AUGUST 2026
Editor's Letter
Stevie Wonder’s Hotter Than July is playing in the background as I slice through this juicy watermelon, ready for another respite in the hot sun beaming on my face. My skin has been in absolute perfection these days. It’s been a while since I’ve had this good-skin feeling, and I’m not wearing a lot of makeup to boot. Just some moisturizer, tinted SPF and light touches of Dior Forever Skin Glow in 5W. My goodness, what a world of difference!
Out of Office: The Last Good Month of Summer, our theme for August, is giving me that same wanderlust we get somewhere between the winter holidays and the New Year. Time feels suspended. We know what’s coming next, but we don’t have to get there just yet.
So, what are we doing?
Are we vegging out like beach bums, blending frozen Watermelon Sgroppinos on rooftops like the girls on SATC or Living Single, tripping through Mexico City or disappearing to some far-off island resort? Are we indulging in a good summer read and/or building out our future cuffing list? Or simply enjoying warm summer nights that feel distinctly humid, yet airy, romantic and a little mischievous at the same time?
I want us to indulge in it all.
Because if August requires anything at all, it requires us to do nothing. Or, at least, nothing we don’t really want to do.
Let’s choose to be where we are right now. Take in the heat of the summer sun and give ourselves time to recoup, linger, be deliciously lazy and release some of the stress over things to come. Fall will get here. Fashion Month will be here. The boots, coats and serious September energy will be here soon enough.
But first, let us have August.
This month, we’re venturing into what it means to truly be Out of Office. We’ll open up The August Beauty Cabinet, consider what going-out beauty looks like when The Golden Hour Afterparty starts earlier and ends at a perfectly reasonable time, and leave room for a little Hot Summer Madness (all puns intended) along the way.
And while we’re lounging, one eye will naturally be looking ahead. New York Fashion Week is approaching, fall fashion is beginning to reveal its intentions, and we’ll be taking our first look at what might deserve a place in our closets next season.
For now, there are still swanky suppers to eat outside, warm beaches deserving of one more sunset, books to finish or start, friends to gather, skin to show and perhaps a trip we absolutely did not budget for.
A little madness is allowed.
So put on the record. Slice the watermelon. Have dinner outside. Give that grill the branzino it deserves. Watch the sunset without trying to turn it into content. Take the trip, or stay exactly where you are.
September knows where to find us.
For now?
Out of office, dahling.
With Love and Leisure,
Aja Patrice
Co-Founder & Creative Editorial Director, Love Fraîche
