What 16 People Wore to McCarren Park on a Wednesday

With a high of 82 degrees and beads of sweat dripping down the napes of all parkgoers, New York summer is officially in full swing. It’s the Wednesday before the Fourth of July weekend, and those city dwellers who haven’t already jetted off to the Hamptons or Newport, Rhode Island, are soaking up a moment of serenity before fireworks ratchet up the city’s already-cacophonous noise levels. Pairs of Ganni sunglasses and vintage cowboy boots have been broken out at McCarren Park, where groups of 20-somethings gather to lounge, rot, and strut before the holiday’s mass exodus is complete. Save for some elementary-school tennis matches and a couple man-on-the-street TikTok interviewers, these New Yorkers have the park to themselves to do as they please. For most, it’s a brief moment to regroup before launching into the all-out hedonism of a summer spent frolicking in the city. For others, an opportunity to be seen and for serendipitous meetings on the lawn.

Jason, Emily, Grace & Nicholas

What kind of summer are you having?
Nicholas: I’m having a Brat summer, single summer.
Jason: Laboring summer.

Brat summer, you say. Have you seen Charli?
Jason: In my dreams.
Nicholas: I am, fingers crossed, seeing Troye and Charli in September.
Emily: We’re getting prayer candles and all.
Jason: And lime-green rosaries.
Nicholas: Glow in the dark!
Grace: It’s also a classically New York summer.

What does that mean?
Emily: It’s a Brooklyn summer but also a downtown summer, which is where we mostly hang out.
Nicholas: Just being with the girls and the gays.

Arlo

What’s the best thing you’ve done for your style? Getting off of Pinterest and social media, and just looking around the city to see what people are wearing. Now, I just think about that when I’m thrifting.

So Pinterest was toxic for you? 100 percent. It’s so oversaturated.

Style icons? Courtney Love, especially as a woman in music. I just love her fits. Also, my grandma just gave me this box of old Vogue magazines from the ’50s, so I like looking through those.

And how’s your summer been so far? It’s been great. I have a boyfriend. Brat girl summer. I’m at Barnard right now doing a little program, so I think it’s like boss-girl summer, but also lover-girl summer.

James & Alexis

What brought you to McCarren today?
Alexis: I want to be outside, but my friends and I are on this kick of living life deliciously. So we’re just going after everything with a “yes.” Getaways, staycations, and having fun in your own backyard.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve said “yes” to so far?
Alexis: Oh! Last night, I just went to a Slavic soul party in Park Slope. They play traditional, almost jazz music with windpipes, trombones, saxophones, and stuff. It’s very boisterous but feels community oriented. Small room, intimate setting, and lots of dancing. Everyone should experience it.

Are you two dating?
Alexis: Um, we’re dating.

Newish?
James: Yeah.

How’d you meet?
Alexis: Through Instagram.
James: Mutual friends. We just followed each other.

Who slid into whose DMs?
James: I want to say she slid. I DJ as well, so she had asked me to DJ an event.

So you had ulterior motives?
Alexis: Yeah. I mean, he says that, but I felt like he was giving me a vibe that I was cute or something. But, yeah, that is how it went. I did ask him to DJ a party.

Dianna

How would you describe your style? I’m a minimal maximalist. My hair is really big and gives me a lot of personality, but what I wear is usually more minimal.

Any travel plans? I’m having my hot-girl-mom-caretaking-of-my-toddler summer. I just got back from Paris. Working from home is now my vacation, which sounds totally awful.

Nicholas

Is your tee true?
Let’s say it’s 85 percent true. It’s a conversation starter.

Devin

Are you dating this summer? I’m finally single after five, six years.

How are you celebrating? I’m going to road-trip from L.A. to New York.

Is late-night clubbing included in that? Yeah, I’m definitely going to fuck around a little bit. I bought some tickets in a few of the cities, and then I’m going to pop into Austin for my friend’s birthday. But first, I have a wedding in L.A.

So you’re going to start wreaking havoc there? It’s my best friend’s older sister finally getting married, so it’s the perfect situation for me to fuck things up a little bit.

Since you’ve been single, what’s the most toxic thing that’s happened? In general, stuff that happened at LadyLand. But on dates, people asking for my net worth. Like, what’s the estimation? Also, people asking for free perfume because I work in perfume. They’re like, “Can I get this full-size bottle?” And I’m like, “No.”

Not on the first date! Maybe on the second.

And tell me about your style. I grew up in L.A., and I spent a lot of time in the desert. A lot of the guys out there were these absolute wing-bats who ran away from their families and their normal lives, and I loved how much fun they were having. They seemed a lot freer than I did, and one day, I went to this pre-Burn thing they were hosting.

Are you a Burner? Fuck no. Not at all. I gave it a shot one year. Not my thing. It’s gotten very tech bro.

Finn

Where do you shop? Anywhere, but my favorite brand is Supreme. That’s the majority of my closet.

Where do you get your style from? Definitely my mom. She’s a stylist and fashion photographer.

June

If you had to pick three words to describe your style, what would they be? Loose, streetwear, put-together.

Any celebrities you look up to? Tarayummy. I want to look like that.

And what do you think the song of the summer is? “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.

Gabe & Chloe

How have you been spending your weekends this summer?
Chloe: Being out in the sun as much as I can. Seeing friends. Sounds kind of basic, but spending time with as many people as possible and getting in some good moments of connection. Definitely a club-rat vibe on the weekend. Just trying to get out of my apartment.
Gabe: I’m having a creative summer. Working on personal projects and things that artistically excite me with intention.
Chloe: And taking lots of film photos.

Michael

How long have you been in the neighborhood? I just moved here from Ridgewood. It’s cool. I probably wouldn’t have moved, but I found a rent-stabilized spot, so it’s kind of coveted. I saw it on a Facebook group called Brooklyn Queer Artist Housing.

And tell me about your style. I grew up very poor, like eating out of food banks and shopping at Goodwill. So ever since I was a kid, I’ve found pieces that maybe other people wouldn’t have picked up and reuse them. It’s a lot of cut, cropped, and oversize stuff, which recently came back into style. I’m from the Southeast, so I was really influenced by southern hip-hop culture. Living in minority-driven areas, it was just a lot of baggy shit, like oversize shirts and pants.

And what are you up to this summer? I think it’s celibate summer. I need to focus on myself and get my shit together. Sober celibate summer: That’s where I’m at.

How long is that going to last? Probably until late August [Laughs]. Or maybe next Saturday.

Bob & Joshua

What are you doing here today?
Bob: I’ve been setting up at McCarren Park for the last couple of months doing sliding-scale portraits for people. I use a camera from the 1940s and this device that came out about three years ago that allows me to take instant photos. I’ll take one photo that gets added to the collection on the wall, and people get to walk away with Polaroids, too. It’s just one way I find myself sustaining myself as an artist.

And how would you characterize your summer so far?
Bob: Oh, baby boy. It’s that summer heat. Biting off as much as you can chew and then even more. Just soaking it all up, trying to figure it all out, being super-stressed and anxious about it all, but knowing that just chugging along and doing the fucking thing that you want to be fucking doing is what you asked for. So, I can’t really complain all that much.
Joshua: Rock and roll. I really enjoy waking up every day, living life, and going back to sleep.

In terms of nightlife, where have you been frequenting?
Bob: Xanadu’s been fucking sick; the roller rink in Bushwick.

How would you describe your style?
Joshua: The shit. No, I like Prince, Michael Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, and stuff. But also Star Wars and Dragon Ball Z.

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