Cart Curator #26 - We've got AI-nxiety
Where to buy chic corporate pieces, the hardest working brow gel on the market and Sydney's loss is Brisbane's gain in the restaurant scene.
Hi CC friends,
Nic spent the weekend in Melbourne, which involved eating a lot of great food and running in the Half Marathon. Shout out to her Nike Zoom Fly 5.
Jess returned to Sydney today for SXSW (v v excited) so we’re once again reunited for some more CC planning, and will also be soaking up the sun (safely).
Also - we can see you all reading the newsletter week after week, so if you’re not already subscribed, we would love it if you could take a second to subscribe. Subscribing is free and it means you get to be the first to read Cart Curator each week! If you share us with your friends/colleagues/family, that would also mean the world.
And lastly, next week is our monthly collaborator issue and we’re so excited for you to see who we have lined up!
Enjoy,
You Asked For It
Another week, another YAFI. This week's request comes for where to buy chic corporate pieces, without the chic corporate price tag. We’ve decided to go one better and share some of our go-to places to purchase corporate items that will see you through your 9 to 5 for many years to come.
Starting strong with a CC favourite. While this may seem like an obvious recommendation, we especially love Zara for their range of basics, well-priced shoes and, if you are on the tall side like Jess, their full-length trousers and jeans are heaven on earth. Zara’s heels are always a hit and currently, we have our eyes on the High-Heel Metallic Mules, which are such a fun way to incorporate the off-the-moment silver trend into your outfit. I (Jess) have also been dreaming of the Frayed Asymmetric Dress after seeing it in a Zara during Euro Summer but sadly had to leave it due to my overweight bag. I would love to see this with heeled sandals or ballet flats - a chic option for the warmer months.
This European brand has a wide range of pieces that are both equally workplace-appropriate, but also stylish. They have a dedicated Office Wear Edit online - which is a tip in itself. We love shopping from an edit, and they are always a great place to start when you are overwhelmed by an online site like NA-KD. We particularly love their blazer selection, like this Oversized Blazer, but they also have more trend-led pieces that can be layered and worked into corporate outfits, like this striped set. A set is such an easy way to look put together in the office, and you can find ways to style the pieces individually.
Moving onto Australian brand Henne, which I’m sure many of you are familiar with. Their range is a little more on the pricier side and could be viewed as more investment pieces. They have a great range of dressier items in addition to high-quality basics and suiting pieces. Our picks are this midi skirt, which could just as easily work for weekend drinks, the Ornella Blazer which is perfect for throwing on over jeans and a crisp white tee and lastly the Rafaella Top AKA the perfect year-round basic.
Next up we have Style Addict which, like Henne, is a favourite for suiting pieces and basics, of which they constantly restock and release new takes on their core styles year-round. Our top picks include the Maeve Trousers in Ivory which are a steal at $78.00, the Alba Off The Shoulder Top and the Mia Belted Skirt which could be styled numerous ways and are great staples to further build out a work wardrobe. You will also find trendy pieces scattered throughout their offering to mix into your outfits for both work and weekends.
Have a YAFI? Leave a comment or reach out directly via email at cartcuratorsubstack@gmail.com.
Popshop
Our favourite pop culture or industry moment of the week.
The creepiest thing we’ve seen come from AI has to be Meta’s recently released AI personas. The social conglomerate behind Instagram and Facebook has created what is essentially a glorified chatbot, designed at first glance to look and sound just like your favourite celebrity. But something's not quite right.
As soon as we came across this we knew we had to discuss it, but there is such little chatter about this online and we’ve only come across a few news pieces at this stage (like this one on Vice and this on Mashable) after actually searching the internet to work out WTF is going on.
Meta’s AI personas have been modelled to look exactly like your favourite celebs, but come with a whole different name and personality. Each persona has essentially been designed for a different purpose. For example, Kendall Jenner is now Billie, your AI big sister, Snoop Dogg is now Dungeon Master, an adventurous AI storyteller, Charli D’Amelio is now Coco, your AI dance coach and Paris Hilton is Amber, an AI detective.
If you want to know a bit more check out the TikTok below which dives a bit further into this Meta project, including the paycheck that quite clearly incentivised these celebs to sell their likeliness. And honestly, with that kind of $$$ who could blame them?
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Something that a lot of the comments are quick to point out, is that this concept is scarily similar to the first episode of Black Mirror Season 6 “Joan is Awful”. In the episode - spoiler alert - the main character realises she is just a layer in the simulation.
Sure, we knew that Meta had some serious work to do in coming up with something big after its underwhelming launch of the Meta-verse, but this feels like a giant leap from the AI we currently know (hail Chat GPT) and they have put some serious money behind this.
The only saving grace is that each profile is clearly marked that they are AI - as our minds immediately went to a catfish situ when we first saw these profiles.
If you were interested on what kind of conversations await you with your new pals, here are some of the enlightened exchanges you can have:
The mix of celebs and high profile figures that have been developed into these Personas is a really interesting mix covering old school influencers, musicians, sporting stars and newer Gen Z influencers and whilst we can’t yet see the benefits of the capabilities of the AI profiles, that doesn’t mean that we won’t in the future. Even with this mix it is being marketed by Meta in a way that aims to help retain some of their younger demographic, who had started to stray from their apps in favour of the likes of TikTok so perhaps we are simply not the target market for this.
Are we missing something and do you see the benefit of having these AI personas and is this something you would try?
We are excited to see what comes from this space but remember kids, always be nice to the robots… you just never know.
Add to Cart
What’s sitting in carts, or what’s been checked out.
Jess
Now I love a mini skirt but as a tall gal these can be a bit of a nightmare. As a previous fan of the skort last time they were in fashion these of course have caught my eye again, in particular this number from Zara. As always I was originally eyeing this in black but I saw a family member wear this over the weekend in pale blue paired with the Zara White Strapless Top which overall gave serious SIR. vibes inspiring me to switch out the black for the pale blue on my wish list.
Deadly Ponies is definitely a brand I have known about for a while but with their previous leather styles they weren’t really for me however some of the new launches including the Mr Bellboy Mini have piqued my interest. While the price point is still quite high at $579.00 the shape is quite timeless being extremely similar to that of the LOEWE Cubi Bag and Bottega Veneta Mini Wallace while being made out of calf leather - something that only the Bottega can boast. This colour is also quite fun without being too in your face or out there and I can see this working into everyday looks seamlessly, especially with the leather’s texture.
Nicole
Sunday by Steele Catarina Dress
Steele’s latest collection “Sunday” has been created for slow days, which is my philosophy for this upcoming summer. This dress is an amalgamation of some of my favourite trends at the moment - shirred, strapless, red and striped. I love the midi length of this style, simply because as a short girl this will end up being your classic full length on me. I also love their Alessandra pant, which are essentially a chic Pyjama pant and a style you could easily live in. I personally wouldn’t style like the inspiration below, and would opt for tan or white accessories instead.
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You guys all seemed to like my last Cos recommendation, so I’m coming with another basic must-have from the brand. We all know just how versatile a ribbed tank top is, and the Cos version comes in at only $29, which is an incredibly great price point for Cos considering their quality. They have an excellent range of colours, like the below blue colour. Previously I’ve looked for a higher neckline in my tanks (like the Neuw Jonesy) but I am slowly starting to love the scoop neck and actually think it's a chicer option.
Beauty Counter
Prod of the week.
Jess
I know, I know, I had a pick from Glossier a couple of weeks ago, however following the announcement of Glossier shipping to Australia last week I feel it’s okay to include another product. I picked up this oil-serum hybrid on a recent trip and have been loving it. This is the first step in my makeup routine, replacing a product like the MAC Strobe Cream, and providing both a beautiful luminosity to the skin whilst also making my makeup apply smoother. I will note that I feel this makes my under eye concealer a bit sheer when worn over the top, and harder to set down, so maybe a more targeted application to the mid points of your face only is needed with this product.
Nicole
I picked this up last Friday before I flew out to Melbourne for the weekend, because I just have to make a stop in at Mecca whenever I’m at the airport. I had originally seen Claire Bridget’s review on this product, linked below, and was very intrigued. Whilst I love my Kosas Brow Gel, I find that it doesn’t have the hold that I need to see me through the day. This however, offers a very, very impressive hold. The applicator is like nothing I’ve seen before, you basically apply the gel to your brows like a lip gloss using the doe-foot side. Then, using the silicone brush on the opposed site, you brush your hairs into the desired look, meaning you can secure into place or fluff up to a laminated look. This held through Melbourne’s sun, wind and rain, which I think is a pretty good testing ground. I continue to be such a big fan of the Mecca Max make-up range, for both the quality and the price points.
One to Try
Recent openings and discoveries.
If the name sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of Longrain, the since closed and very sophisticated Thai restaurant in Sydney (the Melbourne outpost still remains). The recently opened Shortgrain makes a case for the growing restaurant scene in Brisbane, with award-winning chef Martin Boetz leading the newly opened venue in Fortitude Valley (who, of course, worked at the aforementioned Melbourne and Sydney kitchens).
Lottery Win
A girl can dream.
PUCCI Embellished Printed Silk-Twill Pouch
I (Jess) am loving all things PUCCI at the moment which could potentially be due to my lust for another Euro Summer experience. This little silk bag is so much fun and gives a v chic and effortless vibe for any outfit. Dreaming that this will be mine (not likely with the nearly $700 price tag) but for now I will be using my opp shop scarf finds to replicate this and not fretting over staining their material.
IYKYK
Super specific recs and niche hyper-fixations.
If I don’t see a Scrub Daddy in your kitchen then I am automatically judging you. You just know you’ve reached peak adulthood when you have a sponge preference, but the Scrub Daddy really is the superior option. And for those who aim to maintain a more minimalist look in the kitchen, Scrub Daddy has also embraced the quiet luxury trend, and is now available in a dye-free white version.
If you’re new to Cart Curator, take a read of some of our recent editions.
Cart Curator #25 - Djerf and the Dupes
Cart Curator #24 - Have the Angels lost their wings?
Cart Curator #22 - Divorce is in Vogue