember a moment associated with that outfit. It makes you question, 'Why did I ever buy this?' When you look at the outfits you wore when you were younger

The blueprint was written on screen, and we just keep casting ourselves. April 2026 | Written By Kiki Pape It’s not a coincidence that you and your friends can map yourselves onto the four girls on screen. Four girls sit on a couch, staring at a TV, watching four girls sit on a couch right back at them. Sex and the City, Girls, The Sex Lives of College Girls—the formula repeats. Different cities, different problems, same structure. Four women in conversation somehow always

April 2026 | Style Series Five pounds, 3 ounces, and dressed from head to toe in Dior… It is impossible to say that most kids don’t come out of the womb wearing designer clothes. But there are a lot of people out there for whom style comes naturally to them. Fashion can be some people’s biggest challenge or the best part of their day. I am definitely the person who finds herself planning her outfits while trying to fall asleep. For me, it gives me a sense of calm and, hones

April 2026 | Style Series | The Internet Never Forgets an Outfit I wake up, brush my teeth, check my phone, put on my outfit, and immediately take a photo of it. A routine I have slowly adapted into my daily life. High school had its own influence. Wearing sweats every day made me hyper-aware of clothing choices when I finally wanted to dress up. I started sharing my outfits like a little scrapbook, clipping memories together through what I wore, almost as if the outfits t

The Swag Gap By Kiki Pape You’ve always been the cooler one, and everyone knows it. You’re the one people watch when you walk into a room. You know where to go on a Friday night. You order the right drink without looking at the menu. You know the photographer, the DJ, the chef, the girl who started the brand everyone suddenly wants to wear. And the thing about cool is that it’s contagious. People want to be around it. They want to learn it. They want to absorb it. But in a

Spring is in full bloom and is a time for change. This month was needed for a change of vibe, especially for me. Spending my days one by one. In routine, when all of the chaos of life is upon us, March felt like a chaotic change of routine. I am a person who loves a good reset. But focusing on the little changes made the hard days even easier. To start the month, what brought me the most joy was listening to the sweet voice of Olivia Dean. Truly, she was one of a kind and on

How Wellness Culture Killed the Party Somewhere along the way, partying stopped being cool. I’m almost embarrassed writing that. In 2026, it feels trendier to wake up at 5 a.m. than to stay out until 5 a.m. Morning routines have replaced dance floors. Matcha has replaced vodka sodas. I wake up after a night out and scroll through Snapchat stories of people waking up to go on runs, rather than a stream of blurry slides capturing someone’s mistakes from the night before. And I

A poem written when life felt so uncertain and life felt very sweet in the present. Senior year of college By Kiki Pape Throwing up in the airport bathroom. My parents are packing my suitcases. I am still a kid. I am on my own now. Writing and promoting my own dreams in my own words. I wish I had the confidence I had at eighteen. But knowing nothing at twenty-two. Becoming something other than someone's girlfriend. I live out others' dreams rather than my own. Wearin

Sabrina carpenter on the muppet show bedazzling everything in sight Lady gaga at the super bowl Elmo Copenhagen Fashion Week chloe kim listening to young thug before getting a medal JFK JR’s style Wuthering Heights February has been a slow month for me. Most of these days were spent writing, working, or figuring out how to write while I worked. This seasonal depression brought me to gravitate toward more media than usual — things that bring joy, rather than what th

‘Romance of Football’ and is it lost? College football is something I don’t always follow. I was blessed to go to the University of Colorado Boulder, where Coach Prime dominated the stadium during my years of attendance. I graduated this May and found myself searching for that love of following a team I had discovered in college. Most boys I met in college were fueled by skipping class, ghosting girls, and hitting a vape every other sentence. Young men have dragged this cu

A Guide to Beaver Creek, Colorado Après as a personality trait When the first snow falls, Michiganders tend to make a familiar choice. Some head south toward Florida’s beaches, while others travel west in pursuit of snow-covered peaks and long winter weekends. For travelers drawn to both skiing and the culture that surrounds it, Beaver Creek, Colorado offers a refined alternative to the busier mountain towns nearby. Often compared to Aspen or neighboring Vail, Beaver Creek d

“I had three Diet Cokes today,” I told my mom, already knowing it wasn’t true. I had five.    The lie itself wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t even necessary. That’s what made it uncomfortable. I’m twenty-three years old, and somewhere between budgeting groceries and calling my parents more than I’d like to admit, I realized I was lying about a caffeinated soda. That realization stuck with me longer than the caffeine ever did.    I am twenty-three years old, and lately, I’ve noticed

There’s this moment in your twenties when home stops feeling like a finish line or a fallback and starts feeling like… a throbbing little reminder that life isn't happening in the order you imagined. That’s the home sweet headache— that oddly tender, slightly painful sensation of returning to the place that raised you while you're still trying to raise yourself, and also, proving to others that you don’t need help. It is not dramatic. I should be stopping my tears; it is li

Food, fashion, tailgating, chants, and the little details outsiders don’t notice. Most women grow up with routines — morning or night — that feel like small acts of self-care. The therapeutic strokes of a makeup brush, the careful choosing of which version of yourself to present that day. It is a practice, a ritual, a rhythm that sets the tone. Detroit football is no different. It is an inherited ritual, passed down through generations. From family gatherings to