Rest In Peace Mary Quant, and other stuff
This Week In Fashion
Are anybody’s allergies especially coming for their lives this year, because my throat itching has woken me up for the past four days. Last year they were so easy, literally shove a tree up my nose, I’ll be fine. This year, I don’t even want to think of anything that has pollen.
Anyway, alternating between scratching my eyeballs and typing this out.
Mary Quant, the fashion designer that led us straight into the “youthquake” of the 1960s has past away. While she loved to take credit for it, Mary did not actually invent the mini skirt, but definitely helped popularize the leg bearing piece. Opening her first shop, Bazaar, on the King’s Road in Chelsea, London in 1955, Mary’s simple, cheery, and colorful designs appealed to young people who had a disposable income. The Swinging 60s focused on youth and fun, so Mary’s clothing allowed people to be free of the prim and proper that the generation before them instated. Not only was her clothing fun, but so were her fashion shows, featuring women dancing on stage and showing their undergarments. Her clothing was worn by women like Twiggy, Bridget Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn as well. Although her work in the 60s is often highlighted, I’m also a big fan of her work in the 70s, and find that she came at a time when street style was really starting to change and shake up the fashion industry.
Well, this wasn’t on my bingo card. Lanvin wants to go in the same direction as AZ Factory and Jean Paul Gaultier, where they will have guest designers instead of one sole creative director. Fine, but also, can this be the last time we do this.
It’s been a week and I’m still not okay.
We must however discuss some of the fashion in Season 4 Episode 3 of Succession, so, spoilers I guess.
Naturally we have to start with Shiv’s all black wedding look. For starters, the Tom Ford padlock jacket, ringing in at over $5,490, feels very fitting for someone who tends to lock their feelings inside of themselves. As for the colorless color palette, it’s very defiant. The same way she wore white to her mother’s wedding, she’s wearing black to Connor’s— she doesn’t approve of the wedding, nor does she take it seriously. This isn’t fashion technically, but that quick messy bun that looks like that of a mother attending her child’s little league game, is not the hairstyle of someone attending an event they really care about. Furthermore, the chain halter feels out of place, and the wide leg pants look ready for a business transaction, not a wedding. Later in the episode it becomes very fitting that Shiv is, in fact, dressed for a funeral. RIP, daddy.
Speaking of people not caring, Kendall and Roman are both wearing unbuttoned dress shirts, sans tie. If Logan ended up making it to the wedding, I’m sure he’d be dressed no different, perhaps even in his signature cardigan. Not even Cousin Greg, who’s subtly plaid suit jacket and patterned tie are trying but failing to fit in, isn’t wearing a tie. This is not the wedding of serious people.
Finally, Willa’s wedding dress. If you know anything about material and wedding dresses, her fully lace dress is $$$$$$$. Yet it still manages to be a touch tacky with its cutouts and poor fit, reminding us that she has not been rich since birth like the rest of the Roy bunch.
- Vogue’s Karl Lagerfeld: A Celebration: The May 2023 issue of Vogue is naturally coinciding with the theme of this yer’s Met Gala. For this cover, Annie Leibovitz decided to plagiarize herself, and gave us and editorial featuring some of Karl’s favorite models and muses. Where was Claudia or Kimora or Cara or even Lily? But especially where was Claudia? Anyway, 100 designers that were inspired by Karl’s work were asked to reinterpret it in their own way, and they were all better than anything I’ve seen from Virginie. My favorites had to be Thom Browne, Simone Rocha, and Christopher John Rogers. Honorable mention to Choupette, making an appearance that looks like she’s not getting paid enough to do. Styled by Alex Harrington.
- Pedro Pascal for Esquire; He’s sick for this, that’s all. Styled by Bill Mullen.
- Katie Holmes for Glamour; Although Katie’s style isn’t super groundbreaking, I do feel like a lot of people have strong opinions about the things she wears. The styling here is quite simple, but it also has a few interesting touches, which is very Katie to me. The mesh on that Gabriela Hearst dress is insane, you can’t even tell it’s there. I also really love the Ashyln top and the way the dress shirt has been manipulating to create a really lovely neckline with the lapels and some dimension with the hanging sleeves. The Bevza dress would be better had it not been sheer in the skirt and carried that same opaqueness throughout and seeing a Loewe x Paula’s Ibiza crochet dress was fun. Styled by Brie Welch.
- Ice Spice for Paper; If I speak. Styled by Marissa Pelly.
- Saint Laurent is producing and providing clothing for the gay western Almodóvar film, Strange Way of Life, starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke. I will be tuning in.
- Jodie Turner-Smith continues to slay in Christopher John Rogers. The colorful circular cutouts are so fun, and the addition of the checkerboard tights is so CJR.
- While I love Interior and I think this is a hot piece, I don’t love the styling. If we didn’t want a full, sheer, chainmail moment, I think the Marina Moscone dress underneath would have been fine without the jacket. It’s just a little stuffy.
- I’ll be honest, I don’t know who this is, but she’s wearing one of my favorite looks from Christopher Kane Fall 2023, so I couldn’t just glaze over it! I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, these designers are making it really hard to hate peplums. This is just so sweet.
- Brian Cox has been one of my favorite fashion boys recently! Also, his stylist, Venk Modur, followed me on TikTok, so I do think I’m probably a little better than you. Anyway, THE BOOT!!! I’m losing my goddamn mind. It’s too good. Also, this man loves a suede— I know Bottega just announced RM as their first brand ambassador, but Brian Cox for Bottega Veneta when?!
- Rihanna wore custom Courrèges, based on a look from Fall 2023, and I think this is great. Does the original styling that came down the runway feel like something Rihanna would have done? Sure, but I don’t mind the addition of the white turtleneck here. It’s not my favorite Rihanna look, but it still works and I’m not mad at it.
So that was this week! I won’t be doing a newsletter on Coachella fashion, but I’ll be making TikToks about it, if you want to follow me over there.
TTYL!!!
xx