Viv Chen

Founder and Writer at The Molehill

Copywriter and Brand Strategist at Freelance

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Articles

i found the jewelry of your goodnight moon dreams

1 week ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

The collective excitement over the Goodnight Moon USPS stamps has been the highlight of my weekend. Friday was the official release day, and because I had a few packages to drop off at the post office anyways, I put on my best Goodnight Moon inspired outfit to see if I could buy a sheet in person (not yet, but they will arrive next week).
a miu miu print so nice, i bought it thrice.

1 week ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

Hi! This week has felt so long. Today Iām picking up some Vivienne Tam skirts from the tailor and going to a mahjong for beginners event in the evening. Now that Iām typing that out, I realize that I should wear my Vivienne skirt to mahjong. Before I get to the secondhand sonar topic, here are some recent noteworthy threads from the chat. I love how active everyone is over there!Today is the official launch of the USPS Goodnight Moon stamps, though itās been available for pre-order.
10 spring activities to fall in love with your city again

2 weeks ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

This free newsletter is sponsored by Sezane. Share your go-to spring activity in the comments and I will select 10 people to gift a monthly subscription to đ¸I was born and raised in the Bay Area, went to school in LA followed by a little postgrad stint out there, then moved back here in 2018 with my partnerâweâve been here ever since. Aside from the random college summer internship in Seattle, which I donât really count, California has always been home.
the groovy girls of custo barcelona

2 weeks ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

“I found a wedding guest dress off your secondhand sonar google doc just in time, and got so many compliments!” — Eliza, paid readerDuring summer break, I would wake up at 10am and lose the entire afternoon to dressing my fashion dolls—up until the moment my mom’s minivan pulled into the driveway. Then I would frantically shut the computer down by pressing the power button with my big toe and pretend I was working on my supplemental math workbooks.
power to the substack princess

3 weeks ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

“Cancelled my netflix subscription and subscribed to the molehill....I love reading your content and am excited to support you :)" — Ciara Hi! This newsletter covers: the most stylish person I saw at the grocery store this week wtf is a substack princess and why is it her time to shine?! how to leverage your newsletter to land that dream byline examples of my previous story pitches to editors, that you can copy as a template paid readers get it all for $8 Do you ever have those weeks that are...
four outfits inspired by princess and the pea

3 weeks ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

This free newsletter is sponsored by Brooklinen. Partnerships help me expand accessibility, so comment with your favorite storybook for style inspo and I will give awaymonthly subscriptions to 20 people at random by next Friday. Enjoy! A cohort of stylist-creators rose to prominence at this time, taking the algorithm by storm with tips on how to find your style words. Are you modern? Romantic? Witchy? (I’ve never been able to pick just three words).
the best time to shop for an occasion dress is when you don't need one

1 month ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

Hi hi hello. Did you survive tax filing? I hired a tax person for the first time since going freelance and it was so, so helpful. Still excruciating though. I woke up early this morning because I needed to finish this newsletter, and then rush over to the city to film a video project. It’s been warm this week, so currently eating cold pineapple + cottage cheese for breakfast in an airy Deiji Studios dress my partner once mistook for a pillowcase.
portia walked so chelsea could run

1 month ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

This article contains spoilers for the final episode of White Lotus Season 3. All photos courtesy of HBO. This past Sunday, all my text convos included some variant of are you watching the White Lotus finale tonight!? I love collective TV moments like this. I find comfort in the knowledge that every Sunday night for the past 8 weeks, we were all ordering our favorite Thai takeout and burrowing into the couch, tuning into the percussive paranoia-tinged melody of the theme song.
Color-Blocking With ‘A Dictionary of Color Combinations’

1 month ago | nymag.com | Viv Chen

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Viv Chen This past winter, I was browsing Pegasus Books in Berkeley when a book the size of a Glossier bubble-wrap pouch caught my eye. Intrigued by the color-blocked cover art overlaid with Japanese characters, I picked it up. The English title read A Dictionary of Color Combinations, by Sanzo Wada. I flipped it open and was hit with instant chromatic euphoria — pages of vivid color swatches tickled my brain in the best way.
everyone wants a shopping proxy in this economy

1 month ago | themolehill.net | Viv Chen

“I’m an oakland clog mom so I HAD to read the rest of the berkeley bowl article. Hilariously accurate, sent it to all my friends!” — Violet, paid reader Good morning!I’m sitting by the window next to the blooming dogwood tree chomping on a Courage Bagel mailed up from LA by Molehill reader Jen (thank you, I am so grateful!). No bagels in the Bay really compare. I was having such a craving for them, so I put out a request on Notes essentially seeking a bagel shopping proxy and Jen replied.