Unplugged & Unbothered

HelloI hope you won’t hold my MIA-ness against me. I actually wrote a newsletter last weekend but felt so uninspired that I figured I’d give both of us a break from my unsolicited opinions while I took a break myself. The longest one of my adult life, in fact!

If you recall, I started a new job this year (bag hunt still continues don’t ask)—left my startup of almost six years, spent February galavanting across the globe. First stop: Pakistan to see family (not Onijah). Then, a week in Guatemala, hiking volcanoes and pretending my six days of Duolingo made me fluent in Spanish. Now I’m back in New York, sitting in an office I share with none other than the behemoth currently driving up housing costs. (Hint: it’s black and neither paper nor scissors).

During all this, I took a full break from Instagram. I’ve been off TikTok for almost a year now—mostly because a friend pointed out that I’d start scrolling mid-conversation and fully disassociate. This time, I just wanted to unplug a little. Everywhere I went—planes, trains, water taxis (Lake Atitlán’s Uber)—people were glued to their little black mirrors. No judgment, but I was curious: What would I do with my time without Instagram?

Answer: A lot. I read three books, took photos (that only I saw), improved my Spanish, made small talk with manyyyy locals, swam, tanned, did yoga, and most surprisingly, stayed way more engaged with the actual news. Instead of passively consuming headlines, I read full articles, discussed issues in group chats, researched local candidates, and even tried to mobilize. Wild.

And now? I’ve been dreading getting back on Insta. I miss seeing what my friends are up to (immensely), but I don’t miss the information overload, the culture of overconsumption, the false sense of connection, or the desensitization to, well, everything.

With this newsletter’s return, so too comes my return to social media—but with a cleanup. I’ll be curating my feed to focus on the people I actually want to keep up with, and I’m sticking with intentional news consumption: trusted newsletters, impartial sources, and, most importantly, real conversations. Because let’s be honest, we learn the most from talking to each other—and we need that more than ever in today’s political climate.

I am excited to be writing again, curious to see how this social detox experiment evolves, and as always… back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I have not really showcased Fashionphile much but after a 30 minute deep dive into the “Under $1000” section today proves that I have been foolish in my ways so here we go:

• First up we have this super cool vintage Gucci bucket bag for less than $300. It is perfect if your style posh meets sporty spice.

  

• Now for some LV…

  • Ever heard of the red nail theory? Well it applies to bags too. BUY THIS red epi leather LV. Guaranteed to elevate every outfit and get you noticed by whomever your heart desires ❤️‍🔥 

  • I may end up hitting check out on this papillon before this newsletter even goes out. I know nothing would fit but this is the cheapest I have seen this bag and the condition is borderline excellent which is enough for me. What should I do?!?!?!?

Next up we have this vintage Celine. It is missing the strap but honestly looks so cute as a clutch too and is very versatile. Plus that price for this quality is crazy! I found this as I scoured the depths of hell (aka ebay) to find a different Celine bag that I just might want as my work bag. Of course it has been discontinued and is nowhere to be found. I trust the thrift gods though so I know it will find its way to me!

Lastly this this Fendi Mamma Baguette from past studies is the perfect “I’m out all day and need to bring my entire life with me” kinda bag. The mixed metals is very on trend with what we are seeing in the fashion cycles as of late and will match whichever color of the Amazon Bottega earring dupes you have. Usually don’t see these for less than ~$7-800 plus you would get to support small businesses if you swipey swipey your card!

Buy any of Dizzy’s Designer Dreams? Let me know! Tag me on Instagram, send me an email at [email protected], traditional snail mail works too! 🐌💌