Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching / 27
Nineties decorating style; the dreamy, pastel-hued film photography of Pia Riverola; the return of summer gingham; crystalline ice compositions that celebrate beauty's most fleeting moments, and more
We were having a discussion this morning about how, perhaps, the internet might be over. Not the infrastructure, of course—the servers are still humming, fibre-optic cables still glowing beneath oceans. We spend most of our waking hours tethered to it, switching between tabs and timelines, scrolling, always scrolling. Not in a literal sense, but in a more poetic, existential one: the internet as we once knew it is over.
It has moved from indie to algorithmic: the early internet was decentralised, quirky, and chaotic, full of personal blogs, forums, and handcrafted sites. Now it's dominated by a handful of giant platforms governed by engagement algorithms. Once a digital frontier, it's now a hyper-commercial space driven by ad tech, data mining, and corporate consolidation. Open web culture has been replaced by walled gardens and closed ecosystems—Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and yes, Substack—where discovery and interaction are controlled. Increasingly, what we read, see, and engage with is produced not by people, but by machines, which fundamentally alters the meaning of authorship and originality online. The feeling of the internet—the wonder, the wildness, the sense of discovery—is gone.
Once, it was an unmapped space of personal blogs and odd forums, of hand-coded sites and late-night rabbit holes. It was a time when everyone was an amateur—writing badly, earnestly, brilliantly—and the web itself felt like a collective art project. There were no algorithms telling you what to want. You found things because someone linked to them, or because you wandered into the right corner at the right time. There was a time when blogs felt like secret gardens, places where someone's interior life unfolded slowly, with grainy photos and long sentences. I miss that time, and I hope we're slowly finding our way back. If not, you’ll find me somewhere off-grid, growing tomatoes.
This week's edition of Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching features ultra-chic nineties décor, and gingham—this summer's defining pattern—alongside the dreamy, pastel-hued film photography of Pia Riverola. You'll also find six compelling health and wellness articles (including the world's best hotel gyms and optimal protein timing), insights on self-awareness, summer footwear and styling inspiration, London dining recommendations, and crystalline ice compositions that celebrate beauty's most fleeting moments.
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DÉCOR /90s style
While nostalgia for the nineties has been a part of fashion for a while now, you don’t hear much about nineties décor. Recently came across these two rooms from the book House Beautiful Decorating Style by Carol C. Garey and House Beautiful Magazine (1992), and realised that I had forgotten how beautiful (and timeless) spaces during this time were. Both of these are in my saved folder for our new flat and I can’t wait to achieve that perfect balance of warmth, sophistication, and liveability they represent. It’s a refined, comfortable elegance that feels both classic and fresh today…
SHOPPING /summer staples
Baby Tee // Over-sized Raffia Tote Bag // Studded Leather Platform Clogs // Silk Satin Short (also these, these, these & these) // Sunglasses // Eau de Parfum // images via Pinterest
“Ô lumière ! c’est le cri de tous les personnages placés, dans le drame antique, devant leur destin. Ce recours dernier était aussi le nôtre et je le savais maintenant. Au milieu de l’hiver, j’apprenais enfin qu’il y avait en moi un été invincible. ” —Albert Camus
RECENLY /at hyperreality
The latest instalment of Moments and Musings went out to Paid Subscribers on Saturday and it was a few rambling, stream-of-consciousness thoughts from me to you.
Also, in case you missed…
EQ /self awareness
“Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors—and to see how they influence your decisions, relationships, and leadership style. It involves identifying what drives you, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and being honest with yourself about areas for improvement.”
FROM: How to cultivate genuine self-awareness and propel your leadership
STYLE FILE /sunglasses à la catherine & carolyn
Shop: One // Two // Three // Four // (or the exact CBK ones here)
PORTFOLIO /pia riverola
You may recognise the work of Pia Riverola, whose clients include Hermès, Calvin Klein, Belmond British Pullman (and hotels), Veuve Clicquot, Flamingo Estate, and more. Born and raised in Barcelona, Riverola's signature style—characterised by saturated colours and an acute eye for detail—is easily recognisable across the genres of fashion, still life, landscape, and architectural photography.
Riverola currently resides in Mexico City, a place that profoundly shaped her artistic vision after she moved there in her early twenties. Her love for photography began in childhood when her grandfather gave her a Minolta point-and-shoot camera, which she used to capture her immediate surroundings as a way to preserve memories and moments of beauty.
Her debut monograph Flechazo (meaning “love at first sight”) is a tribute to Mexico, shot over the course of a decade and celebrating the country's people, traditions, architecture, and colours. She followed this with Días in 2024, envisioned as a tonal collage of emotions that captures her global travels and experiences.
Working primarily with film, Riverola’s dreamy, pastel-hued images beautifully convey the essence of each scene, inspiring wanderlust in viewers and establishing her as one of contemporary photography's most distinctive voices. She was recently selected as a judge for the 2025 Colour Award, reflecting her expertise in colour photography.
ON BEAUTY /pamela anderson
Screenshotted in late May, Pamela Anderson’s personal definition of beauty
HEALTH & WELLNESS /articles
Why tea drinkers live longer
The Best Time to Eat Protein, According to Experts
7 Carbs You Should Be Buying for Better Blood Pressure
Why the traditional Okinawan diet is the recipe for a long life
Why climbing the stairs can boost your body and brain
The world’s best hotel gyms
STYLE FILE /summer footwear
Shop: One // Two // Three // Four // Five
LONDON /where to eat
For beautiful, organic food that's low-carb, adaptogenic, gluten-free, and sugar-free, visit Klear Labs on Golborne Road. This modern bakery and specialty coffee shop offers dishes like their Super Bowl (above left) with burrata, egg, smoked salmon, avocado, pink radicchio, black sesame pumpkin seeds, fermented daikon, Iberko tomatoes, cucumber, fennel, herbs, and toasted Super Seeder bread. They also serve wild foraged sea kale (above right) with Jersey royals, creamy sheep ricotta, wild garlic capers, and sweet rocket blossoms. Klear Labs also supports small-scale growers and regenerative farming practices.
Mon - Sat 8-19
Sun 9-19
Fri - Sat 19-22
93 Golborne Road, London, United Kingdom W10 5NL
BEAUTY /clean makeup
It's been nearly two years since I tried to wear less makeup, and since then, my regular routine has crept back—or I may even be wearing more than I ever have. @adrianalima's cover shoot look for Perfect Issue 8 is reminding me to find my way back…
STYLE FILE /summer gingham
Are you watching the tennis? We are gripped. If you're more interested in the fashion than the matches themselves, you'll have noticed Olivia Rodrigo's cherry red gingham dress—this summer's defining pattern—during her Royal Box appearance. Though hers is vintage Ralph Lauren from Spring/Summer 2000, you can get the look with these current options:
Shop: One // Two // Three // Four // Five // Six // Seven // Eight // Nine
(In Navy: One // Two // Three) // Find bag here
TIG INSTAGRAM /beautiful ice
These crystalline compositions are, in a way, a meditation on beauty’s most fleeting moments. Delicate wildflowers—forget-me-nots, chamomile, and herbs—are suspended in translucence, their vibrant forms preserved within sculptural ice. For the discerning host, these frozen botanicals offer a refined approach to entertaining. Whether elevating a contemporary table setting or serving as an unexpected garnish for craft cocktails, they introduce an element of surprise and an appreciation for the handmade and the ephemeral. There has always been something profoundly moving about creating beauty destined to disappear—a reminder that it is not what we possess that matters, but what we experience: fleeting, perfect, and utterly unrepeatable.
SUMMER STYLE /stripes
Clogs (& these) // Trouser // (Image via Pinterest)
FINAL THOUGHT /20 things
Reach out to people just because they crossed your mind.
That’s all for now. Until next time…
bisous,
PS If you enjoyed this letter, a tap on the heart at the bottom or the top of this post will help others discover us. Thank you 🖤
RECENTLY at Hyperreality
Notes Between Us /002
When we first began this newsletter, the plan was for long-form content—thoughtful essays, philosophical reflections, and critical examinations of culture and aesthetics. After launching, however, it became clear that many of us simply don't have the time to read longer pieces, or perhaps can't, given our increasingly fragmented attention spans. Writing longer pieces hasn't been straightforward either—it requires considerably more time than assembling the
Listening, Reading, Thinking, Shopping, Watching / 26
I was listening to David Duchovny’s podcast recently, where he was interviewing Graydon Carter, and something the latter said caught my attention. He spoke about the first magazine he created while at university, which didn’t do well. In hindsight, he realised it failed because “it didn’t really have a point.” His second magazine,
10 of my Favourite Things /002
I wrote our first list of Favourite Things a little over two months ago, in mid-March, and it has since been our most popular post ever, subscriber-wise. What followed were weeks of readers writing to share their own discoveries—thoughtful messages describing family heirlooms passed down through the years, stories of small rituals that elevate ordinary moments, personal recommendations, secrets shared.
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