The existential poetry of the overstuffed bag



Miu Miu SS24 main

Will we ever not be eternally fascinated by the ‘what’s in my bag’ trope? This SS24 – surprise! – capacious bags are trending, and not only are they big, they’re stuffed to the brim. Aligning with the outpouring of Jane Birkin love (and hot takes on her bulging Birkin), Miu Miu’s SS24 show was lauded for its chaotic bag energy – each exit showed a model toting a classic bowling bag, top handle or tote overflowing with spare shoes, keys and clothes. As you do. (more…)



Nautical niceties for AW24 menswear



SS Daley AW24

There’s nothing new about nautical themes in fashion, but we can never get enough of them. SS Daley is my AW24 menswear highlight so far (above and below). Styled by Harry Lambert, it’s a romantic, eclectic take on the Oxbridge student life of a bygone era, with an added nautical influence via an E.M Forster story about an English boy’s encounter with an Italian fisherman. Give me all the messy layering, practical headgear, fish-print foulards and pops of yellow please. Amy de la Haye’sShip Shape’ (act 2 of ‘Oh Boy! Dressing Boys 1750-1930’) exhibition at the Fashion & Textile Museum looks like a good source for further maritime-themed inspo. (more…)



Ready for the drop



Phoebe Philo drop waist leather jacket

Is it me manifesting the 1924-style optimism of the deco-era or is there really a rising tide of flapper-esque dresses and hip-riding silhouettes on the horizon? Putting aside my theory that the 2020s hasn’t properly started yet and that 2024 could be The Year (admittedly based on nothing more than blind hope), the evidence is pointing to the latter. (more…)



Luna Luna, a fantastical (but true) story



Keith Haring Luna Luna carousel - photo by Sabina Sarnitz

Are you as blown away as I am by the Luna Luna story?

The forgotten art funfair, initiated in Germany in 1987 by Austrian artist André Heller, then tragically left to languish in storage for 35 years – including surreal and often macabre rides by the likes of Haring, Basquiat, Scharf and a whole list of other 20th century art notables. The story is a movie-worthy tale in itself (the whole shebang recently rescued and revived by… Drake of all people), but the art and the accompanying catalogue are just as mindblowing.

Today’s iteration, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy has just reopened in Los Angeles showing 16 of the restored carousels, pavilions and Ferris wheels as a look-but-don’t-touch experience. (more…)