The Daily Valet. - 7/26/22, Tuesday

✔️ Is This Really the End?

Tuesday, July 26th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Brb, digging out my J.Crew store credit card.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Sunset of the Social Network

Facebook’s big changes could mean the end of the old social network era

If you’re keeping track, mark last week as the end of the social networking era, reports Axios. It began with the rise of Friendster in 2003, then shaped two decades of internet growth, and now closes with Facebook’s rollout of a sweeping TikTok-like redesign.

No longer will Facebook be primarily a place to connect with friends and acquaintances. Now, it’ll have an addicting scroll similar to TikTok—with an algorithm feeding you videos, pictures and other posts that it thinks you'll like. That means you’re more likely to see random pet videos or get recipes from cooking influencers over posts from your parent or friends from back home.

Insider says the changes put “algorithm-based consumption over connection.” They reflect a time when tech and entertainment companies alike are battling over consumers’ attention, whether it be on social-media platforms or streaming services.

Of course, even if you don’t use Facebook (who does anymore?) it’s also happening over on Instagram, which keeps creeping closer and closer to TikTok’s look and feel. Meanwhile, Twitter dealing with its own problems at the moment.

Of course, the end of the preeminent social network doesn’t necessarily mean the end of social media. But it does mean the end of social-media platforms acting as places to make “meaningful” connections with others.

Axios points out that this new social media landscape does leave a vacuum for a certain space—a place of forums, groups and small communities that first drove excitement around internet adoption in the pre-Facebook era. These changes could open a new space for innovation on this turf, where relative newcomers like Discord are already beginning to thrive.

↦ Dig Deeper: The Atlantic examines how a no-news Facebook could be even worse for everyone involved.

Ukraine Prepares for a Counteroffensive

With the ultimate goal of retaking the vital port city of Kherson

The Ukrainian military is preparing to launch an offensive into Russian-occupied areas south of the country, with the ultimate goal of retaking the port city of Kherson.

Kherson was the first city to fall to the Russian invaders, and retaking it would be a major boost for the Ukrainian military—and one of the most ambitious and significant military actions of the war. Russian forces are concentrated in the eastern Donbas region, leaving Kherson vulnerable to a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Already, fighting is intensifying. According to the New York Times, Ukrainian artillery and rocket forces have been softening up Russian positions, for about a month, using an array of new, Western-supplied weapons like the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, provided by the United States.

However, Russian occupiers have already installed their own leaders in Kherson, just as they did in the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donbas. Just last week, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned that Moscow is preparing “sham” referendums to annex more of Ukraine—moves he called “premeditated, illegal and illegitimate.”

↦ FYI: The U.K. will host next year’s Eurovision after Ukraine was ruled too risky.

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Coffee Will Help You Live Longer

But there’s a catch … of course

Are reading this over a cup of coffee? I hope so. Because I've got some good news for the 70% of Americans who drink coffee regularly—myself included. Turns out, we will likely live longer than those who don't partake in this glorious brew.

Of course, coffee already has a slew of scientifically-backed health benefits. In addition to its energizing effects, coffee has been linked to everything from lowering the risk of depression and Parkinson's disease to decreasing the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. But now it might be a life-extending elixir as well.

A study, published this month in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, followed over 171,000 healthy participants and found that the coffee drinkers had a lower risk of mortality. What's more, this connection still held true even when other factors such as lifestyle and sociodemographics were taken into account. Dietician Melissa Rifkin, RD, says that a big reason why coffee is so beneficial is because it's high in antioxidants, which have long been shown to help prevent and lower chronic inflammation.

But Fatherly points out that people who reported drinking unsweetened coffee had a lower risk of death than those who drank coffee sweetened with about a teaspoon of sugar. If you take your coffee with cream and sugar, you're best limiting it to no more than three cups a day.

↦ FYI: Did you know you can supercharge your coffee to get even more health benefits?

Ready for J.Crew’s Comeback? Again?

With a new collection and creative director, they’re returning to the fashion zeitgeist

I'm an unabashed J.Crew fanboy. Not just because its heyday during the #Menswear era coincided with when we launched Valet., or because it's always been a strong American brand, but because it's a legit “mid-range” brand.

More and more, we have fast fashion or luxury brands, with little in between. That makes for hard decisions for consumers: Do you want affordable, on-trend pieces of little quality and questionable ethics? Or do you want to shell out some serious money, just for one item?

But it's safe to say that J.Crew is back. On Monday, a slew of stories dropped online, coinciding with the brand's Fall 2022 look book. It's a vintage look, inspired by throwback catalog looks that have been getting love on Instagram lately.

That's because the new creative director Brendon Babenzien (the Supreme alum who is also the founder of Noah), follows that account too. He spoke to GQ about his Neo-prep vision for the brand and archival recreations: “We're trying to refine the brand down to the best version of itself, basically.”

↦ Inspo: J.Crew says it plans to completely overhaul its men’s Instagram account in the coming months.

In Other News

↦ The XFL Is Relaunching. Here's What We Know So Far and How It Will Be Different.

↦ Here’s How Much Household Income Is Required to Be Considered ‘Rich’ in These U.S. Cities

↦ Chaos and Creation: Inside the Making of Yeezy Gap

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Buying an island

Carmy’s T-shirts from ‘The Bear’

RIP, Choco Taco

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Good/ Better/ Best

For a while, shorts were not something that stylish men were reaching for in their closets during the hotter seasons. But shorts made a resurgence a few summers ago ... the seven-inch inseam gave way to five inches and suddenly, shorts were cool (and legs were free to get a full tan). Depending on how often and where you’ll be wearing them, how much you decide to spend is up to you. We’re just here to help point you to the ones worth you money.

Take this pair from J.Crew. The 6” cotton dock short features a contrasting drawstring for a vintage look, while a button closure back pockets offer added utility. It’s a great deal at $59.50 for this level of quality.

↦ Want more?: Our 3 picks in a range of price points