Issue #41: What is Gen Z asking for this holiday season?

My sister is back with the answers.

My lovely mom and sister visited me in New York this past weekend, and we had the best time going to see Once Upon a Mattress AND Kacey Musgraves (on the same day… I might have over-booked us) and doing a lot of shopping (our favorite activity).

Speaking of shopping, I asked my sister Gemma if she would come back for a Brand Baby interview to talk about holiday shopping, and she was totally game. We felt some pressure for our conversation to meet or exceed the quality of the last one, but we did record this at 9AM on a Sunday morning, so give us some grace. This time, we filmed our conversation, some of which you can watch on my TikTok! (and pls give me a follow if you’d like, I currently have approx 18 followers lol)

Like last time, I’m including the audio format here if you want to listen to it, but you can also read excerpts as a transcript below. Enjoy!

Gem and me!

Caroline: Last time we talked, you were in Idaho about to leave for college at Michigan. Now it’s mid-November and you’ve been in college for three months. How’s it been?

Gemma: It’s been good. It’s been a change from Idaho, for sure. University of Michigan is such a big school […] My [high school] graduating class literally had 40 people and now my class at Michigan has almost 10,000 – that’s insane.

Caroline: Do you feel pressure to keep up with clothing and appearances there, especially with Greek life culture?

Gemma: I wouldn’t call it pressure because there are so many different types of people and so many different styles. I would say it's kind of fun because in Idaho everyone looks the same and everyone dresses the same. As far as Rush goes, I wouldn't say there's a ton of pressure to dress a certain way […] but there's some underlying pressure.

Caroline: I want to ask you about your Christmas wishlist. We're in New York, and we've been doing some shopping, so I've already had a look into your wishlist, but what are some of the top things?

Gemma: I'm kind of late to the trend, but I really want a blowout brush. I was never really big into doing my hair and then I started doing it more recently at school because it's just so nice to like have my hair done and not really have to worry about it. I’ve heard that the Dry Bar one is really good. Everyone has the Revlon one, the basic Revlon one.

Caroline: I think I have a $40 Revlon one, but I never use it. It feels like it will break every time I use it.

Gemma: I also really want the Adidas Superstars, but specifically the all black ones with the white stripes. Everyone knows that flat shoes are in. I'm wearing my [PUMA] Palermo’s right now that I talked about in the last podcast.

[I also want the Aritzia] Superpuff. Speaking of fashion trends at school, a lot of people have Canada Gooses, which is like literally insane because they're like $2,000. I don't know if I should say this, but like, it's like a wealthier school than I kind of thought it would be. There's like girls going to class with Goyard [bags] and stuff and I'm like, Is that fake?

Another big thing that's in right now is like Van Cleef, which I'm personally not a big fan of. I think if you're gonna spend that kind of money on a piece of jewelry, I kind of like it to be more like special. I think Van Cleef has just become so popular and so easily like remade that they aren't even I don't think they're like that interesting in the first place. I feel like I'm like just a hater right now. But I just think that Van Cleef is like gonna become like kind of cheugy.

Caroline: Okay, I think we were talking about the Aritzia Superpuff, right?

Gemma: We tried it on. We went to Aritzia in Soho, right? I feel so cute, and I just feel like a little marshmallow. I just want to wrap myself in that and go to class when it's snowing every day. I feel like Aritzia, like whoever came up with their Superpuff line nailed it because all of the outdoor brands have all of their puffies and stuff and then there's a $2,000 Canada Goose, but there was no fashionable puffy line.

Caroline: What are some of your favorite brands right now?

Gemma: Recently I've been an Anthropology demon. There's one in Ann Arbor next to the Brandy [Melville], so I'll just pop in. They have so many like fun pieces and I really feel like I have like my basics down at this point. Belts are so in right now and they have like really fun belts to choose from. I got a really cute school bag from there. They just have a lot of good pieces. I can’t even think of where else would have [those types of pieces] other than little boutique shops.

Gem’s cute school bag.

Urban Outfitters has just become […] a shit show at this point. It's too trendy. They're overdoing it.

Caroline: You were also mentioning that you want to try Nuuly, right?

Gemma: Yeah, so I'm rushing in January and [Nuuly would be good for that]. They have a lot of fun pieces and a big part of Rush is honestly just standing out when there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of girls going to each house. It’s sad but they sometimes they don't remember your personality and so standing out with clothing is like kind of a thing. I feel like Nuuly is good for things that like I would only wear for that.

Caroline: What’s your take on bag charms?

Gemma: They're gonna become cheugy. Wait, I think I have a sixth sense for when things are gonna go out of fashion and I know that's going to become something [where we’re like], What what are we doing?

I kinda love this one.

Caroline: In a way, I kind of feel like that's very like trendy right now to have a lot of like tchotchke type things. I have like a phone charm, which dad always makes fun of me for, but it's just fun and I'm kind of like, why not just imbue a little bit of joy in like little things?

Gemma: I wonder if the super big, heavy charm necklaces and bracelets will stay in fashion for a long time. Those kind of remind me of each other. I see them literally everywhere, especially at Urban [Outfitters], and they're so heavy and so much going on.

Caroline: I was just out to dinner with my friend Rita, and she's a huge Kate Spade fan. She had the cutest little Kate Spade wallet with an olive on it and like a box of matches. And I was like, why hasn’t Kate Spade come back yet? It fits in with that whole like whimsical, Anthropology [aesthetic]. I feel like their marketing team has an opportunity there.

Cute, no?

Gemma: I don't know what happened there. But what’s that brand with the super patterned dresses? They literally took on like a Lily Pulitzer vibe for a second there and I feel like that is so out right now. That's why it isn't working. Aren't stripes their thing, like stripes on their wallets and bags and stuff? I feel like stripes are out.

Caroline: You heard it here first. Stripes are out.

Gemma: [Kate Spade does] these like chunky colorful stripes […] Right now, [the] clean girl New York [aesthetic] is in. Not southern Lily Pulitzer. That reminds me of, like, 2014.

I also am really into like sweater-y things, not even just sweaters, but like a good knit hat. Oh my god, hats are in. Sweater-y things are in, including like hats, scarves, knit gloves, chunky socks. This is kind of a weird take. I really want like a fluffy bucket hat, which is crazy. I just think they're so cute. [I also] like fingerless gloves, I really want fingerless gloves right now.

I was skeptical, but maybe I could get behind this.

Caroline: Thank you, Gem! The thing is, we feel so much pressure after last time because last time Gemma came on and it was so natural.

Gemma: It was so natural. I mean, guys, we were in like a parking lot. I don't even know what was happening.

Caroline: I have to ask about cigarettes versus vaping. Any new updates to that trending story?

Gemma: I've noticed this at school, I think people just like holding vapes. It's just something to tap, to hold, it's like holding your phone. People just like carrying it to class and tossing it around and stuff. It's a new trend, fidget vape. Shein’s gonna start making like a vape that has like a fidget on it. [Laughs]

Cigarettes are still the new wave, though, especially at bars in Ann Arbor. People smoke a cigarette outside or something. I've also noticed it in New York. I think people feel cool. People feel European.

Caroline: Thank you so much, Gem. I'm gonna be home for Christmas in December, so we can talk then, but then we can also talk when you're going through the rush process [in January].

Gemma: Bye!