Journal

The flavor of a perfectly ripe melon. The way water feels daunting-but-worth-it going in and miraculous-BUT-WORTH-IT coming out. The aromas of dinner made over flame. The boundless possibility of blazing golden afternoons where you have nothing to do and all of your favorite people to do it with…The magic of summer is tantalizingly unique in that fully basking in it asks us to balance a desire for nostalgia (that feeling) with a centering intention of being wholly present in the current moment (this feeling). On one of those recent perfect golden afternoons we packed a picnic, slipped a few of our new favorite pieces from our No Waste collection into our bags, met up with our dear friend Sandy Ho—the generous, genius chef behind Sandita's/of the beloved rainbow dumplings—and hit the road up the coast to make the most of this feeling and that feeling.

We've always loved vintage. This is, perhaps, unsurprising when you consider that the best vintage pieces are always the truest classics, thoughtfully constructed and eternally stylish. This is, of course, exactly what we're aiming for in our own designs. And, while our intention is for our pieces to be lived in and loved until they're threadbare, we wouldn't be surprised for an OZMA piece to be found on a vintage rack years from now, waiting to become the new beloved favorite of some lucky searcher. 

That's how it's always been for us—from the first perfectly worn leather jacket/made-for-us feeling jeans/treasured timeless tee that caught our eye from among the many, finding a vintage soulmate is like being reunited with a dear old friend. So, when our own dear old friend Natasha Garret—the master of style and maven of vintage sourcing behind Roam Vintage—asked us to tag along with her to the Pickwick Garden Outdoor Vintage Show a few weeks ago, we couldn't contain our excitement. Like old friends do, we chatted about what we're wearing again and again right now, the thrill of the hunt, and the blessings and burdens of being your own boss. Slip into your favorite find and read on!

Ahhhh, “Self-Care”. At its essence, it is much richer and more complicated than long baths (though we DO love long baths—see below!) and fancy candles (ok, ok, we love a good candle too). Like everything, though, truly caring for the self is more about the whole picture: acknowledging and nourishing the entire constellation of necessary human alchemies—beauty and magic, power and vulnerability, community and self, body and soul, mind and matter—and trying to aim for balance as gracefully as possible, every day. 

Sometimes that looks like intentionally making choices in your life and business that support your whole human community, sometimes that looks like surrounding yourself with good people and giving everyone the space to search for their own best way, sometimes it looks like a simple daily ritual of slathering your precious body in intoxicatingly aromatic, richly nourishing oils. For Everyday Oil founder and chief alchemist Emma Allen, it’s all of the above.

We sat down with Emma to talk about the magic of her signature oil (for the uninitiated: it’s sustainably crafted, radically accessible, great-smelling, multi-tasking skin-hair-soul-self-care body oil with a seriously devoted following) and about how she’s worked to build her life and tailor her business to best support the search for grace. Read on for a conversation on the gift of time, what it means to lead, and (yes!) a recipe for taking a better bath. 

While she was amid a short but sweet visit to LA, we jumped at the opportunity to catch up with our friend Kendra Smoot. An incredibly talented Bay Area stylist, Kendra is a master of vintage shopping and an incredibly thoughtful soul who embodies what it means to live with intention and care .

Photography by Sophia Scrank