What I Can't Live Without: June 2025

A monthly catalogue of obsessions

Yesterday, a magnificent thought crossed my mind: what if there was a sweater that looked like a bag of Hawkins Cheezies? I’ve been spreading the gospel of these salty snacks, manufactured in my hometown of Belleville, Ontario, since 2021, and while I’ve seen Cheezie-themed beadwork and embroidered patches before, I think the iconic circus-striped bag is ripe for the novelty sweater treatment. If Ritz crackers and V-8 juice already have their own novelty-themed sweaters… all I can say is, knitters, what are you waiting for?

During this rabbit hole search for Hawkins merch, I found unlicensed socks, incredibly ugly sweatshirts, and a water bottle given out to Hawkins employees in honour of their 75th anniversary last year.

Now, without further ado, here’s everything I’m obsessed with this month.

What I’m Obsessed With

It feels weird to admit this in a public forum, but I’ve recently fallen for Vibram Five Finger shoes—specifically the V-Soul style with criss-cross Mary Jane straps. Like Crocs before them, I often find myself inexplicably drawn to an item I was once viscerally repulsed by. I attribute this to the Margiela tabis shifting the Overton window on what is considered cute. It’s borderline perverse to walk around with one’s toes separated, and a pair of nasty cloven-toed shoes look tame in comparison to these bad boys. They’re sold out everywhere and you could not pay me to buy barefoot shoes secondhand, so I will not be purchasing these but… I’m on the waiting list for a restock.

I’ve really been feeling handkerchief hems as of late. I feel like as a culture we’ve been experiencing ‘peak voluminous white skirt’ for the past three years, and while I still love it, the best way to keep the look fresh is to add a bunch of raggedy-ass, asymmetrical points to the hem. I’ve spent a heck of a lot of time searching for good ones on the Gem app, and then saw this absolutely stunning Jane Wade dress on Absolutely Fabrics’ Instagram. The Handkerchief Renaissance is nigh.

What I Bought

• I found some delightful trinkets at the Roncesvalles Flea Market, including this (functional!) Etch-a-Sketch keychain ($2) and a glass pumpkin ($5).

• I’m sorry but God really does have favourites when it comes to thrifting. I decided to head to my beloved Common Sort a few weekends ago, only to find out they had a $5 sale rack outside, on which I found a delightful vintage paisley dress with a bow, and an Ewanika dress with none other than a HANDKERCHIEF HEM.

• I’ve been coveting a pair of simple, minimalist The Row-inspired (barf) flip flops for a couple years now, but every single pair I try seems to look weird on my feet. I had come to the conclusion that I simply do not have the toes for dog-forward sandal looks, until I slipped on this pair of discount leopard print Crocs flip-flops ($20!) from Winners. While leopard print is a lot more Adriana La Cerva than Ashley Olsen, who am I to deny my true nature? I was, however, able to find some Row-inspired minimalist mules on the same Winners trip. Every time I pop into the Yonge and College location I see scads of these $40 Italian orthopaedic mules and end up walking away, but this time I decided to go for it. They’re much sleeker than my Birkenstock Bostons and are the perfect slip-ons for looking chic while doing errands.

• I’ve been critical of fashion brands selling mass-produced versions of traditional handicrafts in the past—specifically my eyes rolled into the back on my head when Sea New York came out with their fake quilt coat collection. Not when I laid eyes on the Sezane x Andión collection, I was powerless to its charms. In my experience, it’s quite hard to find vintage smocked tops in good condition, so this new version fit the bill, and the embroidered shorts were one of the most ‘me’ garments I’ve ever seen in my life. I reached out to the brand to see if they had samples and lo and behold they were kind enough to send these over. I’ll be wearing them all summer long.

What I Wrote

• As you may have suspected, I have Hawkins Cheezies on the brain because Chatelaine asked me to update the snack story I wrote for them in 2021. There have been several crucial updates since the story was published—namely, they updated their website and joined social media, so it was an honour to continue to tell Hawkins’ story.

• I wrote a story for ELLE on why Nike Air Rifts are the cult shoe of the summer. I want to buy a pair so badly but my Mephisto Allrounders are so similar, I simply can’t justify it.

• For Toronto Life, I wrote about a pro-gamer who left the lifestyle to go back to university, and a couple who got engaged in Hudson’s Bay.

What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening To

• Absolutely loved this Globe and Mail story on dudes embracing their baldness. We need more confident hair-free kings out there - there’s nothing less sexy than combovers or, worse, wearing a slouchy black beanie that doesn’t cover the ears all the time. Bald is beautiful!

• I was fascinated by this Wall Street Journal story about ‘A 70-Year Old Man’s Search for Younger-Looking Skin.’ At first I was skeptical—the only reason why this is getting published is because of the juxtaposition between author and subject, right? I’m pretty sure no one would give a shit if it was a young woman writing about skincare—but by the end of the story, this guileless grandpa had warmed my heart.

What Made Me Laugh

Last Word