Fine jewelry is the new flex (and VC funding is still a trap)

VCs, vanity, and why your jewelry box might be the most luxurious thing about you.

🌶 THE GIST OF IT

Welcome to your biweekly roundup of all the contemporary cool girl news that’s fit to print. We’re breaking down the abrupt end of a promising beauty brand, luxury’s last hope, and ‘mid’ social media.

Also inside: an iconic movie turns 30 and gets a long awaited coffee table book.

Let’s go.

🔌 Shutting Down, But Make It Beautiful

After three buzzworthy years and enough press to fill a Glossier tote, Ami Colé is closing. The brand made beauty for deeper skin tones feel special, not niche. Founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye got VC (venture capital) funding, Sephora shelf space, and glowing reviews. What she didn’t get? A proper runway for brand growth.

This is what happens when a company meant to grow organically gets forced into hyperdrive. Spoiler: it doesn’t end with a successful exit. It ends with exhaustion.

Same goes for Soho House. Once an elusive club for artists and “creative consultants,” it tried to go global, and now you can basically join with a headshot and a WeWork badge.

The lesson? You can’t rush real connection. Especially not in beauty. Or nightclubs.

And (shameless plug incoming) here’s a TikTok from my perspective (from 2 years ago!) about the dangers of accepting VC money:

@thoughtfulthreadspodAmi Cole will be missed in the beauty space . #amicole #beautytok #beautytiktok #venturecapital

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💎 Luxury’s Gone Minimalist—and a Bit Moodier

Forget flash. Today’s status symbols don’t announce themselves—they shimmer quietly. Think: subtle gold hoops from niche brands, an artisan-made scent, or a $150 face oil that makes your skin look “well-traveled.”

As fashion becomes less logo-forward and more soul-forward, jewelry (and fragrance) are taking over. We called this back in 2023. See the receipts:

@thoughtfulthreadspod#stitch with @elysiaberman guys, we totally called it! the fine jewelry takeover is upon us #fashiontiktok #trendanalysis #trendforecasting #luxuryfashion

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Even LVMH is leaning in. The brief: while Vuitton bags lost power, Dior lipstick carried the day. When luxury flags fall, beauty becomes the reliable cash cow. Which means fragrances, skincare, and Sephora exclusives are now not just indulgences—they’re the life rafts of a multibillion dollar company in freefall.

This means you don’t need the newest bag drop—you need a signature scent and a ring that feels like an heirloom (even if it came via Klarna).

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📱Why Posting Feels Like A Part-Time Job

Critic Kyle Chayka is saying what we’ve all felt: social media is no longer fun. Bonus: we LOVED his debut novel Filterworld so much that it was the subject of a 2024 podcast episode last year. According to his recent BBC interview, the casual user is disappearing, with the collective no longer interested in competing for airspace to share with their friends in the same room as mega-celebs, politicians and big box brands.

It’s giving: fewer curated stories, more “close friends” mode, and occasional guilt for not being a content machine.

I say log off and read a book. Speaking of…

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📚 Totally Buggin’ (But in a Literary Way)

photo c/o People Magazine

Mona May, the mastermind behind the Clueless wardrobe that defined a generation (and at least four Halloween costumes), is releasing a book. Yes, the woman who made plaid mini-skirts a cultural event is finally telling her story.

Expect behind-the-scenes tea from the set, style breakdowns that shaped Y2K fashion before we even called it that, and a firsthand look at how costume design is storytelling—especially when it involves a fuzzy pen and a rotating closet.

This isn’t just nostalgia bait—it’s a fashion history archive, a creative manifesto, and a love letter to dressing like you give a damn.

If you’ve ever said “as if” unironically or matched your lip liner to your mood, consider this your required reading.

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🧠 CULTURE CANDY (links to make you cool to talk to)

Here are 3 smart, stylish reads for your subway scroll or evening wine-down:

1. Why Tech Bros Are Firing People While Preaching About AI -It’s not just ‘automation’. It’s vibes, margins, and a serious identity crisis in Silicon Valley.

2. This Brand is Making Climate Change a Marketing Tool -In a dystopia, the horrors persist….but so does this soda brand’s PR team

3. An Insider’s Account of Disneyland for the Elites -It’s giving Ratatouille meets Succession. And no, you probably can’t get in.

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💜 UNTIL NEXT TIME...

Buy real jewelry. Smell expensive. Unironically respond to someone’s ridiculous request by saying “you don’t understand..this is an Alaia”.

xx Jenn,
Thoughtful Threads
Your URL safe space for good taste and smart takes

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-xoxo Jenn